1997 Chrysler Town And Country problems
The 1997 Chrysler Town And Country has 546 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (16%) concerns air bags. After that come electrical system (15%) and engine (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 546 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 16% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 40 and 20
- Injuries and deaths
- 40 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 86,000 miles 120 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 8 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 28 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 21 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 13 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 8 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 6 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 9 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 11 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 120 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 86,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 103,000 miles (12 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 40 complaints mention a crash; 20 complaints mention a fire; 40 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 13th most-complained-about out of 26 model years of the Chrysler Town And Country with enough data (318 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
At an impact of approx 100MPH, the passenger airbag on my 97 town & country lxi deployed however the driver airbag didnot. The impact was the front driver side and down the side. Why would the driver airbag not deploy?
My mother was driving a 1997 chrysler town & country mini-van when she stopped to pick up yard sale signs. When she stopped the vehicle and placed it park, she exited the van and started walking towards the rear of the van when it self-shifted into reverse, known as the park-to-reverse defect. The van knocked my mother down and pinned her under the van where she died from blunt force trauma to the head. This is a known defect but has never been recalled in chrysler vehicles.
Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision, and airbags did not deploy, resulting in minor injuries. The manufacturer will be notified.
While driving serpentine belt came off. As a result, power steering assist malfunctioned. Serpentine belt was replaced five times, however, problem still exists.
1997 chrysler t&c van repeatedly loses all dash gauges so you can not tell how fast you are going etc.. ABS light and service engine soon light come on. No remedy as of yet . Had one mechanic tell me it was the body control module but it would cost over $900 to replace{and that might not fix the problem!}. Also lost wiper function, I have to use the wash function to clear windshield when it's raining or snowing. Mechanic said that is related to the bcm also.