2002 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. THE RIGHT REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WAS LOCKED TIGHT AND COULD NOT BE OPENED MANUALLY OR WITH THE ELECTRONIC KEY. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE DOOR LOCK FAILED IN MARCH 2010. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 107,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOWN AND COUNTRY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER LIFT GATE MODULE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WASN'T CORRECTED. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THEY REPLACED THE PART SPECIFIED IN THE RECALL; THEREFORE, THEY COULD NO LONGER ASSIST HIM. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE LIFT GATE LATCH HIMSELF WHICH WAS THE SPECIFIC CAUSE FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT ASSIST THE CONTACT WITH A GOOD WILL REIMBURSEMENT, BECAUSE OF THE VEHICLE MILEAGE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,667 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 155,821.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY EQUIPPED WITH TOYO VERSADO TIRES, SIZE P215/65/R16. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING AT 70 MPH WHEN THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE SUDDENLY EXPLODED WITHOUT WARNING. THE TIRE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TIRE. THE DEALER ALSO ADVISED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE WAS EXHIBITING THE SAME FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 15,000.

TOWN AND COUNTRY 2002 HAS HEADLIGHTS THAT FLICKER AND GO OFF WHILE THE MINIVAN IS MOVING. NHTSA WAS INVESTIGATING THIS IN 2005 (ASSOCIATED PRESS, 2.07.2005) AND WAS TALKING TO DAILMLERCHRYSLER ABOUT THIS. TRAVELING IN THE WINTER, AND THE EARLY EVENING THE LIGHTS WENT OFF SUDDENLY. I WAS ABLE TO FLICK THE SWITCH ON THE COLUMN AND MAKE THEM COME BACK ON. TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE, BUT NO ERROR CODES WERE FOUND. NOW LAST WEEK, TRAVELING AT 70 MPH, THE LIGHTS WENT OFF NUMEROUS TIMES. THEY DO NOT GO OFF WHEN RAINING AND LIGHTS ARE REQUIRED DURING THE DAY; IT SEEMS TO OCCUR ONLY AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE LIGHTS HAVE THE ISSUE OF DIMMING AS NOTED IN NUMEROUS FORUMS, BUT THIS HAD NOT CAUSED THE LIGHTS TO GO OFF COMPLETELY. THIS VEHICLE IS THE ONE THAT MY 16 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER DRIVES, AND IT IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS SO NO DRIVING CAN BE DONE AFTER DARK AT PRESENT. CALLED DODGE SERVICE AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITHOUT A CODE SAVED. *TR

I HAVE TALKED TO SOMEONE ABOUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AT THE CHRYSLER DEALER CALL CENTER AND HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT MY REAR TIRE LOCKING UP AND BRAKES HAS BEEN CHANGED TWICE IN ONE YEAR AND WHEN THEY LOCK UP ONLY ON THAT REAR TIRE IT STARTS TO SMOKE AND SMELL LIKE THE RUBBER IS BURNING AND MY OTHER COMPLAINT THAT STARTED YESTERDAY JULY 24,2010 I WAS RETURNING HOME AND PULLING OFF FROM WHERE I WAS PARKED AS I WAS PUSHING THE GAS FOR ACCELERATION IS WAS HESITATION LIKE IT WASN'T GETTING THE GAS. THEN AS I PROCEEDED TO CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE IT CONTINUOUSLY DONE THE SAME THING LIKE IT WAS GOING TO CUT OFF. I WAS AT THE STOP LIGHT IN A CITY AREA AND IT HAD MAJOR HESITATION AND IT WAS DANGEROUS AND VERY FRIGHTENING. JUST IMAGINE A CAR NOT GOING WHEN THE GAS IS PUSHED AND YOU GOT A BIG TRUCKER BEHIND YOU THOSE PEOPLE IN OTHER CARS DON'T KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU THEY ARE NOT GOING TO SLOW DOWN AND MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

VAN STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND SMOKING HEAVY BLUE/WHITE SMOKE OUT THE EXHAUST PIPE. THE SMOKE WAS FROM RAW UNBURNED FUEL THAT WAS POURING INTO THE ENGINE AND UNABLE TO BE BURNED OFF AT ANY RPM BELOW 3000. THE VAN WAS FINE WHEN LAST PARKED AT OUR RESIDENCE. NEXT DAY WIFE WAS GOING TO THE STORE AND VAN IMMEDIATELY HAD THE PROBLEM. COOL ENGINE, HAD BEEN SITTING OVERNIGHT. SHE DROVE ABOUT HALF A MILE THINKING THE VAN WOULD RUN SMOOTHER BEFORE SEEING AND SMELLING THE GAS AND SMOKE. SHE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED THE VAN TO THE HOUSE. I CHECKED THE DIAGNOSTIC CODE WHICH INDICATED P0201: #1 FUEL INJECTOR OPEN CIRCUIT. I AM FAIRLY HANDY WITH VEHICLE REPAIRS AND DECIDED TO TAKE THE TOP HALF OF THE INTAKE OFF TO CHECK THE #1 INJECTOR AND INSPECT THE OTHER 5 AS WELL WHILE THERE. ALL INJECTORS COIL RESISTANCE CHECKED FINE AT 12.5 OHMS, NO OPEN CIRCUIT AS INDICATED. DECIDED TO CHECK THE FUEL RAIL WIRING HARNESS FOR A SHORT CIRCUIT AND SURE ENOUGH THE #1 CYLINDER WIRING INDICATED A SHORT CIRCUIT. WITH THE METER ON THE INJECTED PLUG, WIGGLED THE HARNESS AND THE SHORT WENT AWAY. SO I REMOVED THE ENTIRE INJECTED WIRING HARNESS FOR INSPECTION, THIS INVOLVED REMOVING ALL THE FACTORY WIRE WRAP AND PROTECTIVE SLEEVE. DISCOVERED THAT ALL THE WIRES INSIDE THE HARNESS HAD ALL THE INSULATION MISSING AT ONE SECTION NEXT TO THE MAIN HARNESS CONNECTOR. THE HARNESS WAS PROTECTED AND NOT TOUCHING ANY PART OF THE ENGINE YET FAILED. I CONTACTED LOCAL CHRYSLER PARTS DEPT. AND INQUIRED ABOUT A REPLACEMENT HARNESS, RESPONSE WAS NEW HARNESS OVER $200 AND HAD TO BE ORDERED. WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THIS PARTICULAR HARNESS WHICH FITS 2001 - 2003 CHRYSLER VANS, IS ORDERED BY CHRYSLER GARAGES AT 53 UNITS A WEEK. THIS IS WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES. THIS IS A FACTORY FLAW AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BEFORE A FIRE STARTS OR TOXIC FUMES FROM THE EXHAUST INJURES A PASSENGER. THERE IS NO HEAT SHIELD AT THIS CONNECTORS LOCATION WHICH I BELIEVE CAUSED THE HARNESS FAILURE. I REPAIRED THE HARNESS AND ENGINE RUNS. *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT IS LIT, WAS SUPPOSEDLY FIXED BUT CAME BACK ON AND WE WERE TOLD THAT WE WOULD NEED TO PAY FOR REPAIR. IT IS A 2002 TOWN AND COUNTRY, 2001 AND 2003 WERE RECALLED FOR SAME SAFETY DEFECT. WHY IS OUR YEAR EXEMPTED, IS CHRYSLER THAT INEPT TO FIX PROBLEMS??? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY. WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, 6 MILES AFTER THE REPAIR THE SAME FAILURE OCCURRED. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUSHED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 96,000.

WHILE REMOVING A BIKE RACK FROM THE TRUNK OF MY 2002 TOWN & COUNTRY MINI VAN, MY HAND SLIPPED SHUTTING AND TRAPPING THE FINGERS ON MY RIGHT HAND IN THE DOOR JAM. SINCE MY FINGERS WERE IN THE WAY, THE TRUNK WOULDN'T SHUT SECURELY AND THEREFORE, THE TRUNK RELEASE WOULD NOT WORK. WHEN I TRIED TO OPEN THE TRUNK WITH MY LEFT HAND, IT JUST DINGED AT ME THREE TIMES AND STAYED TIGHT ON MY HAND. MY FINGERS QUICKLY BEGAN LOOSING FEELING. SEEING AS I HAD NO ADULTS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST, I STARTED TRYING TO PULL MY HAND OUT AS MY DAUGHTER CALLED 911. THE RING ON MY RIGHT HAND WAS KEEPING THE TRUNK OPENED JUST BARELY FAR ENOUGH WHERE I COULD PULL MY HAND OUT, BUT IN DOING SO I MANAGED TO SCRAPE A LARGE PORTION OF SKIN OFF ONE OF MY FINGERS AND MY KNUCKLES WERE BLEEDING. IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THAT RING, I AM CERTAIN I WOULD HAVE NEEDED THE PARAMEDIC' ASSISTANCE TO BREAK OPEN THE DOOR. THIS WOULD HAVE LEFT ME TRAPPED FOR AT LEAST 5 MORE MINUTES. AS IT IS, MY INDEX FINGER HAS BEEN NUMB FOR THREE DAYS. BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I ONLY SUFFERED THIS TEMPORARY NUMBNESS AND MINOR SCRATCHES. I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED FOR MY CHILDREN'S SAFETY AS IT WOULD HAVE CRUSHED THEIR LITTLE HANDS. YOU WOULD THINK A 2002 MODEL WOULD HAVE THE SAFETY FEATURE THAT WOULD DETECT AN OBSTRUCTION AND NOT CLOSE OR AT LEAST BE ABLE TO REOPEN IMMEDIATELY. VERY CONCERNING. *TR

2002 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY LXI FRONT TIRES WORN, RATTLING WHEN MOVING OVER AND UNEVEN SUFACE, CHECKED BALL JOINTS BADLY WORN LESS THAN 80,000 MI. LOWER BALL JOINT FAILURE. *TR