2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN — Complaint #631821
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about AIR BAGS:KNEE BOLSTER filed July 25, 2007
NHTSA complaint #631821 (ODI reference 10197416) concerns a 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN and was filed on July 25, 2007. The owner reports the failure occurred on May 24, 2007. The vehicle had 27,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to 00 based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as air bags:knee bolster, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 1, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same DODGE GRAND CARAVAN cohort independently describe similar air bags:knee bolster failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
IN THE 05 AND NEWER DODGE/CHRYSLER CARS AND MINIVANS, THERE IS A "KNEE BLOCKER" AIRBAG SYSTEM INSTALLED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BELOW THE STEERING COLUMN, THAT IS DEFECTIVE IN DESIGN AND IN IT'S INTENDED USE. THE LOWER DASH PANEL IS ATTACHED TO A METAL FRAME THAT IS HINGED AT THE BOTTOM AND BEHIND THAT IS THE AIRBAG THAT DEPLOYS AT JUST UNDER 200 MPH. WHEN THE AIRBAG INFLATES IN AN ACCIDENT, THIS HARD PLASTIC REINFORCE PANEL WILL SLAM DOWN ON A DRIVER'S LEGS CAUSING INJURY. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL... WHEN THE DRIVER'S LEGS ARE STRUCK, THE FIRST INSTINCT IS FOR THE DRIVER TO RECOIL AND BRING THEIR LEGS AWAY FROM THE CAUSE OF THE PAIN. WHEN THEY DO THIS, THIS PANEL DROPS IN FRONT OF THE LEGS AND NOW THE DRIVER CANNOT GET THEIR FEET BACK TO THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. IF THEIR VEHICLE CONTINUES TO ROLL, THERE IS A DANGER OF A FURTHER COLLISION WITH THE DRIVER HAVING LITTLE CONTROL. ONE LAST CONSIDERATION, IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT INJURY TO DIABETICS (LOWER LIMBS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 631821 |
| ODI Number | 10197416 |
| Date Filed | July 25, 2007 |
| Failure Date | May 24, 2007 |
| VIN | 2D4GP24R15R |
Similar AIR BAGS:KNEE BOLSTER Complaints for 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN
THE VEHICLE WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 55MPH WHEN IT COLLIDED HEAD ON WITH A COW. THE DRIVER SIDE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER'S LEGS WERE INJURED BY THE COVER OF THE LOWER AIR BAG. *TR
THE KNEE BLOCKER AIRBAG IN MY 05 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN OPENED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. THE AIRBAG IS BEHIND A STEEL PLATE HINGED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DASH. ATTACHED TO THIS PLATE IS THE HARD PLASTIC PANE
THIS IS A COPY OF AN EMAIL I SENT TO CHRYSLER CONCERNING AN ACCIDENT ON 2-3-06 MY WIFE WAS INVOLVED IN. CHRYSLER HELD UP REPAIRS AND SENT A "SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR" TO LOOK AT THE VAN. TO MAKE A LONG ST
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.