What 521 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Chrysler Town And Country

Owner was driving car and noticed high pitch whir at low speed upon entering the highway, had the radio been on then this noise would not have been noticed. Driver was able to exit the highway. Upon reaching a stoplight the vehicle revved up to 60mph then down to zero. When barely compressing the gas this occurred again. Owner quickly turned off and on vehicle hoping to reset whatever was happening. Upon restarting and barely pressing gas the vehicle lurched forward with high rpm. Driver was in high traffic area at height of rush hour, but was able to cross 4 lanes of traffic to a side street. Car was towed to dealership where it was confirmed that the transmission pump had failed and metal shards had gone through the transmission causing full replacement to be needed. No warning lights went off on vehicle and vehicle had been serviced regularly with no warning of failure. Loss of control of vehicle in heavy traffic was unexpected and dangerous. Vehicle had 49,787 miles at time of failure.

NHTSA ODI 11498641

The transmission pump failed suddenly, resulting in severe slippage in the transmission and loss of motive power for the vehicle. The vehicle struggled to stay up to road speeds on the highway until I could get it parked in a safe place to get my family out of the vehicle. Later on that day, I tried to take the vehicle around the block, to which it barely would make it back to it's starting point it was slipping so badly. A local Chrysler dealer has diagnosed the transmission is bad specifically citing a bad pump in the transmission. There were no warning lamps or indicators alerting us to this problem, just the sudden failure of the transmission putting me and my family in an unsafe situation. This vehicle meets all the criteria of a Chrysler Town and Country listed on Recall 16v-461 (S44 within FCA's nomenclature). The build date of our van falls squarely within the build date window listed in the recall. Recall states 7/31/15 through 4/18/2016 build dates are affected--our van states Build date of 11/15 on the door jamb. However, after contacting multiple dealerships and Chrysler themselves, they claim our van is not a part of this recall as the VIN number is not associated with the recall. I don't understand. The recall calls out the failure of the transmission oil pump, and that is the exact part that has failed on our van causing an unsafe sudden failure of the transmission in our van. I think it is a failure on FCA's part to not associate all the vehicles with this recall that in reality should be associated with this recall. This is wrong.

NHTSA ODI 11497722

On my 2016 Town & Country, the check engine light went on. The repair facility said the code is PO740 (transmission torque converter circuit). Another repair facility says the transmission needs to be replaced. The vehicle has only 61,XXX miles.

NHTSA ODI 11496739

The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while shifting into reverse, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she continuously moved the gear shifter from park to reverse(R) and drive(D) until the vehicle responded after shifting into drive(D). The contact was able to drive the vehicle however, the vehicle would not exceed 20 MPH. The contact engaged the hazards lights and continued driving. The contact stated that upon pulling into her driveway, the check engine warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the dealer needed to diagnose the vehicle before they could cover the repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V461000 (Power Train). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact followed up with the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer informed the contact that they could not assist and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,283.

NHTSA ODI 11495775

During idle, or driving under various conditions, vehicle will randomly "shut down". This can happen driving through a corner or on the interstate at 70mph. Once it shuts down, you lose braking and steering assist. Still have headlight and accessory power. Car will start right back up either putting it in neutral and turning the key, or coming to a stop and putting it in park. Doesn't hesitate to crank, appears to have fuel pressure and spark. There is no correlation to this issue with driving conditions. Sometimes will happen multiple times in a day, sometimes wont happen for a week. Research suggests that this is a very common issue across many years of vehicles that have used the 3.6L Pentastar engine, however no TSB's or recalls have been issue for the 2016 T&C exhibiting this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11495633

The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise near the floor of the vehicle. The contact then stated that while the vehicle was idling at a stop, she depressed the accelerator pedal; however, RPM’s increased rapidly but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to coast the vehicle off the road. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact referenced the NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V461000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11495524

The driver side rear sliding door is stuck in a closed and locked position. All attempts to open or unlock it using fobs, interior buttons, or manual force have failed. Others with this same issue seem to attribute it to a known lock actuator issue. Inability to exit the vehicle is a safety concern. I have not yet seen a mechanic for it. There were and continue to be no warnings/symptoms/indications that the vehicle computer system recognizes the problem. Prior to this, both sliding doors have occasionally 'glitched' by repeatedly closing automatically, unbidden - also a safety issue if children are caught or injured by the unexpected action.

NHTSA ODI 11495221

The contact owns a 2015 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to reverse the vehicle, the vehicle failed to perform as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to drive the vehicle to her destination even though the reverse was inoperable. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the transmission solenoid needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the independent mechanic eight months later and was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.

NHTSA ODI 11493989

The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country Van. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal noise under the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that when shifted into reverse or drive, the transmission intermittently failed to shift to the intended gear. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11493020

The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently down shifted to first gear. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift 3rd or 4th gear. The contact stated that after the vehicle down shifted, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he quickly pulled the vehicle off the roadway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the passenger’s side sliding door failed to open as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the actuator failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

NHTSA ODI 11489789

Oil filter housing assembly has oil leaking from it

NHTSA ODI 11488555

SLIDING DOORS CANNOT BE UNLOCKED MANUALY. THIS IS DANGEROUS AS IF PRSON NEEDE TO EXIT IN EMERGENCY THEY CANT.

NHTSA ODI 11488556

The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while attempting to strap the car seat into the 3rd row seat belt, the buckle failed to attach. The contact stated that an internal piece was missing. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there was no recall on the VIN and there was no warranty on the vehicle. The contact was advised to purchase the parts for the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000

NHTSA ODI 11486973

Cylinder 3 missfire Loss of hydraulic pump prime. Line pressure low. LC pressure switch rationality. Yes it's available for inspection. Unknown if reproduced by dealer or other Unknown if inspected by manufacturer or other. The check engine light came on a little after 90k miles, at which time it was out of warranty, the mechanic said it had a weak cylinder and the motor needed to be replaced or rebuilt, but it was still drivable. The van would start shaking and loses power under moderate acceleration (like getting on interstate) and begin dinging but eventually gain power back. Around 119k miles, the van made a loud Squealing sound and started loosing speed very quickly in the middle of traffic. I put the car in park and back in drive to see if I could get it out of the road. It then started to roll backwards I barely pushed the gas and it revved up to 6000 RPM and then jerked and quickly accelerated forward. If a car would have been close enough I would have hit them while rolling backwards and when it accelerated forward. Upon inspection, the faults listed above came up. The van is no longer drivable but still starts.

NHTSA ODI 11486191

WE WERE GETTING BACK INTO THE VEHICLE AND THE PASSENGER HEAD REST ACTIVATED AND POPPED OUT

NHTSA ODI 11486096

Engine needed to be replaced 1 year ago. Transmission began skipping and losing pressure and now needs to be rebuilt

NHTSA ODI 11483252

The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate while in first gear before jumping into the next gear without warning. In addition, the contact also stated that an abnormal grinding sound would emit from the vehicle without warning. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed him that the transaxle oil pump was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact was then notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V461000 (Power Train) which the mechanic linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

NHTSA ODI 11480515

The passenger side sliding door will not open. The lock became stuck in the locked position and it will not unlock. It cannot be unlocked by hand, the unlock button inside the van, or with the key fob. This is dangerous because nobody can get out through that door in the case of an emergency.

NHTSA ODI 11480642

The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the passenger side sliding door emits a buzzing noise. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11478789

The transmission fails. When this happens the call stalls or jerks while driving. This was seen by my local mechanic for the pump and the transmission is now being serviced by another independent repair shop. When the issue originally happens there were many lights that went off. once the pump was replaced a few months later we got the check engine light where we found major damage to the transmission (torque converter, solenoid block, and Drum).

NHTSA ODI 11478832

The rear passenger door no longer operates. Have been told it is a door actuator problem. How can a car manufacturer in 2016 not make a functioning part that would kill my children if the vehicle were to become submerged in water/catch on fire/ or need immediate evacuation. Chrysler should be ashamed they have not recalled and fixed this defective part that they have known since 2008 was a problem. Other than non functioning brakes and seat belts..... what could be more important than evacuation during an emwrgency??emergency???

NHTSA ODI 11478365

Rear side passenger doors. At times they do not work remotely or manually. They go into a lock position and there are no means of opening them. If there are passengers in the vehicle, they are locked inside without any means to get out those doors. At the present time on my vehicle, one is working and the other is in a lock position. I am calling the dealer today to set up an appointment to resolve. This is a very serious problem if someone was to have passengers and have to exit the vehicle through those doors quickly, or are not able to climb out the front or back doors, I feel could lead to a liability or lawsuit against the manufacturer.

NHTSA ODI 11477505

my left sliding door just opens at any giving time i have been sitting in my house on several occasions and my neighbors ring my doorbell to tell me my door is open i get out of my vehicle and the door just opens up out of nowhere thats the left sliding door. The right sliding door makes a buzzing sound when i lock it and unlock it. suppose i have my grandchild in the back when that door just decides to open on it's own

NHTSA ODI 11474770

Driver's side sliding door lock remains locked in the locked position. It will not unlock and will not unlock, when using the unlock button. Will not unlock manually. Unable to open using interior or exterior door handles. All other door locks operate when using unlock button. Unsafe and difficult, when handicap individuals try to exit vehicle. Unable to open in case of emergency.

NHTSA ODI 11472939

I have a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country and just about every time the doors lock the drivers side sliding door makes this loud buzzing noise. Research shows that the door lock actuator is probably failing. My fear is that the door lock itself may fail. I expect the doors on the vehicle to lock when they are supposed to. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed by Chrysler.

NHTSA ODI 11469931