Your vehicle report
1997 Chrysler Town AND Country
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 388
- Received Dec 1996 to Jul 2017
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Horn fails with airbag warning light36 complaints · 9.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Serpentine belt breaks or slips off26 complaints · 6.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail23 complaints · 5.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #02V293000On certain mini vans, the clockspring assembly may have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process.
- Recall #02V076000On certain minivans, some trim material can loosen and drop into the rear outboard seat belt assembly, causing the seat belt to become inoperative.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 27 crashes, 14 fires, 30 people injured, 2 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 2 |
| 1997 | 20 |
| 1998 | 22 |
| 1999 | 43 |
| 2000 | 39 |
| 2001 | 64 |
| 2002 | 65 |
| 2003 | 42 |
| 2004 | 25 |
| 2005 | 18 |
| 2006 | 12 |
| 2007 | 3 |
| 2008 | 7 |
| 2009 | 3 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2011 | 6 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 388 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horn fails with airbag warning light | 36 | 9.3% | – | |
| Serpentine belt breaks or slips off | 26 | 6.7% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 23 | 5.9% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 21 | 5.4% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 17 | 4.4% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 14 | 3.6% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 12 | 3.1% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 12 | 3.1% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 10 | 2.6% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 8 | 2.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 8 | 2.1% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 7 | 1.8% | – | NHTSA recall #00V268000 |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 7 | 1.8% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 7 | 1.8% | – | |
| Battery drains and dies when parked | 7 | 1.8% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 7 | 1.8% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 6 | 1.6% | – | NHTSA recall #02V076000, #98V185000 |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 6 | 1.6% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 6 | 1.6% | – | |
| Side mirrors give poor rear visibility | 5 | 1.3% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #02V293000November 7, 20021,500,521 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal
On certain mini vans, the clockspring assembly may have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process.
This condition will manifest itself through illumination of the air bag warning lamp, And could eventually result in a driver's air bag open circuit, if the part is not replaced in a reasonable amount of time.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the clockspring assembly on all vehicles with 70,000 miles or less. An extended lifetime warranty will also be placed on this component for all affected vehicles, regardless of mileage. Daimlerchrysler will also reimburse owners who have paid to have the clockspring replaced on their vehicles. Owner notification began november 18, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date And do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA recall #02V076000March 8, 2002545,311 vehicles affected
seat belts: rear/other
On certain minivans, some trim material Can loosen And drop into the rear outboard seat belt assembly, causing the seat belt to become inoperative.
In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the trim with foam blockers And inspect And replace all 3RD row seat belt assemblies. Owner notification began june 3, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date And do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA recall #00V268000September 13, 20001,163,000 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system
Vehicle description: mini vans built with 3.3L And 3.8L engines have fuel rails with nitrole rubber o-ring seals that Can degrade over time. Fuel leakage from the underhood fuel injection fuel rail could result, increasing the likelihood of a vehicle fire.
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source Can result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a seal on the vehicle fuel rails to prevent external leakage of fuel from the fuel rail crossover tube, should the existing o-rings continue to degrade. Owner notification began on january 25, 2002. Due to the large quantity of vehicles involved in this campaign, the owner notification will be phased over the next several months. However, if a vehicle is leaking fuel from the o-rings, the vehicle should be taken into a dealer to have this repaired as soon as possible. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date And do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA recall #98V185000August 6, 1998157,000 vehicles affected
child seat
Vehicle description: mini vans equipped with integrated child seats. The shoulder harness restraint on the integrated child seat Can become difficult to extract when the safety belt latch plate becomes contaminated.
This Can cause difficulty in releasing a child from the restraint.
Remedy
Dealers will clean the latch mechanism. An extender will be added to the emergency release anchor for the child seat safety belts so that the release clips are more visible And accessible to the operator in the event that the retractor mechanism Can not be unlocked. In addition, an instructional owner's manual supplement card will be provided.
NHTSA recall #96V215000October 29, 199618,997 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
The master cylinder rear seal, between the hydraulic fluid And the vacuum reservoir, may not seal adequately allowing hydraulic fluid to be drawn into the power assist vacuum reservoir.
As the hydraulic fluid in the master cylinder reservoir decreases, the level sensor will detect the loss of fluid And illuminate the instrument panel brake warning lamp. Continued operation of the vehicle with the warning lamp illuminated Can result in extended stopping distances.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder on all affected vehicles. Addendum (4-14-97): vehicles inspected per Chrysler recall no. 707 And found to be outside the listed suspect master cylinder date code range, must now have the master cylinder primary piston replaced (Chrysler recall no. 714).
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1997 Chrysler Town AND Country.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN