2002 Chrysler Town And Country

AIRBAG LIGHT AND ALARM TONE COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING, SOMETIME REMAINS ON FOR MORE THAN 10 SECONDS THEN GOES OUT AND COMES BACK ON AGAIN AFTER A FEW SECONDS. RECENTLY AT DEALER FOR ANOTHER UNRELATED REPAIR AND ASKED THEM TO TROUBLESHOOT THIS, TECHNICIAN SAID IT WAS AN INTERMITTENT OPEN IN THE CLOCK SPRING (CS) AND THAT THERE WASN'T A RECALL. I HAD REPORTED PREVIOUS CLOCK SPRING PROBLEM ON MY 1997 DODGE WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RECALLED AND KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, BUT THIS TIME THE CRUISE, AND HORN STILL WORKED. I PURCHASED A NEW CS P/N 5082050AC AND PULLED THE STEERING WHEEL MYSELF TO REPLACE IT. IT APPEARS TO HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, I NOTICED THAT THE REPLACEMENT CS WAS DIFFERENT THAN THE ORIGINAL CS (WHICH I KEPT). THE DEFECTIVE ORIGINAL CS HAS THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS ON IT P/N 04685712AC AND SMALLER *1 324101379R*. IT ALSO HAS A SOCKET WITH COPPER CLIPS WHERE A CONNECTOR SPLIT 4 WIRE HARNESS CONNECTS TO THE CS WITH THE TWO CABLES GOING TO THE AIRBAG MODULE. THE REPLACEMENT CS HAD NO SOCKET AND HAD ELIMINATED THE CONNECTOR AND HAD TWO 2 WIRES HARNESSES HARD WIRED TO THE CS. I DISASSEMBLED THE DEFECTIVE CS AND CHECKED IT FOR BREAKS IN THE RIBBON CONDUCTORS THERE WEREN'T ANY VISIBLE ALSO THE CONSTRUCTION APPEARED TO BE MUCH MORE DURABLE POSSIBLY WITH BRAIDED COPPER LAMINATE RUNS. SINCE IT WAS INTERMITTENT I SUSPECT THAT THE PROBLEM IS ACTUALLY WITH THE HARNESS CONNECTOR TO THE CS SOCKET FOR THE AIRBAG CONNECTION, DEVELOPING A LOOSE OR DIRTY CONTACT CONNECTION. PERHAP CHRYSLER ALREADY KNOWS THIS AND THAT IS WHY THE REPLACEMENT HAS ELIMINATED THAT POINT OF FAILURE. PLEASE PURSUE A RECALL ACTION ON THIS FOR THE SOCKET CONNECTOR TYPE CS AS THIS CAN CAUSE AIRBAG FAILURE AND POSSIBLE DEATH OR INJURY. I AM AN ENGINEER BY TRADE AND IF THEY WANT THE OLD PART FOR TESTING THEY CAN CONTACT ME DIRECTLY. *TR

OVER A PERIOD OF A FEW WEEKS I WAS EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WHERE THE AIR CONDITIONER (A/C) FAN, RADIO, WINDSHIELD WIPERS, AND POWER WINDOWS WOULD STOP WORKING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AND THEN START WORKING AGAIN. THE PROBLEM GOT WORSE OVER THESE WEEKS. AFTER 3 TRIPS TO THE DEALER THEY TOLD ME THAT BATTERY ACID HAD LEAKED ON THE WIRING HARNESS AND I NEEDED A NEW ONE. I HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THE BATTERY, AND CHRYSLER DEALERS HAD PERFORMED MOST ON THE MAINTENANCE ON THE CAR AND NO ONE HAD TOLD ME THAT BATTERY ACID WAS LEAKING ON THE WIRING HARNESS. THE NEW WIRING HARNESS COST ME $2,600. IT SEEMS TO ME TO BE A DEFECT IN DESIGN TO RUN THE WIRING HARNESS UNDER THE BATTERY. ALSO, WHY CAN'T THE WIRING HARNESS BE MODULAR WHERE ONE SECTION COULD BE REPLACED AT A MUCH LOWER COST.*AK

VEHICLE HAD JUST ENTERED ATLANTA GEORGIA ON I85 SOUTHBOUND. THERE WAS VERY HEAVY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. UPON LIGHT ACCELERATION, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE ENGINE NEVER STALLED. THE IDLE REMAINED SMOOTH. IN NEUTRAL THE ENGINE WOULD ACCELERATE NORMALLY. IN DRIVE (ALL GEARS) AND REVERSE, THE ENGINE WOULD ACCELERATE TO ABOUT 900 RPM AND THEN LOSE POWER. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE ALONG THE SHOULDER AT A SLOW WALKING PACE (A SLIGHT INCLINE) UNTIL WE ENCOUNTERED A DISABLED VEHICLE. THE VAN DID NOT HAVE THE POWER TO PULL INTO THE STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. A TOW TRUCK WAS CALLED AND THE VAN TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE ENGINE RESTARTED NORMALLY. THE ENGINE NEVER RAN ROUGH AND ALL THE FLUIDS LOOKED GOOD AND WERE AT CORRECT LEVELS. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS THE PROBLEM SINCE THEY MEASURED THE PRESSURE AT 40 PSI AND THE SPECIFICATION WAS 53 PSI. THE FUEL PUMP AND FILTER WAS REPAIRED AT A COST OF $686 PLUS TOWING. THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY APPARENTLY DOES NOT COVER THESE ITEMS. THE REPLACED PARTS WERE NOT MADE AVAILABLE TO US. AFTER PICKUP FROM THE DEALERSHIP THE VAN HAS INTERMITTENTLY EXPERIENCED A PRONOUNCED HESITATION ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THE VAN DUPLICATED THE SAME FAILURE AGAIN ON 12/30/06. WE HAD JUST PULLED OUT FROM A PARKING SPACE AT A RESTAURANT. EVERY ASPECT OF THE INCIDENT WAS THE SAME EVEN TO OUR PROCEEDING TO DRIVE DOWN THE SHOULDER. EXCEPT IN THIS CASE THE SHOULDER WAS A SLIGHT DECLINE. WHEN THE VAN MADE IT TO ABOUT 5 MPH THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED AND THE VAN DROVE FINE FOR THE REMAINING 95 MILES OF OUR TRIP. THE NEXT TIME THAT THE VAN WAS STARTED IT WENT STRAIGHT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VAN BUT CHARGED A ESTIMATE FEE AND SAID TO BRING IT BACK WHEN IT WAS EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM. THERE WERE NO TROUBLE CODES SET FOR THEM TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND THE VAN BEHAVED FINE DURING THE TEST DRIVE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A ROUGH ENGINE IDLE. AS THE ENGINE WARMED UP, THE IDLE CALMED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHO RAN A DIAGNOTIC TEST, AND DETERMINED THAT THE NUMBER 6 INJECTOR HAD MALFUNCTIONED INTERNALLY, DUE TO THE WIRING HARNESS RUBBING AGAINST THE TRANSMISSION CASE. THE SHORT WAS TRACED TO THE ENGINE HARNESS. THE WIRES WERE REPLACED, AND A BRACKET WAS ADDED TO RETAIN THE HARNESS. THE REPAIR FIXED THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO NOTIFIED. UPDATED 01/10/07. *JB

10AM, DRIVING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED, SLOWING TO TURN LEFT, I SUDDENLY LOST POWER STEERING AND HAD TO MANUAL MAKE THE TURN (VERY DIFFICULT). THE VAN WAS ALSO HESITATING, LIKE IT WOULD STALL. I REGAINED FULL POWER AND POWER STEERING AFTER 10 SECONDS +/-. NOON, SAME DAY, ACCELLERATING <35MPH, UPHILL, SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT AFTER POWER STEERING FAILURE, I COMPLETELY STALLED IN THE ROAD AND HAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP WEDNESDAY. THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM (NO CODE) OR DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. (ALSO AN ISSUE WITH AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH THE POWER SIDE DOOR POPPING OFF BUT NOT POWER OPENING). BOTH ELECTRICAL ISSUES HAVE OCCURED SINCE THE FIVE STAR DEALERSHIP CORRECTED AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH MY POWER GATELIFT POPPING OFF BUT NOT POWER OPENING) I HAVE CALLED CHRYSLER DIRECTLY ABOUT TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ISSUED ON BOTH ITEMS AND THE ADVANCE SERVICE INFORMATION 02-018/NHTSA#10000327 RELATING TO THE PROBLEM WITH THE POWER SIDE DOOR AND/OR LIFTGATE. EVEN WITH PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION, THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE FIXED UNTIL THEY GET A "CODE". I HAVE EXHAUSTED MY PROGRESS WITH CHRYSLER IN THEIR ASSISTANCE WITH THE PROPER DIAGNOSIS OF THE PROBLEM SO I COULD PAY TO HAVE THE CORRECT COMPONENT REPLACED. MY OPTION IS TO PAY $50 PER DIAGNOSTIC CHECK BY THE DEALER REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE VEHICLE "CODES" THE PROBLEM AND NO ASSURANCES AS TO THE NUMBER OF DIAGNOSTIC CHECKS IT MAY TAKE TO PRODUCE THE "CODE", SO I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH CHRYSLER CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE "WHICH IS HANDLED IN HOUSE". WHEN ASKED WHAT DEPARTMENT HANDLES COMPLAINTS, I WAS TOLD " CHRYSLER CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE". I CLARIFIED THAT IS THE SAME DEPARTMENT TITLE AS TO WHICH I WAS SPEAKING WITH, IT WAS EXPLAINED THAT CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE HAS MANY DEPARTMENTS, WHICH ARE NOT GIVEN TITLES, AND THAT THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PROVIDE NAMES OF WHOM WOULD BE HANDLING THE COMPLAINT, NOR WOULD ANYONE FOLLOW UP WITH ME. THE CIRCLES BEGINS! *NM

2002 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY LX MINIVAN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/GAUGES STOPPED WORKING. NO TURN SIGNALS, NO GAUGES MPH, FUEL, RPM, OIL, ETC. ALSO NO ENGINE LIGHTS, ABS, OVERHEAT, ETC. NOTHING WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WORKS. DANGEROUS TO GET HOME DRIVING WITHOUT SPEEDOMETER, & TURN SIGNALS! I SAW A SIMILAR RECALL FOR THE PT CRUISER. COULD THIS BE THE SAME SOFTWARE GLITCH IN THE T&C MICROPROCESSOR AS WELL. PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL!!! *JB

WHEN CRUISING HIGHWAY WITH A/C ON, THE RIGHT REAR SPEAKER HEATS UP VERY HOT TO THE TOUCH. WE TESTED IT, WHICH IS RELATED TO A/C ON BECAUSE WHEN TURN A/C OFF IT COOLS DOWN IN 5 MINUTES. TOOK IT BACK TO DEALER EVEN AFTER THEY REPAIRED THE RECALL. THEY STATE IT IS ONLY THE LEFT SPEAKER THAT IS HEATING UP NOT THE RIGHT LIKE OUR EXPERIENCE. THEY REFUSED TO LOOK INTO IT UNLESS WE PAY FOR THEIR TECHNICIAN'S TIME. I MENTIONED HOW DANGEROUS A SPEAKER FIRE COULD BE INSIDE NEXT TO OUR KIDS. AS I LEFT A SERVICEMAN SAID WE COULD FIX IT IF YOU PAY US. NO FIRE INCIDENT YET BUT, IT SURE HEATS UP WHEN WE TRAVEL AND THE A/C IS ON. *JB

I SADLY OWN A 'CHRYSLER' TOWN AND COUNTRY AWD 2002 MINIVAN WITH MANY ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL PROBLEMS THAT I'M FORCED TO LIVE WITH, BUT THE FOLLOWING SAFETY ISSUES ARE INTOLERABLE. FIRST, THE INTERMITTENT AIR BAG LIGHT, NOW ON STEADILY. SECOND, THE INTERMITTENT NON-FUNCTIONING HORN, NOW DOES NOT WORK AT ALL, CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK AND RADIO BUTTONS ON STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT WORK. CHRYSLER CORP DENIES MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM EXISTS YET ITS A COMPLAINT THAT'S ALL OVER THE WEB AMONG ITS MANY OTHER PERSISTENT PROBLEMS. CHRYSLER SAYS ITS SOUNDS LIKE THE PROBLEM MAY BE IN THE "CLOCK SPRING" IN THE STEERING COLUMN. I SAY ITS SOUNDS LIKE THE PROBLEM MAY BE IN THE CARE OR LACK OF CARE OF CHRYSLER ON REAL SAFETY ISSUES ON THEIR PRODUCTS. EVENTS THAT LEAD UP TO THE FAILURE ARE NONE, PRODUCT IS JUST SIMPLY DEFECTIVE AND FAILS ON ITS OWN. CONSEQUENCES FOR THIS FAILURE CAN BE CATASTROPHIC, THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, NO HORN AND NO AIR BAG NO BRAINS! CHRYSLER NEEDS TO WAKE UP AND RECTIFY THIS SAFETY PROBLEM, MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND THE GOVERNMENT AND OR THE MEDIA NEEDS TO "GET INVOLVED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES" IF IT HASN'T "GOD FORBID" ALREADY HAPPENED. I WILL BE CONTACTING THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE MEDIA TO SEE IF A SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND RAPIDLY. *JB

THE WIRING HARNESS IN OUR 2002 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY CONTINUES TO FAIL DUE TO THE HARNESS DESIGN/PLACEMENT IN THE VEHICLE. THE FIRST FAILURE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL AND NOT RESTART AT A CITY INTERSECTION. THE SECOND FAILURE CAUSED THE VEHICLES WIPERS, HEATER BLOWER, RADIO AND WINDOWS TO FAIL INTERMITTENTLY. WIRES WITHIN THE WIRING HARNESS WERE REPLACED/REPAIRED AS WAS THE FRONT CONTROL MODULE; HOWEVER, THE SAME PROBLEM IS HAPPENING AGAIN AFTER ABOUT THREE WEEKS. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDS REPLACING THE ENTIRE WIRING HARNESS AT A COST OF $3,200.00. *NM

THE KEY CYLINDER BROKE. WE JUST BOUGHT THE VAN WITH 28,000 MILES ON IT. AFTER A FEW WEEKS WE HAD A HARD TIME TURNING THE KEY TO GET THE VAN TO START, SOMETIMES IT WOULD TAKE 5 TO 10 MINUTES TO BE ABLE TO TURN THE KEY TO START THE VAN. WE TOOK IT BACK TO THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP. THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE INSIDE OF THE IGNITION. THEY SAID IT WASN'T A WARRANTY ITEM, SO I HAD TO PAY $191.82. *JB