Problems too numerous to count.
Fan belt and tensioner went twice -- left us stranded both times.
Lots of recall notices.
Windshield wipers are nuts -- come on sporatically.
Clock spring went out twice -- that's nice -- no horn -- this was a safety issue, should have been a recall -- cost $450 to fix both times.
Leather seats are garbage -- very poor quality interior products --
Water pump went out.
Chrysler should be sued for releasing a car in this condition to the public, then charging for many of the repairs.
Chrysler is sloppy -- engineering must have been bad.
I would not buy another.
My '96 Lxi had the same troubles in the last 6 years of ownership, windshield wipers door locks, missing in engine, window motors, belt tensioner broke twice. Last year, new engine and transmission. We recently had the service dept. print out our record - all 18 pages with at least 3 problems per page. This week we will still be buying a new Lxi. Nice ride compared to the competition.
Hey Gang. I also own a Chrysler product, a Voyager in fact. I have had it for about 11/2 years. In that time I have replaced the transmission twice, radio, throttle position sensor, power steering pump and the clock spring. One thing is for sure
though, this is my first and last Chrysler product. There are also many other problems that I did not mention.
It seems that on a weekly basis I am in the garage fixing this thing.
Thx.
Pete.
My father bought a 96 Town & Country about 2 weeks ago. It's been towed twice in 3 days because of sputtering, backfiring and stalling after about a 20 minute drive. He has already replaced spark wires, had it to a mechanic (who claimed the problem was water in the fuel...yeah...right,) and is now having problems with the transmission. The dealer refuses to take it back or pay for any repairs. (I think he knew it was a lemon! He sold my father a 95 Caravan about 2 months prior and the van started having problems immediately. He finally took the Caravan as a trade in. Just in time to have the transmission fall out.)
These vans are a danger to drivers and passengers. When they stall, you can't get them to stay started long enough to get it safely off the road. What has happened to Chrysler?
How do we make them repair their faulty vehicles before they are allowed to leave the plants??
Chrysler 96 Lxi is comfortable and easy to drive; however it has been in the shop more than any car we have ever owned. Since it was brand new, the electrical systems shut down on hot days and have to be reset using the yellow breaker in the fuse box under the hood. Sometimes the horn sounds and the window wipers just start up.
The air bag light came on three years ago, finally the cruise control and horn stop working, and the car began spewing gas from the fuel line. My local Chrysler dealership tried to charge me for the repairs even though they are on the recall list. Many of the repairs we paid for in the past become recalls; unfortunately, Chrysler has no reimbursement policy for its customers who bought early models and had early breakdowns. We purchased the car for $32,000 cash with an extended warranty. Most things that went wrong were not on the warranty list. Rental cars were never provided for the many (about 30) days we were without a car while repairs were made.
Just read about a recall for the clock spring, (airbag, horn, cruise problem). Chrysler will pay for the repairs and reimburse those that have already had the problem fixed.
We bought a 96 Chrysler Town and Country 2yrs about this coming March! Well the transmission blew within days of bringing it home. It was covered under our warranty. Then about 6mo later it went again. It was covered by the garage that did the repair. Both times I was without my van for at least a week.
Then this summer the electrical system went and another sensor. I was without my van for another week. A week later the transmission went yet again. No van for another week. Well low and behold 2 days ago the thing blew again! It is looking like 2 weeks with no van this time. The garage is still responsible (we hope). I don't understand it. Every mechanic we have talked to has said "oh these cars are famous for their terrible transmissions". Will Chrysler ever do something about this? I am so sick of this. I love how my van rides and the features, but I will never buy another one again!
Oh, and my wipers are all screwed up too. They work at the weirdest times... If they work at all.
Has anyone been able to fix the wiper problem that everyone seems to have?
I have not been able to find anyone that knows how to fix the wipers. Many of you describe the same problems. I too brought it home from the dealer when I bought it (used) and within weeks the transmission fell out. Is there a quick fix that these dealers are using to get the van sold and off the lot rather than a correct fix? Also does anyone have a problem with the outside temperature gage. Mine is stuck on "OC" which in the manual means it is 40 degrees below zero!!! It is not that cold, but it will be a cold day in h*ll before I buy another Chrysler.
We bought a 1996 town and country about a year ago. I had to buy another van because this one has two many problems. My horn, wipers and front headlights go on when the van is jumped. The wipers go on whenever they want. The van has been in and out of dealers and local business, but I always get it back and they tell me they can't fix it because they don't see a problem. It's amazing to me that the dealer can't fix there own vehicles. Anyways the problems we have are: when you wake up in the morning the van is dead. You have to jump start it every time you want to go somewhere. It's risky to take it because it may not start even after a couple of hours. The door locks work sometimes, but not always. There is a constant ticking noise inside and I think this is what drains the battery. The dealer did find that the light under the hood was kicking on when it reached a certain temperature and it was making the battery go dead. The van is still here, but no one can fix it so we are stuck. The van is in good shape and only has 50,000 miles on it, but that doesn't help when I have 5 foster kids to take to school and I don't want to jump the van everyday. It is going in for the recall and to be checked again. The gas tank does leak by the fuel line and it will cost about a grand to fix this. Does anyone know of a cite I can check to see what recalls have been called on this van. Thanks.
Well, after reading all of the bad reviews, perhaps this one may encourage those who have had little or no problems. Just over a year ago my wife and I felt the need to purchase a minivan (following the birth of our third child). After extensive research and road tests, we believed the Chrysler T&C to be our best value. And now, after putting an additional 30K in one year, I can honestly say it has been one of our best investments.
Other than the usual maintenance (oil changes, etc.), the only thing we have had to do was recharge the A/C, which I did myself for $6.
Our van is an unusual example of the 1996 T&C in that it fully loaded with all option with the exception of the leather seats (Chrysler leather is the worst on the planet) and the roof rack. Every other option imaginable was on the van. Despite the long list of luxury items loaded on the minivan, we haven't had any problems and simply love the roominess, comfort, and dependability of this product.
I hope this review may encourage those who have not suffered from the long list of problems that seem to plague this model.
I bought my 96 T&C LXI back in 2000, since then I have had my timing belt tensioner replaced, my water pump replaced, my clock spring replaced (prior to the recall), which controls the cruise control, air bag and horn. I have had problems with my door locks, they seem to not want to work when the car is running or when it gets cold outside. I have had problems with my windshield wipers, they run continuous when I put the switch in intermittent, then they start and stop when every they feel like it. I am getting horrible gas mileage only about 14 mpg on the street and 18 mpg on the highway. My radio buttons seem to be shorting out, I have to push the radio station buttons several times and the volume control doesn't work properly and my right rear speaker just quite. Currently my van is in the shop getting the transmission replaced. My van also had a hard time starting in the morning, it seemed like when the weather was cold, the car didn't want to start. My friend who is a service writer for another American car company said that it sounded like my battery, but one day when I was starting my van, the starter wouldn't disengage. When I turned off the van, the starter was still trying to roll over the engine. So, the dealer is also replacing my starter. Since my car is in the shop, they are doing the numerous safety recalls that are needed for this van. Although the van holds up well in accidents and I feel safe in it for that aspect, I don't feel that the Chrysler T&C is a reliable car. I have had too many problems with it that Chrysler doesn't even know how to fix. I would not buy another Chrysler. I think I will stick to Toyota's and Honda's.
I purchased my Town and Country new in March of 1996. I have the transmission fluid changed every 20,000 miles. We have 156,000 miles on the van and love it. We have had to replace the water pump (70,000 miles), power steering (150,000 miles), and both rear wheel bearings (110,000 miles). Yes the windshield wipers have a mind of their own and come on for a few strokes all by themselves, big deal, I can live with that. It runs great, rides great and gets 24 MPG on the highway after seven years. Although the other day my cruise control and horn stopped working. Other than that no complaints. It seems people want to blame the manufacturer for problems when they can't even get the car serviced regularly.
Does anyone know if we can sue Chrysler? Every comment I've read is like reading my van's resume. This is ridiculous!
I live in the UK and have a Grand Voyager LE with a 3.3 V6. We have had it for 3 years now and love it. None of the problems others seem to be having.
I just had the battery go flat, I think due to lack of use over the last month or two. I charged it up and it seems well except that I have lights flashing near the heater and air-con controls.
My dealer says I need to bring the car in and pay for a diagnostic check. I am sure that the problem is a computer glitch as it only happened after the flat battery. Does anyone know if I can reset this myself?
My email is david.kirk@kingstonproducts.co.uk.
My husband purchased a used 1996 Town and Country LXI two years ago. We now have over 160,000 miles on it and it rides like a new car. However we have experienced some similar problems as described by other reviewers. The 'ticking' noise; transmission noise, unexplained backfires, and the most annoying of all is when we take it to the Chrysler automotive shops for repairs and they say they can't fix it or they don't know what is wrong. Recently after reading a carfax report, I learned that this vehicle and others like it have had similar problems. We plan to sell this car and purchase another one (since Chrysler insists there is nothing wrong)...but not a Chrysler.