1997 Chrysler Town And Country

AS HEAD OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT AT TEMIC AUTOMOTIVE, N.A., NOW OWNED BY CONTINENTAL TEVES, I WAS INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATIONS INTO HUNDREDS OF CASES OF 'THERMAL INCIDENTS' ON ABS CONTROLLERS ON NEARLY EVERY PROGRAM. THE INCIDENCE WAS HIGHEST, ON THOSE VEHICLES WITH THE GREATEST EXPOSURE OF THE CONNECTOR TO THE ELEMENTS. OUR INVESTIGATIONS SHOWED THAT A DIRECT BATTERY TO GROUND SHORT WOULD DEVELOP IN THE PRESENCE OF MOISTURE AND CONTAMINATION, AND EVEN A 'SEALED' CONNECTOR DESIGN WOULD NOT PREVENT THIS. THE HIGHEST FAILURE RATE WAS ON THE CHRYSLER MINIVAN. AN INTERIM FIX USING A RAYCHEM GASKET WAS EMPLOYED, AND EVEN USED AS A SILENT RECALL FIX ON MANY CUSTOMER VEHICLES. IT IS MY OPINION NOW, THAT THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALLABLE ISSUE, SHOULD SUCH AN DIRECT SHORT SITUATION DEVELOP THAT IT MIGHT LEAD TO A VEHICLE FIRE. I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY VEHICLE FIRES DIRECTLY TRACEABLE TO THIS. I WOULD THINK THE PROBABILITY WOULD BE VERY LOW, BUT I'M SURE IT IS NOT ZERO. I THINK THE ACTIONS TAKEN, AND THE VEHICLES EFFECTED, AND THE LACK OF WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR A KNOWN DEFECT IN MANY CUSTOMER CASES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BY NHTSA. THE TIME PERIOD OF INTEREST WOULD BE FROM MY 1997 UP UNTIL 2000 OR 2001. THE MAIN PLATFORMS EFFECTED WOULD BE CHRYSLER MINIVAN, JEEPS AND FORD EXPLORER. *NM

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?

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

NHTSA RECALL 96-V-215-000, THE MASTER CYLINDER REAR SEAL, BETWEEN THE HYDRAULIC FLUID AND THE VACUUM RESERVOIR, MAY NOT SEAL ADEQUATELY, ALLOWING HYDRAULIC FLUID TO BE DRAWN INTO THE POWER ASSIST VACUUM RESERVOIR. CONSUMER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH APPLIED BRAKES AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR, AND DID NOT BRAKE AT ALL.*AK

THE EVAPORATOR HEATER COIL AND EXPANSION VALVE MALFUNCTIONED. PRIOR TO THIS, THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS NOT COOLING THE VAN. THIS HAPPENED SINCE JANUARY 2002. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE MANUFACTURER THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE ABOVE PARTS. *AK THE BATTERY HAD BEEN REPLACED ON FOUR OCCASIONS, THE REAR BRAKE DRUMS, THE SERPENTINE BELT AND TENSIONER HAD BEEN REPLACED. *SCC ALSO THE HORN, DRIVER SEAT RACK AND GRILL WERE REPLACED. *JB