Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 1900303 | 08/29/2003 | 1900801 | 10003545 | Pop/tick sound in steering wheel area. *tt | 10/23/2003 |
| 190999 | 02/11/2000 | 610018 | A condition where a click / rattle sound may be heard coming from the area of the steering wheel while the vhicle is in motion. *tt | 04/14/2000 | |
| 190598 | 08/28/1998 | 602189 | A honk or squeal noise during parking lot maneuvers. *yc | 11/12/1999 | |
| 190197 | 10/03/1997 | 54222 | Some vehicles experience a momentary loss of power assist for the steering when turning corners with the a/c or defroster | 03/30/1998 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||||
| 191197 | 12/05/1997 | 6088966 | Concerns with honk noise during parking lot maneuvers. *nlm | 01/11/2000 | |
| 190197A | 01/24/1997 | 51282 | During high humidity climate conditions, some vehicles may experience a momentary loss of power assist for the steering when turning corners with the a/c or defrost | 06/27/1997 | |
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION - RACK | |||||
| 191497 | 12/19/1997 | 6088974 | This bulletin involves intermittent popping on front end. *nlm | 01/11/2000 | |
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||||
| 1900801 | 11/23/2001 | 628194 | Experiencing a pop/tick sound heard coming from the steering wheel area while the vehicle is in motion. *tt | 03/06/2002 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 12/20/2010 | 82000 | ||
| After driving in the rain several days in a row, including a muddy dirt road, hit a mud puddle and suddenly lost power in steering. was a belt laying on the ground under right side of car. car towed to auto repair shop. was told 1998 chrysler town and country vans have this problem when it rains. belt reinstalled. now cautious of driving in rain. would like to find solution. | |||
| 10/17/2010 | 199000 | ||
| Repeated dismount of serpentine belt from crankshaft pulley due to water splashing from right front tire. has occurred four or five times since owning the 1998 vehicle in 2001. this caused the abrupt loss of power steering, braking and electrical power from the alternator. no action has been taken by chrysler to provide s shield to protect this area. | |||
| 12/22/2004 | 2 | 05/11/1998 | |
| 1998 chrysler town and country developed problems with the tie rod and the rack and pinion system. *mr there was binding and popping when turning the steering wheel to the right. the rack and pinion steering gear was replaced and an alignment was performed. *sc *jb | |||
| 09/15/2002 | 55500 | 6 | 01/29/1998 |
| While driving in rain the fan belt which provides power to steering, battery and engine cooling falls off. failure causes immediate loss of steering & within 20 seconds engine overheats & disables vehical until towed. dealer attempted to fix under warranty 6 times (new tensioner, new pulley whee and new pipes to drain water. same result each time, after period of time occurs again. car is to dangerous to drive . *ak | |||
| 08/15/2002 | 53000 | ||
| First transmission problem was on a secondary road, had to turn around and when i went to back up would not go in reverse or forward. had to be towed. again having a problem with the transmission on august 23, 2003. it is jerking when i go into reverse or forward. will have to be towed to garage. last december was coming of an exit and bolt broke off from steering that goes into the transmission | |||
| 08/15/2002 | 1 | ||
| While driving vehicle in a puddle steering wheel belt would come off ,causing the steering wheel to lock up.*ak | |||
| 06/10/2002 | 72150 | 1 | 07/01/1998 |
| Steering failed on my previous chrysler new yorker at the same mileage. *ts *jb ***dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12-12-02 cut over to artemis***763027 | |||
| 1 | |||
| Defective clock spring caused problems within steering and cruise control operations. it can also effect horn and airbag light. *ak the clock spring failed prematurly resulting in air bag and the cruise control failure. *yh | |||
| 04/21/2000 | 0 | ||
| Consumer has a brand new car, each time vehicle is driven consumer has problems with the steering- steering became difficult/very tight to turn. on some occasions has lost control. *ak | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| 01/20/2001 | 10 | 10/01/1997 | |
| On the date above i tried to have repairs made to keep the alarm system from auto-activating. it did so repeatedly in days prior to the service date. after replacing a hood switch for $123.28,the problem happened again the next morning. having no faith in the florida dealer who was far from my home in kansas, i removed the fuse disabling my horn and making it possible to not disturb my neighbors while the alarm continued to frequently go on. only the lights flashed. after my return home a local dealer tried to repair the alarm system finding a door switch to be the problem. when i returned later to complain that the problem was still there and i got ongoing, unexplainable alarm sounds that caused me to have to remove the horn fuse each time, the dealer checked my car and told me the main computer must be replaced at a cost of about $700.00. i asked to have the alarm disconnected and was told if so i would lose the use of my horn. the factory told me that because my warrenty was lapsed by 2 months i had no recourse. they made a one time offer of replacing the computer for almost $300.00 good for 60 days. i only want my horn to operate for safety and it can not!*ak | |||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 11/18/2005 | 60000 | 10 | 10/01/2002 |
| When going through average size puddle, serpentine belt came off. this disables all steering control and alternator/coolant system, etc. this is definitely a safety issue. have replaced belt myself numerous times. failure of tensioner and 2 other pulleys eventually needed at cost of $300+. waiting for it to happen again... i see this is an ongoing problem. *tr | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - POWER STEERING FLUID | |||
| 1 | |||
| When the vehicle was turned at low speeds, all power steering was lost.*jb | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 09/15/2002 | 55500 | 6 | 01/29/1998 |
| While driving in rain the fan belt which provides power to steering, battery and engine cooling falls off. failure causes immediate loss of steering & within 20 seconds engine overheats & disables vehical until towed. dealer attempted to fix under warranty 6 times (new tensioner, new pulley whee and new pipes to drain water. same result each time, after period of time occurs again. car is to dangerous to drive . *ak | |||
| 11/07/2002 | 3000 | 2 | 12/01/1997 |
| This vehicle had two clock spring failures with the air bag warning light staying on. the first occurred at 3000 miles. the second failure caused cruise control to cease working. with power steering complaint, the vibration and grumbling in the steering at slow speeds was a cause of concern. after the steering rack was replaced, and longer steering hoses placed on the vehicle, the vibration continued in the steering, although somewhat subdued. the steering pump flow control valve was worn. when the fluid reached operating temperatures, the vibration increased and became more noticeable when driving for several hours. the steering felt non-responsive going into turns at slow speeds. i ended up paying for the steering pump replacement, since the dealership didn't consider my complaint a fault with the pump, although the steering is 100% better with the unit replaced.---*dt. ------dims 11 ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis-------769523. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2000 | 3 | 08/01/1997 | |
| While driving in a heavy downpour rain or over puddles power steering belt gets wet, and causes power steering to be inoperative, which may result in a crash. dealer cannot solve the problem. *ak the incident occured three times. the consumer had belt inspected and were in good condition. *yh | |||
| 12/16/2000 | 1 | 04/27/1998 | |
| Steering belt tensioner failed and came off while driving, causing a loss of power steering. *ak *slc | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 12/17/2002 | 30696 | 3 | 03/25/1998 |
| Dt: the contact complained about a serpentine belt problem. she replaced the belt three times. this has been an ongoing problem for the past three years. the first problem emerged when the belt broke while driving. the power steering was lost when the breakage occurred. the next two times the belt itself did not break, it came off the pulley. the vehicle has been taken back to the dealer for repairs all three times.*ak | |||
| 02/14/2005 | 135000 | 1 | 12/18/1997 |
| The vehicle, a 1998 chrysler town and country minivan, completely lost all power steering while my wife was driving on a highway. fortunately, my wife was able to exit the highway with the van overheating without damage or injury. as this is the second time that power steering has been lost while driving within the last three months, we understandably are very concerned about whether or not this problem is correctable and if the vehicle can be rendered safe. our mechanic provided me with a service bulletin issued by chrysler which identifies the problem. for vans from the 1995-1999 model years, the serpentine belt can slip off the idler pulley when the van is driven in deep snow or water. unfortunately, the service bulletin gives no indication of what causes this problem. i do not want anyone (either in my family or outside it) to be a fatality as a result of this problem. while my mechanic can do the repairs (like he did the last time), he can give me no assurance that the problem will not occur again. *ak | |||
| 10/14/2002 | 60000 | 100 | |
| The van lost power steering every time it was driven over a puddle of water.*jb | |||
| 09/15/2002 | 55500 | 6 | 01/29/1998 |
| While driving in rain the fan belt which provides power to steering, battery and engine cooling falls off. failure causes immediate loss of steering & within 20 seconds engine overheats & disables vehical until towed. dealer attempted to fix under warranty 6 times (new tensioner, new pulley whee and new pipes to drain water. same result each time, after period of time occurs again. car is to dangerous to drive . *ak | |||
| 01/28/2004 | 1 | ||
| Our 1998 chrysler town & country minivan has had a recurring problem with the power steering belt falling off when the vehicles drives through standing water (or snow). we have had the vehicle to numerous mechanics and a chrysler dealer in an effort to get this problem fixed. each of them (including the dealer) has told us that they have seen this problem on other chrysler town & country minivans, but that chrysler has refused to provide any recommended fix. we consider this a dangerous situation which we have put-up with for several years.*ak | |||
| While driving 20 mph vehicle lost power steering/ power brakes and electrical system without warning. vehicle was inspected by dealer, and it was determined that fan belt separated from vehicle. *ak | |||
| 09/30/1998 | 4 | 06/01/1998 | |
| This exact problem occured 4 times within 26 months of lease. driver loses complete control of vehicle, sterring etc. and causes a serious safety hazard. seeking help and relief fron chrysler and lemon law of nj to release us from balance of lease and repay all expenses spent. have lost all confidence in the car and will not drive it anymor please contact proper channels to help me in this situation. | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 08/21/2002 | 2 | 12/01/2097 | |
| At 34886 miles the steering rack assembly was replacd for a 'clunking noise' in the front end. the problem was later traced to the sway bar insulators and link ends. at 59600 miles the vehicle was serviced for vibration in the steering column, with a moaning sound, whenever turning at slow speeds. at 60569 the steering hoses, fluid and steering assembly were replaced. none of these components remedied the shudder in the steering. | |||
| 10/05/1998 | 1 | 05/15/1998 | |
| Outer tie rod ends failed. (attorney for consumer). | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 10/11/2001 | 1 | ||
| While driving to dealer, steering wheel would momentarily lock up. while pulling onto dealer's lot, steering wheel locked up completely. rack and pinion repairs were made at consumer's expense. no recall and warranty expired. *ak *tt | |||
| 09/01/1998 | 1 | 03/17/1998 | |
| Rack and pinion in steering failed. yh | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 05/05/2001 | 1 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Air bag light has come on and will not go off also, the cruise control and the horn assembly is inoperable. consumer has not taken vehicle in to dealership to be examined. *ak consumer states the horn went out, as well as the steering column which locked and vehicle had to be towed into dealership and the parts had to be replaced, also the cigarette lighter does not work. *jb | |||
| 06/01/1998 | |||
| The town & country (t&c) minivan does not have a stearing wheel gear shift lock to prevent children from accidently shifting gears. you don't need to step on the brake to shift out of park in the town & country van. how did the safety commission allow chrysler to get away with this? do we need to have an accident or have a child killed in one of these vans for the gov. to require chrysler to install a safety lock on all of their popular minivans? i asked a dealer about this and they told me that chysler does not have a safety lock on its t&c minivans. this surprised me and the dealer, since many families do buy the t&c minivan. i think that chrysler needs to install this feature in all of its popular vans! all i am asking for is chrysler to install a safety feature that should have already been there in one of its most popular minivan series. | |||