1997 Chrysler Town And Country

PURCHASED VEHICLE WITH 52,037 MILES. AT 65,000 MILES TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR ROUTINE TRANSMISSION SERVICE AT LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALER FOR FLUID AND FILTER CHANGE. SERVICE TECHNICIAN ADVISED METAL DEBRIS NOTED IN TRANSMISSION FLUID PAN, KEEP AN EYE ON IT. AT 78,350 MILES WITH NO PRIOR DRIVABILITY PROBLEMS, TRANS BECAME DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE ANY DRIVE GEAR, ACCOMPANIED BY LOUD GEAR NOISE- NO MALFUNCTION LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. AT REPAIR FACILITY, WAS TOLD FLUID PAN FULL OF METAL; FINAL DRIVE MECHANISM DESTROYED. ROUTINE LOCALLY DRIVEN ONLY, NO ABUSE. SHOP CHANGED TRANS WITH FACTORY REMAN. UNIT AT COST OF $2,780.00; 3/36 WARRANTY. LOCAL DEALER SUGGESTED CONTACTING CHRYSLER HQ., NO WARRANTEE OR COMPENSATION APPLICABLE. FELT THIS WARRENTED SOME COMPENSATION, MANY SIMILAR CASES ARE OUT THERE FOR THESE MINIVANS. CONTACTED WA. ST. ATTY. GENERAL'S CONSUMER AFFAIRS OFFICE, RECEPTIONIST ANSWERING CALL HAD SAME EXPERIENCE! NO ACTION RESULTED, VEHICLE OUT OF WARRANTEE. NOW CHRYSLER HAS 7/70 COVERAGE. OLDER TRANSMISSIONS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR EARLY FAILURE UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS AND MAINTENANCE. REQUEST INQUIRY, POSSIBLE RECALL ACTION. FAILURE ON THE HIGHWAY MAY RESULT IN DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION AND POSSIBLE INJURY. THANK YOU. *AK

FROM 27,928 MILE UP TO THE PRESENT HAD FOUR SERPENTINE BELTS REPLACED & REPAIRED BY VARIOUS INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS, BUT, PROBLEM STILL APPEARS TO BE REOCCURRING, DEALER / MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *AK DISCHARGE LINE LEAKING FROM COMPRESSOR TO CONDENSOR CAUSING AC NOT TO WORK. WATER PUMP FAILED. WINDSHIELD WIPER SWITCH SHORTED AND WAS REPLACED. EXTERIOR POWER MIRRORS SHOOK WHILE DRIVING, DEALER REPLACED SWITCH. TRANSMISSION HARD TO DOWNSHIFT TO FIRST GEAR ON SLIGHT DOWNGRADES, DEALER MADE NO REPAIRS. *SLC

WITHOUT ANY WARNING MY TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 58,587 MILES. IT WAS SERVICED ONCE AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES AND THE FLUID CHECKED REGULARLY.THE FAILURE WAS NOT MY FAULT. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO THE LOCAL CHRSYLER DEALER & WAITING 3 DAYS THE PROBLEM WAS FINALLY DIAGNOSED AS THE REAR PLANETARY GEARS HAD WELDED THEMSELVES TOGETHER, OTHERWISE TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE SERVICE MANGER AGREED WITH ME THAT THIS WAS AN USUAL SITUATION. I WAS OFFERED NO HELP OR RECOURSE. I HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT FULL COST. I AM VERY ANGRY THAT I HAVE HAD TO PUT OUT $2000 FOR A PROBLEM THAT WAS NOT MY FAULT. IT IS A DOCUMENTED FACT THAT CHRYSLER HAS HAD AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THEIR POWER TRAINS. BEFORE PURCHASING MY VAN I WAS LEAD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS A THING OF THE PAST. IF CHRYSLER KNOWS THEY STILL HAVE A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD ISSUE A DISCLAIMER UP FRONT WHEN YOU PURCHASE THEIR VEHICLES OR AT LEAST OFFER A HIGHER WARRANTY ON THE POWER TRAINS. IS THERE A CLASS ACTION SUIT I CAN GET IN ON OR START ONE? I HAD EXPECTED CHRYSLER TO OFFER TO PAY FOR THE ENTIRE BILL OR AT LEAST THE COST OF THE TRANMISSION. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS THERE COULD HAVE WELL BEEN A MAJOR FATALITY WITH LOSS OF LIVES. IF YOU CAN NOT OFFER ME ANY HELP AT LEAST STEER ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. I AM PREPARED TO PURSUE THIS MATTER UNTIL CHRSYLER RESOLVES IT.*AK

MAKE: CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY VIN:[XXX] ALL-WHEEL ALL THE TIME DRIVE VEHICLE. WELL MAINTAINED BY THE OWNER AT THE DEALERSHIP, THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS HAVE ARISEN. IT WAS TAKEN OFF THE ROAD LAST FRIDAY,DECEMBER 15, 2000. SYMPTOMS: SOMEWHAT OF A CRUNCHING NOISE WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT. DIFFICULT TO STEER AT LOW SPEED. SOME THUMPING HEARD - PROGRESSIVELY FASTER UNTIL VEHICLE WAS UP TO ROAD SPEED.REPAIR HISTORY: DEALER MAINTAINED VEHICLE. DEALER HAD REPAIRED IT BEFORE AND IN FACT HAD REPLACED BOLTS ON THE TRANSFER CASE YET NEVER MADE ANY STATEMENT ABOUT ANY DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION.DEALER & VISUAL OBSERVATION REVEAL:THE DEALER REP TOLD ME THAT IT MUST BE FROM ABUSE. WE SAW THE FRONT FRAME STRUTS - IN PERFECT SHAPE - AND THE DAMAGE IS ALL UP ABOVE IT. THE TRANSFER MECHANISM APPEARS TO BE EATING THE CASE FROM THE INSIDE. THE DRIVE SHAFT WAS WHIPPING AGAINST THE BODY STRUT AND ACTUALLY "CARVING" THROUGH IT JUST BY THE ROTATIONS. TRANSFER CASE, WHICH IS METAL, HAD SHATTERED FROM BOLT TO BOLT ON ALL VISIBLE SIDES.THE FRONT OF THE CASE WAS SHEARED TO THE DEGREE THAT IT WAS HANGING THERE NOT DOING MUCH OF ANYTHING - THE BACK OF THE HOUSING WOULD SHIFT TO ABOUT A 30 30 DEGREE CANT TO THE REAR IF THE DRIVE SHAFT WAS PHYSICALLY LIFTED BY HAND (HENCE THE WHIPPING "LIKE A JUMP ROPE") AND WOULD TOUCH THE UPPER BODY PARTS.THERE WAS NO SIGN OF ABUSE OF ANY SORT OR ANY REASON TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN DURING NORMAL WEAR. THIS SURELY COULD HAVE CAUSED A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT.THE ENTIRE TRANS-AXLE HOUSING WAS SHATTERED ON ALL VISIBLE SIDES AND THE BOLTS HAD SHEARED ALLOWING THE DRIVE TRAIN TO BOUNCE AGAINST THE CHASSIS HOUSING. TWO BOLTS WERE FOUND ON THE FRONT CROSS-STRUTS, MOST BOLTS WERE MISSING SEVERAL IN A BACKED-OUT POSITION. LEFT TIE ROD WS VERY LOOSE. THE FLOOR MANAGER LOOKED AT AND SAID THAT THIS SORT OF THING SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AND AGAIN AGREED THAT THERE WAS PROBABLY SOME INTERNAL PROBLEM IN THE DRIVE THAT WAS CAUSING THE HOUSING TO DISINTEGRATE. HELP!!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

COMPLAINED LOUND HISSING NOISE WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL- DEALER SAID IT IS NOMAL EVENTHOUGH, THEY ADMITED THAT THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THAT PROBLEM BUT THEY DID NOT OFFER US TO REPAIR TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. SECOND PROBLEM: WHEN SHIFT GEAR FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE IT MAKE A BUZZZZZZ..TIC SOUND. I BROWSE THE WEB AND QUITE A FEW OWNERS ALSO COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I TOOK MY MINI VAN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY TRANSMISSION IS DEFECTIVE I DON'T HAVE ANYMORE WARRANTY ON MY MINI VAN.