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Engine coolingPart report

1997 Chrysler Town And Country Engine cooling Problems

Complaints
52about this part
Share
13%of 388 total for the year
Median mileage
59,966miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 52 complaints about the engine cooling of the 1997 Chrysler Town And Country, 13% of the 388 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 59,966 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 3 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I have 1997 dodge Town And Country van and every time it rains the serpentine belt pops off. Dodge told me that this is a known problem and there is no sure way of resolving it. This is very dangerous because there is no power steering once the belts pops off.”

NHTSA complaint #10224288, filed 2008-04, 100,000 miles

“January 2003 - r & r cross over pipes had a crack. Had to replace january 2003 - 3 lugnuts fell off. Had to replace july 2003 - key cylinder locked up. Had to replace and had the car towed. October 2003 - fuel pump went bad. Part broke inside the gas tank. Had to remove the tank and buy a new part. I have a toyota with 128k miles and it has never had any of these problems! I'm thinking about trading the van in.”

NHTSA complaint #10070961, filed 2004-01, 57,199 miles

“Last december 2004 while driving, my steering wheel locked up and I was unable to make a turn. I looked under hood and found s belt had slipped off. I was able to have it fixed. I do not know what caused this. Today 5/9, again, the belt came off as my sister was about to go down an incline. Should she have been in the process of descending, she would have had an accident, because of a sharp turn in the road. At the repair shop I was told that there is a problem that exist with the tensioner in this vehicle, and that it slips off when it rains or if water gets into it. …”

NHTSA complaint #10120727, filed 2005-05, 64,789 miles

“Somewhere between 82,000 & 86,000 miles, my engine began making a ticking sound. Since I was due for an oil change, I took the van in to a nearby shop for an oil change. The first thing the mechanic called me about was an oil leak...he thought the head gasket was blown and was calling for my authorization. When he removed the valve cover, he called back to inform me that I had a broken head. Somehow, one of the stanchions that holds the rocker arm assembly had broken off and the rocker arm next to that stanchion was loose and causing the clicking sound. …”

NHTSA complaint #10070318, filed 2004-01, 82,000 miles

“Van engine dies at any time without any sputtering or warning, like someone turned off the ignition. Will start right up again as soon as I put transmission in neutral and turn key. Often when driving the engine will jerk real hard like I just drove over a speed bump, but engine does not kill. The engine light flashes for a second. Dealer says nothing shows on computer so theres nothing he can do. Chrysler in detroit was called and said the same thing. They were no help at all. I have almost been hit from behind several times due to this problem. …”

NHTSA complaint #10005350, filed 2003-02, 57,350 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine cooling: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201620%
201430%
201341%
201241%
201151%
2010262%
2009101%
2008442%
2007188%
2006153%
2005506%
20041610%
2003177%
2002318%
2001245%
20004715%
1999349%
19986723%
19975213%
199616217%
1995610%
1994117%
19932110%
199264%
1991312%

Other parts of the 1997 Chrysler Town And Country

Air bags
84 complaints
Electrical system
78 complaints
Brakes
46 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
42 complaints
Vehicle speed control
38 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
35 complaints
Steering
29 complaints
Fuel system
22 complaints
Suspension
18 complaints
Exterior lighting
14 complaints
Body and structure
14 complaints
Other or unknown
11 complaints

← All problems reported for the 1997 Chrysler Town And Country

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology