— Chrysler minivan sliding door problems that caused a federal investigation has allegedly been addressed by the automaker as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closes the investigation.
The federal investigation was opened into 233,000 model year 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan and 2016 Chrysler Town and Country minivans because the left and right sliding door lock actuator assemblies could fail.
This caused one or both doors to get stuck closed, and trying to open them electronically or manually failed.
NHTSA opened the investigation after receiving 364 sliding door complaints, with many owners complaining about removing rear seat passengers through the front doors, the windows or the rear hatches. This spells trouble in the event of an emergency.
Fiat Chrysler (FCA) had issued technical service bulletin (TSB) 23-017-20 in June 2020 instructing dealers to replace the door lock actuators instead of the entire door latch assemblies.
In addition to sliding doors that wouldn't open, 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan and 2016 Chrysler Town and Country owners reported hearing a loud buzzing noise during lock/unlock operations.
Then in June 2021, FCA approved a sliding door warranty extension of 15 years or 150,000 miles for door lock actuators on minivans built between May 1, 2015, through January 9, 2017.
Chrysler has started notifying owners about the new program and will provide reimbursement for owners who previously paid for minivan sliding door repairs.
NHTSA says the number of new complaints has been decreasing since 2020 and further reduced following the sliding door warranty extension program. The government also says no crashes or injuries have been reported the past six years.
Although the Chrysler minivan sliding door investigation is closed, NHTSA will monitor future complaints and may take additional actions if needed.
