1998 Chrysler Town & Country Problems, Recalls & Reliability
397 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1998 Chrysler Town & Country, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 6 defect investigations. It scores 17/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 132,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 1998 Chrysler Town & Country has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 1998 sits among all Town & Country years
What owners report
“Consumer states the head lights is foging up causing low visability. Please provide any additional information. Ph”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Town & Country
“The vehile caught fire in the engine compartment while parked, claim # 13-7057-975”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Town & Country
“While driving the vehicles air bag warning light illuminated and stayed on. Possible clock spring failure. Vehicle made in march 98, 2 weeks outside of recall limit.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Town & Country
“The transmission module was replaced but not smooth between first and second gears. Yh”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Town & Country
“While driving in snow and rain for one day the steering wheel froze up, the battery light went on, and i was no longer able to drive. I was on a flat street and in motion when it occurred.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Town & Country
“Complete failure of the brake system due to a rupture of a brake line. Lucky for us we were on a flat section of road and drifted to a stop. If we had been three seconds later we would have crashed into cross traffic.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Town & Country
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 144 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 102,058 miles. Half of those reports fall between 69,400 and 146,986 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
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 CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF…
Fix: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND…
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT BRAKE CYLINDERS FOR CERTAIN FORD, DAIMLERCHRYSLER, AND JEEP PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE BRAKE CYLINDERS WERE SOLD UNDER THE BRAND NAMES OF NAPA, RAYBESTOS, AIMCO, AC DELCO, CARQUEST,…
Fix: AFFINIA (BRAKE PARTS, INC.) WILL REPLACE THE SUBJECT BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2006. OWNERS CAN CONTACT AFFINA GROUP CUSTOMER SERVICE AT…
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG MAY BECOME DISABLED DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE CLOCKSPRING, WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE HUB OF THE STEERING WHEEL.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY ON ALL COVERED VEHICLES WITH 70,000 MILES OR LESS. FOR THOSE VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 70,000 MILES, DAIMLERCHRYSLER WILL OFFER AN EXTENDED LIFETIME…
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: PASSENGER MINIVANS EQUIPPED WITH INTEGRATED CHILD SEATS. THE SHOULDER HARNESS RESTRAINT WEBBING WAS INCORRECTLY ROUTED AROUND THE METAL REINFORCEMENT BAR ON THESE SEATS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE ROUTING OF THE SHOULDER BELT WEBBING AND ANY FOUND INCORRECT WILL BE PROPERLY ROUTED.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 04V480000.
Led to recall campaign 02V293000.
Led to recall campaign 00V268000.
Technical service bulletins
134 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and electrical — are on file for the 1998 Chrysler Town & Country. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1998 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 1998 Chrysler Town & Country reliable?
The 1998 Chrysler Town & Country drew 397 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 17/100, scored against the model's worst year (2008).
What are the most common 1998 Chrysler Town & Country problems?
The top reported problems for the 1998 Chrysler Town & Country are electrical (78 complaints), engine (77), and airbags (45).
At what mileage do 1998 Chrysler Town & Country problems show up?
Owners most often report 1998 Chrysler Town & Country problems around 102,058 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 69,400 and 146,986 miles.
Does the 1998 Chrysler Town & Country have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 1998 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.