1997 Chrysler Town AND Country Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Town AND Country years
- About as many complaints as other years 14th of 24 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 388 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Chrysler Town AND Country. That ranks 14th out of 24 Town AND Country model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (84 complaints, 22%), typically at around 109,000 miles. Complaints mention 27 crashes, 14 fires, 30 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 6 defect investigations involving it.
- 388owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 6NHTSA investigations
- 27complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Chrysler Town AND Country problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 84 | 22% | 109,000 | “air bag” (39%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 78 | 20% | 145,000 | “horn cruise” (13%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 52 | 13% | 59,967 | “serpentine belt” (21%) | — |
| Power Train | 42 | 11% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 42 | 11% | 97,077 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 38 | 10% | 103,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 34 | 9% | 50,187 | — | — |
| Steering | 29 | 7% | 57,199 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 21 | 5% | 98,900 | — | — |
| Suspension | 18 | 5% | 101,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 14 | 4% | 88,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 14 | 4% | 100,600 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 10 | 3% | 204 | — | — |
| Equipment | 8 | 2% | 70,298 | — | — |
| Seats | 7 | 2% | 41,696 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 2% | 189,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 1% | 58,456 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 107,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 1% | 97,530 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 1% | 28,702 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 160,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 0% | 15 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 0% | 58,456 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 125,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Chrysler Town AND Country recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: On certain mini vans, the clockspring assembly may have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Seat belts:rear/other
Problem: On certain minivans, some trim material can loosen and drop into the rear outboard seat belt assembly, causing the seat belt to become inoperative.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: 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.
Fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system
Problem: 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.
Risk: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
Fix: 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.
Child seat
Problem: 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.
Risk: This can cause difficulty in releasing a child from the restraint.
Fix: 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.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:master cylinder
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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).
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Air bag clockspring (EA01007) — opened Feb 21, 2001, closed Nov 22, 2002, led to recall 02V293000.
- Dc minivan fuel injector rail leak (RQ00008) — opened Mar 9, 2000, closed Mar 18, 2002, led to recall 00V268000.
- Post collision fuel system (EA99013) — opened Jun 11, 1999, closed Aug 10, 2001.
- Post-collision fuel system integrity (PE99010) — opened Feb 3, 1999, closed Jun 11, 1999.
- Integrated child seat belt lockup (EA97003) — opened Jan 31, 1997, closed Aug 19, 1998, led to recall 97I001000.
- Integrated child seat belt lockup (SQ96016) — opened Sep 18, 1996, closed Feb 4, 1997.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Vehicle suddenly turns off while driving with no control of the gas or breaks.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chrysler town and country. While driving various speeds, the instrument panel gauges failed without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to the electrical grid. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin…
On ignition the vehicles dash gage instrument panel lights (odometer, gas gage, warning lights) do not turn on with ignition, vehicle runs 2-3 seconds and shuts off, with no sputtering or knocking. Searching online for problems of a similar nature many sites indicate the error may stem from an…
Well i'am having electrical issues now i close my hood and my 4 ways start blinking, i turn on my van and the abs & and air bag light come on when i start it but never go off.the cv boot is bad and the half shalf on passenger side i think its making alot of sound when i go down the road ,i already…
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chrysler town and country. While the vehicle was parked, the driver and passenger side air bags deployed without warning and smoke filled the vehicle. The contact was able to safely exit the vehicle with minor injuries to the hand. The manufacturer was not notified. The…
Other Chrysler Town AND Country years
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Chrysler Town AND Country?
Owners most often report air bags, electrical system, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 84 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Chrysler Town AND Country?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Chrysler Town AND Country a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Town AND Country model years, the 1997 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.