2009 Chrysler Town And Country Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2009 Town & Country most often describe the engine shutting off or the key not behaving as expected — stalling while driving, failing to start, or the key sticking in the ignition — and many tie these reports to the ignition-related recall. A second large group describes the key fob or ignition switch turning off and on and doors or windows that stop responding. Most reports come in between roughly 60,000 and 100,000 miles, though some appear much earlier.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Engine stalls or shuts off while driving (ignition/key)

   • 265 complaints (37%)
   • median 82,000 mi at 6.1 yrs old (213 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $628 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2009–2025

   Complaints describe the engine quitting without warning while driving, sometimes at highway speed, with the key apparently moving out of the run position or the ignition cutting power. Owners report losing power steering and power brakes with the stall and being able to restart, sometimes only after shifting to neutral, and some say the key is hard to turn or sticks in the switch. Several say the dealer confirmed the stalling matched the ignition recall, and some report the symptom came back after the recall repair was performed. Reported from about 25,000 to 185,000 miles, with many between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, on both smooth and bumpy roads.

   Recall 14V3730003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the ignition recall and any later parts were installed, and request the service history. Test that the engine restarts cleanly from several key positions and that the key seats and releases easily.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving along a smooth road, not accelerating or stopping when the engine shut off. This has happened 3 times. I was able to get off the road one of the times, the other two I could restart the engine without having to stop. This makes driving this car a hazard to drive. All I get from the dealer is I can trade it in if it bothers me.”

   NHTSA complaint #10572559, filed 2014-03, 85,000 miles

   “The below incident happened twice on 6 march and once on 7 march. The vehicle cutoff while driving. This resulted in a loss of power brakes and power steering. Unfortunately, this was not the first time this occurred. It happened a couple weeks ago as well. I was able to bring the car to a stop and restart the car again. This is a very dangerous situation. I forbid my wife and kids from driving the vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10692759, filed 2015-03, 96,660 miles
2. 2
   Wheels

   Tire pressure sensors and valve stems breaking or false

   • 37 complaints (5%)
   • median 57,526 mi at 4.5 yrs old (36 state mileage)
   • filed 2011–2022

   Owners report valve stems that corrode, crack or break off while adding air, and TPMS warnings that flash false low-pressure readings or show dashes instead of tire pressures. Some say a stem let go while driving. Complaints describe dealers replacing stems or sensors, sometimes charging for the repair, and owners saying the same failure returned on other wheels. Reported from about 38,000 to 168,000 miles, often noticed at routine tire inflation or during an oil change.

   What to check: Have the valve stems inspected for corrosion or cracking and ask whether the TPMS sensors were replaced. Confirm the pressure warning light behaves normally rather than flickering false readings.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Tire valve stem was broken out and flattened out when I took out plastic cap for air filling because I got low tire pressure alert two month ago. I changed tire pressure sensor at my own cost over $200. But yesterday I got low tire pressure alert again, and found another valve stem was broken out again. Need to be recalled. This can cause severe situation not to control vehicle if it happens during driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #10672360, filed 2015-01, 90,000 miles

   “The last few times I had the oil changed in my wife's 2009 Chrysler Town And Country the service person refused to check the tire pressure because of an inherent corrosion problem with the Chrysler valve stems, which are part of the TPMS. The right rear valve stem subsequently failed and the dealer wanted to charge $120 to replace the valve stem. (the vehicle has 38,000 miles) only after extended complaining and noting it was a safety issue and a common problem with town & country's did the dealer agree to fix it for free. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10419866, filed 2011-08, 38,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light or occupant restraint module faults

   • 181 complaints (26%)
   • median 88,000 mi at 6.6 yrs old (38 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2026

   Complaints describe the air bag warning light coming on and staying on, with dealers diagnosing a faulty occupant restraint module and quoting a repair. Some owners report the driver's and passenger's front air bags deploying while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, sometimes breaking the windshield. Others describe air bags not deploying in a collision, and some link their vehicle to air bag recalls that were not yet done. Reported from about 28,000 to 240,000 miles, spread across the model's life rather than concentrated at one mileage.

   Recall 16V047000Recall 20V3960004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have the air bag warning light verified before purchase and ask whether the air bag and driver emblem recalls were completed. Check the windshield and interior for signs of an unexpected deployment.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was traveling on the highway in my 2009 Town And Country when a vehicle crossed the center line at a high rate of speed and struck me head on. The impact from collision left me seriously injured and I was transported by helicopter to the nearest trauma center. Neither my front of side airbags deployed in the collision. I suffered a broken arm from the side impact and a dislocated hip, pelvic fracture, and patella injuries from the front impact. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10948864, filed 2017-02, 96,000 miles

   “The contact owned a 2009 Chrysler Town And Country. While driving 70 MPH, the cruise control malfunctioned. The contact stated that the cruise control became stuck and the contact could not stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle crashed into a divider and rolled over several times. The driver's side air bag did not deploy. Police report number: 18-16077 was filed. The contact's husband sustained a mild concussion, pain in the ribs, contusions on both legs, and chest pain. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11099192, filed 2018-06, 64,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Automatic doors, locks, windows and key fob misbehaving

   • 97 complaints (14%)
   • median 82,845 mi at 6.1 yrs old (78 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2025

   Complaints describe power sliding doors that stop halfway or reverse unexpectedly, door locks that cycle on their own, and window switches that stop working. Owners also report the key fob failing to unlock or lock the van and having to use the key manually. Dealers reportedly described the door sensors as too sensitive and applied software updates in some cases. Reported from about 38,000 to 150,000 miles, on vehicles parked and driven in ordinary use.

   Recall 09V0460002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Cycle both sliding doors and every window and lock several times, and test both key fobs from a distance. Ask whether any door or body-control software updates were applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2009 Chrysler Town And Country. The contact stated that the driver door window switches failed to open and close windows. A few hours later, the vehicle was idle in the garage when burning fumes started to emitted from the driver door into the vehicle. Upon further inspection, the contact heard cracking noises that came from the door itself. The contact immediately shut off the engine and the smoking stopped shortly. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10662845, filed 2014-12, 185,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2009 Chrysler Town And Country. The contact he attempted to open the rear sliding doors while the vehicle was parked, but the doors began to close unexpectedly after opening halfway. The failure recurred on an intermittent basis. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the sensors on the sliding doors were too sensitive. The vehicle was in the process of having its software updated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10424327, filed 2011-09, 38,000 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Brake judder and short pad/rotor life

   • 65 complaints (9%)
   • median 31,000 mi at 3.0 yrs old (59 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2023

   Complaints describe brake pedal vibration and shaking while braking, with pads and rotors needing replacement well before typical intervals, sometimes repeatedly on the same vehicle. Owners report the dealer acknowledging the pattern but offering limited help and saying the wear was normal. Mostly reported between roughly 26,000 and 60,000 miles.

   Recall 09V3510002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test braking from highway speed for vibration or pulsation and ask for brake service records. Have the front and rear rotors inspected for thickness and scoring.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The brakes and brake disks of our 09 town & country need to be replaced every 10k. The dealer knows about this issue, Chrysler has issued a replacement once and the other times we had to argue with them to get it replaced for free (both front and back, brake pads and disks). We are now at 48k and replacing the brakes for the 4th time. We have a other car (yukon xl with 86k and it never had any disks replaced). The people at the dealer feel bad for us and say they see this a lot but there is nothing they can do. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10606321, filed 2014-06, 16,144 miles

   “The front rotors and brake pads have replaced twice on the vehicle. The back rotors and pads have been replaced once and resurfaced once. I now have 29000 on the vehicle and will be bringing in the vehicle again because of the same vibration in the brake pedal when the brakes are applied.”

   NHTSA complaint #10473679, filed 2012-09, 26,000 miles

Buying note. Give this van a thorough test drive with attention to restarting and key feel, and ask for documentation that the ignition and air bag recalls were completed. Check the tire valve stems and brakes closely, since both are common and inexpensive to inspect but recurring to repair.

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.