2002 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY Complaints

A ONE WEEK AGO, MY LEFT TURN SIGNAL WOULD NOT SHUT OFF AFTER MAKING A LEFT TURN. I HAVE TO SHUT IT OFF MANUALLY. WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS IT STARTED MAKING A CLICKING NOISE BEFORE I COULD GET IT IN TO BE FIXED. TONIGHT I WAS DRIVING THE CAR, MAKING A LEFT TURN AND AS THE STEERING WHEEL WAS RETURNING TO THE STRAIGHT POSITION (BEFORE THE WHEELS WERE STRAIGHT) IT LOCKED IN A LEFT TURN POSITION AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE CAR KEPT TURNING TO THE LEFT AND I HAD TO FORCE THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT. FINALLY AFTER JERKING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT IT RELEASED AND WENT BACK TO A STRAIGHT POSITION. SOMETHING IN THE TURN SIGNAL LOCKED IT UP AND WOULD NOT ALLOW THE STEERING WHEEL TO FULLY RELEASE AFTER MAKING A LEFT TURN. AFTER THAT THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL WILL NOT SHUT OFF. LUCKILY NOBODY WAS IN THE LANE TO MY LEFT OR ELSE I COULD HAVE HIT THEM. I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL I GET IT FIXED. *NM

THE CLOCK SPRING WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED AT MY COST. THE 2001 MODELS HAD THIS PROBLEM AS A RECALL. *NM

A KNOCKING SOUND HAS APPEARED AGAIN IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION. ABOUT 18 MONTHS AGO, A SIMILAR SYMPTOM APPEARED. AFTER REPEATED REPAIRS (TIE-ROD ENDS, FOR EXAMPLE), THE DEALER FINALLY DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT LEFT CV 1/2 AXLE WAS DEFECTIVE. REPLACEMENT CURED THE PROBLEM. APPARENTLY THE SAME PROBLEM NOW HAPPENING AGAIN. A KNOCKING SOUND IS APPARENT DURING LOW SPEED TRAVEL ON A STREET WITH SLIGHT VARIATIONS. THIS SEEMS TO BE SLOW ENOUGH TO HEAR IT. THERE IS ALSO A KNOCK WHEN DELIBERATELY SWINGING THE STEERING WHEEL FROM SIDE TO SIDE. I WILL CONTINUE TO PURSUE REMEDYING THIS REPEATED PROBLEM WITH MY 2002 TOWN AND COUNTRY MINIVAN. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT HAS A 2002 MINIVAN CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN SHE PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE OR TRIED TO SWITCH GEARS, THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T MOVE. SHE TOOK HER VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR SERVICE ON 11/24/2006, AND IT PASSED THERE 16 POINT VEHICLE CHECK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON 01/04/2007 THE CAR WOULDN'T SWITCH INTO GEARS AND SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED THAT THE FAILURE INVOLVED THE TRANSMISSION. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE FIXED, AND THEN TOLD THAT SHE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. WHEN THE CONTACT PICKED UP HER VEHICLE IT HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. AFTER TELLING THE CONTACT THAT SHE WOULD RECEIVE A NEW TRANSMISSION, THE CONTACT RECEIVED A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE STILL DIDN'T WORK PROPERLY, THE DEALER TOLD THE CONTACT THAT THEY WERE NOT EQUIPPED TO REPAIR HER VEHICLE. SHE HAS STILL NOT FOUND SOMEONE WHO COULD REPAIR THE VEHICLE PROPERLY.*JB

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. THE VEHICLETL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. THE VEHICLE'S CURRENT MILEAGE IS 71,000. WHEN THE FRONT DEFROSTER IS ON AND THE CONTACT USES THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL, THE LEFT SIGNAL FLASH COMES ON AND WHEN SHE USES THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL IT WORKS OCCASIONALLY. THIS FAILURE HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. *JB

NO EVENTS LED UP TO FAILURE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED 3 XS IN 6 MONTHS @39000 MILES. EVEN AFTER DOING TSBS, AND REPLACING WITH OEM PUMP, IT FAILED AGAIN! *JB

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

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WORKED NTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 38,000 MILES. ON IT. THE CONTACT STATED IT USUALLY HAPPENED WHEN STARTSING THE VEHICLE. THE HEADLIGHTS USUALLY WENT OUT WHEN SHE PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS OR INDICATOR LIGHTS ON PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED SHE DID NOT ALWAYS KNOW IF THE HEAD LIGHTS WERE OUT UNLESS SHE SAW A REFLECTION. THE CONTACT STATED SHE COULD NOT RECALL IF THE DASHLIGHTS EVER WENT OUT DURING THE HEADLIGHT FAILURES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR REPAIRS TWICE. THE CONTACT DID NOT REMEMBER WHEN THE FAILURES STARTED. *AK

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

A/C COMPRESSOR FAILURE - WE WERE ON THE ROAD FOR ABOUT 1/2 AN HOUR EN ROUTE FROM TALLAHASSEE TO ORLANDO ON THANKSGIVING DAY, 2006. AS WE EXITED ONTO HWY. 19, WE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD OF THE CAR. (LATER, IT WAS APPARENT THAT A BELT ON THE A/C SYSTEM BURNED AS THE COMPRESSOR LOCKED UP.) THIS WAS AT LEAST THE 6TH A/C SYSTEM FAILURE. WE HAD RECURRING LEAKS THAT WERE "FIXED" AND RECHARGED NUMEROUS TIMES, STARTING AT A MACON DEALERSHIP OFF I-75 IN SUMMER 2003 TO A REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR A/C UNIT IN SUMMER 2006. LAST WEEK'S COMPRESSOR FAILURE WAS THE LATEST IN THIS LONG SERIES OF PROBLEMS WITH THE A/C, BUT CLEARLY THE MOST SERIOUS AS IT RESULTED IN CONSIDERABLE SMOKE AND AT LEAST THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND DANGER. *NM