Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 0800504 | 02/03/2004 | 10005995 | Erroneous actuation of horns, headlamps, and parking lamps while vehicle is parked. *tt | 04/05/2004 | |
| 0800604 | 02/17/2004 | 10005994 | Instrument panel illumination. *tt | 04/05/2004 | |
| 0801403 | 08/15/2003 | 10003536 | Powertrain wiring harness bracket package. *tt | 10/23/2003 | |
| 0802103 | 04/27/2004 | 0801504 | 10002040 | Vehicles not equipped with anti-lock brake system (abs) brakes may have the abs, brake, and trac off lamps illuminated on the instrument cluster or vehicles not equipped with sentry key immobilizer (skim) may have the security/vta lamp illu | 08/12/2003 |
| 1802303 | 06/20/2003 | 10002041 | Battery light illumination, erroneous diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p1594. *tt | 08/12/2003 | |
| 0800702 | 03/25/2002 | 634087 | Subject regarding remote keyless entry programming procedures. *slc | 09/27/2002 | |
| 0800202 | 02/11/2001 | 632208 | Information on removable floor console electrical connector. *tt | 07/11/2002 | |
| 0802701 | 12/14/2001 | 631824 | Information regarding the minivan electrical system. *slc | 06/20/2002 | |
| 0801701 | 09/21/2001 | 625620 | Subject regarding safety systems - vehicle modifications / repair. *tt | 11/29/2001 | |
| 0801001 | 05/25/2001 | 620059 | Subject regarding airbag / clock spring service for various models including 2002 model year jeep liberty. *tt | 07/10/2001 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||||
| 01011 | 08/27/2001 | 623298 | Concerns with wiring harness chafing.*slc | 10/26/2001 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||
| EA05009 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 06/01/2005 | 05/02/2006 | HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION | ||
| Owner reports indicate allegations of improper headlight operation of one or both headlights.some report intermittent outage or dimming.many report that the condition is random; it sometimes does not repeat and lasts for a very short duration. a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see summary report for additional information. | ||||||
| PE05004 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 02/02/2005 | 06/01/2005 | HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION | ||
| The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation after receiving reports from consumers that their headlights would malfunction in various ways from flickering to complete non-illumination.headlight operation is monitored by the vehicle's body control module (bcm) and front control module (fcm).odi is upgrading this preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis (ea05-009) to further examine the issue. | ||||||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK | ||||||
| PE04049 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 07/07/2004 | 11/05/2004 | SPEAKER FIRE IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE | 04V531000 | |
| On july 7, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation based on consumer complaints alleging an interior vehicle fire starting in the area of the driver side rear speaker.daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) informed odi that condensation from the instrument panel air conditioning ducts may drip onto the radio and into vent holes on top of the radio.this can result in a short circuit sending direct current to the rear speakers and cause a speaker fire.the condition is present only on subject vehicles equipped with the base radio.subject vehicles with other option radios contain circuit protection that prevents sending direct current to the speakers and are not affected.all nine complaints pertain to vehicles with the base radio.by letter dated november 1, 2004, dcc notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall (nhtsa# 04v531) covering model year 2001-2002 dodge caravan, grand caravan, chrysler voyager, and town & country models with base radio only (est. 238,000 vehicles).dcc dealers will install a protective tape to the top of the radio assembly to prevent water intrusion.the action taken by dcc is sufficient to resolve the issue raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation is closed. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 07/02/2012 | 170000 | 1 | |
| My 2002 town and country had to have a new transmission in 11/12. in june of this year, my speedometer quit working causing the transmission to shift hard. i took it to the transmission guy who replaced the speed sensor. it worked fine for a couple of weeks. then my battery light came on suddenly. i had my battery checked and they said it was fine. they said i might need a new alternator. so i had a new alternator put in. the car did ok for about a couple of weeks, then the speedometer started jumping erratically. i took back to my transmission guy who said the speed sensor was fine. he thinks it may be due to a loose wire or a possibly damaged wire or corrosion. so far, no answers and my car is still undrivable. it jumps when i am stopped. it acts like its already in second gear or something. i am afraid to try to drive it as it is dangerous. help! i can not afford to put more money into this. it cost too much to start with. 3.8l v6 limited. i am a single mom with a child who has heart defects. i need reliable transportation! *tr | |||
| 07/02/2012 | 170000 | ||
| My 2002 town and country had to have a new transmission in 11/12. in june of this year, my speedometer quit working causing the transmission to shift hard. i took it to the transmission guy who replaced the speed sensor. it worked fine for a couple of weeks. then my battery light came on suddenly. i had my battery checked and they said it was fine. they said i might need a new alternator. so i had a new alternator put in. the car did ok for about a couple of weeks, then the speedometer started jumping eratically. i took back to my transmission guy who said the speed sensor was fine. he thinks it may be due to a loose wire or a possibly damaged wire or corrosion. so far, no answers and my car is still undrivable. it jumps when i am stopped. it acts like its already in second gear or something. i am afraid to try to drive it as it is dangerous. help! i can not afford to put more money into this. it cost too much to start with. 3.8l v6 limited. i am a single mom with a child who has heart defects. i need reliable transportation! | |||
| 08/07/2012 | 74000 | 1 | |
| My lights flicker on and off, replaced battery and alternator.. not fixed.. now i have been noticing that the panel behind my headlight switch gets very hot to the touch. afraid of a fire... can't find any info on internet as to what can be the problem. *tr | |||
| 08/07/2012 | 74000 | ||
| My lights flicker on and off, replaced battery and alternator.. not fixed.. now i have been noticing that the panel behind my headlight switch gets very hot to to the touch. afraid of a fire... can't find any info on internet as to what can be the problem. | |||
| 07/13/2012 | 94925 | 1 | |
| Driving vehicle at appropriate speed in traffic, noticed a/c was blowing warm air, smell of something burning and smoke under hood from passenger side. immediately turned off air and stopped vehicle as soon as it was safe to do so. upon opening the hood found smoke coming from right front engine bay area around alternator and a/c compressor. allowed engine to ventilate and cool, restarted vehicle but with hvac system off and drove to the nearest repair shop where the mechanic checked the vehicle. mechanic changed the engine oil and recommended to charge the a/c system with refrigerant. other mechanics suggested taking vehicle to a/c repair shop. informed that t&c vehicles prone to have a/c compressor issues and known defect. never received recall notice or offer by chrysler to have known defect corrected. *tr | |||
| 07/13/2012 | 94925 | ||
| Driving vehicle at appropriate speed in traffic, noticed a/c was blowing warm air, smell of something burning and smoke under hood from passenger side. immediately turned off air and stopped vehicle as soon as it was safe to do so. upon opening the hood found smoke coming from right front engine bay area around alternator and a/c compressor. allowed engine to ventilate and cool, restarted vehicle but with hvac system off and drove to the nearest repair shop where the mechanic checked the vehicle. mechanic changed the engine oil and recommended to charge the a/c system with refrigerant. other mechanics suggested taking vehicle to a/c repair shop. informed that t&c vehicles prone to have a/c compressor issues and known defect. never received recall notice or offer by chrysler to have known defect corrected. | |||
| 06/20/2012 | 171528 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 chrysler town and country. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, smoke emitted from under the hood. the contact inspected the vehicle and found the wiring harness was on fire. the contact was able to extinguish the fire and the vehicle was towed to the contact's home. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and the current mileage was 171,528. kmj | |||
| 06/20/2012 | 171528 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 chrysler town and country. the contact stated the while the vehicle was parked smoke emitted from under the hood. the contact inspected the vehicle and found the wiring harness on fire. the contact was able to put the fire out. the vehicle was towed to the contact home. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and the current mileage was 171,528. li | |||
| 08/10/2011 | 108345 | ||
| Drivers window not working along with radio, the windshield wipers will not shut off even with key out of ignition, removed fuse and then the car would not start, once we had the car jumped the rear windshield wiper started and wouldn't stop and the dials in the dashboard starting spining and car needs to get a jump each time it is shut off. no one can seem to find the problem with it. i called chrysler and they stated that there was nothing they could do because the recalls are vin specific and that one has not been recalled, despite the fact i am reading this happening to others who also have 2002 chrysler town & country | |||
| 06/13/2011 | 127800 | ||
| Contact states that fuel injection wiring harness failed at 127,800 miles due to melting and disintegration of insulation inside injector wiring harness. vehicle lost power and driver was forced to seek assistance. property damage to vehicle due to misfiring and engine overheating resulted in repair bills over $2,200 for new head gasket installation, replacement of fuel injection wiring harness and ecm. repairs corrected electrical problems. seeking recall on chrysler injector wiring harness at fault on many of these vehicles. | |||
| 03/20/2010 | 130000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler town and country. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked and running when smoke began emitting from under the instrument panel. the vehicle was turned off and the contact inspected the vehicle to discover smoke bellowing from under the hood but no flames. the fuse box was disconnected and the contact found burned wires within the fuse box. the vehicle was repaired yet the failure recurred in less than one year. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact called the manufacturer who advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer for further inspection. the current mileage was approximately 150,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 130,000. | |||
| 03/20/2010 | 130000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 chrysler town and country. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked and running when smoke was emitted from under the instrument panel. an occupant shut off the vehicle and looked under the hood; there were no flames but a lot of smoke from the instrument panel area. the contact disconnected the fuse box behind the glove comparment; the wires had been burned from the fuse down on the left side. the fuse was replaced fall 2010. in march 2011, the same failure occurred again. the vehicle had not been repaired. the contact called the manufacturer who advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer. the current mileage was approximately 150,000. the failure mileage was approximately 130,000-bk | |||
| 01/12/2011 | |||
| My heater fan only comes on when i turn the knob to high, the same thing happens to my sisters town and country there must be a defect here because the garage stated that these vehicles are known for that. it is winter and i cannot afford to fix this on my own,and if there is a defect chrysler should replace the part. it gets cold when i have to turn the knob down, i heard there is a card of some sort behind the glove box. how easy is this problem to fix. also my rear wiper spring is faulty is there a recall on this. | |||
| 01/07/2011 | 48684 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 chrysler town and country. the contact stated when he attempted to reset the vehicle trip computer he noticed an error messaged, and the error message caused the speedometer to fail the contact does not know what speed he was driving. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle will be taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. the failure and the current mileage were 48,684. li | |||
| 06/15/2010 | 130000 | ||
| Van started running rough and smoking heavy blue/white smoke out the exhaust pipe. the smoke was from raw unburned fuel that was pouring into the engine and unable to be burned off at any rpm below 3000. the van was fine when last parked at our residence. next day wife was going to the store and van immediately had the problem. cool engine, had been sitting overnight. she drove about half a mile thinking the van would run smoother before seeing and smelling the gas and smoke. she immediately returned the van to the house. i checked the diagnostic code which indicated p0201: #1 fuel injector open circuit. i am fairly handy with vehicle repairs and decided to take the top half of the intake off to check the #1 injector and inspect the other 5 as well while there. all injectors coil resistance checked fine at 12.5 ohms, no open circuit as indicated. decided to check the fuel rail wiring harness for a short circuit and sure enough the #1 cylinder wiring indicated a short circuit. with the meter on the injector plug, wiggled the harness and the short went away. so i removed the entire injector wiring harness for inspection, this involved removing all the factory wire wrap and protective sleeve. discovered that all the wires inside the harness had all the insulation missing at one section next to the main harness connector. the harness was protected and not touching any part of the engine yet failed. i contacted local chrysler parts dept. and inquired about a replacement harness, response was new harness over $200 and had to be ordered. was also told that this particular harness which fits 2001 - 2003 chrysler vans, is ordered by chrysler garages at 53 units a week. this is where the problem lies. this is a factory flaw and needs to be recalled before a fire starts or toxic fumes from the exhaust injures a passenger. there is no heat shield at this connectors location which i believe caused the harness failure. i repaired the harness and engine runs. | |||
| 10/16/2009 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Component: electrical system my complaint is exactly the same as following complaint. it occurs every time i drive the vehicle. details: 2002 chrysler town and country service tire system soon indication keeps coming on. then it says see owners manual. there is little or no information in the owners manual and it does say contact the dealer for service. i called the dealer and talked with the service manager and he said there was nothing they could do and i should check the air in the tires. i have done this numerous times and always find the tire air pressure to be normal. the vehicle is equipped with tire pressure sensors and i also get low pressure warnings in the spring and fall. i am forced to keep 35 pounds of air pressure or more to keep the low pressure warning from coming on. *tr occurrences: 1 injuries: 0 | |||
| 10/18/2009 | 77240 | 1 | |
| 2002 chrysler town and country service tire system soon indication keeps coming on. then it says see owners manual. there is little or no information in the owners manual and it does say contact the dealer for service. i called the dealer and talked with the service manager and he said there was nothing they could do and i should check the air in the tires. i have done this numerous times and always find the tire air pressure to be normal. the vehicle is equipped with tire pressure sensors and i also get low pressure warnings in the spring and fall. i am forced to keep 35 pounds of air pressure or more to keep the low pressure warning from coming on. *tr | |||
| 03/05/2009 | 105000 | 1 | |
| 2002 chrysler town & country lxi. turn signal indicator lights inside vehicle are malfunctioning, we are unaware if they malfunction outside, other lights are shorted out inside in the dash area. these are all indicators of an electrical short somewhere in the vehicle. also the power rear door on the driver's side does not open using the keypad when it is cool or raining. we were told by dealership at the time of purchase that it didn't operate at all and needed a new motor, that's why we were getting a good price. the rear power doors will both also almost close all the way, and then open for not reason, i.e. nothing in the way at all. the rear power doors will also not close if you are on a very slight slant. the liftgate gives a hard time latching when using keypad. the vehicle was purchased in october 2008 preowned from a dealership. these issues cause a major safety threat. others with the same make, model and year are having similar problems. i feel that this vehicle has many problems and should be recalled at least for the faulty wiring and electrical system. *tr | |||
| 09/29/2008 | 88536 | 1 | |
| Vehicle ran poorly at times and occasionally stumbled or stalled. sometimes we would be partly in a busy intersection. perform diagnostics and inspection, remove exhaust for inspection of harness and repair damaged wiring and install protective heat wrap. cost: $268.93 could have been very dangerous in traffic. *tr | |||
| 04/23/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2002 chrysler town and country (90,000 miles). after normal driving and parking ,car would not start. i found out later that the starter had an internal short. it destroyed the battery and melted the starter housing,concerned that it could have caused a major fire!!!.(pictures available, had to return core to auto parts store). *tr | |||
| 08/10/2006 | 65000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler town and country. the contact has experienced several issues with the electrical components in his vehicle. the vehicle would jump when the accelerator pedal was depressed or accelerating at any speed. the dealer replaced all the wires, wiring harness, spark plugs, and the battery; however, the failure continued. the automatic doors also became inoperable. the vehicle was taken to a different dealer and they stated that a new oxygen system was needed. the computer system and spark plugs wires were replaced, but the failure continued. the manufacturer was notified and a case was filed. they stated that the vehicle could be repaired under warranty. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 65,000 and current mileage was over 100,000. | |||
| 07/11/2008 | 65000 | 1 | |
| Several times when trying to start the vehicle the key has refused to turn. after several minutes of banging on the steering wheel and pulling out the key and re-inserting it finally turns. has happened on several occasions. started around 65,000 miles now has 73,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| The van was purchased in march and around july the middle section of the front where the ac unit, radio, controls, etc are located began to stop working properly. the ac will not cut off, instead the air pressure increases and doesn't stop. this has affected my back unit and the heat will not work, which makes it hard to bear with small children. recently, the cd changer has been messing up and not ejecting cd's or changing. nothing has been repaired, because it will cost a lot, according to the dealer, to locate the problem. *tr | |||
| 11/22/2006 | 60142 | 2 | 05/22/2002 |
| Vehicle had just entered atlanta georgia on i85 southbound. there was very heavy stop and go traffic. upon light acceleration, the engine lost power. the engine never stalled. the idle remained smooth. in neutral the engine would accelerate normally. in drive (all gears) and reverse, the engine would accelerate to about 900 rpm and then lose power. we were able to drive along the shoulder at a slow walking pace (a slight incline) until we encountered a disabled vehicle. the van did not have the power to pull into the stop and go traffic. a tow truck was called and the van towed to a dealership for repairs. no check engine light and the engine restarted normally. the engine never ran rough and all the fluids looked good and were at correct levels. the dealership determined that the fuel pump was the problem since they measured the pressure at 40 psi and the specification was 53 psi. the fuel pump and filter was repaired at a cost of $686 plus towing. the powertrain warranty apparently does not cover these items. the replaced parts were not made available to us. after pickup from the dealership the van has intermittently experienced a pronounced hesitation accelerating from a stop. no check engine light. the van duplicated the same failure again on 12/30/06. we had just pulled out from a parking space at a restaurant. every aspect of the incident was the same even to our proceeding to drive down the shoulder. except in this case the shoulder was a slight decline. when the van made it to about 5 mph the problem disappeared and the van drove fine for the remaining 95 miles of our trip. the next time that the van was started it went straight to another dealership for repair. the dealership could not find anything wrong with the van but charged a estimate fee and said to bring it back when it was experiencing the problem. there were no trouble codes set for them to diagnose the problem and the van behaved fine during the test drive. *jb | |||
| 10/16/2006 | 64290 | 2 | 09/27/2006 |
| 10am, driving at a low rate of speed, slowing to turn left, i suddenly lost power steering and had to manual make the turn (very difficult). the van was also hesitating, like it would stall. i regained full power and power steering after 10 seconds +/-. noon, same day, accellerating <35mph, uphill, same problem occurred with the exception that after power steering failure, i completely stalled in the road and had to restart the vehicle. brought to dealership wednesday. they were unable to find the problem (no code) or duplicate the problem. (also an issue with an intermittent problem with the power side door popping off but not power opening). both electrical issues have occured since the five star dealership corrected an electrical problem with my power gatelift popping off but not power opening) i have called chrysler directly about technical service bulletins issued on both items and the advance service information 02-018/nhtsa#10000327 relating to the problem with the power side door and/or liftgate. even with providing this information, the problem cannot be fixed until they get a code. i have exhausted my progress with chrysler in their assistance with the proper diagnosis of the problem so i could pay to have the correct component replaced. my option is to pay $50 per diagnostic check by the dealer regardless of whether the vehicle codes the problem and no assurances as to the number of diagnostic checks it may take to produce the code, so i filed a complaint with chrysler customer assistance which is handled in house. when asked what department handles complaints, i was told chrysler customer assistance. i clarified that is the same department title as to which i was speaking with, it was explained that customer assistance has many departments, which are not given titles, and that they are not allowed to provide names of whom would be handling the complaint, nor would anyone follow up with me. the circles begins! *nm | |||
| 09/01/2004 | 16000 | 1 | 02/18/2002 |
| While driving smoke came from the speakers and then the vehicle caught on fire. *bf *nm | |||
| 08/17/2004 | 10000 | 6 | 11/26/2001 |
| The air bag light illuminated and the transmission shift lever shifted from drive to neutral while driving. *nm there was an explosion while the vehicle was in motion. the engine light had come on, the transmission went into park, the gear shifter lever didn't move, the gas pedal worked fine but had frozen up in the park position. the air bag did not work and the seat belt didn't work. *sc *jb | |||
| 08/02/2004 | 1 | 03/01/2000 | |
| Problems with remote entry on 2002 chrysler town and country.*mr the remote works from as far away as 600+ feet and at times this presents a problem. there have been times when the consumer has come out of the house to get in the car, after it had rained the night before, and found that one of the sliding doors was open and the inside of the vehicle was wet. similar incidents have occurred while the consumer was shopping. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but they were unable to fix the problem. *nm | |||
| 07/05/2004 | 40000 | 1 | 01/11/2002 |
| On monday, july 5th 2004, my 2002 chrysler town and country (2c4gp343x2r556132) erupted in a van fire. my daughter was sitting on the 3rd seat on the left side of the vehicle when she heard noise, saw flames and yelled there was a fire. my family immediately evacuated the vehicle. nyc fire department, chrysler fire investigator and auto insurance fire investigator deemed it as an electrical malfunction due to a manufacturer's defect. no recalls have been placed on this issue.*ak | |||
| 08/14/2003 | 8000 | 12 | 07/25/2002 |
| From the almost day one this cars has had electrical problems. originally the dash lights light up and would not go out for several minutes. then the fuel pump started to operate poorly. then a slight hesitation began at idle. then i noticed a hesitation at about 40 mph when the car was pulling a incline. then the headlights began to flutter as rpms fluctuated. then the headlights began to flash violently. a switch was finally replaced and the lights have not had the same problem flashing, but do appear to have some minor flutters in them from time to time. after this, all of the gear selector lights came on at one time. you could not tell what gear the transmission was in. the car also would not hold on a slight incline when stopped for a traffic light or stop sign. when taking your foot off the brake, the car would drift quickly, almost causing an accident. the dealer tate of glen burnie. md. said the car was designed to work that way. about october to november time period, the driver's side power sliding door unlocked itself and open about 10-12 inches while the car was in motion at about 25 mph . a door module was replaced to see if that solved the problem. it hasn't open since. but about 3 weeks ago now, the passenger side door started to do the same thing. both times, there were passengers in the back seats by the doors. chrysler now refused to fix it for free because it is over the basic warranty, even though it has had multiple electical problems. i am at my wits end. i am now approaching the the fear of the car burning up with my family inside or someone being ejected. *ak *jb | |||
| 10/22/2002 | 30 | 1 | 10/22/2002 |
| Since the day i drove my van off of the dealers lot, all of the lights (map lights, dome light and headlights) on the van pulse (similar to the pulse of a flourescent tube warming up on a cold day). the speed of the pulse changes with the speed of the engine. the van has been to two different 5-star dealers and the headlight switch has been replaced twice. something in the computer was upgraded once. every oil change they try to determine if/what might be causing the problem; to no avail. because the speed of the pulse changes with the engine rpms and from other personal experiences, my husband believes it is the alternator current bleeding into the rest of the electrical systems, but because the alternator doesn't test bad according to their computer they are unwilling to consider this possibility. *ak | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 21000 | 4 | 10/30/2001 |
| While driving at 35 mph consumer's son heard a loud popping sound coming from the steering column. moments later, the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a guard rail on the driver's side. the seat belts were worn, and the air bags did not deploy however, there were no injuries . before the collision the consumer heard ticking sound coming from the steering column. also, there was a tsb concerning this problem. the vehicle was taken to the dealer once before the collision and once after the collision. vehicle was repaired by the dealer, but the problem still persisted. *ak *mr in june 2003 the consumer had a problem with a major draw on the engine with the heat or a/c running. the consumer was told that the compressor was replaced so the a/c and the heater would work properly. the consumer had explained to the service dealer that there was a problem with the steering and the mechanic suggested that this wasn't a dangerous problem. (following this service visit, the consumer's son experienced the above accident) the consumer had also found that the warranty work for the steering hadn't been completed. recall#10010414 *sc | |||
| 07/25/2003 | 13 | 7 | 06/26/2002 |
| Automatic transmission disengaged while driving. dealer was unable to duplicate or correct the problem. *ak the service dealer manager verified and experienced these conditions and was unable to correct the problem. two days after the purchase, the van shuttered at low speed, low rpms in reverse, slipped out of gear when attempting to ascend in grade, the check engine light had come on. other problems that occurred, were as followed: the brake calipers were squealing which may have been due to sticking, the vehicle leaned to the left, and the right sliding door didn't open from the inside switch. *scc *jb | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 1550 | 1 | |
| Left side power sliding door stop functioning. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 01/21/2002 | |||
| While vehicle was warming up a strong odor and smoke escaped from defroster unit into passenger's compartment due to an electrical short circuit that resulted in a fire. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 04/20/2008 | 60000 | 1 | 06/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler town and country. the contact stated that she has experienced several failures with the ignition key shaft. while attempting to start the vehicle, she could insert the key into the ignition, but it remained locked. this failure has occurred several times to the point that it could take up to 15 minutes to get the key to turn. the contact would bang on the key and pull the steering wheel back and forth to get the key to turn in the ignition. the failure has progressively worsened. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 63,000.update 09/10/08 *cw updated 09/10/8. *jb | |||
| 04/11/2008 | 32500 | 1 | |
| Ignition lock gets stuck, can not start the van. on two separate occassions got stranded with an infant in the car, was not able to get the van started because of an ignition lock not working properly. *tr | |||
| 06/24/2005 | 48270 | 11/29/2001 | |
| Engine bogged down and check engine light flashed. 5 star dealer replated ignition coil plugs and wires to the tune of $600. on the way home, similar rough running, flashing engine light, back firing, now dealer says it is computer short. other problems with transmission and fuel system took at least three trips to service and many charges to get fixed. the chrystler 7/70 warranty is not worth much to this dissatisfied customer. | |||
| 07/07/2004 | 10888 | 3 | |
| The ignition fuse blew out which caused the vehicle to stall. this occurred while driving and at a complete stop. this results in loss of power steering. dealership changed ignition fuse 23 to 10 amp. the failure recurred 2 week later. dealership service invoice read that transmission at pin area and around solenoid pack failed. the harness rubbed, chafed, and was damaged. repaired harness isolated from transmission with rubber. however, failure recurred.*ak | |||
| 06/01/2003 | 16000 | 1 | 06/18/2002 |
| Long cranking before starting.*ak | |||
| 06/01/2002 | |||
| Engine sputtering and failure occured at 23000 miles while driving. vehicle serviced by dealer several times, replacing and repairing electrical system components. dealer has replaced wiring harness/ iginition coils, bare electrical wire shorted/ pcm replaced/replaced clock spring twice, and replaced front control module. consumer wasvery concerned about electrical problems. does not feel vehicle is safe.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 10/07/2005 | 1 | 09/20/2005 | |
| The key cylinder broke. we just bought the van with 28,000 miles on it. after a few weeks we had a hard time turning the key to get the van to start, sometimes it would take 5 to 10 minutes to be able to turn the key to start the van. we took it back to the chrysler dealership. they had to replace the inside of the ignition. they said it wasn't a warranty item, so i had to pay $191.82. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE | |||
| 09/01/2005 | 50000 | 150 | 09/01/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler town and country. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle overheated. the vehicle made a clacking noise and smoke began to rise from the engine. the check engine light did not illuminate until the vehicle began smoking. the contact pulled to the side of the road. the engine shut off and the contact allowed the vehicle to cool down. he added water to the radiator and drove to his residence. the vehicle was then towed to the dealer and they stated that the computers failed and needed to be replaced. the contact disagreed and stated that the vehicle overheated because the fan and cooling system were inadequate in size. the dealer did not repair the vehicle. the current mileage was 71,421 and failure mileage was 50,000. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 06/01/2006 | 87000 | 2000 | 04/15/2005 |
| Airbag light and alarm tone comes on intermittently while driving, sometime remains on for more than 10 seconds then goes out and comes back on again after a few seconds. recently at dealer for another unrelated repair and asked them to troubleshoot this, technician said it was an intermittent open in the clock spring (cs) and that there wasn't a recall. i had reported previous clock spring problem on my 1997 dodge which was subsequently recalled and know what it looks like, but this time the cruise, and horn still worked. i purchased a new cs p/n 5082050ac and pulled the steering wheel myself to replace it. it appears to have fixed the problem. however, i noticed that the replacement cs was different than the original cs (which i kept). the defective original cs has the following numbers on it p/n 04685712ac and smaller *1 324101379r*. it also has a socket with copper clips where a connector split 4 wire harness connects to the cs with the two cables going to the airbag module. the replacement cs had no socket and had eliminated the connector and had two 2 wires harnesses hard wired to the cs. i disassembled the defective cs and checked it for breaks in the ribbon conductors there weren't any visible also the construction appeared to be much more durable possibly with braided copper laminate runs. since it was intermittent i suspect that the problem is actually with the harness connector to the cs socket for the airbag connection, developing a loose or dirty contact connection. perhap chrysler already knows this and that is why the replacement has eliminated that point of failure. please pursue a recall action on this for the socket connector type cs as this can cause airbag failure and possible death or injury. i am an engineer by trade and if they want the old part for testing they can contact me directly. *tr | |||
| 05/20/2007 | 65000 | 20 | |
| Over a period of a few weeks i was experiencing intermittent electrical problems where the air conditioner (a/c) fan, radio, windshield wipers, and power windows would stop working for several minutes and then start working again. the problem got worse over these weeks. after 3 trips to the dealer they told me that battery acid had leaked on the wiring harness and i needed a new one. i had no problem with the battery, and chrysler dealers had performed most on the maintenance on the car and no one had told me that battery acid was leaking on the wiring harness. the new wiring harness cost me $2,600. it seems to me to be a defect in design to run the wiring harness under the battery. also, why can't the wiring harness be modular where one section could be replaced at a much lower cost.*ak | |||
| 12/30/2005 | 54000 | 2 | 11/30/2001 |
| The wiring harness in our 2002 chrysler town & country continues to fail due to the harness design/placement in the vehicle. the first failure caused the vehicle to stall and not restart at a city intersection. the second failure caused the vehicles wipers, heater blower, radio and windows to fail intermittently. wires within the wiring harness were replaced/repaired as was the front control module; however, the same problem is happening again after about three weeks. the dealer service department recommends replacing the entire wiring harness at a cost of $3,200.00. *nm | |||
| 08/10/2004 | 40000 | 1 | 04/02/2002 |
| Radio and clock would not turn on when car started. then it turned into the radio and air conditioning unit would not turn on - intermittently. this began in august. 2004, but stopped in october. 2004. then it began again in early april 2005 or on days when it was warmer and/or wet. periodically the windshield wipers and windows will not work, also. this incident occursred when the car was running, and did not matter if it was moving or not. however, it did not occur in temperatures lower than 45 degrees, or so. dealership kept it for two days in 2004 and could not find the problem. tried to say it needed a new electronic wiring harness which would incur a personal cost of over $4,000 for a car that was barely 2 years old. | |||
| 08/01/2004 | 3 | ||
| Problems with power steering pump on 2002 chrysler town and country. *mr there was a continuous problem with the consumers power steering pump. the steering pump made a noise when a right turn was made. the airbag light had come on due to a loose connector on the passenger side which was an intermittent problem. the transmission was noisy, which was possibly due to dirt. *sc *jb | |||
| 09/09/2003 | 13500 | 1 | 04/01/2002 |
| Headlights flickered between bright and very dim. switch to lights became very warm to touch. dealer claimed switch had poor connection and replaced switch. switch still gets warm but have not flickered yet. vehicle new when bought. *jb | |||
| 03/05/2004 | 15667 | 0 | 04/16/2002 |
| Chrysler t&c. for no apparent reason, the sliding door opened. also, separate issue, while stopped and in park, the sliding door would not open when the console button was pushed. i noticed that the transmission selector lights were all lighted (p, r, n, d, l). i turned off the ignition. restarted the vehicle. drove 10 ft. everything was ok. dealer could not find anything wrong. *nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 11/29/2006 | 96435 | 4 | 07/31/2002 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph, the check engine light illuminated intermittently. this was accompanied by a rough engine idle. as the engine warmed up, the idle calmed. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who ran a diagnotic test, and determined that the number 6 injector had malfunctioned internally, due to the wiring harness rubbing against the transmission case. the short was traced to the engine harness. the wires were replaced, and a bracket was added to retain the harness. the repair fixed the problem. the manufacturer was also notified. updated 01/10/07. *jb | |||
| 06/01/2002 | |||
| Engine sputtering and failure occured at 23000 miles while driving. vehicle serviced by dealer several times, replacing and repairing electrical system components. dealer has replaced wiring harness/ iginition coils, bare electrical wire shorted/ pcm replaced/replaced clock spring twice, and replaced front control module. consumer wasvery concerned about electrical problems. does not feel vehicle is safe.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 08/09/2006 | 50500 | 5 | 09/14/2003 |
| 2002 chrysler town & country lx minivan instrument cluster/gauges stopped working. no turn signals, no gauges mph, fuel, rpm, oil, etc. also no engine lights, abs, overheat, etc. nothing within the instrument cluster works. dangerous to get home driving without speedometer, & turn signals! i saw a similar recall for the pt cruiser. could this be the same software glitch in the t&c microprocessor as well. please issue a recall!!! *jb | |||
| 08/09/2006 | 30000 | 5 | 02/17/2003 |
| When cruising highway with a/c on, the right rear speaker heats up very hot to the touch. we tested it, which is related to a/c on because when turn a/c off it cools down in 5 minutes. took it back to dealer even after they repaired the recall. they state it is only the left speaker that is heating up not the right like our experience. they refused to look into it unless we pay for their technician's time. i mentioned how dangerous a speaker fire could be inside next to our kids. as i left a serviceman said we could fix it if you pay us. no fire incident yet but, it sure heats up when we travel and the a/c is on. *jb | |||
| 05/01/2004 | 45000 | 1 | 12/12/2001 |
| I sadly own a 'chrysler' town and country awd 2002 minivan with many electrical and mechanical problems that i'm forced to live with, but the following safety issues are intolerable. first, the intermittent air bag light, now on steadily. second, the intermittent non-functioning horn, now does not work at all, cruise control does not work and radio buttons on steering wheel does not work. chrysler corp denies major safety problem exists yet its a complaint that's all over the web among its many other persistent problems. chrysler says its sounds like the problem may be in the clock spring in the steering column. i say its sounds like the problem may be in the care or lack of care of chrysler on real safety issues on their products. events that lead up to the failure are none, product is just simply defective and fails on its own. consequences for this failure can be catastrophic, this is not rocket science, no horn and no air bag no brains! chrysler needs to wake up and rectify this safety problem, many other owners have this problem and the government and or the media needs to get involved before someone dies if it hasn't god forbid already happened. i will be contacting the secretary of transportation and the media to see if a solution can be found rapidly. *jb | |||