2004 Chrysler Town And Country

JUNE 24,2009 THE AIRBAG ON MY 2004 CARAVAN -DECIDED TO EXPLODE. I WAS NOT IN AN ACCIDENT (ALSO IT WAS THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG). I WAS LEAVING MY HOUSE GOING MAYBE 10MPH ALL OF A SUDDEN I SMELLED SOMETHING LIKE RUBBER BURNING, RIGHT AFTER THAT THE AIR BAG EXPLODED. I CALLED CHRYSLER AND THEY HAD THE CARE INVESTIGATED. THEY FOUND THAT THE COMPUTER FOR THE AIR BAG WAS DEFAULTED. THEY WOULD NOT FIX MY CAR BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE A WARRANTY ANYMORE. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT THEY DISCONNECTED THE DRIVER SIDE ONE. SO RIGHT NOW I AM DRIVING A CAR WITH NO PROTECTION. *TR

IT SEEMS THAT AFTER FILLING THE VAN WITH FUEL THE ENGINE WANTS TO HESITATE OR STALL COMPLETELY. IT HAS ALWAYS RESTARTED BUT RUNS ROUGH FOR A FEW SECONDS AFTER RESTARTING. IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO HAPPEN AFTER IT IS REFUELED. MECHANIC DID A TUNE UP, REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER AND STILL THE SAME PROBLEM EXISTS. IT'S DANGEROUS AS THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. IT HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. TODAY MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE IN IT GETTING READY TO TURN ACROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC AND IT STALLED AS THEY WERE MAKING THE TURN. *TR

WHERE TO BEGIN? 1) WIRING THAT RUN ALONG PASSENGER SIDE DOOR TO CONTROL REAR HATCH, AND BACK SIDE SLIDING DOOR SEVERED BY OPENING SLIDER DOOR. CAR CAN NO LONGER BE LOCKED BECAUSE THE POWER DOOR LOOK SYSTEM CONTROLS WERE CUT WHEN THE WIRING WAS CUT. 2) COMPLETE LOSS OF DISPLAYS AND CONTROLS IN THE DASHBOARD, WITH NO WARNING THAT IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. EVERYTHING WORKED IN THE EVENING, AND WAS LOST THE NEXT MORNING. NO WIPERS, LIGHTS, DISPLAYS, ETC. CAR SAT IN DRIVEWAY FOR 12 HOURS, FROM THE TIME IT WORKED, TO THE TIME THAT WE DISCOVERED NOTHING WORKED. 3) PROBLEM W/ POWER STEERING. CAR MAKES A WINING NOISE AND DRINKS POWER STEERING FLUID. SEVERAL DIFFERENT WEBSITES REPORT THIS AS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND THE DEALER WANTS A $1200 REPAIR. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR

WE HAD TO GET OUR STEERING RACK REPLACED (UNDER WARRANTY) AT ABOUT 16,000 MILES BECAUSE IT WAS GROANING AND HARD TO STEER. ABOUT 16 MONTHS AFTER THAT AT ABOUT 42,000 MILES THE VAN WAS IN FOR SOMETHING ELSE AND THE DEALER TOLD ME THE STEERING RACK WAS LEAKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR $1100. THEY DID NOT EVEN WARRANTY THE REPLACEMENT PART ITSELF WHICH DID NOT LAST. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED, THEN STARTED MAKING NOISE. TURNED OUT TO BE A LEAKING UPPER POWER STEERING HOSE. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS HOSE BUT OUR VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. WE PAID TO GET THE HOSE REPLACED, AND WE ARE WONDERING IF THIS IS A CONTINUING PROBLEM WITH THIS POWER STEERING HOSE THAT MAY AFFECT MORE VEHICLES THAN ORIGINALLY WERE RECALLED. I DO HAVE THE OLD POWER STEERING HOSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 20045 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY LX. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS OVER BUMPS IN THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE MAKES LOUD NOISES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON NOVEMBER 15, 2007 AND THEY REPLACED THE SWAY BAR BUSHING; HOWEVER, THE REPAIR DID NOT PERMANENTLY CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER ON FEB 12, 2009. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE COULD RECUR TWO OR THREE TIMES IN THE LIFETIME OF THE VEHICLE. THE REPAIR WOULD COST $475. THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL; THEREFORE, THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,836 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 85,132. UPDATED 3/16/09 *CN UPDATED 03/20/09. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE SHIFTER WOULD NOT CHANGE INTO DIFFERENT GEARS. THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND DROVE ROUGHLY WHILE IN MOTION. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED LIT UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS OPERABLE IF DRIVEN AT 35 MPH OR LESS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 60,000.