2006 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY LWB Complaints

IN MARCH OF 2009 WE PURCHASED A 2006 CHRYSLER TOWN&COUNTRY MINIVAN FROM A CHRYSLER DEALER WITH 27K MILES ON IT. I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. IN THE PAST MONTH I REALIZED THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON AND THIS WEEK I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR. THE DEALER CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME THE 2 SENSORS IN THE FRONT WERE RUSTED AND CORRODED AND THAT THEY NO LONGER WERE SENDING A SIGNAL RENDERING THEM USELESS. THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD BE $401 TO FIX. I TOLD THEM I HAD NEVER HEARD OF AIRBAG SENSORS CORRODING AND THAT IS SOUNDED LIKE A SAFETY ISSUE. THEY TOLD ME IT HAPPENS SOME TIMES. I CHECKED THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 05/06 VANS. I CALLED THE DEALER AND TOLD THEM I WAS UPSET THAT THEY DIDN'T TELL ME THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE. THEY CLAIMED THAT THEY NEVER HEARD OF IT. BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ, IT SOUNDS LIKE CHRYSLER IS DOING A VOLUNTARY FIX ON ABOUT 350,000 VEHICLES. HOW DO I GET MINE FIXED WITHOUT PAYING THE $400? I ALREADY HAD TO PAY THE DEALER $100 JUST TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE AND $35 FOR A RENTAL CAR BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A WARRANTY OR RECALL REPAIR. *TR

I HIT A POWER POLE AND A DITCH AT 55MPH. THE CAR WENT AIRBORN, HIT THE POLE, SPUN AROUND AND LANDED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH CHRYSLER AND THEY SAID THAT I DID NOT DECELERATE FAST ENOUGH FOR THE AIRBAGS TO GO OFF. I WAS INJURED SLIGHTLY BUT MY SEAT BELT WAS ON. THE KEY WAS JAMMED IN THE IGNITION AND TWISTED AND THE CAR WAS SHUT DOWN. THE IMPACT WAS THAT HARD. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE AIRBAGS WOULD NOT GO OFF. THE STATE TROOPER, INSURANCE COMPANY AND THE MAN WHO OWNS THE GARAGE WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED ALL SAID IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL OPINION THE AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE GONE OFF. I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN AT THIS POINT. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING FROM WHAT I SAW ON THE NEWS THAT THE AIRBAG SENSORS MAY BE BEING RECALLED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. HOWEVER, I DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE AT ALL. I WAS ALONE IN THE VEHICLE AND I WAS ON MY HOME FROM WORK AFTER A 12 1/2 HOUR SHIFT. I DID FALL ASLEEP AND WAS LESS THAN ONE MILE FROM MY HOME. *TR

ROOF BEGAN TO LEAK WHEN CAR WAS ABOUT 1 YEAR OLD. LEAKS PASSENGER SIDE MAINLY OCC. DRIVERS SIDE. DEALER REPLACED PASS SIDE MOON ROOF DRAIN TUBE - DID NOT FIX LEAK. RAINS SELDOM IN SO. CAL. SO PROBLEM NOT NOTICED DURING DRY SEASON. THERE IS NOW INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL FAILURES SUCH AS AIR-BAG LIGHTS GOING ON. UNABLE TO TURN ON HEADLAMPS AT TIMES. *TR

SEAT BELTS "LOCK UP" ON MY 2006 CHRYSLER MINIVAN. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS OCCASIONALLY - POSSIBLY 4-5 TIMES IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS. THE SEAT BELTS WILL NEITHER RETRACT NOR ADVANCE BUT ARE INSTEAD LOCKED IN PLACE. THE BELT ULTIMATELY SEEMS TO "CORRECT ITSELF" AFTER A FEW HOURS OF SITTING. THE PROBLEM IS EXCLUSIVELY TO THE SEAT BELTS IN THE MIDDLE ROW CAPTAIN CHAIRS. YET THIS IS WHERE MY CHILDREN SIT. IN THE PAST, WE HAVE NEEDED TO MOVE THEIR CAR SEATS TO THE REAR TO BELT THEM IN. I ASKED THE DEALERSHIP WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED IN 2008 IF THIS WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED IT WAS NOT AND WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO GET IT FIXED. THE LAST OCCURRENCE WAS DECEMBER 2009. *TR

MY 2006 TOWN AND COUNTRY MINI VAN HAS LOST ALL POWER STEERING DRIVING THROUGH MODEST PUDDLES. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN WHEN GOING THROUGH MODEST PUDDLES (APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES DEEP), AND HAS ONLY HAPPENED AT LOW RATES OF SPEED. IT HAS HAPPENED ON 4 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, ALL STEERING IS COMPLETELY LOST. THE VEHICLE QUITE LITERALLY WILL NOT STEER AT ALL, BUT THEN THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY "COMES OUT" OF IT - AFTER DRIVING AND ATTEMPTING TO TURN FOR MAYBE 1/8 MILE. ALMOST AS IF WHAT EVER MOISTURE CAUSED THE PROBLEM EVAPORATES. THE LAST OCCURRENCE WAS THIS PAST JANUARY. *TR

2006 TOWN & COUNTRY VAN FAILED NYS INSPECTION FOR SAFETY REASONS DUE TO RACK AND PINION LEAKING SEALS. VEHICLE HAD UNDER 48,000 MILES. PURCHASED NEW 12/31/2005. RACK & PINION WAS REPLACED BUT WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. NEIGHBOR REPORTED SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR 2006 TOWN & COUNTRY VAN. ALSO HAD PART REPLACED. ARE THESE ALL DEFECTIVE STEERING COMPONENTS? WE ARE SENDING A LETTER TO CHRYSLER CORPORATION TODAY WITH A COPY TO NHTSA. UPDATED 03/24/10 *BF UPDATED 03/29/10. *JB UPDATED 04/05/10.*JB

MY CAR WAS MAKING A WHINING NOISE WHEN THE ENGINE WAS COLD. I BROUGHT IT IN TO THE CHRYSLER DEALER, AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS LEAKING, WHICH HAD RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE RACK & PINION MECHANISM. THE ENTIRE MECHANISM HAD TO BE REPLACED. NOT PERFORMING THIS REPAIR COULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE ENTIRE STEERING SYSTEM LOCKING UP. MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION (I AM A MECHANICAL ENGINEER) IS THAT THIS PUMP SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED AT SUCH LOW MILEAGE (~45K). *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT WENT ON IN MY 2006 CHRYSLER T&C VAN, TOOK TO DEALERSHIP TO CHECK OUT. FOUND OUT ON LINE PREVIOUS YEAR 2005 HAD A RECALL FOR EXACT SAME PROBLEM (OVER 250,000) VEHICLES, SINCE MY YEAR DID NOT HAVE A RECALL REQUIRED TO PAY 320.00 FOR REPAIR. DON'T UNDERSTAND, SINCE OBVIOUSLY PROBLEM STILL EXISTS WHY I HAD TO PAY FOR REPAIRS THAT WERE DONE FOR CARS ONE YEAR OLDER THAN MINE. CHRYSLER BASICALLY TOLD ME SINCE THERE WAS NO RECALL IT WAS MY PROBLEM. IF I DID NOT GET THIS FIXED I WOULD HAVE HAD TO DRIVE NOT KNOWING IF AIRBAGS WOULD WORK OR WORK WHEN NOT NEEDED. ONLY HAPPENS IN CAR IN COLD WEATHER STATES CORROSION OF ELECTRICAL WIRE TO AIRBAGS WHICH I THEN SHORTS OUT SENSORS. *TR

OUR 2006 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY AIR BAG WARNING LIGHTS LIT OCCASIONALLY IN FALL 2009. BY DEC 2009 BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ARE ALWAYS LIT WHEN THE VAN IS RUNNING. OUR INTERNET SEARCH FOUND THAT 270,000 2005 CHRYSLER MINIVANS WERE RECALLED FOR THIS SAME ISSUE (WARNING LIGHTS STAYED ON, AIRBAG SENSORS WERE CORRODED CAUSING AIRBAGS TO EITHER FAIL TO DEPLOY OR DEPLOY AT AN IMPROPER RATE). THIS SEEMS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. WHY HAVEN'T THE 2006 CHRYSLER MINIVANS BEEN RECALLED? *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDER DOOR GETS REQUESTED TO OPEN FROM THE OVERHEAD CONSOLE SWITCH BY THE DRIVER TO LET OUT MY 6 YEAR OLD SON FOR SCHOOL WHO HAS HIS BOOK BAG WITH HIM. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THIS PROCEDURE RESULTS IN THAT DOOR RETURN BACK FORWARD TOWARD MY SON PRIOR TO COMPLETELY OPENING; IT REACHES ABOUT 75% OF FULL OPEN. BECAUSE OF COST, TIMING AND HOPES THAT THE DOOR WOULD NOT CRUSH HIM IF HE COULD NOT HOP OUT QUICK ENOUGH, NO REPAIR HAS BEEN MADE YET. HOWEVER JUST LAST NIGHT WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN THROUGH AN INTERSECTION THAT SAME DOOR OPENED SLIGHTLY WITHOUT WARNING BUT IMMEDIATELY CLOSED MAKING THE COMMON LOUD ACTUATOR NOISE. AFTERWARD TO TEST THE SYSTEM WE TRIED TO DRIVE WITH THE DOOR OPEN AND AN ALARM SOUNDS AND THE CLUSTER HAS THE DOOR AJAR MESSAGE SO I AM FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT THE DOOR WAS INITIALLY CLOSED DURING OUR TRIP WHERE THE SLIDE DOOR OPENED. I WILL TRY TO ADJUST THE DOOR HEIGHT SOON BECAUSE I KNOW IT IS A LITTLE LOW DUE TO AN OPERABLE NOISE FROM THE TOP TRACK. I DOUBT THIS WILL FIX THE ISSUE, BUT THAT IS ALL I CAN FIND FOR SERVICE INFO THROUGH THE BULLETINS AND SERVICE MANUAL I HAVE ACCESS TO. *TR