Total Complaints
13 filings
DODGE B SERIES · model year
1996 DODGE B SERIES
13 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1996DODGEB SERIES carries 13 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1996 B SERIES is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:rotor with 2 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:pads (2) and vehicle speed control (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 20 investigation files overlapping the 1996 B SERIES, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
13
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT SECTOR | 1 |
| STEERING:LINKAGES:DRAG:POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 1 |
| STEERING:LINKAGES:DRAG:LINK:CONNECTION | 1 |
| STEERING:LINKAGES:ROD:RELAY:CONNECTING | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040609FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS 1996 DODGE B VAN WITH 37960 MILES. THE DRIVER DROVE APPROX. 2 MILES TO HIS FIRST JOB. NOTICED NOTHING UNUSUAL. PARKED IN FRONT OF THE CUSTOMERS HOUSE,NOTICED NOTHING UNUSUAL. DROVE BEHIND THE HOUSE TO THE JOBSITE AND SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. EXITED THE TRUCK AND SAW FLAMES FROM THE RIGHT FRONT WHEELWELL. HAD THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. AN INVESTIGATION BY AN OUTSIDE CONTRACTOR,HIRED BY DAIMLERCHRYSLER WAS INCONCLUSIVE AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE, BUT LISTED A PROBABLE CAUSE AS THE HEATER BLOWER MOTOR. THE BLOWER MOTOR COULD NOT BE FOUND AT THE TIME OF THE INVESTIGATION! VERIZON HAS EXPERIENCED MANY BLOWER MOTOR FAILURES AND BLOWER RESISTOR FAILURES IN THIS MODEL VEHICLE. VERIZON HAS EXPERIENCED SIMILAR FIRES IN THIS MODEL VEHICLE AND FEELS THAT THIS FIRE WARRANTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION. *AK
Mileage: 37,960
19970319SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
WARPED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT; ALSO REPLACED PADS/CALIPERS/DRAG LINK AND TIE ROD. *AK
19970319STEERING:LINKAGES:DRAG:LINK:CONNECTION
WARPED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT; ALSO REPLACED PADS/CALIPERS/DRAG LINK AND TIE ROD. *AK
19970319STEERING:LINKAGES:ROD:RELAY:CONNECTING
WARPED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT; ALSO REPLACED PADS/CALIPERS/DRAG LINK AND TIE ROD. *AK
19970319SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
WARPED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT; ALSO REPLACED PADS/CALIPERS/DRAG LINK AND TIE ROD. *AK
19970319SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
WARPED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT; ALSO REPLACED PADS/CALIPERS/DRAG LINK AND TIE ROD. *AK
19970318SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
WARPED BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT, ALMOST CAUSED A HED-ON ACCIDENT, ALSO PREMATURE WEAR OF BRAKE PADS AND FAULTY DRAG LINK. *AK
19970318STEERING:LINKAGES:DRAG:POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
WARPED BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT, ALMOST CAUSED A HED-ON ACCIDENT, ALSO PREMATURE WEAR OF BRAKE PADS AND FAULTY DRAG LINK. *AK
19970318SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
WARPED BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT, ALMOST CAUSED A HED-ON ACCIDENT, ALSO PREMATURE WEAR OF BRAKE PADS AND FAULTY DRAG LINK. *AK
19970305STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT SECTOR
STEERING SHAFT BECOMES LOOSE IN THE SLIP JOINT. *AK
19970109POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WHEN SHIFTED INTO GEAR THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS, THE ENGINE RACES, THERE IS NO POWER IN THE WHEEL . *AK
19961107STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
WIND NOISE IN BOTH FRONT WINDOWS. *AK
19950614CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VAN IN PARK;ENGINE RUNNING;OCCUPANTS GOT OUT;AFTER 1 MINUTE, REVERSE PARKING LIGHT CAME ON;VAN BARRELED DOWN;WENT THRU GATE, NEARLY KILLING DRIVER;LEASED CAR.
Compare 1996DODGEB SERIES to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1996 DODGE B SERIES have?▼
The 1996 DODGE B SERIES has 13 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 DODGE B SERIES?▼
The most-complained component for the 1996 DODGE B SERIES is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Is the 1996 DODGE B SERIES safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.