2003 Chrysler Town And Country

AT APPROX 58000 MILES THE STEERING SYSTEM BEGAN TO MAKE A WHINING NOISE. POWER STEERING FLUID LEVELS WERE AT PROPER LEVELS BUT IT SOUNDED LIKE A DRY PUMP. THEN THE POWER STEERING BECAME ERRATIC. TURNING EASY THEN PART WAY THROUGH THE TURN IT BECAME VERY DIFFICULT AND THEN WITHOUT WARNING EASY AGAIN. VERY DANGEROUS. EVENTUALLY THE RACK HAD COMPLETELY FAILED. *TR

I WENT TO CHANGE THE OIL ON OUR 2003 CHRYSLER T&C AND NOTICED A LEAK WHICH I ASSUMED TO BE TRANSMISSION FLUID. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THE TRANSMISSION WAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY FOR THE SECOND TIME, BUT I'M NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION, YET. THE LEAKING FLUID WAS ALSO PART POWER STEERING FLUID. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN I WAS TOLD THE VAN NEEDED A NEW STEERING RACK AND SEALS AT 72,000 MILES. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN THEY TOLD ME THE PRICE AND THAT I WAS PAYING FOR IT. I HEREBY ADD MY VOICE TO THIS PROBABLY FUTILE LITANY OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE STEERING RACKS. FORTUNATELY, I HAPPENED TO NOTICE THE LEAKS BEFORE ANYTHING WENT DRY. THE KICKER WAS THAT AFTER THE RACK REPAIR, MY WIFE SAID IT STILL SOUNDED FUNNY. ENDED UP TAKING IT BACK. THAT WAS WHEN THEY DECIDED TO DO THE STEERING HOSE RECALL REPAIR WHICH WE NEVER HEARD ABOUT. OF COURSE, THE PARTS WERE ON BACKORDER SO MY WIFE AND I GOT TO HAVE OUR SCHEDULES SCREWED UP WITH 3 SEPARATE VISITS TO THE SHOP. CHRYSLER/FIAT - MEANT TO BE? ( AS IN F. I. A. T. IF YOU GET MY DRIFT...). *TR

THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW BY ME ON 03/29/03. AFTER 6 MONTHS THE POWER STEERING PUMP BECAME NOISY AND THE STEERING WOULD SHUDDER. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON 11/03/03 @ 10,450 MILES. DEALER REPLACED POWER STEERING RETURN HOSE UNDER WARRANTY. THE STEERING IS STILL NOISY AND STILL SHUDDERS. ON 02/02/04 @ 13,083 MILES, VEHICLE BROUGHT TO DEALER DUE TO POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK AND SHUDDERING. LEAK FIXED, POWER STEERING STILL NOISY AND SHUDDERS. ON 03/25/04 @ 15,622 MILES BROUGHT TO DEALER BECAUSE POWER STEERING IS NOISY AND STILL SHUDDERS. TOLD BY DEALER THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. ON 03/29/05 @ 30,408 MILES BROUGHT TO DEALER BECAUSE POWER STEERING STILL NOISY AND SHUDDERS. DEALER PERFORMED RECALL D-37, REPLACED POWER STEERING RETURN HOSE. THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM STILL CONTINUES TO THIS DAY. I HAVE ALL THE RECORDS PERTAINING TO THIS PROBLEM. *TR

AT LOW OUT-SIDE TEMPERATURE THE POWER STEERING FAILS TO WORK PROPERLY. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IDLE AND A TURN IS ABOUT TO OCCUR, A WHINING NOISE IS NOTED AND THE STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT RESPOND UNLESS THE ENGINE IS ACCELERATED, OCCASIONALLY LOSING CONTROL AT TURNING. THIS EVENT OCCURS ONLY IN WINTERTIME WHEN TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW 70 DEGREE F AND WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COLD. AS OUT-SIDE TEMPERATURE INCREASE (ABOUT 80 DEGREE F) WHINING NOISE GOES AWAY AND THE POWER STEERING WORKS PERFECTLY. THIS IS NOT NOTICE DURING ANY OTHER SEASON TIME. ONLY AT WINTER TIME WHEN THE OUT-SIDE TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW 70 DEGREE F AND AS TEMPERATURE KEEPS DROPPING, IT BECOMES WORSE. THE POWER FLUID IS CHANGED PERIODICALLY TO ALLEVIATE THE WHINING AND THE POWER STEERING HAS BEEN REPLACED ABOUT THREE TIMES. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE 12/2006. *TR

I PURCHASED THE 2003 TOWN/CHRYSLER VAN ABOUT 3 MONTHS. AGO AS SOON AS I GOT IT IT STARTED TO MAKE NOISES, I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER ,THEY STATED IT NEED POWER STEERING FLUID IN WHICH THEY DID PUT IN THE VAN . A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER THE VAN STARTED MAKING NOISES AGAIN. I LATER GOT A LETTER IN THE MAIL STATING THAT THERE WAS A RECALL CONCERNING THE POWER STEERING PUMP, I ALSO FOUND OUT THERE IS A RECALL ON THE REAR BACK DOOR IN WHICH THEY THE CHRYSLER DEALER STATES THEY WILL FIX FOR FREE. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM THEY WANT FIX FOR FREE IS THE STEERING RACK WHICH IS LEAKING. I DON'T FEEL THAT THIS IS MY FAULT AND THE FINANCE PEOPLE ARE HOUNDING ME TO PAY $529.00 A MONTH ON A VEHICLE THAT IS SOON TO BE OUT OF REMISSION. IS THERE SOMEONE THAT CAN HELP ME GET OUT OF THIS DEAL. *TR

IN MARCH OF 2006 WE NOTICED THAT OUR TOWN & COUNTRY MINI VAN WAS STEERING SLOPPY, LOSE AND HAD LOUD NOISES COMING FROM THE AREA OF THE STEERING RACK. AFTER HAVING THE CAR INSPECT, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE STEER RACK HAD FAILED WITH ONLY 53000 MILES ON IT. WE CONTACTED CHRYSLER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WOULD NOT BE COVERED. WE HAD THE STEERING RACK REPLACED AND THIS YEAR IN MARCH , THE SECOND RACK FAILED, WHICH WE ALSO HAD REPLACED. IN JULY OF THIS YEAR THE THIRD STEERING RACK FAILED, AND I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY HAVE HAD "PROBLEMS" WITH THESE STEERING RACKS. *TR

STEERING LOCKS UP DURING COLD AND/OR WET CONDITIONS. I GRINDING NOISE IS ALWAYS PRESENT BUT GETS VERY LOUD DURING SLOW TURNS. ON FIRST DEALER VISIT I WAS TOLD THE PS PUMP WAS THE PROBLEM AND THERE WAS A RECALL PERTAINING TO THAT UNIT. AFTER THE RECALL SERVICE WAS PERFORMED, THE SAME NOISE WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BRAKE PROBLEM. NOW THAT THE BRAKE CALIPERAND ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED THE DEALER INDICATED RACK SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS HAS BECOME MORE THAN A NUISANCE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN STEERING BECOME UNRELIABLE. *TR

ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO I STARTED HEARING A WHINE/GROAN WHEN MAKING SHARP TURNS. IT WAS ORIGINALLY DECIDED THAT I NEED A NEW POWER STEERING PUMP. I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN WHILE GETTING MY TIRES CHANGED IT WAS THEN SWITCHED TO I NEEDED A NEW POWER STEERING RACK. EVERY GARAGE TOLD ME SOMETHING DIFFERENT. 1500 DOLLARS LATER I AM WITH A NEW POWER STEERING PUMP, RESERVOIR, RACK, COOLER HOSE, AND FIN PACKED HOSE AND STILL THE WHINE AND SHUDDER AND GROAN WHILE MAKING SHARP TURNS OR INTO PARKING SPACES. I AM IN TEARS AND FEEL HELPLESS WITH THIS VEHICLE. IT'S IN GORGEOUS CONDITION, HOWEVER TOTALLY UNAWARE OF IF I WANT IT ANYMORE TO DRIVE MY CHILDREN AROUND IN DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS. AFTER SPENDING 20K + ON A VEHICLE, WHERE IS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SATISFACTION?? *TR