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.
On Sept. 7, 2011 we experienced a second incident where the vehicle totally shut down while in motion. Took it to the Chrysler dealer and they performed a software update, tsb 18-003-09, and they said this should correct the problem. We performed a dealership battery replacement on 8-1-11. On Dec. 14th, 2011 the problem re-occurred, while leaving a parking lot traveling under 10 mph. Now with out power steering assistance, I was barely able to manually maneuver the vehicle to a open parking spot, stop, put the vehicle in park and it restarted. On Dec. 22, 2011 the problem re-occurred, while backing out of my driveway traveling under 10 mph. Stopped vehicle, placed it into park and it restarted. I called the same Chrysler dealership whom performed the above stated repair, the earliest appointment date they were able to give was Dec. 27, 2011. This is incident is extremely dangerous and alarming to the safety of a family of six. We have google'd this type of incident and have read a lot of similar occurrences. We would like to recommend to the ntsb to conduct a full investigation into this type of incident and issue a safety recall recommendation to Chrysler in order to proactively avoid loss of life's due to this total system failure in which Chrysler has been made aware of.
The contact owns a 2008 Chrysler Town and country. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the headlights and the lights on the instrument panel shut off. The vehicle was stopped and shut off. Upon restart, the vehicle functioned normally. The contact also stated while the vehicle was not in motion the windshield wipers engaged, the horn began to blow, and the door locks engaged and disengaged involuntarily. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that an electrical system module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 54,000.
Beginning in 2010, both rear sliding doors began malfunctioning. When opened either with the remote or inside button, they begin to open and when most of the way open, close on its own. It started out doing it infrequently, about once every 50 times the door was opened. Over the last year it has become more frequent, doing it about once every few days or so. Once in 2010, my 3 year old daughter was getting out and the door malfunctioned and caught her in between, causing a bruise on her face. For some reason the door did not "bounce back" when it made contact with her, but thankfully I was standing there and was able to manually force the door back open.this year, the door again malfunctioned and almost caught my 8 yr old, but he managed to get out of the way. I have taken it to the dealer twice for this and both times they told me it is functioning fine.the first time I picked it up from the dealer I tested the door. I opened and shut it about 15 times and it malfunctioned. I went inside to get the repair tech to show him and when it didn't happen again he told me there was nothing he could do. When I brought the van in again to have them look at it the second time, they again told me it was functioning fine and that since my van needed a new battery that they thought the battery was the problem. The door did it again that night and again after that three days later. I contacted them twice about it again, asking them if I video taped it if they would believe me and figure out what was wrong. They told me it wouldn't matter and that they would need to keep it until they saw it. They had my van this last time for 5 days! I had to pay $217 for a rental because they didn't find anything. This is dangerous! I have four children getting in and out everyday. I don't have the money for rentals for an unspecified amount of time, but this is dangerous and needs to get fixed!
The contact owns a 2008 Chrysler Town and country. The contact stated that the horn and the windshield washer activated independently. The doors locked automatically while the engine was off and the air condition also activated independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the control module. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 58,000.
We have been continuously hassled with electrical issues with our van. For approximately 4 months we have been experiencing brief issues with all the lights coming on in the gauge cluster along with a pulsing of the dashboard lights and the resetting of the electrical components randomly in the van. We replaced the battery and the issue seemed to go away. After 2-3 weeks it started up again. Me and my family were driving down a highway for about 30 minutes when the cluster gauge suddenly started beeping and all the lights began to flash on and off, the speedometer and tachometer dropped to 0, the radio turned on and off multiple times and the engine shut down briefly while driving on the highway. Immediately after the problem began I pulled off the road and restarted the car, the problem was gone! two days later my wife was taking our kids to school, and after less than 5 minutes of driving the car she experienced the exact same issues. This time before she made it off the road there was a complete loss of power, the brakes stopped working and the steering wheel completely locked up, she was unable to make it to the side of the road! again after a immediate restart the problem went away. We contacted the dealer and we were told that if they could not recreate the problem, there was nothing they could do to fix it. This is a issue because the problem happens randomly. We are aware that this problem has plagued a very large group of consumers and the dealer does nothing but repair random parts because they cannot properly recreate the problem due to its randomness. I feel the problem could easily cause a fatality if the steering wheel locks up at high speed or while turning!
- Tampa, FL, USA
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The contact owns a 2008 Chrysler Town and country. While the vehicle was parked the contact inserted the key into the ignition and it would not start. The contact stated the key was fractured on both sides near the panic button. The contact used the second key to start the vehicle and within a few days it fractured in the same manner. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the keys would have to be replaced. The key was not replaced. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country. The contact stated that the key fob separated from the key and as a result, he was not able to turn on the ignition. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the rke transmitter and keys needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 88,457.
I have had my van for a little over 3 years and have already had to replace the front brakes on it twice and the rear brakes once. Both times the rotors and brake pads had to be replaced. I have had to replace all 4 tires as well, and that was only at a little over 40,000 miles. I have had to replace the battery, and I am now fixing the A/C & heating system for the third time. And every time I check the mail I receive another recall notice! and all the issues "could cause a fire". in addition, my rear automatic doors do not always close, I have to manually close them or they come back open. I have been paged out of a store for my back doors being open, after I watched them begin to close. I also have problems with the radio freezing.
Vehicle in park with ignition on when horn began sounding constantly and windshield wipers (front and back) began to operate at high speed. Turned off ignition and removed key and the vehicle did not turn off. Continued for several minutes. Reinserted key and took it out again with no response. Vehicle was still running, all instrument gauges flashing. Next incident vehicle was in motion at approximately 40 mph when same thing happened, vehicle stalled and power assist and brakes were not working. Blaring horn and wiper activity incontrollable has happened several times. Now afraid to drive on highway. Dealer states incident must be occurring at the time it is brought in for them to assess and fix. This is a clear safety hazard. A quick review of owner complaints on the internet shows this is a common problem. How can this not be a recall event" does a fatality need to occur first" I am not willing to risk my family.
This car has been nothing but problems since the moment I bought it. It is so aggravating that Chrysler won't own up to the issues with these cars. Aside from the multiple recalls this car has had in three years, the break system is awful. I had replaced the front breaks and rotors around 28000 miles (maybe earlier I can't remember). Now the back breaks are shot and once again, I will need breaks and rotors that will cost me $375 according to the dealer. My car has 38,000 miles on it. I have owned mini vans in the past and many cars and never have I had to replace both front and rear break pads/rotors this soon. My tires are so bald that all four need replacing. Again, I have never had to replace tires this soon on any of my vehicles over the years. The radio sometimes will not come on or will go black. The factory battery needed replacing at 30,000 miles which was extremely unusual as well. The side doors need to manually be closed when exiting vehicle because if I use the automatic switch, they bounce back. I have come out of stores with my doors wide open. When using the cruise control on the highway, the car with suddenly accelerate with rpms going into the red zone. Only way to stop it is to turn off cruise control. This morning on my way to work pulling out of my neighborhood I heard a grinding sound as the car began breaking on its own. Meanwhile the ebs and ABS lights came on. I pulled over, shut off the car and turned it back on. Drove up the road and lights are still on. This car is junk all around. I have only had it for three years, still have a car payment. Ridiculous. I may just lease next time. That way Chrysler can pay for repairs.
The car will shut down will driving, locking the steering and braking system at random times. The cars wipers/wiper spray/horn all start going off at random. The car won't start leaving me stranded. It is almost as if the battery is dead, this is the 2nd replacement batter in 4 months. The battery has been tested, it is fine. The dealer cannot fix the car, they replaced the horn after the car went crazy and blew it out costing me $350.. I still pay a hefty car payment on this lemon and no one can fix it. I am of course more worried about the safety issue, I Transport children/grandparents. Do I want them to be a statistic because Chrysler won't stand behind their automobile. I have tried unsuccessfully to reach them and all I get is a generic form letter. I drive through the mountains and have had to replace (not turn) the rotors every time I go. This is not normal.
The wiper blades (both front and back window) turn on without warning. The windshield wiper fluid will spurt out. And the horn will honk. These items will act like this for a short time and up to 10 minutes and won't stop. The car has stopped while I have been driving and will not start for up to 15 minutes. The cars engine will be running even after turning the key to off and taking the key out of the ignition. I have not used the transponder for no other reason than to start the car. The wipers, fluid and horn do not happen all of the time but, it does happen frequently. The car stopping has occurred twice and while my mobility limited mother was in the car with me.
Vehicle ignition switch will occasionally revert from on to off postion with an audible click and car will immediately die. This has happened with the vehicle at rest, but has also commonly occured when making left hand turns at low speed. The vehicle is left coasting in whichever direction it was pointed as power steering assist is immediately lost. I have not been killed, but its obviously a dangerous situation. Apparently a recall exists for 2010 model Chrysler Town and country minivans. It should be extended to include the 2008 that I have. Its likely the same ignition part.
The contact owns a 2008 Chrysler Town and country. While driving approximately 40 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The engine restarted and the contact resumed normally. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis and they were unable to duplicate the failure or locate a trouble code. There was a recall on the 2010 model year related to the identical problem under NHTSA campaign id number: 11V139000 (electrical system: Ignition). The manufacturer was made aware of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
4/30/2008- spark plugs replaced 3/6/2009- recall power steering hose- brakes replaced- 8,000 miles 6/24-2009 air conditioner fixed blowing hot air- 11,200 miles 12/4/2009- steering checked for noise; bleed air from system 16,650 miles 12/26/2009-got car back 12/30/09 towed in - doors opening by themselves while driving, windshield wiper go on by self, trunk opening while driving, alarm going off car running without key in ignition- computer reprogrammed, sop parts, reprogram mtc, reprogram tipm module- mileage 17,200 2/9/2010 - same issue car towed in to shop- 17,800 rent a car from 3/17/10 to 3/26/103/12/2010 same issue car died in the road- towed in- internal fault with intergrated power module- replaced and tipm reconfigured in module- 18,450 3/15/2010 go to pick up car and the engine light is back on- they had to hook up the computer to turn it off 3/17/2010 engine light comes back on have to drive it back to dealer and they can not figure out the problem 3/19/2010 same issue car revving high pdc/ tipm power module replaced 3/25/2010 tech brings car home and he was having problems engine light on 9/10/10- recall radiator cap & air conditioner blowing warm air " hose replaced & recharged miles=25,200 11//20/10 got car back 12/3/2010 towed in engine light stopped on the expressway, revving over 7,000 towed in PCM replaced tipm shortened internally. Doors opening while driving needed new software = mileage 26,000- had to fight with Chrysler to get a rental after 4 days of them having car*** I was driving on the expressway with my children and the boy scouts to a camping trip when the vehicle stops on the expressway a car could have hit us from behind! -/4/2011 "recall- front wheel bearings/recall HVAC drain and tube..oil leaking needs a PCV valve which I refuse to pay for 4/28/2011- car back 4/29/11 engine light on egr fail- 8/1/11 tipm a the consumer also stated the vehicle was in the repair shop for a week, due transmission problems. Updated 09/15/11
The contact owns a 2008 Chrysler Town and country. The contact stated while the transmission down shifted the windshield wipers, and the horn activated. The contact had to disconnect the battery in order to deactivate the horn and windshield wipers. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current miles were 45,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chrysler Town and country. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle stalled. The windshield wipers and horn then began to repeatedly turn on and shut off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the official failure testing indicated that the vehicle needed a wireless control module. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 73,800 and the current mileage was 74,100.
The contact owns a 2008 Chrysler Town and country. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, a burning smell was emitted into the vehicle and the passenger door caught on fire. The fire department was notified and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 16,000. The VIN was not available.
After dropping off passenger after lunch the horn blew intermittently and wipers came on for a few seconds and stopped on my 2008 Chrysler Town and country that I bought a year ago as a certified preowned. Drove across parking lot and horn blew once or twice and decided to head to dealership (40 min away) for diagnosis. Was driving down highway 20 mintues later and horn blew continuously, wipers going, washer fluid spraying, vehicle shut off, lost power steering and power brakes. Had to coast to side of the road and call tow truck while waiting in 95 degree heat with no air. Thank god I was in the right lane and traffic was light. Dealership found 11 codes that had to be reset and drove it around and didn't come back on. They didn't know cause of problem but suggested a tip module but said that wasn't for sure the issue. Excellent dealership service department that didn't want to just throw needless parts and money at a potentially fatal problem had it happened on a busy interstate. So now we're waiting to see if it happens again.
When driving the vehicle will suddenly loose power, lights, washers, washer fluid and horn will start blaring and goes crazy, will have to pull over stop the car, wait few minutes and restart the car, will then honk and wipers/fluids will go for a brief second and then stop, happens at least 2-3 times a month, will even happen as locking or unlocking the car with the remote key= took to dealer, nothing wrong, charged $200 for new key, still doing the same thing, owe too much to trade in.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Winter Haven , FL, USA