2014 Dodge Grand Caravan: Car Seat Check
Dodge’s Grand Caravan treats families right with its Stow ‘n Go second-row seats and a third row that flips around for picnicking or tailgating. The Grand Caravan has a standard second-row bench that seats three, but our test car had the optional Stow ‘n Go captain’s chairs.
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two
How many car seats fit in the third row? Two
What We Like
- The Grand Caravan has three sets of lower Latch anchors. The third set is in the third row. All the anchors are easy to access.
- The forward-facing convertible fit well in the second row; the tether anchors are near the bottom of the seatback, but they were easy to find and use.
- Third-row access is good thanks to the roomy walkway between the second-row captain’s chairs.
- The booster seat fit well in both the second and third rows, but we downgraded it to a B for the third row because of floppy seat belt buckles that can be difficult for kids to use independently.
What We Don’t
- While we appreciate the three sets of Latch anchors, the placement of the set in the third row is awkward. They’re positioned in the middle of the larger portion of the 60/40-split seat, so when we installed our forward-facing convertible using the anchors, the car seat took up two seating positions. That’s not ideal when hauling a gaggle of kids.
- To install the rear-facing infant-safety seat in the second row, we had to move the front passenger seat forward. The Stow ‘n Go seats don’t slide, so moving the front seat was the only option.
- The third row’s bottom cushion is deeply angled and caused our forward-facing convertible to sit at an odd angle. While the car seat fit fine, we wonder if a child riding in it would be comfortable.
Grading Scale
A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.
B: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.
C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row when available.
D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues.
F: Does not fit or is unsafe.
About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.
We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here.
Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.
