13th Dec 2002, 16:37
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.
24th Dec 2002, 10:25
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.
9th Jan 2003, 11:07
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.
9th Feb 2003, 20:42
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.
20th Feb 2003, 09:55
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.
25th Apr 2003, 08:01
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.
5th May 2003, 10:44
Does anyone know if we can sue Chrysler? Every comment I've read is like reading my van's resume. This is ridiculous!
23rd May 2003, 21:22
My Wife and I are purchasing a 96 Town and Country. It has low mileage, 57000 miles. Hope that it will be one of the few not plagued with repeated electrical and transmission problems. It drives great, looks nice, very comfortable.
26th May 2003, 16:30
I bought a 1996 T&C LXi in April 2003, with 111K Miles. It runs great. It has an annoying intermittent fuel gauge connection that dings frequently to say it is empty (but only when the tank is over half full). The A/C compressor is extremely noisy, but still works. The lower front cowling has a problem with catching on curbs when parking and ripping itself off when backing.
Anyone know more about these problems, with recommendations?
Also, don't let your battery go dead, and then try charging or jumping it. If your doors WERE locked before, and now they are unlocked, you will set off the car alarm. This requires re-locking the van BEFORE applying battery power.
20th Nov 2002, 07:57
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??