I bought a 1996 Chrysler Town and Country LXI with 63,389 miles in April 2002. The van has had the following problems:
Replaced 3 transmissions (The transmission was replaced once before I bought the van)
Replaced A/C Compressor @ 64,865 miles.
Transmission Leak @ 64,865 miles.
Replaced PCM (the vans computer) @ 69,614 miles.
Replaced Right Front Axle @ 71,645 miles.
Replaced starter @ 88,546 miles.
Replaced Battery Switch, Battery and Door Ajar Switch @ 93,999 miles.
Replaced EGR and Blower Motor @ 95,516 miles.
The crazy and dangerous wiper problem. Replaced multi-function switch, which did not work. Replaced wiper motor, which did not work, Replaced the BCM (Body Control Module) which did not work. I decided not to pursue this problem. I now use Rainx, which works just as well as wipers, when traveling at least 40 mph.
The van alarm goes off about 1 out of 6 times getting into the vehicle. My daughter puts her hands over her ears, every time I go to unlock the van.
The right side sliding door does not unlock or lock electronically.
The stereo has blown the speakers. This was a problem when we bought the van, but didn't catch it in time. The CD player will occasionally stop playing and states “Disc Err”
The leather on the driver's side seat seems to be dissolving.
Finally, the van is only firing 4 out of the 6 cylinders, because of a bad PCM (the van's computer). Once the PCM is tapped on lightly with a hammer, the 2 cylinders fire again. The dealership also said that the van needs a new coil pack, with the new computer or they will not guarantee their work. This is going to cost $1100. The van currently has 135,000 miles on it and I think it's time to put the “Old Boy” down. Of course, any of you reading this review probably think I should have done this many miles ago.
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. I will be checking this site regularly. I have so many more details about the above problems that may give you more insight.
Please do your research when thinking about purchasing a Chrysler Town and Country or a Dodge Caravan... the earlier models anyway.
I was wondering about your wiper problem. Did the wipers operate normally, and then would not turn off, or did they do something else. I have the same vehicle, but my transmission will go into lymp-mode when I turn the wipers on..
The wipers would randomly turn on as I was driving down the road. Most of the time it would occur when I used a turn signal, which makes me think it might have been the multi-function switch. The wipers would stay on for about 15 to 30 seconds and then turn off. I also noticed that if I would apply a little pressure (a light twist) to the wiper control, they would then turn off. When I would need the wipers they would not turn on 50% of the time. About 2 years ago, the wipers did not turn on at all. I had to to travel from Ohio to Florida in continual rainstorms, without any wipers. That's where I discovered the power of Rainx. In Charlotte, NC it rained so hard that people had to pull over to the side of the road, but not me... the Rainx kept the rain off my windshield. I promise I don't work for Rainx. I just want all Chrysler Town and Country owners to know that they don't have to spend over $600 to be able to drive in the rain. I do think snow may present a problem though.
I also have a town & country 1996, had like 89,000 miles when we bought it, and they had put in a tranny
i too have put in a tranny, and had the same problem with the wipers, when I hit the wipers the tranny through it in low gear, changed the relay or modular or something and it quit that, have lots of electric problems, no power when I get in it sometimes, have replaced both front axles and now having problems with driver side again is leaking tranny fluid as fast as I can put it in, driver seat is worn thin with holes, air condition blower speeds do not all work, have replaces the cooling fan assembly for the raidator and ac 2 times, replaced the radiator which had a pin hole probably due to the fans going out??? I have had this van 2 years, I love it, but is it worth the trouble? I am starting to think not
bad thing is the body is in good condition, other than the driver seat every thing interior is great, and best of all it is more comfortable than the new ones
and it is paid for... so what is a woman to do?
Oh forgot the problem with the surpentine belts, they are like 25-30 bucks each and replaced about 12 of those
they were shredding, replaced all pulleys and the tensioner and finally cut the new one to make it not so wide and it is staying on since august,
135,000 miles is way too few miles for all of those problems. Chrysler has had a ton of problems with their minivans since they first came out. You should have done some research and would have known not to buy this van not even for a dollar. I would have went with a chevy astro with the 4.3 v6. You can find these with well over 200,000 miles and running strong all day long.
I, too, own a '96 Town and Country. My windshield wipers are possessed. All the little things that nickel and dime you to death. Door lock switches, cover falls off radio, door locks on sliding doors, the list goes on. Replaced A/C condenser and both evaporators. After reading about the tranny, I am really worried now. Don't tell me it's because of it's age, I have a Ford F150 with twice the mileage and replaced only the engine due to a connecting rod that broke, and an Explorer with the same mileage that I have only replaced a clutch. First and last Chrysler for me!
Hello. I also have a 1998 Town & Country; although I do not have possessed windshield wipers, the controls for the AC and the blower and the rear wiper blink all the time, so you can never tell in which mode they are. I could live with that and the misfiring. But now I can not drive it because it won’t go on reverse. I was thinking on spending the money and keep the van, but if I have to rebuild the train and just wait for the next thing on the list to go bad. I just do not think is worth it.
Does the transmission have to be rebuild completely when just the reverse goes bad? How did your transmission problem started?
Thanks.
I have a T&C 1996 LXI with 280,000 plus miles - have driven virtually every mile (bought it new) Have replaced the serpentine belt nine times. The rear sliding doors have not locked in about 200,00 miles (although they try every time!) BUT on the whole, I have had very good service from this van. I am going tomorrow to see how much $$$ it costs to fix the bad front wheel bearings. The engine runs great. The body still looks good and I would buy another just like it IF I thought another would be as reliable.
1996 T&C van owner - I have a 1997 T&C LXI and am having the same blinking problems with the rear wiper buttons since I changed out the battery. They blink for about a half hour after the car has been running and then they turn off - they do function correctly the whole time, but I just can't tell if the buttons have been depressed or not. Apparently the Body Control Module got fritzed with the changing of the battery. The dealer has tried to "flash" it with no luck so they say I need a new one at $800. My non-dealer electrician mechanic has seen this problem with the same model vans (both Dodge and Chrysler) and the dealer mechanic at first said he has seen this same issue with the models that have the alarm system and push button on the keyring. Now they are acting like I have to pay for it - NO WAY. If Dodge/Chrysler has a faulty Body Control Module in certain models and they know about it, they should cover it under warranty at no matter what mileage.
I too have had many of the same problems the previous posts are talking about. It makes driving my '97 T&C LXi AWD an oddessy on occasion to say the least. Is the BCM located on the interior driver side of the dash behind/above the fuse panel? Does it have to be "reprogrammed" by the dealer if replaced with a different one acquired through means other than the dealer? As for the flashing wiper/AC lights there is a quick fix that an acquaintance passed onto me that will do away with that annoying flashing. Its called the 'actuator calibration/diagnostics and cool-down test'. All told you should be able to do this in 2-3 minutes of time and it's completely simple. You must do the following and if this is too hard to understand you might be able to locate the info at http://www.alldatapro.com.
To Initiate test:
*Set "Blower motor" on HIGH
*Set "Mode" position to PANEL
*Open ALL A/C outlets
*Set "Temperature" to COLD (Both slide pots if equipped)
*Depress "WASH" and "REAR WIPER" button simultaneously
for 5 seconds (Until all LED's light up)
Results:
*All LED's will turn on for 5 seconds
*Calibration test is running when REAR WIPER and
INTERMITTENT are alternately flashing. Cool-down test
is running if A/C and RECIRC are alternately flashing.
*Acceptable result is REAR WIPER LED is the only LED
flashing. Push REAR WIPER to exit.
*After all tests have passed, Calibration Diagnostics
and Cool-down can be run separately.
Give it a shot and let me or us know if it was successful.
Have a good one and by the way, no AWD after '04 due to the 'stow-n-go' seating... that sucks.
Thank you so much for that "test"!!! I just tried it on my 1996 Dodge Caravan. The rear wiper lights were driving me nuts with all the flashing they've done since we put on a new battery a few months ago! I found nothing in the owner's manual about how to stop the flashing. Your test made them stop flashing! I'm sooooo happy!! They were so distracting. I've printed this test out and will keep it in the owner's manual for the "next time", as I'm sure there will be one.
Thank you sooooooo much!!! It always amazes me what I can learn online. It's great to have someone else's experience to fix a problem.
I have a 1999 T & C problem with starting. The fan motor, lights, horn, wiper, door locks are all turning on as soon as I hook up the new battery. I left it on for a few seconds then it blew the fuseable link cable going to the generator.
I checked the starter and it's turning fine when I hot wired it. starter relay is fine.
Does anyone have this problem and what is the fix for this. Please advice. Thanks.
I also have the 1996 Town and Country. I am currently having a starter problem as well, and I'll post later as to what the issue is once I fix it. It's on it's 4th transmission. My brother bought it new and replaced 3. When it needed it's 4th, he gave it to me. I took it to Aamco and for $3000 had them put their lifetime warranty transmission in. That's when I find out that all of the internal parts are made out of plastic and the clutch is made out of pressed paper. Aamco upgrades the lifetime tranny with metal parts and a kevlar clutch. It's performed fine now for 4 years - even tows a heavy boat! If only Chrylser built the tranny right in the first place. Other than tranny, this thing has performed fine. It's had the normal little things of course, but they all do.
Yep, it was the starter. Just went out with no warning whatsoever. A relatively cheap fix - $132 installed.
At 190,000 miles, I budget about $600 every four months for maintenance. Things needed now - timing chain, CV boots, instake manifold gasket, brake master cylinder, and a new axle. I'll keep at my $600 every four months and work through everything. As long as the motor lasts and the rebuilt transmission hold together, I plan to keep running this thig forever as its the most comfortable mini-van on the market bar none!
I have a 1997 Town & Country, and I have wiper problems each time it rains.. I have to turn the on/off/on/off contineously to get wiper service... I am thinking it is an electrical short.. I am also sure, many other vans of this make and model have the problem.. Has anyone else online experienced this? Trying to avoid paying someone to troubleshoot and do a repair and replace adventure at my expense..
I've owned my '96 T+C LXi since new. and the leaky transmission just bugs me because it's a big ticket item to fix. I have not had any problems since it's been out of warranty. It has less than 80,000 miles on it, mostly around my suburban town, with a thousand mile trip or two each summer. It's in good cosmetic shape, and since the kids that have been raise in it now need to get to college, I need to hang on for a few years more. If I can keep it running for less than $1,0000 a year, I should. It's replacement would be something small and zippy for around town.