Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 0900801 | 11/02/2001 | 632197 | Subject regarding camshaft / bearing service. *tt | 07/11/2002 | |
| 180200 | 02/04/2000 | 609989 | Concerns with the pcv valve freezing under extremely cold conditions. *tt | 04/12/2000 | |
| 180100 | 02/04/2000 | 609988 | Subject regarding misdiagnosed leak detection pump systems with diagnostic trouble codes p1494, p0442 p0455, or p0456. *tt | 04/12/2000 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||||
| 180300 | 06/02/2000 | 614163 | Subject regarding egr monitor diagnostic test difficult to complete or not ready at high altitudes (above 4000 feet). *tt | 09/29/2000 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 10/01/2012 | 168000 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2000 chrysler town & country new from a chrysler dealer in wi. during the month of october 2012, the car it suddenly stalled out while in motion on the highway with no prior warning. while coasting i was able put the van in neutral and restart it. over the course of various trips at varying speeds the van stalled several more times while in motion. the problem was so sporadic that it would go away for a few days and randomly returned. the car does not give any signs prior to stalling such as sputtering. the van even stalls while going straight or through curves and turns leaving the driver to muscle the car safely to a stop before having to restart it. an independent mechanic who stated the problem hasn't thrown a code for them to diagnose and they were unsuccessful in getting the car to stall out for them during test drives. from the complaints that i've seen it appears that the stalling problems are occurring on town&country models ranging from 1997-2007 and is affecting both the 3.3ltr engine as well as the 3.8ltr engine. it seems that this problem is common enough among owners. has there been any resolution to this issue that anyone is aware of> *tr | |||
| 10/01/2012 | 168000 | ||
| I purchased a 2000 chrysler town & country new from a chrysler dealer in wi. during the month of october 2012, the car it suddenly stalled out while in motion on the highway with no prior warning. while coasting i was able put the van in neutral and restart it. over the course of various trips at varying speeds the van stalled several more times while in motion. the problem was so sporadic that it would go away for a few days and randomly returned. the car does not give any signs prior to stalling such as sputtering. the van even stalls while going straight or through curves and turns leaving the driver to muscle the car safely to a stop before having to restart it. an independant machanic who stated the problem hasn't thrown a code for them to diagnose and they were unsuccessful in getting the car to stall out for them during test drives. from the complaints that i've seen it appears that the stalling problems are occurring on town&country models ranging from 1997-2007 and is affecting both the 3.3ltr engine as well as the 3.8ltr engine. it seems that this problem is common enough among owners. has there been any resolution to this issue that anyone is aware of> | |||
| 09/04/2012 | 148000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 chrysler town and country. the contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph during rainy weather, the steering wheel seized without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where they advised that the serpentine belt had become detached. the vehicle was repaired by replacing the serpentine belt on the correct track. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 148,000. the current mileage was approximately 149,000. the vin was unavailable. kmj | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 05/12/2009 | 107000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 chrysler town & country. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, he drove over a pothole and the serpentine belt slipped off of the engine. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have the belt changed, but that did not remedy the failure. the contact stated that the belt had fallen off four times. the failure mileage was 107,000. sm. | |||
| 05/12/2009 | 107000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 chrysler town & country. the contact stated while driving 35 mph the serpentine belt slipped off the engine after the vehicle hit a pothole. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have the belt changed but that did not remedy the problem. the contact stated the belt had fallen off four times. the failure mileage was 107,000. jo | |||
| 06/13/2011 | 75000 | ||
| Several incidents of serpentine belt disengaged (slipped off pulleys) caused loss of steering and overheated engine. first time happened in car wash and three times driving through rain puddles. | |||
| 01/06/2010 | 52000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chrysler town and country. while driving approximately 35 mph the fan belt detached from the vehicle and the vehicle stalled. the failure occurred five times when it was snowing or raining. the vehicle was towed three out of five times when the failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic five times where the fan belt was replaced each time. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 52,000. | |||
| 01/06/2010 | 52000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2000 chrysler town and country. while driving approximately 35 mph the fan belt detached from the vehicle and the vehicle would stall. the failure occurred five different times and it would snow or rain. the vehicle was towed three out of the five times the failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic five different times where the fan belt was replaced each time. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 52,000. ds | |||
| 09/26/2010 | 149000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2000 chrysler town and country. the contact stated that the serpentine belt separated from the alternator causing the alternator to fail. the failure was experienced numerous times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test and advised that the vehicle did not have a protective splash guard and caused water to penetrate, separating the serpentine belt from the alternator. the battery was replaced but the failure was not corrected and the serpentine belt continued to fail. the manufacturer advised that the failure was not recalled. the failure mileage was 149,000, and the current mileage was 196,000. | |||
| 09/26/2010 | 149000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 chrysler town and country. the contact stated the serpentine belt separated from the alternator causing the alternator to fail. the failure was experienced numerous times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer whom performed a diagnosed that found that the vehicle does not have a protected splash guard and caused water to penetrate; separating the serpentine belt from the alternator and battery was replaced. the failure was not corrected the serpentine belt continues to fail. the manufacturer advised the failure was not recalled. the failure mileage was 149,000, and the current mileage was 196, 000. li | |||
| 07/01/2009 | 85000 | 1 | |
| My 2000 chrysler town and country serpentine belt keeps slipping off after driving through puddles. this problem has been repaired 4 times already and is still slipping off. this is a potentially hazardous problem as it is not always immediately known that the belt has slipped off which cause driver to lose power steering (among other things). being unable to steer while driving is an absolute danger especially depending on the speed of the car! *tr | |||
| 08/17/2008 | 155000 | 1 | |
| We were driving in the rain on the interstate when all of sudden lights come on..my husband says that the power steering has gone and the engine lights come on and the engine starts to overheat. it was terrifying. we find as we are pulled to the side of the road that the serpentine belt has come off. it was a brand new belt. i had it replaced prior to going on this trip. my husband and son get it back on and it comes off again. i had the vehicle towed. the overheating did some damage. had to replace radiator and hoses. then driving down broad street a week later, the hose comes off again. i don't feel safe in this vehicle. tensioner has been replaced along with other damaged parts. *tr | |||
| 02/15/2008 | 96000 | 1 | 02/01/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chrysler town and country. the contact stated that the underhood strut tower is rusted. the dealer advised her not to drive the vehicle in that condition because a crash could occur. the manufacturer has a kit to correct the defect; however, they will not provide assistance with the labor costs. the current mileage was 109,000 and failure mileage was 96,000. | |||
| 12/09/2007 | 106703 | 5 | 06/01/2003 |
| The serpentine belt on my 2000 chrysler town and country slips off when i drive through puddles resulting in loss of power steering, cooling and electrical. this event strands us where ever we happen to be. *tr | |||
| 01/17/2004 | 5 | 09/15/2000 | |
| Update to the problem related to the serpentine belt of a 2000 town and country.(odi number: 770436 12/4/02). a fifth (5th) occurence occured on jan 17, 2004 . still without resolution other than tow the van and put back the serpentine belt. *ak | |||
| 32000 | 12 | ||
| Vehicle leaf spring has weakened causing the rear of vehicle to sit at an angle. problems with front wheels and brakes. *mr the dealer was unable to repair the re-occurring problem with the front brakes, and the rotors. the front wheels and or brakes were squeaking again, which meant that new front brakes were needed again. (this was the fourth time the brakes were replaced) the consumer requested a full refund of the purchase price of the vehicle. other problems are as followed: the left rear shock had blown and a bolt had broken on the right shock and were replaced,the brake light would come on when going around corners, the rear view mirror was loose along with the right side mirror(both readjusted), noise in the steering and was hard to steer at times, there was a metal sound in the front strut especially when the temperature was cold, and there was overheating so the all the parts of the cooling system were replaced. *scc | |||
| 12/04/2002 | 4 | 09/01/2000 | |
| All 4 incidents happened on a rainy day (spring 1x (wife driving and turning from a stop light 5-10 mph), fall 2x in one day(30-40mph), last incident 12/4/02 (30-40mph)). when belt slips off, power steering disabled, power brake disabled, alternator disabled, cooling system disabled, engine overheats, stalls when battery runs out. local dealer (spirit chrysler, lubbock) has no idea why the problem persist. dt | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 10/26/2010 | 160000 | ||
| My 2000 chrysler town and country van, has a problem with the serpentine belt coming off while it is raining. this is a very difficult and dangerous problem because it cause the power steering to go out and the most inopportune times. i really wish someone would be ethical enough from chrysler or nhtsa to do a recall before someone get killed. | |||
| 08/30/2008 | 64404 | 1 | |
| My chrysler town&country with 3.8 eng.belt has come off when driving in heavy rain 4 times. losing powersteering and causing engine to quickly to overheat. dealers have no fix for this problem. this almost caused me to damage my car and possibly others since it came without any warning. i checked the internet to see if any one else had this problem and found many. it seems that so may that gates belt company designed a belt package to solve this problem. i purchase this repair package and seems to be working in the rain. shouldn't this repair been a recall by chrysler before someone gets hurt. *tr | |||
| 07/30/2003 | 46800 | 3 | 05/25/2002 |
| While raining and on vacation we drove through a puddle. almost immediately the radiator light came on, the temperature gauge read, hot, we lost power steering, and then the alternator light came on. we had the vehicle towed only to learn that the serpentine belt slipped off and was dragging on the ground. *ak | |||
| 04/09/2001 | 1 | 07/01/1999 | |
| All failures occurred within 2 hours. no safety defect mentioned. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||
| 10/12/2004 | 53000 | 2 | 04/01/2000 |
| The fan belt slipped off the van while driving down the road at 25 mph. . power steering was lost. this was the second occurrence.*ak *tc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 11/13/2000 | 100 | 5 | |
| The front driver side top strut is coming through the chassis. the power steering failed when making a right turn. the driver side gets wet and the driver shoulder harness is getting wet, and molding, and the anchorage is rusting. . | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 08/19/2010 | 120000 | ||
| At leaset 6 times since owning a 2000 chrysler town and country, the serpentine belt has come off either in the rain or snow. once causing property damage as i pulled off the road when the car overheated. it also caused the head gasket to fail. gates has a correction kit for this. chrysler should supply them on a one time basis t every owner. failure of this design causes occupants to be put at risk in the most inclement weather conditions when you need the car to perform it's best. additionall there is loss of power steering, pwer brakes, and alternator. | |||
| 01/05/2009 | 132007 | 1 | |
| During rain or snowmelt events, splashing water causes the serpentine belt on the engine slip from the engine idler pulleys. they are smooth and rounded in design, allowing water to slip beneath during operation resulting in the belt slipping from the pulleys. the steering on these vans is extremely inadequate without power assist, even while the vehicle is moving. our belt has slipped off in the past, requiring belt replacement, but this recent event caused a loss of steering while the vehicle was in motion, resulting in a crash. no one in my family was seriously injured, but the valence at the front of the vehicle was damaged. after calling my local dmv to find out where to report this, and searching the internet about the problem, i find it unconscionable that chrysler and the nhtsa have not acted on a solution sooner. *tr | |||
| 07/18/2006 | 141500 | 1 | 07/29/2003 |
| Complaint involves a 2000 chrysler town & country ltd awd minvan 3.8l engine. during its annual safety inspection, my mechanic discovered the flywheel was cracked. i had brought the vehicle in to a) have it inspected b) check a metallic noise the engine had when the a/c was on. vehicle passed the safety inspection, however he informed me the flywheel was cracked and should not be driven until fixed. it was my understanding that if it failed completely it could cause an explosion with the transmission case being blown apart - not a good thing when this vehicle is used primarily by my wife with our children as the main cargo. i had the vehicle repaired which cost approxiamately $560. *jb | |||
| 03/04/2003 | 1000 | 2 | |
| On 2 separate occasions the serpentine belt came off the pulley while driving. when this occurred the vehicle lost engine coolant, power brakes and steering, almost resulting in an accident. the dealership could not indicate why the serpentine belt came off. they just replaced it. *ak the first incident occurred during light rain. the second incident revealed a drain form a prior repair to an evaporator had fallen off and allowed water to drip directly onto the serpentine belt, which supposedly allowed the belt to jump off of the pulleys. *sc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 07/08/2000 | 3 | 10/01/1999 | |
| On three separate occasions consumer expienced loss of power while traveling at 60 to 65 mph. *ak | |||
| 06/23/2000 | 06/20/2000 | ||
| The engine revved directly ahead of me was a telephone pole, had my foot on the brakes at that time it could not hold to stop the car. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 03/10/2008 | 97611 | 3 | 10/31/2002 |
| Serpentine belt falls off when driven through a puddle of water. the chrysler dealership i contacted informed me that this was typical with my make and model (2000 chrysler town and country). when the belt falls off, the van loses power steering and is very difficult to control. *tr | |||
| 03/11/2008 | 91672 | 4 | 01/22/2000 |
| My serpentine belt has come off 4 times. i have informed the dealer of this problem during warranty time period and nonwarrantly time period. the dealer and other mechanics keep charging me to temporarily fix a manufacturer recall problem. my wife drives the van, normally with children with her. this is very dangerous and needs to be corrected immediately. this is a very common problem for this type of vehicle. *tr | |||
| 02/05/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| It is a well known problem with chrysler minivans - whenever there is a heavy rain and the water puddles in the street, the serpentine belt slips off and all power to the vehicle is lost. this has happened to me multiple times. i have spoken to my local mechanic about this problem and he stated that this happens to all chrysler minivans (dodge and pontiac minivans as well) and has occurred since they started making minivans. every time there is a heavy downpour he has a lot full of chrsler vans that need their belt put back on. i called my local chrysler dealer in urbana, il and spoke to the service representative. she told me that they are fully aware of the problem because two of their own service vans are out of commission due to the recent rain. she agreed that every time it rains heavily, the belts come off these vans. i called chrysler automotive and spoke to a customer service rep. about the problem. she checked and told me that chrysler will not do anything about this because it is a known problem and because the national highway traffic safety administration has not issued a recall. since chrysler will not address this known problem until nhtsa issues a recall, please issue a recall. what could be more dangerous than for people to lose power while driving on crowded roadways and interstate? *tr | |||
| 07/05/2007 | 100189 | 4 | |
| Our 2000 chrysler town and country minivan has had major mechanical problems. the most recent was the repeated failure of the serpentine belt. the first failure occurred while driving in cold weather (february 2007). the belt slipped off the pulleys leaving me to try to careen it over to the side of the rode with no power steering and an overheating engine. the car was repaired at our local mechanic shop. the second time occurred while it was raining outside. the belt popped off as i was driving at 40 mph and i nearly had an accident. it was all i could do to get the car off the busy street - again with the engine overheating. the car was then repaired at a new ase certified mechanic shop. the tensioner pulley and idler pulley were replaced. we thought they were fixed when i was traveling at 55 mph and the belt popped off again. i slightly ran off the road and was left stranded in the middle of a country road with no one in sight. a local mechanic said the new tensioner pulley was defective and i drove (in another vehicle) to a dealership 30 miles away to purchase a new tensioner. two days later in the middle of a visit to a national park, the belt slipped off again and left me stranded with my children in a hot car. we then realized that the problem was not being resolved, got the belt put on one more time by a aaa mechanic and made it home on a wing and a prayer. *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 2 | ||
| 2000 chrysler town and country lxi**nar**cc the consumer stated for the past several years the serpentine belt that operates the power steering, engine cooling, and alternator has periodically jump from the pulleys during heavy rains on well drained streets. *jb | |||
| 04/01/2003 | 29187 | 4 | 06/01/2000 |
| Tl*- the contact stated that the v2000 chrysler town & country had a number of problems with the serpentine belt popping off while driving. the contact stated that this had happened on four occasion. there was heavy rain and while driving 30-35 mph under heavy traffic, the battery light came on and the vehicle was difficult to steer. he was able to pull off the road into a parking area. the contact opened the hood and noticed that the serpentine belt came off again. the contact called aaa to have the vehicle towed to the dealership, and they also informed him that the serpentine belt had come off. the contact stated that the vehicle is still at the dealership. the contact will have the belt available for investigation. the contact will be calling the manufacturer of chrysler to file a complaint. the contact felt that if this continued to happen, one day the serpentine belt will pop off and he will lose control of the steering and something drastic could happen. this vehicle had 62,500 miles, and was not sure how many miles were on the vehicle when the serpentine belt popped off the first time. the contact will have all repair orders available for this investigation. *ak the consumer states the belt was okay per dealer and reinstalled. the consumer has provided invoices of repair. updated 05/04/07. *jb | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 4 | 06/01/2000 | |
| Tl*- the contact stated that the 2000 chrysler town & country had a number of problems with the serpentine belt popping off while driving. this happened on four occasions during heavy rain and while driving 30-35 mph under heavy traffic, the battery light came on, and the vehicle was difficult to steer. he was able to pull off the road into a parking area. the contact opened the hood of the vehicle and noticed that the serpentine belt had come off again. the contact called aaa to have the vehicle towed to the dealership, and they also informed him that the serpentine belt came off. the contact stated that the vehiclewas still at the dealership. the contact will have the belt available for investigation. the contact will be calling the manufacturer of chrysler to file a complaint. the contact felt that if this continued to happen one day the serpentine belt will pop off and he will lose control of the steering and something drastic could happen. the contact stated that this vehicle had 62,500 miles and was not sure how many miles were on the vehicle when the serpentine belt popped off the first time. the contact will have all repair orders available for this investigation. *ak | |||
| 10/21/2006 | 78100 | 4 | 09/11/2002 |
| The serpentine belt on my 2000 chrysler town & country van pops off causing loss of power steering, alternator and water pump. very dangerous to have to safely drive to a stop without power steering. belt has been replaced. tensioner has been replaced. pulleys have been replaced. dealers and private shops have no clue what is wrong, but owners do- the tensioner gets out of alignment! goodyear and gates have begun to market kits to fix the problem, but the manufacturer should do a recall. just google to see how many owners are affected. this is a serious safety issue! the incident date i list is the last of 4 incidents in the past 2 years. *nm | |||
| 03/04/2005 | 41000 | 2 | 10/01/2000 |
| While driving 15 mph the fan belt slips off only when raining. as a result, vehicle overheats very quickly ,steering and brakes malfunction. *ak still waiting on a part, dealing with dealer. | |||
| 12/12/2004 | 58000 | 4 | 12/31/1999 |
| Every time the vehicle ran on wet road the serpentine belt came off the pulley. this caused the vehicle to stall and lose power steering control. vehicle had not been taken to the dealer.*ak dealer was contacted, they were familiar with the problem and had a suggestion for correction. consumer wants to know why would the dealer be so familiar with the problem if it wasn't a regularly occurring problem. *bf *nm | |||
| 01/01/2003 | 16000 | 1 | |
| While driving in a rain storm, the consumer drove in a water puddle and the serpentine belt became disengaged. when this happened the dash light illuminated,. the battery light came on and the lights started to go dim. the vehicle became difficult to drive. it also, over heated. *jb | |||
| 02/24/2004 | 7200 | 1 | 09/30/2000 |
| Serpentine belt slipping off for the 6th time during a rainy day. control for steering, power brakes and power to battery lost. previously reported: odi number: 770436 12/4/02; 10054483 1/20/2004. issue has not been resolved.*ak | |||
| 11/16/2003 | 60771 | 3 | 02/27/2000 |
| Chrysler town & country with 3.3 liter engine. the idler pulley freezes on this engine (since 1992 dodge dynasty same motor, same problem) causing the serpentine belt to come off causing a lost of power steering among other equipment failures powered drive belt. (i.e. water pump, alternater, ect).*ak | |||
| 06/10/2003 | 17000 | 5 | |
| Whenever serpentine belt gets wet under any condition, rain or running over a puddle, it tends to slips off of the pulleys, making vehicle inoperable.*ak | |||
| 08/01/2003 | 30000 | 2 | |
| The consumer stated that whenever it rained or the belt became wet in any way it slipped off the pulley. when this happened the consumer lost control of vehicle. this incident has happen twice since owning the vehicle. *ak *nm | |||
| 08/07/2002 | 1 | 10/01/2099 | |
| Mounting bolt for serpentine belt idler broke, complete loss of power steering -no accident due to low speed-would have been disaster at higher speed. *ak | |||
| 09/22/2000 | |||
| While driving 65 mph vehicle lost power steering and power brakes. dealer determined that serpentine belt had broken. mileage was 10000.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 10/12/2007 | 75000 | 1 | 08/10/2000 |
| Vehicle making loud whistling noise, two dealers unable to locate sound. while transmission was out for another repair, discovered the exhaust crossover pipe is cracked. this is a $550.00 dealer item only part. dealer states common problem, part is often replaced. i have to pay $550.00 plus labor to replace this part. *jb | |||
| 09/15/2006 | 19536 | 1 | 08/01/2000 |
| Dt*: the contact stated after a long trip the driver had a headache. upon inspecting under the hood, the contact noticed the pipe that ran from the cylinder head to the exhaust was leaking. the dealership confirmed the pipe was leaking and needed to be replaced. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 09/01/2004 | 78000 | 1 | |
| The exhaust pipe was defective, and dealer was unable to obtain the part. manufacturer stated it will be in around the end of december. *ak *nm | |||
| 02/15/2004 | 25964 | 1 | 02/19/2000 |
| Intake manifold leak that is affecting engine performance and cooling. belt tensioner, effecting engine performance.*ak | |||