This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Air bag light remains on while driving. Horn and cruise control were inoperative. Dealer notified, and they replaced the clock spring. Feel free to provide any further information.
The airbag warning light came on in June. I contacted the dealer and was told that it was the clockspring without them even looking at it. They also told me that my cruise control and horn would fail next. Sure enough, about a week later the cruise control and horn ceased to function. I have a friend with a 1997 Caravan with the same problem. If the dealer knew what was wrong with it sight unseen, that indicates that this is a common problem. I see that there is an open investigation (NHTSA action#EA01007) into this very problem, and I hope that it results in a recall soon. The dealer wants almost $300 to fix it.
1. steering system locked up while making turns making control of vehicle difficult. Van also made screeching noises while turning. Was told rack and pinion needed replacing per "service bulletin". it was, but did not solve problem. Dealer recommended drive belt and tensioner be replaced. This finally helped. 2. air bag light and ABS lights came on, and traction control went off at hwy speeds. Air bag light remained on constantly. Dealer says that both air bag clock spring and ABS controler must be replaced. Dealer stated that if these controlers were not replaced, neither the air bags, the horn, the cruise control nor the ABS braking system would work. Please reopen NHTSA action investigation #EA01007 for the air bag clock spring in this vehicle. It is important for people to know that if their air bag light won't go off it means that the system is not operational!
Airbag light on and cruise control turned on and off. Replaced clock spring. When looking for information on clock spring saw how many others had failed and decided to add my voice. A non-woring airbag is a safety issue, especially in vehicles marketed to young families.
The clock spring controls the air bag system, horn and cruise control system. I was told by the repair technician at the dealership that the part(clock spring) has failed on other vehicals and that Chrysler has recalls on some of these vehicals for the same part.
The air bag warning light remains illuminated indicating a malfunction. Consumer also states since this problem has occurred the horn has become inoperable and a clicking noise is coming from the horn area. Nlm consumer states cold air came out of the passenger side vents when the heat is turned on due to a faulty heater control. Dealer replaced faulty clockspring.
Brought vehicle to Chrysler dealer in bloomington, mn. They said that this was a common failure in Chrysler mini vans. However, it is not a Chrysler problem, but up to the owner to repair. Estimated at $300 cost. Also called chysler corporate customer service, same ansewer: Too bad, they errored at my expense. This is a family vehicle and I don't consider the horn and airbags frills. Additionally, I understand that Chrysler has already replaced over 124,000 of these parts at owner expense.
Horn is not working. Took vehicle to dealer to check on horn, and found that clock spring was broken. Also, air bags were nor working. This is a safety hazard, and consumer should be notified of this.
The clock spring seems to be a very common safety failure in the 1997 Chrysler Town and country minivan. This clock spring provides power for major safety components including the airbag and horn..
The failure of the air bag clock spring has resulted in the air bag warning light staying continualy on and the loss of the cruise control. I have talked with several other people who indicate this is a problem on similar Chrysler products. There is some concern that the air bag(s) could deploy without having an event that would signal deployment. There is also concern that the air bag(s) would fail deploy in the event of a front force collision.
Clock spring problems, consumer states the horn will work sometimes, but cruise control is not working, also there was a noise from the steering wheel column, contact dealer and vehicle is being repaired.. consumer also stated there was a coolant leak, the dealer replaced the radiator cap.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Asheville, NC, USA