2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY Complaints

1) DRIVING, AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL IS WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE 2)SOMETHING BROKE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. NOW NOTHING WORKS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON, THE CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE, AND THE HORN NO LONGER WORKS. 3) I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM YET. *TR

I OWN A 2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY WITH A 3.8 LITER ENGINE. I'VE HAD THE SERPENTINE BELT FALL OFF NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PAST STARTING AT 95000 MILES AND THEN AT 131000. I REPLACED THE BELT 3 TIMES ALONG WITH THE TENSIONER AND BELT ALONG WITH THE WATER PUMP TO TRY TO ELIMINATE THIS ISSUE AND IT WORKED.... FOR A YEAR.... IT JUST HAD IT HAPPEN AGAIN. AFTER READING ISSUES ON THE INTERNET, THIS APPARENTLY IS A COMMON ISSUE. LUCKILY WHEN IT HAPPENED, I WAS DRIVING AND WAS ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER STEERING. IF IT WERE MY WIFE DRIVING, THE STEERING ISSUE BECOMES A SAFETY ISSUE. I FEEL CHRYSLER SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS SAFETY RELATED ISSUE. I'VE NOT SEEN ANY RECALLS WITH REGARDS TO THIS ISSUE. *TR

DURING RAIN OR SNOWMELT EVENTS, SPLASHING WATER CAUSES THE SERPENTINE BELT ON THE ENGINE SLIP FROM THE ENGINE IDLER PULLEYS. THEY ARE SMOOTH AND ROUNDED IN DESIGN, ALLOWING WATER TO SLIP BENEATH DURING OPERATION RESULTING IN THE BELT SLIPPING FROM THE PULLEYS. THE STEERING ON THESE VANS IS EXTREMELY INADEQUATE WITHOUT POWER ASSIST, EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING. OUR BELT HAS SLIPPED OFF IN THE PAST, REQUIRING BELT REPLACEMENT, BUT THIS RECENT EVENT CAUSED A LOSS OF STEERING WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, RESULTING IN A CRASH. NO ONE IN MY FAMILY WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, BUT THE VALENCE AT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED. AFTER CALLING MY LOCAL DMV TO FIND OUT WHERE TO REPORT THIS, AND SEARCHING THE INTERNET ABOUT THE PROBLEM, I FIND IT UNCONSCIONABLE THAT CHRYSLER AND THE NHTSA HAVE NOT ACTED ON A SOLUTION SOONER. *TR

THE HEATED SEATS IN CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY GOT SO HOT THAT IT BURNT MY JACKET. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2000 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY IN JULY 2007 FROM A CHRYSLER DEALER IN NJ. SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR IT SUDDENLY STALLED OUT WHILE IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. WHILE COASTING I WAS ABLE PUT THE VAN IN NEUTRAL AND RESTART IT. OVER THE COURSE OF THE TRIP THE VAN STALLED SEVERAL MORE TIMES WHILE IN MOTION. AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS OF SPORADIC STALLING I CALLED THE DEALER THAT SOLD US THE CAR AND EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM. THEY STATED THAT THE CAR WAS SOLD WITH NO WARRANTY AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY WOULD DO FOR THE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM WAS SO SPORADIC THAT IT WOULD GO AWAY FOR A FEW MONTHS AND RANDOMLY RETURNED. THE CAR DOES NOT GIVE ANY SIGNS PRIOR TO STALLING SUCH A SPUTTERING. THE VAN EVEN STALLS WHILE GOING THROUGH CURVES AND TURNS LEAVING THE DRIVER TO MUSCLE THE CAR SAFELY TO A STOP BEFORE HAVING TO RESTART IT. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHERE MY WIFE HAD BEEN DRIVING AROUND A CURVE AND IT STALLED OUT AND SHE ALMOST WENT OFF THE ROAD BECAUSE SHE BARELY HAD THE MUSCLE TO CONTROL THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO A LOCAL DEALER BUT THEY SAID THAT THE PROBLEM HASN'T THROWN A CODE FOR THEM TO DIAGNOSE AND THEY WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THE CAR TO STALL OUT FOR THEM DURING TEST DRIVES. THE DEALER HAD RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FIXING THE CAR WHICH INCLUDED REPLACING THE ALTERNATOR, WIRING HARNESS TO THE ALTERNATOR, BATTERY, IGNITION MODULE, PLUGS & WIRES AND VARIOUS SENSORS, NONE OF WHICH HAS FIXED THE PROBLEM. I DID A SEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND A DISCUSSION FORUM WHERE IT APPEARS THAT THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS VERY COMMON AMONGST OWNERS. SOME OF THESE OWNERS HAD SPENT MUCH MORE MONEY AT THEIR DEALERS UNTIL THEIR MECHANICS EVENTUALLY GAVE UP. FROM THE COMPLAINTS THAT I'VE SEEN IT APPEARS THAT THE STALLING PROBLEMS ARE OCCURRING ON TOWN&COUNTRY MODELS RANGING FROM 1997-2007 AND IS AFFECTING BOTH THE 3.3LTR ENGINE AS WELL AS THE 3.8LTR ENGINE. IT SEEMS THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON ENOUGH AMONG OWNERS. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING IN THE RAIN ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN ALL OF SUDDEN LIGHTS COME ON..MY HUSBAND SAYS THAT THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE AND THE ENGINE LIGHTS COME ON AND THE ENGINE STARTS TO OVERHEAT. IT WAS TERRIFYING. WE FIND AS WE ARE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT HAS COME OFF. IT WAS A BRAND NEW BELT. I HAD IT REPLACED PRIOR TO GOING ON THIS TRIP. MY HUSBAND AND SON GET IT BACK ON AND IT COMES OFF AGAIN. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED. THE OVERHEATING DID SOME DAMAGE. HAD TO REPLACE RADIATOR AND HOSES. THEN DRIVING DOWN BROAD STREET A WEEK LATER, THE HOSE COMES OFF AGAIN. I DON'T FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE. TENSIONER HAS BEEN REPLACED ALONG WITH OTHER DAMAGED PARTS. *TR

THE L/H STRUT TOWER ON MY 2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY IS RUSTING OUT. I HAVE FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS AND UNDERSTAND THAT CHRYSLER HAS NOT CONSIDERED THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM A MECHANIC AND I BELIEVE IT TO BE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. I WILL BE REPAIRING MY OWN VEHICLE USING CHRYSLERS TSB 23-044-02 AS A GUIDE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE INDICATOR REMAINED LIT UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. IN ADDITION, THE CRUISE CONTROL WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. RECENTLY, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V480000 (AIR BAGS) WAS RELATED TO THE AIR BAG CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT A DIAGNOSTIC MUST BE PERFORMED TO WARRANT THE RECALL DEFECT REPAIR. THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST COST $90. THE CONTACT WAS DISPLEASED TO KNOW THAT THERE WAS A COST ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECALL DEFECT REMEDY. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 153,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD TO USE FORCE IN ORDER TO OPEN THE LIFTGATE. HE STATED THAT THE BOLTS THAT ATTACH THE GAS STRUTS HAD FAILED AND WAS RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 99V123000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS). THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. HE HAS NOT CALLED THE DEALER AND NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 190,000.

MY CHRYSLER TOWN&COUNTRY WITH 3.8 ENG.BELT HAS COME OFF WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN 4 TIMES. LOSING POWERSTEERING AND CAUSING ENGINE TO QUICKLY TO OVERHEAT. DEALERS HAVE NO FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO DAMAGE MY CAR AND POSSIBLY OTHERS SINCE IT CAME WITHOUT ANY WARNING. I CHECKED THE INTERNET TO SEE IF ANY ONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND MANY. IT SEEMS THAT SO MAY THAT GATES BELT COMPANY DESIGNED A BELT PACKAGE TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. I PURCHASE THIS REPAIR PACKAGE AND SEEMS TO BE WORKING IN THE RAIN. SHOULDN'T THIS REPAIR BEEN A RECALL BY CHRYSLER BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. *TR