1996 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY Complaints

FAILURE DUE TO DEFECT (NOT WEAR), DRIVING POWER IS LOST WITHOUT WARNING, OIL SPILLS OUT BOTTOM OF TRANSMISSION THROUGH LARGE HOLE.*AK

AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON DASHBOARD. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER STATED THAT CLOCK SPRING HAD SHORT CIRCUITED WHICH COULD CAUSE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY WITHOUT A CAUSE OR NOT DEPLOY WITH A CAUSE. CLOCK SPRING WAS REPLACED. *AK THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THE RPAIR SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MANUFACTURER. *YH

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OCCASIONALLY WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO OVERDRIVE. OFTEN OCCURRED AFTER DECELERATION FROM HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ONLY WAY TO KNOW WAS TO OBSERVE ENGINE RPM. SOMETIMES COULD RESET BY PULLING OFF TO SIDE OF ROAD AND TURNING ENGINE OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES, THEN RE-START. FIRST REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION ALSO HAD PROBLEMS. SECOND HAS BEEN OKAY. WIPERS ON INTERMITTENT SETTINGS WOULD WIPE SEVERAL TIMES IN A ROW, THEN NOT WIPE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD. CREATED VISIBILITY PROBLEMS. FIRST REPAIR REPLACED MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH. THIS DIDN'T SOLVE PROBLEM. SECOND REPAIR REPLACED WIPER MOTOR. NOTICED THAT THE HEATER WAS NOT WORKING. SHOP DETERMINED THE EVAPORATOR WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY DUE TO LEAKS. ONLY WAY TO REPLACE EVAPORATOR IS TO REMOVE INSTRUMENT PANEL; VERY EXPENSIVE AND TIME CONSUMING.*AK

DUE TO A LOOSE WIRE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER HOOD. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED.*AK

I HAVE ALREADY FILED A VERBAL REPORT ON THE PHONE, HOWEVER MY VAN THAT WE PURCHASED NEW CAUGHT FIRE ON SEPT. 19. 2000. I, E. AMANDA HARRIS WASTHE PRIMARY OPERATOR OF THE VEHICLE. I JUST WANTED TO ADD SOME ADDITONAL INFO. TO THE ORIGINAL REPORT. WE HAD ALWAYS TAKEN THE CAR TO BE SERVICED AND AT ONE SUCH TIME I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER THAT WHENEVER I FILLED THE VAN UP WITH GAS I SMELLED GAS FUMES INSIDE OF THE VAN AS IF SOMETHING WAS LEAKING. THEY RETURNED THE VAN INDICATING NOTHING WAS WRONG. DURING THE FIRST 30 DAYS AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ONE OF THE SEALENT RINGS FELL OFF AND THE TRANSMISSION FLUID POURED OUT. I WAS STRANDED DANGEROUSLY ON THE SIDE ON THE ROAD DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WITH FIVE CHILDREN. WE USED THE VAN FOR FAMILY TRAVEL ALSO. ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT IT WAS THE GRACE OF GOD THAT THE VEHICLE DIDN'T BLOW UP WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE. MANY TIMES THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SLEEPING. WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE WE THOUGHT IS WAS SAFE, ONLY TO FIND OUT IT WASN'T. WORSE YET I CANNOT AFFORD TO PURCHASE ANOTHER VEHICLE YET AND WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH ONE 4 DR SEDAN UNTIL WE CAN AFFORD TO DO BETTER. I CRINGE WHEN I SEE ANY VAN THESE DAYS, ESPECIALLY CHRYSLER, DODGE OR PLYMOUTH. I'M GRATEFUL I'M ALIVE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WENT TO 25 MPH AND WOULD NOT GO PASS THAT SPEED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY SAID THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK

I WAS STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT WHEN I HEARD A LOUD THUNK FROM THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE CAR. I THOUGHT PERHAPS I HAD RUN OVER A ROCK RO PIECE OF METAL IN THE STREET THAT BOUNCED UP AND INTO THE WHEEL WELL. WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED I PROCEEDED FOR SEVERAL BLOCKS AND THEN ATTEMPTED A RIGHT TURN, ONLY TO FIND THAT I COULD NOT GET THE CAR STEERED INTO MY LANE AS THE POWER STEERING HAD DISAPPEARED, UNBEKNOWNST TO ME. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO CAR WAITING AT THE STOP SIGN ON THE STREET ONTO WHICH I WAS ATTEMPTING TO TURN, OR I WOULD HAVE RUN SQUARELY INTO IT. AS IT WAS THE CAR OVERHEATED AND COMPLETELY EXPIRED WHILE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO GET IT TO A REPAIR SHOP LESS THAN TWO MILES AWAY. THIS IS NOT AN UNUSUAL EVENT FOR THIS MODEL, AS REPORTED BY THE DEALER AND ALSO ACCORDING TO CONSUMER COMPLAINT DATABASES. THE PROBLEM WAS A BROKEN SERPENTINE BELT AND PRETENSIONER. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY THREAT, SINCE ONE CAN ABRUPTLY LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR WHEN THAT BELT BREAKS. PLEASE LOOK INTO IT. THANK YOU. *AK

RECALL 00V268000/FUEL LEAKAGES: DEALER INFORMED THAT RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED, AND MANUFACTURER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF RECALL, AND WILLING TO PAY FOR PART. BUT CONSUMER HAD TO PAY FOR LABOR, AND SUBMIT INVOICE FOR REIMBURSEMENT. AT QUALITY DODGE IN TOOELE, UT; PHONE# 435/882-2000. SEEKING HELP FROM NHTSA IN THIS MATTER. *AK

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A 45 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, IMPACT WAS ON FRONT OF DRIVER'S SIDE. DEALER/MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

WIPER WOULD COME ON WHILE IN THE OFF POSITION, INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER / MFR'S WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *SLC