2002 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY Complaints

DT: CONSUMER STATED THE LEFT REAR SPEED SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED 4 TIMES AND IT CAUSED THE ABS TO BECOME INEFFECTIVE. THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON . THE REGULAR BRAKES WORKED WHEN THIS HAPPENED, JUST NOT THE ABS. THE VAN HAS 47,500 MILES ON IT. THE FIRST TIME IT WENT OUT WAS AT 7,500 MILES, THE SECOND TIME WAS AROUND 15,000 MILES, THIRD TIME AROUND 23,000 MILES, AND MOST RECENTLY AT 47,000 MILES. SHE BOUGHT THE VAN BRAND NEW, AND 4 DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. ONE OF THE DEALERSHIPS SAID IT WAS VERY RARE FOR SPEED SENSORS TO GO OUT. THE MECHANIC AT WARNER ROBINS TOLD HER THAT CHRYSLER ENGINEERS WERE AWARE THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SPEED SENSOR, AND WERE WORKING ON IT. SHE SPOKE TO CHRYSLER TWICE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THEY SAID THEY WOULD GIVE HER A ONE TIME $50.00 CHARGE TO FIX IT. SHE DID GET IT FIXED AND PAID THE $50.00. SHE FELT THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE SHE DID NOT HAVE ABS *AK. UPDATED 11/29/05. *JB

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.

DT: CALLER'S SON WAS GETTING OUT OF VAN AND WITHOUT WARNING THE AUTOMATIC DOOR CLOSED ON HIS HEAD. CALLER SAID IT TOOK A LOT OF FORCE TO GET THE DOOR TO OPEN. THE MORE SHE PUSHED THE HARDER IT WAS TO OPEN DOOR. SHE BELIEVED HER SON WAS UNABLE TO SET OFF SENSOR TO STOP DOOR. HER SON WAS ALMOST 4 YEARS OLD ,AND WAS A BIT SHOOK UP.UI*AK

WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY ABOUT 15 MPH IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE, MY FULL SIZE SPARE TIRE FELL OFF OF THE VEHICLE AND ONTO THE STREET. IT IS HELD UNDER THE VEHICLE BY MEANS OF A STEEL CABLE. THE PLASTIC CLAMP THAT THE CABLE IS ATTACHED TO BROKE AND THE TIRE FELL. I HEARD A BANG AND FELT A BUMP AND SAW MY TIRE THROUGH MY REAR VIEW MIRROR IN THE STREET. MY CONCERN IS WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THAT TIRE FELL ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE GOING 60 MHP? THE ACCIDENT IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED BEHIND ME FROM OTHER DRIVERS TRYING TO AVOID MY DROPPED TIRE COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE. ARE THERE ANY REPORTS OF THESE CABLES/PLASTIC CLAMPS BREAKING OR FAILING IN THE PAST? THANK YOU

THE AIR CONDITIONER NO LONGER WORKS. IT WENT OUT AT LESS THAN 50 THOUSAND MILES. SMOKE CAME THROUGH THE VENTS INTO THE CABIN. THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL SMELL AND LOUD NOISES. I NO LONGER USE THE A/C AND CONSEQUENTLY DON'T DRIVE THE VEHICLE UNLESS I HAVE TO. HOW CAN AN A/C GO OUT AT LESS THAN 50 THOUSAND MILES? I STILL CONSIDER THE VEHICLE NEW!

AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY DURING A COLLISION.*MR PASSENGER AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE PASSENGER WAS INJURED (CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY). *NM

ON JANUARY 17, 2004, I HAD COSTCO INSTALL 4 NEW MICHELIN X-RADIAL DT TIRES ON MY CHRYSLER MINIVAN. ON DECEMBER 29, 2004, I NOTICED A BULGE THE SIZE OF 1/2 TENNIS BALL IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE. I IMMEDIATELY HAD IT REPLACED BY COSTCO. ON JANUARY 28, 2005, I HAD MY CHRYSLER DEALER REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRE PRESSURE SENSORS, REPLACED AT COSTCOS EXPENSE, BECAUSE OF DAMAGE DONE TO THEM DURING THE INITIAL TIRE INSTALLATION. ON FEBRUARY 15, 2005, WITHOUT A "LOW PRESSURE" WARNING, AND WITHOUT STRIKING ANY ROAD HAZARD, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE EXPLODED. IN THE ALMOST 2 MILES IT TOOK TO CROSS 5 LANES OF FAST MOVING TRAFFIC, THE TIRE DISINTEGRATED INTO WHAT MICHELIN CALLS A "RUN FLAT" CONDITION, DAMAGING THE WHEEL VALUED AT JUST OVER $600. OF COURSE WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE TIRE EXHIBITED "RUN FLAT" CONDITIONS BUT THAT WAS ONLY AFTER WHAT POSSIBLY WAS A BLOW OUT DUE TO ANOTHER DEFECT IN THE SIDEWALL. MICHELINS RESPONSE WAS THAT THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TIRE LEFT FOR THEM TO DETERMINE THE REAL CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. MR. TERRY VANCHOFF, ONE OF MICHELIN'S CUSTOMER CLAIMS MANAGERS ALSO SAID, "WITH THE NEW GOVERNMENT RULINGS AFTER THE FIRESTONE DEBACLE, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY HAVE PAID MY CLAIM IN THE PAST DUE TO GOOD CUSTOMER RELATIONS, NOW, THE GOVERNMENT TREATS EVERY PAID CLAIM AS ADMITTING THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT AND COUNTS AGAINST THEM. IF THIS IS TRUE, I THINK IT DOES A DISSERVICE TO THE CONSUMER AS WELL AS THE COMPANY. I FOR ONE, A LIFELONG MICHELIN TIRE PURCHASER, WILL ACTIVELY LOOK TO OTHER TIRE MANUFACTURERS FOR MY FUTURE NEEDS BECAUSE OF POOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS REGARDING MY CLAIM. AFTER EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF THE NHTSA COMPLAINT FILES, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT SO MANY "COINCIDENCES" OCCURRED WITH MICHELIN SIDEWALL FAILURES TO SO MANY "UNINFORMED" CONSUMERS THAT THEY WERE ALL CAUSED BY UNDERINFLATED TIRES OR DAMAGE DUE TO STRIKING A ROAD HAZARD. IN CONCLUSION, PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING DOT #'S FOR SIDEWALL ISSUES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT: M30DHU8X4303; 3103; 4503 & 3403. *NM

BODY PANELS AT THE TOP OF THE VAN ARE "SEPARATING" AT 4 PLACES NEAR THE PILLAR JOINTS ON BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES. BODY GAPS ARE APPROXIMATELY 1 -2 MM WIDE AND 3 INCHES LONG, LOCATED ADJACENT TO RUBBER SEALS ON THE VAN'S ROOF PANEL.*AK TWO CHRYSLER DEALERS HAVE REVIEWED THE PROBLEM. DEALER 1 (OLATHE JEEP CHRYSLER IN OLATHE KS) SUGGESTED THE PROBLEM WAS CREATED BY A COLLISION, BUT VAN HAS NOT BEEN IN ONE. DEALER 1 OFFERED TO SEAL THE PANEL SEPARATIONS, BUT OFFERED NO FURTHER EXPLANATION. DEALER 2 (JAY WOLFE CHRYSLER JEEP IN LEE'S SUMMIT MO) REFERRED THE PROBLEM TO A PARTNERING BODY SHOP OPERATED BY A FORD DEALERSHIP. THE FORD BODY SHOP STATED THAT THE PANELS ARE SEPARATING DUE TO A MANUFACTURER'S ADHESIVE DEFECT AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED UNDER DEALER'S WARRANTY. WE ARE SCHEDULED TO HAVE WORK DONE WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK. I AM REPORTING ONLY TO START A FILE IN CASE OTHERS HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS.

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.

THE CONSUMER RECEIVED THE RADIO VENT SLOT RECALL FOR HIS 2002 TOWN AND COUNTRY. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS AN ALTERNATE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM WHICH WOULD ADDRESS THE SOURCE OF THE MOISTURE FROM THE A/C DUCT . *NM THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAS REPLACED THE FACTORY RADIO WITH A HIGH POWERED AFTRMARKET DVD/CD PLAYER. *JB