1997 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY Complaints

I HAD THE BELT REPLACED ON MY 1997 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY TO AVOID A BREAKAGE. SINCE THAT TIME, THE BELT HAS COME OFF TWICE ALLEGEDLY DUE TO WATER/RAIN. I LIVE IN NEW ORLEANS & HAVE BEEN IN ALOT MORE RAIN OVER THE LAST 6 YEARS AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. THE FIRST TIME, THEY JUST PUT THE BELT BACK ON, THE LAST TIME, I WAS CHARGED AN EXTRA $50 FOR A BETTER BELT, BUT WAS ALSO TOLD OF AN ADVISORY THAT CHRYSLER ISSUED 7-2-99 INDICATING THIS PROBLEM AND THAT A BRACKET COULD BE USED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP ADVISED THAT THIS WOULD COST ANOTHER $260 TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT NEVER EXISTED BEFORE I HAD THE BELT REPLACED. I FEEL THAT CHRYSLER KNOWS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THEIR NEW BELTS, BUT BECAUSE MY VAN IS OLDER, THEY ARE UNWILLING TO FOOT THE BILL TO FIX IT AND THEY ARE JEOPARDIZING MY SAFETY AND EVERYONE ELSE'S BY NOT DOING SO. I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY VAN DURING OR AFTER A RAIN.*AK

JANUARY 2003 - R & R CROSS OVER PIPES HAD A CRACK. HAD TO REPLACE JANUARY 2003 - 3 LUGNUTS FELL OFF. HAD TO REPLACE JULY 2003 - KEY CYLINDER LOCKED UP. HAD TO REPLACE AND HAD THE CAR TOWED. OCTOBER 2003 - FUEL PUMP WENT BAD. PART BROKE INSIDE THE GAS TANK. HAD TO REMOVE THE TANK AND BUY A NEW PART. I HAVE A TOYOTA WITH 128K MILES AND IT HAS NEVER HAD ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS! I'M THINKING ABOUT TRADING THE VAN IN.

THE MOST RECENT BRAKE FAILURE WAS THE MOST POTENTIALLY DEADLY. WITHOUT WARNING, WE HAD TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO REAR WHEEL CYLINDERS SEIZING UP. WE CONTACTED CHRYSLER, OFFERED TO SEND THEM THE DEFECTIVE PARTS. AFTER NUMEROUS CALLS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THE RECALL CENTER, WE WERE TOLD CHRYSLER WAS NOT INTERESTED. CHRYSLER CONTACTS WERE VERY RUDE. WE PULLED UP A RECALL FROM NHTSA ID NUMBER 96V215000. OUR CONCERN WAS THE REMARK IN THE CORRECTIVE SUMMARY. THE MASTER CYLINDERS IN 1997 MINIVANS MADE IN ST. LOUIS WERE DEFECTIVE. OUR MINIVAN WAS MANUFACTURED IN ST. LOUIS. ACCORDING TO CHRYSLER RECALL CENTER, THE RECALL WAS ON VEHICLES WITH TRACTION CONTROL. WE HAVE TRACTION CONTROL. PEOPLE AT CUSTOMER SERVICE WILL NOT TALK TO US ABOUT THE RECALL NOTICE TO HELP US. OUR VAN IS HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE. SAFETY FOR OUR FAMILY AND OUT DISABLED SON IS OF UTMOST CONCERN. SINCE CHRYSLER IS NO HELP, WHO IS?

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 82,000 & 86,000 MILES, MY ENGINE BEGAN MAKING A TICKING SOUND. SINCE I WAS DUE FOR AN OIL CHANGE, I TOOK THE VAN IN TO A NEARBY SHOP FOR AN OIL CHANGE. THE FIRST THING THE MECHANIC CALLED ME ABOUT WAS AN OIL LEAK...HE THOUGHT THE HEAD GASKET WAS BLOWN AND WAS CALLING FOR MY AUTHORIZATION. WHEN HE REMOVED THE VALVE COVER, HE CALLED BACK TO INFORM ME THAT I HAD A BROKEN HEAD. SOMEHOW, ONE OF THE STANCHIONS THAT HOLDS THE ROCKER ARM ASSEMBLY HAD BROKEN OFF AND THE ROCKER ARM NEXT TO THAT STANCHION WAS LOOSE AND CAUSING THE CLICKING SOUND. NEITHER HE NOR I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THAT TYPE OF PART FAILURE AND I WENT TO THE SHOP TO SEE WHAT HE HAD FOUND. THE STANCHION WAS BROKEN THROUGH ABOUT 1/4 INCH BELOW THE ROCKER ARM. IN MY MIND, SINCE A HEAD IS A SOLID BLOCK OF CAST ALUMINUM, THIS WAS NOT A PART THAT SHOULD WEAR OUT OR HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE ENGINE HAD NEVER OVERHEATED, ET CETERA. IN QUOTING THE REPAIR ESTIMATE, THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT SINCE THE HEAD WAS BROKEN, IN ADDITION TO THE COST OF PURCHASING A RECONDITIONED HEAD, I WOULD ALSO HAVE TO PAY A $200.00 CORE CHARGE SINCE MY BROKEN HEAD COULD NOT BE EXCHANGED AND RECONDITIONED. TO MY WAY OF THINKING, SINCE THE HEAD SHOULDN'T HAVE BROKEN IN SUCH A MANNER ANYWAY, THE CORE CHARGE WAS UNFAIR. MY BELIEF WAS THAT THIS IS EITHER A CASTING OR DESIGN FLAW AND REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT I WAS 16,000 MILES OVER THE WARRANTY, THIS TYPE OF BREAKAGE SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. I THEN WENT TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO SEE IF CHRYSLER CORP. WAS HELPING CONSUMERS WITH THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. HE THEN PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER. I LEARNED A FEW MORE THINGS FROM THE SERVICE MANAGER. FIRST, SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, HE WAS CERTAIN THAT CHRYSLER WOULD NOT HELP IN ANY WAY WITH THE REPAIRS. WHEN THEY RECONDITION THE HEADS, THEY NOW INSERT A SHAFT THROUGH THE STANCHIONS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL STRENGTH TO PREVENT THESE BREAKS.

THE RIGHT SIDE REAR LIFTGATE STRUT BROKE WHERE IT WAS CONNECTED TO THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE. THIS OCCURRED UPON CLOSING THE LIFTGATE, RESULTING IN LIFTGATE NOT BEING SUPPORTED WHEN IN THE OPEN POSITION. *AK

CONSUMER SAID THAT THE BRAKE ROTORS HAD LITTLE DEEP INDENTATIONS, LIKE HOLES THAT DIDN'T GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH. THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AND DRIVER'S SIDE CALIPERS CRACKED AND A CHUNK OF METAL WAS MISSING ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE CALIPER. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THIS WAS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AND THAT THE METAL WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH. *AK THE HOLES IN THE ROTORS RANGED FROM A COUPLE OF MM TO 15 MM. *PH *NM

WHILE TURNING/BRAKING VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST POWER. THE CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER. *AK

"SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT COMES ON AT 55 TO 60 MPH ACCOMPANIED BY A STUMBLE IN CAR'S MOTION. DEALER TRIED AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *LA

ENGINE FAILS WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION. IT HAPPENS OFTEN AND AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. DEALER INSTALLED A CO-PILOT WHICH REGISTERED A NUMBER OF OCCURENCES. SINCE AUGUST 2003 DEALER TRIED AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *LA

WHILE UNLOADING GROCERIES FROM REAR STORAGE AREA THE STRUT SLIPPED DOWN FROM THE ANCHOR POINT. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A FRACTURED BALL JOINT SCREW. *AK *NLM