2005 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY Complaints

I STARTED TO HEAR A LOW ROAR (NOT UNLIKE TURNING THE STARTER WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING) COMING OUT OF THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE VAN, USUALLY UPON STARTING, USUALLY INTERMITTENT, BUT SOMETIMES BRIEFLY WHILE DRIVING OR TURNING, AND SOMETIMES WHEN STARTING THE VAN, THE NOISE WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF. TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED IT AS A RACK AND PINION FAILURE, WITH FLUID LEAKING OUT, WHICH HE SAYS THEY WOULD NOT USUALLY SEE IN THIS "YOUNG" A VEHICLE. MILEAGE = 53,000. HE WANTED ME TO CALL THE DEALER TO SEE IF THEY KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM, OR IF THE REPAIR WOULD BE COVERED. THE DEALER CLAIMED TO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS ISSUE AT ALL. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND NOW SEE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING PROBLEM FOR THIS VAN, AND CHRYSLER SHOULD OWN UP TO IT AND REPAIR. THIS VAN IS NOT EVEN FOUR YEARS OLD, HAS NOT BEEN IN ANY ACCIDENT OR DRIVEN ABUSIVELY, AND THIS KIND OF A FAILURE MUST INDICATE A DEFECT IN DESIGN OR MATERIALS. I AM NOW LOOKING AT A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR BILL. *TR

MY 2005 TOWN & COUNTRY HAD BEEN MAKING A WHINING NOISE FOR LAST MONTH. THE NOISE WILL INCREASE AS THE ACCELERATOR WAS PUSHED,BUT NOISE DISAPPEARED AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN FOR 5 - 10 MINUTES. MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING FLUID WAS REALLY LOW, FILLING THE FLUID TO THE CORRECT LEVEL FIXED THE NOISE PROBLEM. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE RACK HAS A LEAK. IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN THESE VANS, I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND POSSIBLY A RECALL SHOULD BE DONE AS THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR. *TR

RACK & PINION ON 2005 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY. A NOISE WHEN TURNING STEERING. WAS TOLD BY DEALER IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE 2005 VANS AND WAS NOT BEING COVERED. WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE AROUND $750.00 PLUS TAX TO FIX. IF THERE ARE THIS MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE VANS, CHRYSLER SHOULD FIX THEM AS A RECALL. WAS TOLD BY ANOTHER MECHANIC TO PUT AN ADDITIVE IN THE POWER STEERING AND IT HAS SLOWED DOWN THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID BUT KEEP WONDERING HOW SAFE I AM DRIVING IT ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE HAS HAD TO REPLACE THE RACK AND PINION, TIE RODS, WATER PUMP, REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR, PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW MOTOR, AND THE EGR VALVE. CURRENTLY, THE AXLE IS FAILING. THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES; HOWEVER, THEY WERE ALL COVERED DUE TO AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE VIN, ENGINE SIZE, AND NUMBER OF CYLINDERS WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,450.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. THE CONTACT HAD HER VEHICLE INSPECTED. ALL THE FUEL LEVELS WERE CHECKED AND SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE RACK AND PINION STEERING SYSTEM. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE ON A NATIONAL BACK ORDER. THE CONTACT ASSUMED THAT BECAUSE THE PARTS WERE IN SUCH HIGH DEMAND, MANY OTHER VEHICLES MUST HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE. CHRYSLER STATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE AND REFERRED HER TO NHTSA. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,283 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,001. UPDATED 05/05/08 *BF

GRINDING/WHINING SOUND FROM THE FRONT END. STEERING RACK IS FAILING WITH ONLY 22K ON THE VEHICLE BUT 4 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

IT STARTED ACTUALLY QUITE SOME TIME AGO. IT SEEMED THAT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE I WOULD LOSE MY POWER STEERING. ONCE IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO RUN OFF THE ROAD AND INTO A CEMENT CURB. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO WORK THE WHEEL AROUND AND AFTER ABOUT FIVE MINUTES OF TRYING TO CONTROL THE VAN, THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK. THERE HAS BEEN A NOISE AT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND THEN I NOTICED THE VAN WAS LEAKING SOMETHING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THEY ARE REPLACING SO MANY OF THEM THAT THE PART WAS BACKORDERED AND THEY WERE UNSURE WHEN THEY WOULD GET ONE. THAT WAS IN NOV. 2007. IT IS NOW APRIL 2008 AND I AM STILL WAITING. IN FEB OF 2008 I WAS TOLD THEY HAD ONE FOR ME AND I TOOK MY VAN IN AND THEN WAS TOLD THAT IT NEVER ARRIVED AND THAT THEY TOLD THEIR PARTS DEALER THAT THEY NEEDED IT IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE THE POWER STEERING FLUID IS LEAKING ONTO OTHER PARTS AND CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS. IT'S STILL BEEN TWO MONTHS SINCE THEN AND NOTHING. THE WHOLE FRONT OF MY VAN FEELS AND SOUNDS LIKE ITS GOING TO FALL OFF AT ANY MOMENT. I HAVE HAD TO REFILL MY POWER STEERING FLUID EVERY 2-3 DAYS SINCE NOV 07 AND IT ISN'T GETTING ANY BETTER. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE HAD WITH THIS VAN. THE RIGHT CV JOINT HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER ONLY 2 YEARS, THE AIR BAG SENSORS WENT BAD AND ONLY AFTER I PAID TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT TO THE TUNE OF $70 WERE THEY RECALLED, THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE REAR HEATING/COOLING TUBES BECAUSE OF COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR NO LONGER WORKS AS WELL AS THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW. DURING A TERRIBLE RAIN STORM, I HAD TO GO THROUGH A LARGE PUDDLE AND THE SPARE TIRE WAS RIPPED FROM THE UNDERCARRIAGE BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER SEALED PROPERLY AND THE PART WAS DEFECTIVE. BOTH SETS OF BRAKES HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED, ROTORS REDONE AND THE TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE. *TR

2005 CHRYSLER MINI-VAN AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND WILL NOT RESET. UPON REVIEW NHTSA HAD CALLED FOR A RECALL DUE TO CORROSION TO SENSORS FROM ROAD SALT. CHRYSLER THEN ISSUED A RECALL, BUT ONLY FOR A LIMITED NUMBER VEHICLES. WE THEN SCHEDULED A VISIT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY REJECTED THIS VAN AS NOT BEING UNDER RECALL. ARGUED THAT AFTER THE WORSE YEAR FOR SALT USAGE, IN OHIO WOULD THEY AT LEAST LOOK TO SEE IF THE VAN HAD THE "SAME" PROBLEM AS THOSE RECALLED. THEY STATED IT WOULD BE A MINIMUM OF 82.00 JUST TO LOOK AND WOULD STILL NOT BE COVERED UNDER RECALL. *TR

WE PURCHASED A USED 2005 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY MAR 2008. DURING THE TEST DRIVE WE NOTED A WHIRLING SOUND UPON ACCELERATION. WE WERE TOLD THAT THROUGH THEIR 90 DAY WARRANTY WE CAN HAVE IT CHECKED OUT (THE CAR WS PURCHASED FROM A HONDA DEALER) AFTER PURCHASED WE TOOK THE VAN TO A CHRYSLER DEALER TO BE INSPECTED, SEVERAL PROBLEMS WERE FOUND INCLUDING A LEAK IN THE STEERING RACK (SOURCE OF NOISE). THE ENTIRE STEERING RACK WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $840. THE PART IS ON BACK ORDER DUE TO THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF VANS THAT NEED THIS PART REPLACED. WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO LOOK INTO THE NUMBER OF STEERING RACKS BEING REPLACED AS WE FEEL THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR

ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER, CAR RUNS ROUGH/STALLS AFTER 3 MONTHS OLD. NEW SPARK PLUG WIRES INSTALLED. POWER WINDOWS STOP WORKING, RELAY REPLACED. BATTERY DIED, ALTERNATOR REPLACED. POWER WINDOWS STOP WORKING, ANOTHER RELAY. LIFT GATE STOPS WORKING, FIXED (ELECTRICAL PROBLEM). A/C FAN DOESN'T WORK, RHEOSTAT REPLACED. CAR RUNS ROUGH, SPARK PLUG WIRES REPLACED. DOOR LOCKS STOP WORKING, STILL NOT, UNKNOWN PROBLEM. *TR