2000 Chrysler Town And Country

WHILE MY WIFE WAS PULLING INTO A DRIVEWAY SHE DROVE THRU A SMALL PUDDLE AND THE WATER SPLASHED UP ON THE IDLER PULLEY AND CAUSED THE BELT TO SLIP. THIS IN TURN CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER STEERING. SHE ENDED UP IN THE YARD INSTEAD OF THE DRIVEWAY. I HAVE BEEN IN QUALITY SINCE 1985 AND I AM CURRENTLY A QUALITY MANAGER SO I AM REALLY SURPRISED WITH CHRYSLERS' LACK OF CONCERN WITH THIS DESIGN PROBLEM. I AM REALLY DISAPPOINTED WITH CHRYSLER AND THE NHTSA FOR NOT DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS ISSUE. MAYBE IT IS TIME TO LET SOME OF THE NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE TV SHOWS KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM. *TR

AFTER REPEATED SERPENTINE BELT REPLACEMENT ON 2000 T&C THE BELT HAS SLIPPED OFF DURING A "MINOR" RAIN STORM, THE BELT SLIPPED OFF AGAIN AND CAUSED ME TO LOSE POWER STEERING AND I CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AS WELL AS A BUSINESS. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN REPEATED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THAT BECAUSE THE NHTSA HAS NOT ISSUED AN "OFFICIAL" RECALL OF THIS PROBLEM THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. WHAT ARE MY TAX DOLLARS BEING SPENT ON? *TR

AFTER GETTING CAUGHT IN AN EARLY EVENING'S THUNDERSTORM, I ATTEMPTED A REGULAR, RIGHT TURN OFF US 34 TOWARD OUR SUBDIVISION. OUR 2000 CHRYSLER MINI VAN LOST POWER STEERING DURING THE TURN. I WAS UNABLE TO KEEP COMPLETELY WITH IN MY LANE. THANKFULLY, NO ONE WAS IN THE OPPOSING TRAFFIC LANE. AFTER REGAINING MY COMPOSURE, I DECIDING IT WAS OK TO "LIMP" HOME WITH THE VAN, THROUGH THE SUBDIVISION. I NOTICED A LOT OF THE DASH LIGHTS WERE TRIGGERED, WHICH INDICATED TO ME THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS NO LONGER WORKING FOR THE FINAL COUPLE OF BLOCKS. THIS AFFECTED THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE HEADLIGHTS AND SLOWED THE WIPER SPEED. THIS ALSO AFFECTED THE AIR CONDITIONER AND THAT PREVENTED THE DEFOGGER FROM WORKING PROPERLY. ONCE AT HOME, I FOUND THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT HAD COME OFF. IN ANOTHER MOMENT OF TIME, THE BELT'S COMING OFF MIGHT HAVE EASILY HAVE RESULTED IN MORE DISASTER. CONSULTING THE AUTO REPAIR PLACE, (WHICH HAD REPLACED THE SAME BELT IN JUNE), I HAD THE VAN TOWED IN, WHERE A NEW BELT WAS INSTALLED. NOTHING ELSE WAS FOUND AMISS IN THE SYSTEM. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT PERHAPS THE RAIN OR A PARTICULAR PUDDLE HAD THE EFFECT OF CAUSING THE WET BELT TO SLIP OFF DURING THE TURN. AND IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THEY HAD SEEN SIMILAR "WET BELT" ISSUES FROM MY VAN'S MANUFACTURER. NOW I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH THE VAN FOR FEAR OF IT HAPPENING AGAIN WITH WORSE CONSEQUENCES.

AT LEAST 6 TIMES SINCE OWNING A 2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY, THE SERPENTINE BELT HAS COME OFF EITHER IN THE RAIN OR SNOW. ONCE CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE AS I PULLED OFF THE ROAD WHEN THE CAR OVERHEATED. IT ALSO CAUSED THE HEAD GASKET TO FAIL. GATES HAS A CORRECTION KIT FOR THIS. CHRYSLER SHOULD SUPPLY THEM ON A ONE TIME BASIS T EVERY OWNER. FAILURE OF THIS DESIGN CAUSES OCCUPANTS TO BE PUT AT RISK IN THE MOST INCLEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS WHEN YOU NEED THE CAR TO PERFORM IT'S BEST. ADDITIONAL THERE IS LOSS OF POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, AND ALTERNATOR. *TR

I OWN A 2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY WITH A 3.8 LITER ENGINE. I'VE HAD THE SERPENTINE BELT FALL OFF NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PAST STARTING AT 95000 MILES AND THEN AT 131000. I REPLACED THE BELT 3 TIMES ALONG WITH THE TENSIONER AND BELT ALONG WITH THE WATER PUMP TO TRY TO ELIMINATE THIS ISSUE AND IT WORKED.... FOR A YEAR.... IT JUST HAD IT HAPPEN AGAIN. AFTER READING ISSUES ON THE INTERNET, THIS APPARENTLY IS A COMMON ISSUE. LUCKILY WHEN IT HAPPENED, I WAS DRIVING AND WAS ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER STEERING. IF IT WERE MY WIFE DRIVING, THE STEERING ISSUE BECOMES A SAFETY ISSUE. I FEEL CHRYSLER SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS SAFETY RELATED ISSUE. I'VE NOT SEEN ANY RECALLS WITH REGARDS TO THIS ISSUE. *TR

DURING RAIN OR SNOWMELT EVENTS, SPLASHING WATER CAUSES THE SERPENTINE BELT ON THE ENGINE SLIP FROM THE ENGINE IDLER PULLEYS. THEY ARE SMOOTH AND ROUNDED IN DESIGN, ALLOWING WATER TO SLIP BENEATH DURING OPERATION RESULTING IN THE BELT SLIPPING FROM THE PULLEYS. THE STEERING ON THESE VANS IS EXTREMELY INADEQUATE WITHOUT POWER ASSIST, EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING. OUR BELT HAS SLIPPED OFF IN THE PAST, REQUIRING BELT REPLACEMENT, BUT THIS RECENT EVENT CAUSED A LOSS OF STEERING WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, RESULTING IN A CRASH. NO ONE IN MY FAMILY WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, BUT THE VALENCE AT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED. AFTER CALLING MY LOCAL DMV TO FIND OUT WHERE TO REPORT THIS, AND SEARCHING THE INTERNET ABOUT THE PROBLEM, I FIND IT UNCONSCIONABLE THAT CHRYSLER AND THE NHTSA HAVE NOT ACTED ON A SOLUTION SOONER. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION, THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE WAS OBSERVED TO BE LEANING INWARD. THERE WAS A POLICE REPORT FILED AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT DETERMINED THE SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FRACTURED, AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED.