1997 Chrysler Town & Country Problems, Recalls & Reliability
546 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1997 Chrysler Town & Country, alongside 9 recall campaigns and 6 defect investigations. It scores 25/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 100,000 miles.
Typical
Where 1997 sits among all Town & Country years
What owners report
“Engine compartment fire, possibly electrical system failure, claim # 12-0651-368. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Town & Country
“The air bag light stayed on, the cruise/horn does not work, and the clockspring was found to be defective. The clockspring was replaced. Mr scc”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Town & Country
“Engine failed on interstate while traveling at 70 mph. Problem is intermittent. Dealers have not been able to correct problem.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Town & Country
“Front and rear brakes became weak and could not stop the vehicle resulting in accident. Yh”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Town & Country
“Transmission failed on high speed road in traffic. Lost power & dealer reported gear failure. Chrysler should pay but won't”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Town & Country
“Sudden acceleration resulted in an accident. (drivers foot was not on the accelerator).”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Town & Country
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 112 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 90,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 58,456 and 133,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (9)
CURT MFG IS RECALLING CERTAIN CLASS 3 RECEIVER HITCHES, P/N 13347, SOLD AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON 1997-2007 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY VANS, 1996-2007 DODGE CARAVANS, AND 1996-2004 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER VANS. WHEN THE HITCH IS LOADED TO THE MAXIMUM…
Fix: CURT MFG WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND WILL REPLACE THE HITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING AUGUST 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CURT MFG AT 1-715-831-8713.
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, MODELS WIX FILTER PART NUMBERS 33576, 33577, 33734; NAPA FILTER PART NUMBERS 3576, 3577, 3734; AND CARQUEST FILTER PART NUMBERS 86576, 86577, 86734 USED ON 1996-2000 DAIMLERCHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY, DODGE CARAVAN,…
Fix: WIX WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. NOTE: THIS DOES NOT INVOLVE ANY PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED BY THE DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORP. NOR ANY DAILMERCHRYSLER DEALERS.…
AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 17, 2002, AND JANUARY 20, 2003, SOLD UNDER THE BRAND NAMES LISTED ABOVE. THE FILTER MAY EXPERIENCE MALFUNCTION OF THE QUICK CONNECTOR EITHER BLOCKING FUEL FLOW TO THE ENGINE OR CAUSING A…
Fix: AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS FOR 1995-2000 SHORT WHEELBASE CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY, PLYMOUTH VOYAGER AND DODGE CARAVAN MINIVANS PART NO. 18232 AND DATE CODE 0237, 0249, OR 0252.…
ON CERTAIN MINI VANS, THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY MAY HAVE BEEN WOUND INCORRECTLY DURING THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY PROCESS.
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…
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, SOME TRIM MATERIAL CAN LOOSEN AND DROP INTO THE REAR OUTBOARD SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO BECOME INOPERATIVE.
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…
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.
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…
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.
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…
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.
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…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH INTEGRAL CHILD SEATS. THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL REGULATION 573. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. ON THE INTEGRAL CHILD SEAT,…
Fix: OWNERS ARE BEING PROVIDED WITH A VIDEO TAPE AND 2 HARNESS CLIPS. THE VIDEO TAPE INSTRUCTS OWNERS ON THE PROPER USE AND MAINTENANCE OF THE CHILD SEATS.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 02V293000.
Led to recall campaign 00V268000.
Led to recall campaign 97I001000.
Technical service bulletins
151 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and engine — are on file for the 1997 Chrysler Town & Country. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1997 Town & Country TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1997 Chrysler Town & Country reliable?
The 1997 Chrysler Town & Country drew 546 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 25/100, scored against the model's worst year (2008).
What are the most common 1997 Chrysler Town & Country problems?
The top reported problems for the 1997 Chrysler Town & Country are electrical (99 complaints), airbags (85), and engine (61).
At what mileage do 1997 Chrysler Town & Country problems show up?
Owners most often report 1997 Chrysler Town & Country problems around 90,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 58,456 and 133,000 miles.
Does the 1997 Chrysler Town & Country have recalls?
9 recall campaigns apply to the 1997 Chrysler Town & Country. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.