2005 Chrysler Town And Country

This defect petition evaluates July 7, 2014 allegations from an owner of a model year (MY) 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan minivan that engine stall occurs in these vehicles without warning after refueling.The petitioner's vehicle is a Chrysler RS platform minivan.The RS platform includes MY 2003 through 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan, Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country and Chrysler Voyager minivans.NHTSA evaluated the petition by analyzing consumer complaints submitted to the Agency, analyzing field data, reviewing technical information provided in Chrysler's response to an Agency information request and testing an RS minivan identified by its owner as experiencing post-refuel engine stalls.After completing this evaluation, NHTSA has concluded that further investigation is unlikely to result in a finding that a defect related to motor vehicle safety exists.The stalls occurring in these vehicles only occur immediately after filling up the fuel tank and happen at low engine speeds. The failure rate is low, even after 8 to 13 years of the vehicles being in service, and there are no reports of crashes or injuries resulting from the stall condition.In the Agency's view, additional investigation is unlikely to result in finding the existence of a safety-related defect in the subject vehicles.Given the need to allocate and prioritize NHTSA's limited resources to best accomplish the Agency's safety mission, the petition is denied.This action does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency will take further action if warranted by future circumstances. More details concerning our review can be found in the Federal Register Notice for this action.The following 161 VOQs are included in the petition evaluation: 10209242, 10229468, 10240708, 10260923, 10275939, 10276532, 10296487, 10298175, 10328669, 10330144, 10346517, 10349789, 10354758, 10363689, 10372112, 10372368, 10372514, 10378031, 10379764, 10382938, 10387448, 10394063, 10398877, 10413918, 10418652, 10420924, 10427063, 10437525, 10445392, 10446902, 10470028, 10471249, 10473733, 10502231, 10503114, 10504260, 10509862, 10511988, 10512120, 10512385, 10512650, 10513147, 10538154, 10549841, 10551763, 10555188, 10555418, 10556754, 10565367, 10574012, 10574398, 10586555, 10587212, 10587559, 10593433, 10607841, 10607913, 10608922, 10615810, 10622468, 10628141, 10632112, 10632128, 10632172, 10632175, 10632231, 10632262, 10632266, 10632270, 10632305, 10632316, 10632326, 10632370, 10632385, 10632399, 10632492, 10632542, 10632765, 10632833, 10632928, 10633197, 10633281, 10633409, 10633421, 10633483, 10633507, 10637752, 10637804, 10637950, 10637975, 10638032, 10638289, 10638290, 10638401, 10638968, 10639218, 10639623, 10641157, 10641603, 10641614, 10641836, 10644339, 10644705, 10649713, 10649895, 10649932, 10650313, 10652590, 10653147, 10653783, 10654533, 10655226, 10658900, 10659679, 10660320, 10662588, 10662645, 10662662, 10663473, 10667056, 10667437, 10668081, 10668094, 10668131, 10668612, 10668969, 10668970, 10669584, 10669678, 10669729, 10669775, 10669866, 10669895, 10669992, 10670422, 10670506, 10676348, 10676732, 10677120, 10679795, 10679934, 10680057, 10680290, 10680342, 10680714, 10681512, 10682584, 10682906, 10683022, 10683114, 10683549, 10683620, 10683697, 10683743, 10689898, 10690761, 10691284, 10691556, 10691751, 10693061, 10694300

The subject vehicle (SV) population includes MY 2005-2006 vehicles built between March 2004 and December 2005 manufactured with a TRW supplied headlight switch assembly (HSA).The HSA was the primary focus of the investigation; earlier and later vehicles utilized different HSAs.Consumers complain that the headlights in the subject vehicles do not illuminate when the HSA is turned on, or that the headlights extinguish while on (subject failure).No other driving lights are affected.The front marker, tail, and instrument lamps operate.Also, the high beams can be illuminated by holding the turn signal stalk in the up position.As reported by consumers, turning the HSA off and on typically corrects the failure.Initially the failures occur infrequently but they become progressively more frequent with age.Chrysler has indicated its intention to offer of an extended lifetime warranty on the HSA, so that consumers with this problem can have their HSA replaced at no charge when they begin experiencing the subject failure.Commencing sometime in early 2013, Chrysler will send letters to SV owners notifying them of the lifetime warranty.The SV headlight system design is essentially the same as that described in EA 05-009, which involved headlight anomalies in earlier model Chrysler minivans; refer to it to for additional information.The subject failure is caused by friction between the plastic cam and metal surfaces of the electrical contacts in the HSA, which results in the production of plastic particles (debris).Analysis shows that debris can collect on the electrical contact that controls the headlights, resulting in an open circuit and preventing the headlights from turning on.Subsequent operation of the HSA may temporarily displace the debris, at which time the headlights operate correctly.Lubricant was applied to the plastic cam beginning in December 2005, reducing debris production.Consequently, subsequent failure levels were lower.The report counts shown above include only those that involve the subject failure.Reports involving other failure modes which were identified have not been included either because they were not safety related, or if they were safety related, because there was no defect trend.The single crash event listed in the Failure Report Summary Table above involved a deer strike allegedly due to loss of headlights in February 2006.No injuries were reported in this crash.An April 2004 non-crash incident (?Other? above) involved a momentary loss of headlights.The consumer drove into a ditch, and one minor injury was alleged. The subject vehicles experienced a 2.2% warranty claim rate.While standing alone this would appear to be significant, a portion of these warranty claims likely involve other problems with the HSA unrelated to the subject failure.In view of the on road experience of drivers in rapidly restoring headlight illumination by turning the headlight switch off and on again, the rate and particularly the recent trend in problems with the switch, and Chrysler?s extended lifetime warranty coupled with the owner notification of that extended warranty, further investigation does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, the investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Details on Chrysler?s lifetime HSA warranty extension for the SV population will be available in the public file for this investigation.

On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.Analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.The rental car companies representing the largest market share in the industry were then queried as to their respective policies for the rental, lease, and sale of vehicles with open recalls.The data and responses from the manufacturers and the rental car companies can be found in the document repository by accessing the ?Associated Documents link above.In December 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.One section of the Act prohibits rental car companies from renting, leasing, or selling motor vehicles subject to open safety recalls.With the passage of the FAST Act and its prohibition, there is no continuing need for the agency to investigate rental car recall completions.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The agency reserves the right to open any future investigations, including audits of individual recalls, or groups of recalls, or rental car companies, to examine more closely safety recalls performance and completion issues in this area.

To date, ODI has interviewed several complainants who confirmed that the headlights fully extinguish, and remain extinguished, on an intermittent basis.In most cases this occurred while the vehicle was in motion.The occurrences do not show a repeatable pattern, and the problem occurs at a low frequency, typically one or more weeks between failures.For this reason most complainants have not attempted diagnosis or repair of the problem, so the cause is unknown, and the problem continues to occur.In the cases where repairs have been attempted, which consisted mainly of headlight switch and body control module replacements, mixed success is reported.In interviews complainants advised ODI that they can usually toggle the headlight switch, or turn on the high beams by actuating the column stalk (pulling it upward), when the headlights unexpectedly turn off.Complainants report that toggling the switch is usually effective, and the high beams have always been available when the column is used.During the course of the interviews ODI was able to obtain a few suspect headlamp switches for further evaluation.No verifiable crashes or injuries have been identified in the vehicle owner complaints (VOQs).Chrysler notes that its complaints also include allegations of dimming or flickering of the headlights in addition to loss of headlamps, and that their analysis of available data indicates a declining trend occurring in the field.Chrysler data reports two alleged crash incidents; one where a consumers vehicle lost forward lighting and struck a deer, and one where a consumer alleged their lighting stopped working, causing them to depart the roadway and drive into a ditch.A minor injury is alleged in this second incident.Both incidents occurred several years ago, and neither allegation has been confirmed by ODI.ODI is upgrading this investigation to an Engineering Analysis (EA11-010) to continue its analysis of the alleged defect and its consequences, which will include additional analysis of consumer reports, their frequency and trend, and Chrysler's technical information for the headlight system and its components.Additionally testing will be conducted to evaluate possible root cause(s) of the alleged defect, and will include analysis of suspect components collected from the field, and/or assessment of subject vehicles that have reportedly experienced the condition.

Headlights: low beams do not work at all but high beams do. Second time this vehicle has had the same problem. Last time Chrysler replaced under a lifetime replacement, just short of a recall yet here I am having the same problem again.

NHTSA ID

11613666

Incident

Sep 3, 2024

The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while attempting to make a left turn at a red light at approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled almost causing the contact to crash into another vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was drivable and was taken to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with a wheel bearing failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to several other independent mechanics who provided different diagnosis and repaired the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of this failure. The failure mileage was 188,000.

NHTSA ID

11605249

Incident

Jul 17, 2024

Mileage

188,000 mi

The contact owned a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country. While driving on a country road when a truck turned in the front on the contact. The motor came through the firewall crushing his legs and trapping the contact in the vehicle. The neighbor came and pulled the contact out of the vehicle. The contact sustained blood clots in one leg and pinched nerves. The ambulance came and rushed the contact to the hospital and he was in the hospital for 15 days. A police report was filed. The fire department came and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was totaled. The contact was the only person in the vehicle. The airbag did deploy. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The mileage was 152,000

NHTSA ID

11461396

Incident

May 4, 2019

Mileage

152,000 mi

The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country. The contact stated that the airbag warning light had been illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle's front side impact sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V008000 (Air Bags) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that his vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

NHTSA ID

11453806

Incident

Jul 1, 2021

Mileage

175,000 mi

AFTER 2 complaints about defective air bag sensors "THAT GOT ME NOWHERE", I guess you can forget about it because I put a piece of tape over the airbag light. they put the junk sensors in ALL the 2005 vans and some 2006 but for some reason NOT ALL WERE RECALLED.. I don't understand why this hasn't been resolved.. I'll be [XXX] if I'm paying 300-400 bucks for something that other people are getting repaired for free.. THANKS FOR NOTHING... INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11437108

Incident

Oct 18, 2021

The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that there was a tracking device placed on the vehicle which caused the vehicle to stall without warning. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 314.

NHTSA ID

11429875

Incident

Aug 20, 2016

Mileage

314 mi

The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the parking brake warning light had illuminated the instrument panel. After she checked her parking brake and saw that it was not engaged, she continued to drive and noticed an abnormal rubber odor coming from the vehicle. She continued driving and then noticed white smoke coming from the dashboard. The contact panicked and attempted to stop the vehicle however, the vehicle continued to accelerate independently. The contact was able to drive the vehicle into a parking lot and placed the vehicle in park. The smoke then progressed from white to black as she tried to exit the vehicle however, she was unable to exit the vehicle since all the electrical features were inoperable. The contact then heard her doors unlock after multiple attempts to open them and immediately ran out of the vehicle. The contact called her husband who was a mechanic and he was able to drive the vehicle to their home. The authorities were not called to the scene and no injuries were reported. The contact's husband was able to assess the vehicle damage and discovered an active fire inside the dashboard module which he was able to extinguish. Her husband was able to determine that internal wiring within the module had caused the fire. Several electrical failures, as well as severe internal damage, rendered the vehicle undrivable. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

NHTSA ID

11426656

Incident

Apr 22, 2021

Mileage

190,000 mi

Instrument cluster started spazing out then smelled wires burning. Resulted in the body control module catching fire.

NHTSA ID

11420222

Incident

Jun 5, 2021

Transmission Kit with Torque Converter 1. All Promaster (VF) 3.6L/62TE equipped vehicles. If the transmission bracket to the transmission case fasteners are removed during servicing, the fasteners (Part Number 06511385A$) are one-time usage. Vehicles built prior to 10/23/2015 requires Service Kit PN 68461214AA; includes Transmission Isolator PN 68264483AA, and Adaptation Bracket 68264479AA and Fastener Service Kit PN 68329056AA Vehicles built after on or after 10/23/2015 will require only the Fastener Service Kit PN 68329056AA. 2. All 3.6L/62TE equipped vehicles. If the vehicle you are repairing has a crack in the flex plate or failed pump bushing inspect and confirm that both (2) dowel pins are present in the engine block, which align the transmission center line to the crank shaft centerline and visually inspect the dowel alignment holes in the transmission case. If the holes are damaged or elongated the transmission should be replaced to prevent further damage to the transmission/flexplate or pump bushing due to the inability to properly align the engine to the transmission during the repair. 3. All 62TE equipped vehicles. If pump bushing is scored or damaged and the dowel pin alignment holes are ok, replace the pump assembly as opposed to complete transmission. 4. All 62TE equipped vehicles. If vehicle is jerking/slipping with MIL code(s) P0740 or P2764, check TCC Solenoid operation. If TCC Solenoid is ok, the codes are indicative of a torque converter failure. Replace the torque converter.

Transmission Kit with Torque Converter 1. All Promaster (VF) 3.6L/62TE equipped vehicles. If the transmission bracket to the transmission case fasteners are removed during servicing, the fasteners (Part Number 06511385A$) are one-time usage. Vehicles built prior to 10/23/2015 requires Service Kit PN 68461214AA; includes Transmission Isolator PN 68264483AA, and Adaptation Bracket 68264479AA and Fastener Service Kit PN 68329056AA Vehicles built after on or after 10/23/2015 will require only the Fastener Service Kit PN 68329056AA. 2. All 3.6L/62TE equipped vehicles. If the vehicle you are repairing has a crack in the flex plate or failed pump bushing inspect and confirm that both (2) dowel pins are present in the engine block, which align the transmission center line to the crank shaft centerline and visually inspect the dowel alignment holes in the transmission case. If the holes are damaged or elongated the transmission should be replaced to prevent further damage to the transmission/flexplate or pump bushing due to the inability to properly align the engine to the transmission during the repair. 3. All 62TE equipped vehicles. If pump bushing is scored or damaged and the dowel pin alignment holes are ok, replace the pump assembly as opposed to complete transmission. 4. All 62TE equipped vehicles. If vehicle is jerking/slipping with MIL code(s) P0740 or P2764, check TCC Solenoid operation. If TCC Solenoid is ok, the codes are indicative of a torque converter failure. Replace the torque converter.

KEY, Master If replacing the key/FOBIK on a WJ, KJ, TJ, or PT Cruiser, use the "AC" NIC level part number. The "AB" NIC level will not program to these platforms. For all other platforms, if the "AB" NIC level will not program to the vehicle, use the "AC" NIC level part and submit a part warranty.

KEY, Master If replacing the key/FOBIK on a WJ, KJ, TJ, or PT Cruiser, use the "AC" NIC level part number. The "AB" NIC level will not program to these platforms. For all other platforms, if the "AB" NIC level will not program to the vehicle, use the "AC" NIC level part and submit a part warranty.

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Charging System, Battery Diagnostic Tools and Warranty This information only bulletin discusses using the correct test equipment for testing batteries and charging systems, and also warranty reimbursement when battery replacements are necessary.