2000 Chrysler Town And Country Problems

What owners report

Owners of this minivan most commonly describe the serpentine belt slipping off the pulleys when driving through rain, puddles, or snowmelt, which brings a sudden loss of power steering. Other frequently reported problems include rear brake line corrosion leading to a soft or failing pedal, strut tower rust, clockspring failures that take out the horn and airbag light, and heated seats that overheat or scorch the upholstery. These complaints span a wide range of mileages, with the corrosion-related ones most common on higher-mileage, older examples.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Serpentine belt slips off in wet weather

   • 41 complaints (13%)
   • median 91,308 mi at 8.5 yrs old (35 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2016

   Owners describe the serpentine belt jumping off the pulleys after driving through rain, puddles, or snowmelt, which brings an immediate loss of power steering and sometimes overheating or dashboard warning lights. Several say the belt came off repeatedly even after replacement, and some mechanics reportedly told them this was a known trait of these minivans. A few owners installed aftermarket belt kits in an attempt to keep it in place. Reported across a wide mileage range (roughly 1,000 to 160,000 miles) and tied to wet or rainy driving conditions rather than a specific mileage.

   What to check: Ask the seller whether the belt has ever come off in rain, and check the belt and idler pulleys for an aftermarket fix or signs of repeated replacement.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While raining and on vacation we drove through a puddle. Almost immediately the radiator light came on, the temperature gauge read, hot, we lost power steering, and then the alternator light came on. We had the vehicle towed only to learn that the serpentine belt slipped off and was dragging on the ground.”

   NHTSA complaint #10037179, filed 2003-09, 46,800 miles

   “My serpentine belt has come off 4 times. I have informed the dealer of this problem during warranty time period and nonwarrantly time period. The dealer and other mechanics keep charging me to temporarily fix a manufacturer recall problem. My wife drives the van, normally with children with her. This is very dangerous and needs to be corrected immediately. This is a very common problem for this type of vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #10221154, filed 2008-03, 91,672 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Struts and shock towers rusting through

   • 25 complaints (8%)
   • median 97,500 mi at 8.6 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • filed 2004–2015

   Owners report corrosion of the strut towers, worse on the driver's side, with some finding the metal perforated or the strut mount separating from the body. Several say they asked dealers about coverage or a service kit and were told no recall applied or that work was only done under warranty, while a Chrysler service letter on the area was mentioned in some accounts. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 170,000 miles on vans in salt-belt use.

   What to check: Open the hood and look at the strut tower tops and bolts for rust, bubbling paint, or perforation, and check underneath the wheel wells.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2000 Chrysler Town And Country van with rusting strut towers. The drivers side has more than the passengers side. The drivers side is about to push through and go into the hood. I asked my dealer about any safety recalls or modifications, they said no. I have seen the Chrysler service letter and asked my dealer about it and they said that the work should be done when working in that area under warranty to in stall the Chrysler update kit. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10239545, filed 2008-08, 51,572 miles

   “1996-2000 Chrysler and dodge mini vans. Could be any model of the van within each divisions lineup. Not every van has this problem but many many do and Chrysler has dropped the ball not picking up the tab for the repairs of hundreds of thousands of these mini vans. Chronic rusting of the strut towers in these vans. Especially the drivers side (like mine). I have found this is a very prevalent problem in these vans due to improper manufacturing and sealing of the strut tower after doing some extensive research on the internet. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10286718, filed 2009-10, 90,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag and horn failures from clockspring

   • 23 complaints (8%)
   • median 94,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2018

   Owners describe the airbag warning light staying on while the horn, cruise control, and steering-wheel radio buttons stop working, with the clockspring in the steering wheel hub identified as the failed part. Some report the part cost several hundred dollars to replace and that replacement parts were on back order, and one complaint describes an airbag that appeared to be deploying on its own. Reported mostly between about 60,000 and 140,000 miles.

   Recall 04V480000

   What to check: Turn the key on and confirm the airbag light goes out, and test the horn and steering-wheel controls; ask whether the clockspring recall work was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2000 Chrysler Town And Country limited all wheel drive mini van. I brought the van in for service on june 30th because the airbag light was staying on , also nothing was working on the steering wheel. The radio controls, the cruise control, the horn, and I presume the airbag. The dealer is charging me $500.00 to replace the clock spring in the steering wheel. This is a electronic control box that operates everything in the steering wheel. There should be a recall on this part.”

   NHTSA complaint #10079141, filed 2004-07, 62,305 miles

   “I took my 2000 Chrysler mini van to the conyer, ga dealership to find out why my airbag light came on and my horn stopped working and I was told by the service man that I would be charge $89.00 just for them to look at the problem. I just recently found out that this is a major problem with all mini vans dating back several years ago. I was almost hit by another vehicle because my horn in my van wasn't working. This is a safety issue and the manufacturer should issue a immediate recall before someone gets kill.”

   NHTSA complaint #10160091, filed 2006-06, 129,880 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Rear brake line corrosion and fluid loss

   • 28 complaints (9%)
   • median 91,819 mi at 9.0 yrs old (21 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2013

   Owners describe the brake pedal suddenly going soft or to the floor, then finding that steel or flexible brake lines near the rear or under the driver's door had rusted through and were leaking fluid. In several cases this happened with little warning at low speed, and dealers confirmed the corrosion and replaced the lines; some owners were told their VIN was not covered by any related recall. Reported mostly between about 57,000 and 93,000 miles on vehicles several years old.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have the rear and under-body brake lines inspected for rust and fluid weeping, and ask whether they have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “As I backed out of my downward sloping driveway the brake pedal went to the floor and it was necessary to apply emergency brake to prevent entry into the street. Visual inspection of the rear brake lines revealed rust/corrosion on both sides of the flexible stainless steel segments which are located about 1 foot to the rear of the ABS module. One of these sections had ruptured causing the loss of braking. I have removed the line from the ABS module and cut it about a foot from the rupture. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10211493, filed 2007-12, 89,042 miles

   “On saturday, march 3, 2007, I experienced a sudden loss of my brakes upon stopping at a stop sign at a four-way controlled intersection. A pick-up truck on my right side had the right-of-way and had begun to proceed through when my 2000 town & country lxi brakes failed and went through the stop sign. Fortunately, the other driver was able to stop without incident. I had my minivan towed to our mechanic who found the brake lines were both severely corroded/rusted, one totally through the metal, the other nearly so. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10184604, filed 2007-03, 92,786 miles
5. 5
   Seats

   Heated front seats overheating or burning

   • 23 complaints (8%)
   • median 53,000 mi at 4.4 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 14 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2008

   Owners describe the seat heater getting extremely hot within seconds, scorching or burning a hole through the leather and in some cases burning the occupant's leg. One report notes the seat burned while unoccupied. A Chrysler customer satisfaction notice on heated seat elements is referenced in service literature for this symptom. Reported mostly between about 45,000 and 60,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: If the van has heated seats, switch them on briefly and check the upholstery and seams for discoloration or burn marks, and ask whether the seat elements were replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving my car with the seat heater on, it suddenly got very hot, so I turned the heater off. When I got to my destination I saw a hole about the size of a pencil eraser had burned through the leather. I later realized that there was a hole in my pants and the back of my leg was burnt. When I contacted Chrysler, I was told that I would have to pay for all repairs since my 3 year warranty was up. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10107733, filed 2005-01, 54,000 miles

   “2000 Chrysler town& country (limited) owed for 2 years 11 months, 57300 miles -I went to my vehicle to run an errand. While sitting in my driveway, I turned on the seat heater to warm it up due to the severe cold. The seat began to smoke and burned through the leather seat. I immediately turned off the seat heater and saw glowing embers around the hole that was created from a high heat source. I turned seat heater back on to confirm the source of the glowing embers. Sparks began to shot out of hole in burnt leather seat. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10003137, filed 2003-01, 57,257 miles

Buying note. These vans are old enough that condition matters more than the model itself, so have a mechanic check the brake lines, strut towers, and belt routing before purchase. Ask for records on the clockspring recall and any seat heater repairs.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.