What 635 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Chrysler Town And Country

Driving home from work, went over train tracks and heard a pop from the passenger air bag. It did not deploy all the way, just came open. I looked online for a recall and although its very common, there wasn't one. It's a plastic peice that let go and it needs complete replacement.

NHTSA ODI 11745788

In August 2025, the front passenger Active Head Restraint (AHR) experienced a sudden mechanical failure and deployed unexpectedly. I immediately contacted my local Chrysler dealership, where a replacement headrest was ordered. The part was placed on an indefinite backorder with no estimated time of arrival (ETA). After several months of receiving no communication, I followed up with the dealer and was given an ETA of May 2, 2026. When that date passed with no word or resolution, I returned to the dealership on June 18, 2026, only to be informed that the parts delivery date had been pushed back yet again to July 3, 2026. In an attempt to make the seat usable, I initially attempted to secure the broken mechanism with heavy-duty zip ties, but the internal spring tension was too strong for them to hold. I was forced to use a ratchet strap to compress it; however, over time, the strap slips under the constant pressure and must be repeatedly retightened. Because Chrysler has failed to provide a critical replacement safety component for nearly a year, I am trapped in a double-sided safety hazard. If I leave the headrest exploded, the seat is physically unusable. Because I am forced to temporarily bind the headrest flat just to utilize the seat, the front passenger now has zero whiplash protection in a rear-end collision. Furthermore, this unstable, makeshift binding poses a continuous, unvetted impact and projectile risk to the middle-row passenger sitting directly behind it. By failing to maintain a reasonable parts supply for a known defect, Chrysler is forcing me to drive a vehicle with a structurally compromised safety system.

NHTSA ODI 11745130

While parked, the headrest on the driver side exploded causing my head to be forced forward abruptly and painfully. There was no warning before this happened. Had I been driving, I may have crashed and caused injury to myself and others.

NHTSA ODI 11741132

2014 Chrysler Town & Country experienced active diagnostic trouble code P2764 — Torque Converter Clutch Pressure Control Circuit Low. Vehicle was non-driveable. Authorized Chrysler dealership technician documented that voltage from TIPM to Valve Body was shorted to ground — confirming a wiring harness electrical defect. The dealership replaced the Valve Body three separate times without resolving the defect. The wiring harness was never permanently repaired despite being identified as the root cause. Manufacturer issued written admission that no repair could ensure resolution after 210 days out of service. The electrical short in the wiring harness affecting the transmission control circuit represents a safety defect that rendered the vehicle inoperable and uncontrollable during acceleration.

NHTSA ODI 11730074

The contact owns a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the driver reached the back seat area, and the front driver's seat headrest erroneously exploded. During the incident, the driver sustained a mild concussion. No medical treatment was required. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 188,000.

NHTSA ODI 11718414

2014 Chrysler Town & Country – VIN [XXX] Both front active head restraints (driver and passenger) have self-deployed without any crash or impact, on two separate occasions about 3–4 years apart. The first occurred around 2019. Each time we were driving normally with occupants seated. We heard a sudden “pop” and the head restraint opened, exposing the internal mechanism. No one was struck or injured, but the unexpected deployment was distracting and occurred close to an occupant. After each event, the head restraint could not be reset or closed and remains deployed. The vehicle now has an airbag/SRS warning light that stays on, suggesting the restraint system may not function properly in a crash. There were no warning lights or symptoms before deployment. The deployed head restraints are still installed and available for inspection. A Chrysler dealer previously acknowledged the issue and ordered a replacement head restraint, but the repair was not completed due to relocation during the COVID period. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11711822

The contact owns a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the charging port located between the 2nd and 3rd row seating on the driver’s side caught on fire. No warning light was illuminated before the failure. The contact pulled off a busy roadway and pulled into a parking lot, all while her 3-year-old son was seated in the 2nd row rear driver's side seat and was being surrounded by smoke. The contact stated that it took approximately 10 minutes to pull over and safely exit the vehicle to remove her son from the vehicle. The contact's son received medical attention for smoke inhalation. The Police and local Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. A Fire report was filed however, the Fire report number was not provided. The origin of the fire was the 110-Volt charging port due to an electrical failure. The contact stated that the child seat was also damaged and needed to be replaced due to the plastic being burned. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where it remained for several weeks. However, the vehicle was later towed back to the local independent dealer where the vehicle was purchased and remained at the dealer for further investigation. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

NHTSA ODI 11701442

We were getting in to the vehicle, the vehicle was parked, and when we were getting in, the side aire bag exploded, hitting my daughter on the face, the car never was in a accident, it wasn’t hit by nothing, the car wasn’t moving, when they exploded, smoke was coming from there

NHTSA ODI 11700223

Back-Up camera/alert system fails frequently. Yes, I can make it available for inspection. Safety concern is obvious Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed No inspection has been performed No prior warning.

NHTSA ODI 11691451

The contact owns a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's seat headrest exploded. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

NHTSA ODI 11690943

The contact owns a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side sliding door failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the alarm activated, and the sliding door seemed as if it would open independently. The contact stated that the failure was persistent and occurred more often during the warmer weather. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 89,500.

NHTSA ODI 11690505

Left Rear sliding door shut door stuck in locked position and will not unlock manually or by powering. Air bag light stays on.

NHTSA ODI 11682226

The contact owns a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the contact's wife sat down in the front passenger’s seat, and several minutes later, the front passenger's seat headrest deployed. The headrest struck the contact's wife on the back of the head; however, no injuries were sustained. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that an unknown plastic piece had detached from the head restraint. The vehicle remained at the dealer pending the repair. The contact stated that two years previously, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's side head restraint deployed unintendedly. The headrest struck the contact on the back of the head; however, no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the headrest was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty on the headrest had expired in September 2023. The approximate failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11681816

Vehicle engine exploded in the middle of the night. Car would remote start on its own as I would lock the doors and walk away prior to the incident. Also the airbag light would come off and on. Notice the day of the incident that the dimmer would disappear and reappear. Very strange I thought. The house could've burned down while we were sleeping. If it wasn't for our neighbors and the quick response of those firefighters it could've possibly burned the house down while we were in there sleeping. The van was picked up by the insurance company two days ago. Not sure what happened as far as it being inspected yet. They have given me the silent treatment. Went to a Chrysler dealership, not where I bought it. This van has had one recall done in 2015. Rear quarter vent window switch.

NHTSA ODI 11676100

The driver's side active restraint headrest deployed unexpectedly while parked. The vehicle has never been in an accident. Upon inspection, I can see where there are plastic retaining holes that that had a metal retaining pin in it cracked. The metal pin was still in its clip. The vehicle is drivable and available for inspection. The vehicle was parked and unoccupied when the head restraint went off. No injuries were incurred. However in order to drive the vehicle now, the seat back must be adjusted back making the driving position awkward. Neither the vehicle nor the component has been inspected by anyone at this time. There were no warning lamps or messages presented prior to the issue. I did recently notice that the back plastic cover on the headrest was askew and figured it had been bumped loose by a rear rider at some time. However, it now seems that this was showing the weakening and deformation of the plastic retaining parts that were holding the metal pin.

NHTSA ODI 11676104

I was adjusting the headrest and the active headrest Broke Free and released. No excessive pressure just a standard adjustment.

NHTSA ODI 11674093

The contact's partner owns a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while his partner was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver noticed smoke coming from the rear driver's side sliding door interior and a strong burning electrical wiring odor. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The contact met the driver and noticed that there was a significant amount of smoke coming from the sliding door with but there was no visible flames. The contact used a fire extinguisher and extinguished the burning and smoke; however, the failure recurred after driving and parking the vehicle at the residence. The contact used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the burning and smoke. The contact the contacted the fire department who completely extinguished the burning. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V234000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The local dealer and other unknown dealers were contacted and informed the contact that the earliest availability to inspect the vehicle was in two weeks and half. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a field investigator would be sent to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000.

NHTSA ODI 11671131

The contact owns a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, she crashed into the rear of a stopped Tesla, which crashed into another unknown vehicle. The floor air bag deployed and struck her knees. The driver's side air bag deployed. The passenger-side airbag deployed backward and struck the front windshield. No warning lights illuminated. The driver's side seat belt fractured. The passenger side seat belt was locked in its original position. The contact was able to continue to drive. A police report was filed. There were no reported fires. The contact sustained bruises to her chest and knees, but medical attention was not provided. The local dealer was not contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 84,135.

NHTSA ODI 11668520

The transmission failed. There were no lights on on the dash, vehicle started making a whining noise and within 12 hrs of the onset the transmission started to fail. The van would lose the ability to accelerate and put my family and other in danger because it happened on the highway and our vehicle was stopped in traffic. The check engine light did not come on until a few hours AFTER the transmission failed, but there were no light indicators prior to this happening. The transmission has been replaced after the damaged transmission was inspected by our mechanic and he stated that with less than 100k miles on the vehicle, based on the amount of metal and debris in the transmission pan, there must have been an issue with it during manufacturing. The original transmission will be returned shortly for a core refund, so will not be available for additional inspection after that. The van was test driven by our mechanic and the issue was replicated while he was driving, ie, it would not accelerate after about 5 minutes of driving.

NHTSA ODI 11656044

Wife was driving down the road and side airbags deployed without cause.

NHTSA ODI 11654981

I was driving in normal conditions and as i went over railroad tracks, which were not overly bumpy, the driverside headrest hit me in the back of my head while driving. It appereared to be popped out. Took it to our mechanic and the plastic that holds the retainer pin is broken, which caused the headrest to spring forward.

NHTSA ODI 11648921

Having to have a new oil cooling housing replaced at 94,102 miles. Also had to change out front struts around 87,000 miles

NHTSA ODI 11644273

The passenger sliding door won't open

NHTSA ODI 11641234

Failure of engine oil filter housing - engine leaking oil If the engine fails, the vehicle could stop in traffic thereby putting the driver and passengers at risk of injury from other traffic. Independent repair service fixed and stated they average 1 a week. The place that diagnosed the problem said they do quite a few repairs on this engine monthly. Nothing reported but this seems to be a common problem with this engine. Large oil drip only indication of problem.

NHTSA ODI 11635727

The active headrest on the driver's seat malfunctioned and deployed while the car was parked in my driveway. I have seen reports where there has happened while driving and has caused concussions. The local Chrysler dealer is in the processes of fixing the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11634965