Before 36000 miles:
New water pump and new front brakes (both done under warranty). As a result at 35,000 miles I paid $2000 for an extended warranty. Under that the right rear brake was replaced, front struts replaced and the CD also needed repairing.
At 40,000 miles the fuel economy went from 18 to 15 almost overnight. Have spent nearly $500 with the dealer as he fooled around with one system after another - no results. Then at about 60,000 miles the fuel economy jumped to about 17.5 without explanation.
My major complaint with this well designed, poorly built car is that the brakes are so poor as to be a hazard. Complaints to the dealer, and the company have brought essentially no response. THE BRAKES ARE DANGEROUS.
I own a 1997 T&C LXi too. I have owned it since new. The odometer now shows about 64,000 miles.
I agree that it is a very well designed and comfortable car. But it's very poorly built.
Last summer the entire braking system required replacement at a cost of $3,000+.
Last month the transmission failed and cost $2,500 to replace. That was the fourth time the transmission failed. The first two times were under warranty. The last two times were at my expense.
I could lease a new Lexus for less than it costs to keep this mini van repaired. It's the last Chrysler product I'll ever own.
My family has owned two of these death traps. First we bought a 1991 Dodge Caravan all wheel drive. My mom wrecked it going under 10 mph on a snowy road because of ABS brake failure lockup.
At 75k the transmission began to make noise at slow speeds so we traded it on a "nicer" piece of junk - a 1993 Chrysler Town and Country.
Replaced the oxygen sensors at 12K. Tensioner pully twice, battery and alternator twice.
Transmission gave out at 69000 miles which was lucky because Chrysler offered the 7/70 warranty. Air conditioning broke also. We sold this at 75K.
Both vans chewed brakes and tires under 10k mile intervals. Axles were replaced in both, front struts, fuel pumps, and plugs kept going out (don't try to change them yourself cause you have to reach behind the motor from below the car!).
Overall these vans, including all Chrysler products made from 1990 up, are pieces of junk. Resale value is nonexistent and trade in value is likewise. I talked to a friend of mine who owns a 1995 Chrysler Town and Country and has put 5 transmissions in it and it only has around 100k miles.
My advice to anyone even considering a Chrysler product is to look at something else for your sanity!
I don't understand why you people are having so many problems with your minivans, I live in the UK, I currently own 2 Chrysler's a 1997 Neon & a 1998 Chrysler grand Voyager 3.3 V6 LE.. the voyager has the "dodge" grille and is built in the states... lovely looking car... the spec in my van is the same almost as a Town & Country, I have full leather, full electrics, 10 speaker pack, winter pack, everything.. Anyway. I bought my van in August 2003..it had 118,000 on the clock... It now has 125,238..It just passed it's service test here in the UK.. no problems..just needed a new middle seatbelt. and a new set of back brakes.. I carry my kids everywhere. load it up... generally drive it rough.(not when the kids are in it)... cruise on the motorway at 75mph .. it goes like a dream... the ONLY problem I can agree on is the brakes, I find them weak for a van this size.. my Neon brakes are not so good either. They have never locked up, they just feel A bit underpowered.having said that I would still buy Chrysler/Dodge...no problems at all
Our 1997 T&C has had some of the same problems. It now has 97k miles and has had 2 water pumps, clock spring (before recall) numerous electrical problems, crank pulley, and the a/c evaporator went out at 90k. The problem now is serpentine belt noise. The belt squeals constantly. We have replaced the belt tensioner twice and the belt 5 times just in the past 4k miles and nothing seems to quiet the belt down. The dealer said it's the power steering pump leaking onto the belt (and wants $400 to fix) but the other shops confirm there is no problem with the pump. The van is now an embarrassment to drive because of the noise, but a pleasure because of it's comforts and handling. Nothing on the market now compares to the ride and design of our van in our opinion, I just wish everyone wouldn't stare at us when we drive down the street because of the loud belt noise. Any suggestions?
I bought our 1997 Town & Country LXi used with 36k miles on it. All service records were included. It now has 100k miles with only a few problems, all corrected. And it still has the original brakes!
I bought a brand spankin' new 1996 T&C and it's been a long road. With only 300 miles on it the "Check Engine" light kept coming on-3 visits (Just shy of the NY Lemon Law)
it got fixed-problem unknown. Then at the first service the
brakes (Front & rear) were redesigned. The passenger mirror was wobbly, the blower motor vibrated and the gas gauge read
more in the tank than what was there.
Of course there are the standard problems that seem inherent in these vans such as:
clock spring (cruise & air bag)
transmission failure
phantom wipers
front speaker cut-out
non-functioning locks
tensioner pulley
fuel rail recall
non-functioning radio buttons.
I've replaced 2 starters, 1 body control module and one
drive system control module.
My van now has 162,000 miles and doesn't burn a drop of oil. It passes inspections and emissions with flying colors,
but it is a labor/parts intensive vehicle. Change your oil every 3000 miles or less and keep up with the problems and
it should last you a long time. No more Chryslers for me.
Email: Spock8113@yahoo.com.
We purchased our 1997 Chrysler T&C with 64,000 miles on it almost 2 years ago. We currently have 100,000 on it and it's still going strong. Being in the automotive industry (repair facility) we see the problems that everyone has complained about on this forum and we're finding that most of the problems are due to things not being properly maintained from the beginning or inferior parts replacement. When you have brake work done, make sure that you use Thermo-Quiet brake pads by Wagner. Yes, they are more expensive, but they are well worth it. They’ll last longer and have a lifetime warranty on the part.
The transmission on ours is the original. We service it every 15,000 per the owner’s manual. Make sure the people that do your service work flushes the system, including the torque converter. Don’t let them do a drain and fill or a drop the pan and filter type flush. It does not remove, but about ½ of the old fluid. Yes, transmissions are a problem with the Chrysler product. We have replaced several for customers and after replacing the first one they understand why I have always tried to get them to service the transmission from the beginning. If you do have to replace it, make sure that you have the option of putting in a Jasper Transmission. They have a wonderful warranty and have solved several problems that cause the transmissions to go out, not just in Chrysler, but also in all types of vehicles.
Basically, with a Chrysler you have to follow the preventative maintenance schedule.
Well I don't understand these problems either
--------------------
I have had and still own a 1989 ES 4 cyc Turbo, Odd since they did not make them till 1990 Mine was made in the 11th Month. The black machine has on her
270,0000 KM and still runs. Turbo works 1 transmission at about 200,000 K.M.
--------------------
I just had my 1994 3.3 Es AWD stolen and completely wrecked we owned this one for 4 years, 195K KM on her (same transmission)
I just bought my third, 97 Town and country LXI
----------------
Turbo we changed the oil as called for every 3000 KM
--------------------
The belt pulley and belt broke twice on on our 94 ES.
I really do not feel these should at all be considered problems. I have a riding lawn mower with more down time than these vechicles. I can state I was very frustrated with mechanics that don't know how to replace a O2 Sensor
or read the codes. It took a $100 belt and 4 bearings and 3 hours labour to fix my lawn mower, (breaks every year too - I swear it hates grass. Caravan took it the repair shop every time too. My friend has a 97 Montana, Tie rod ends
sways from left to right and valves collasping. One transmision, He is now buying a Caravan. The good news he bought my lawn mower.
We have a 1998 Dodge Caravan Sport. Love the van, hate the maintenance costs. Warranty work provided by dealer: head gaskets replaced at 12,000 miles. Belt tensioner reinstalled at 35,000 miles, (attachment bold sheared off, standing wife and kids). We had the opportunity to pay for following repairs: 1) Locked ignition, 2) Cooling fan relay switch, 3) New starter. The following items need to be repaired, but we are saving our money for a new van; 1) No heat on front passenger side, 2) Left turn signal will not turn itself off after turn, 3) Driver side window switch is not reliable.
Would we ever purchase another? NO. Would we recommend a Chrysler product to a friend? NO.
We inherited our 1997 Chrysler Town and Country LXi from my parents who kept the vehicle maintenance up to date and completed by the dealership. I continued the good maintenance, but have since replaced the following in 2 years: Starter, Fan Switch, Transmission, AC evaporator and about $500 worth of brake work. The vehicle has 124k miles on it. The Air Bag light will not turn off, mechanics cannot figure that one out and the cruise control/horn have stopped working. Nice vehicle, but costly.
Help for everybody with airbag light "ON", and the "cruise control not working" - Chrysler issued a Saftey Recall 2 months ago to fix the "slip rings" in the steering column.
I have a 97 t&c lxi and have had to do many of the same things as the others here. bought it with 63000mi. now has 84000+. we've replaced the starter and brakes. I really love my van, it drives great, but the repairs are getting more frequent, just had the struts replaced and the repairshop gave me a list of other things... like replacing water pump, serpentine belt and tensioner, also needs new O2 sensor.. they also took care of the airbag light (no charge-recall) the clockspring... gonna take care of some of the things myself..
I've had a 2000 T&C since new. There are 97,000 miles on it now and generally the car has had few repair needs. However, at the last oil change it was pointed out to me that the strut towers were rusting and this could eventually pose a safety risk. Has anyone else had this problem and how has it been handled?
I have a 97 Grande Voyager SE. I have just ordered the Kits to fix the rusting strut towers, part numbers 055080008-aa, and 0580009-aa. I'm quoted at $92 for both including tax, body shop hours at 6.8..
We just bought our '97 T&C LXi with 125K mile on the odometer. I think we were fairly lucky, the P.O. kept it dealer maint. with records to prove it and had the dealer replace the trany one year ago. Steering is tight, no signs of leaks or puddles under the car, it tracks straight as well as brakes straight. No squeaks coming from the engine. Although it does have a funny quirk, once in a while the windshield wipers will cycle once then turn off. Anyone else have this gremlin?? but as far as the rest of the "Mini" goes, paint is near perfect glass is clean with no spots whatsoever. Really show pride of ownership and for the price ($3800.00 U.S.funds) I guess we couldn't go wrong. So far so good! knock on wood.