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2002 Chrysler Town And Country Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 404 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Chrysler Town And Country, most often about the steering (19% of complaints, typically around 49,000 miles). It is 12th of 17 Town And Country model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.

Complaints404
Recalls4
Crashes reported15
Fires reported12
Injuries reported26

Most common 2002 Chrysler Town And Country problems

  1. Steering

    76 complaints · 19%

    Half of these problems showed up before 49,000 miles. Parts named most often: hydraulic power assist, hydraulic power assist system, rack and pinion, column.

    : the contact stated that while backing out of a parking space, the power steering failed, requiring additional effort to turn the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where the dealer was unable to duplicate or determine the problem. The raack and pinion was replaced and the transmission had a leak.…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 49,184 miles
    2002 Chrysler town & country ex (mileage 50,000) caught fire. Drove car from the university of michigan to my office on platt road, ann arbor. As I turned into the parking lot, power steering failed, was not able to move it. Noticed dense white smoke comming into the car from the dashboard and through the door…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 50,000 miles
  2. Air bags

    67 complaints · 17%

    Half of these problems showed up before 53,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.

    The consumer lost control of the vehicle due to a defect in the power steering which was being recalled by the manufacturer. In the process, not only did the consumer loose steering control but the air bags failed to deploy upon impact. Provide further details.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 53,000 miles
    While driving, the air bag warning light continuously illuminated on the dashboard. As a result, the air bags became inoperative and probably would not deploy when needed. The dealership replaced the clock spring at the consumer's expense. The air bag light was intermittent depending on the position of the steering…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 53,447 miles
  3. Electrical

    60 complaints · 15%

    Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, ignition, horn, instrument cluster/panel.

    Tl contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Town And Country. The contact stated that she has experienced several failures with the ignition key shaft. While attempting to start the vehicle, she could insert the key into the ignition, but it remained locked. This failure has occurred several times to the point that it could take…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 60,000 miles
    Over a period of a few weeks I was experiencing intermittent electrical problems where the air conditioner (A/C) fan, radio, windshield wipers, and power windows would stop working for several minutes and then start working again. The problem got worse over these weeks. After 3 trips to the dealer they told me that…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 65,000 miles
  4. Transmission

    40 complaints · 10%

    Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, axle assembly.

    1.3rd replacement of clockspring in air bag system (at dealer right now) 2. Transmission coolant lines rusted out resulting in loss of transmission fluid to transmission and vehicle while driving.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 60,000 miles
    41te transmission failure at highway speeds. Potential for accident, luckily none occurred in this instance. Car/occupants left stranded in lane of travel.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 63,100 miles
  5. Engine

    38 complaints · 9%

    Half of these problems showed up before 57,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.

    I had the same problem with the engine light coming on. I was also told that battery acid was leaking on the wiring harness that cause the problem. Also Chrysler was aware of this problem and did not have a recall or let owners know.. They just redesigned newer model to correct this problem at the mercy of their…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2009, at 57,000 miles
    My 2002 and 2001 Town And Country"s the rear heater steel tube lines rusted out at the bracket just under the passenger floor in front of the rubber tube connection to the rear aluminum tube lines. There is a recall on the 2005 year but Chrysler will not honor this on 2001-2004 models even though they are the same…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 56,000 miles
  6. Lights

    25 complaints · 6%

    Half of these problems showed up before 52,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, turn signal, tail lights.

    : the contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was a small amount of play in the steering wheel. Then, during a left turn, the vehicle lost power assist steering. This was followed by the turn signal switch not returning to the neutral position. The vehicle was not taken in for service. The consumer stated while…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 51,960 miles
    A one week ago, my left turn signal would not shut off after making a left turn. I have to shut it off manually. Within a couple of days it started making a clicking noise before I could get it in to be fixed. Tonight I was driving the car, making a left turn and as the steering wheel was returning to the straight…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 49,200 miles
  7. Doors and locks

    23 complaints · 6%

    Half of these problems showed up before 60,500 miles. Parts named most often: doors, hatchback/liftgate, tailgate.

    Rear hatch latch, subject of a previous safety recall is failing. When the open button is pushed, the latch opens part way and remains like that. Dealer wants hundreds of dollars to repair it. I have not authorized that repair since I believe as a previously defective and recalled part, it should be repaired at no…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 58,500 miles
    The manual door lock on the sliding door will not unlock. Both automatically or manually. It does this intermittently. My van is a wheelchair van and the sliding door is my only means of exit. I had a wheelchair van mechanic take the whole locking mechanism apart and he discovered there was a flaw in the design of the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2013, at 62,000 miles
  8. Brakes

    23 complaints · 6%

    Half of these problems showed up before 28,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, antilock.

    Vehicle in service 11/02. At 12,000 miles one rotor replaced under warranty due to brake pulsation. At 15,000 miles brakes squealed when applied at slow speeds (good pads). Light brake pulsation started at 24,000 miles. Rotors turned at 33,350 miles due to heavy brake pulsation in steering wheel. At 35,787 was told…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2003, at 33,359 miles
    Premature brake component wear on Chrysler mini-van. Brakes have been noisey since 2000 miles, multiple trips to dealer for repairs finally noise progressed to harsh grinding @ 20,000 miles. Dealer replaced pads and claims this is abnormal but nothing he can do about it. I have never had a vehicle require brakes so…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2003, at 19,999 miles

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2002 Chrysler Town And Country recalls

  1. Equipment: radio/tape deck/cd etc.

    NHTSA 04V531000 · November 2, 2004 · 238,000 vehicles

    Risk: This could result in a speaker fire.

    Fix: Dealers will add a special tape to the top of the radio to prevent the potential of water intrusion. The recall began on january 31, 2005. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

    Full defect summary

    On certain mini vans, condensation from the instrument panel air conditioning ducts may drop through vent holes in the top of the radio and result in a short circuit that subsequently sends direct current to the rear speakers.

  2. Steering: hose, piping, and connections

    NHTSA 04V386000 · August 5, 2004 · 681,000 vehicles

    Risk: Power steering fluid leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in an under hood fire.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the upper power steering cooler hose. This recall began on september 27, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

    Full defect summary

    On certain minivans equipped with 3.3 or 3.8l v-6 engine, the upper power steering cooler hose may split and cause a fluid leak.

  3. Fuel system: tank assembly

    NHTSA 02V274000 · October 8, 2002 · 116,029 vehicles

    Risk: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in an underbody fire.

    Fix: Dealers will inspect the fuel tank and replace it if necessary. Owner notification began october 28, 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.

    Full defect summary

    On certain mini vans, the fuel tank control valve weld joint could separate resulting in a possible fuel leak.

  4. Child Seat

    NHTSA 01V310000 · October 4, 2001 · 52,649 vehicles

    Risk: In the event of a crash, the child seat may not be properly attached increasing the risk of injury to the child.

    Fix: Owners will be provided with the necessary child restraint system information. Owner notification is expected to begin october 8, 2001. Owners who do not receive the free information within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

    Full defect summary

    Vehicle description: certain mini vans fail to comply with requirements of fmvss no. 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." the owner manuals supplied with these vehicles do not indicate which seating positions are equipped with tether anchorages and child restraint anchorage systems as required by the standard.

Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.

NHTSA defect investigations

Questions about the 2002 Chrysler Town And Country

What are the most common problems with the 2002 Chrysler Town And Country?
By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (76 complaints, typically around 49,000 miles); air bags (67 complaints, typically around 53,000 miles); electrical (60 complaints, typically around 62,000 miles).
How many recalls does the 2002 Chrysler Town And Country have?
4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from November 2, 2004 (equipment). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
Is the 2002 a bad year for the Chrysler Town And Country?
It is 12th of 17 Town And Country model years by number of complaints, with 404 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.

Other Chrysler Town And Country years

Chrysler Town And Country problems by year