2010 Chrysler Town And Country Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe the engine shutting off while driving, often with the traction-control light coming on and a loss of power steering and power brakes; many say the van restarts after being shifted into neutral or turned off and back on. Complaints also cluster around headlights that quit working, a faulty power module (TIPM) that drains the battery or blocks starting, and vibration or noise in the brakes and steering. Most reports arrive between roughly 60,000 and 150,000 miles.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls or shuts off while driving

   • 604 complaints (39%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 5.9 yrs old (529 state mileage)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $941 (median of 24 quotes)
   • filed 2010–2026

   Complaints describe the engine cutting out without warning at city and highway speeds, which also takes away power steering and power assist for the brakes. Owners say the traction-control or slip light often flashes first, and that shifting to neutral or cycling the key restarts the van, sometimes repeatedly on the same trip. Several report dealers could not duplicate the failure or retrieve a code; a few mention ignition key or module concerns, and some owners tie the symptom to ignition-switch and key-fob recalls even when their vehicle was not covered. Reported from about 55,000 to 180,000 miles, at both low speeds and highway speeds, with some owners describing repeated occurrences over weeks.

   Recall 11V139000Recall 14V3730003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the ignition-key recall was completed and whether the ignition switch or wireless control module has ever been replaced. During a test drive, note any hesitation or warning lights, and ask a mechanic to scan for stored codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was at a red light at a city block intersection. When the light turned green, I started to accelerate, then the van immediately lost power. I was able to turn the hazard lights on. I could not steer, accelerate, brake. The van slowed to a stop and I turned the key to on (it had twisted to acc on its own.) the van started back up and I continued on my drive.”

   NHTSA complaint #11363350, filed 2020-10, 117,000 miles

   “My van will cut off while driving down road no warning just shuts off and you loose your breaks and steering it happens every time I drive it has to be an issue I have seen that it is on recall for other models I have had to park my van because it is a danger to drive something has to be done and power seats blows fuse every time I put new fuse in hit the driver side power seats blows instantly”

   NHTSA complaint #11320472, filed 2020-04, 140,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Power module (TIPM) faults: no-start and battery drain

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the van clicking but failing to crank, or not starting at all, and some owners report the battery draining because a fuel-pump relay inside the power module would not shut off. Several say the dealer diagnosed a faulty Totally Integrated Power Module and replaced it; others were told the module or a computer needed replacement but the vehicle was not repaired. Some owners also describe gauges sweeping, warning lights flashing and wipers running on their own. Reported from about 55,000 to over 175,000 miles, sometimes more often in hot weather or after the engine is warm.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Confirm the battery holds charge after sitting and that the van starts cleanly when warm. Ask whether the TIPM has been replaced and whether any electrical work was done on the door harness or dash.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “For the last 2-1-2 to 3 years I have been having problems where all of my indicator lights on the dash - they will start flashing on and off, audio alarm (dinging) goes off, speedometer, RPM/temp gages repeatedly goes back and forth from max to min and windshield wipers will come on. At times turing off the ignition will resolve the problem and at others they just stop by themselves. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11376520, filed 2020-11, 55,000 miles

   “2010 Chrysler Town And Country will click once, but will not turn over. This issue typically happens when the vehicle has been running for a while, and the engine is hot, or during hotter months. This causes car to not turn on when hot, not over heated, just hot. This has been noted on many other websites for this same year and people believe it has something to do with the transmission sensor not knowing if the car is in park or drive. This has happened to other years causing vehicle to slip into other gears. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11341544, filed 2020-07, 77,000 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Headlights stop working or flicker

   • 65 complaints (4%)
   • median 87,501 mi at 5.9 yrs old (60 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,042 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2011–2023

   Owners describe headlights that cut out intermittently or stop altogether, on both low and high beam, leaving them unable to drive at night. Some report that replacing the headlight switch did not help and that fog lights were the only remaining lighting, and several say a mechanic traced the problem to the power module (TIPM). One complaint also describes the brake system behaving erratically at the same time. Mostly reported between roughly 70,000 and 160,000 miles, often noticed during night driving.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test the headlights, high beams and fog lights with the engine running, and ask whether the TIPM or headlight switch has been replaced. Check for aftermarket remote starters, which one complaint links to repeat failures.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The headlights stopped working. They flicker when starting the car, but then shut off. Standard and high-beams are both inoperable. Tried replacing the headlight switch, to no avail. Fog-lights work, which is my only lighting at night. Checked online for a solution. Apparently this is a very common problem in the tipm. Tried a hard reset, but again to no avail. There is no fuse or relay that can be replaced to resolve this issue. This originally began in june, 2020, while I was driving at night the headlights just shut off. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11366128, filed 2020-10, 150,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights intermittently failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11443680, filed 2021-12, 150,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Door and vent-window switch overheating

   • 101 complaints (6%)
   • median 65,100 mi at 5.1 yrs old (70 state mileage)
   • 19 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $900 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2010–2024

   Owners describe smoke or fire originating at the driver's door, the vent-window switch area or the rear of the van while parked or driving, and in some cases the door latch melted and the door no longer latched. A recall covers overheating of the vent-window switch in the driver's door armrest on vehicles built in a specific window; some owners say the vehicle burned anyway or that they could not get the part. Power sliding doors that open on their own and power seat fuses that blow repeatedly also appear in the sample. Reported from very low mileage up to about 115,000 miles, sometimes while the vehicle was parked and unattended.

   Recall 14V234000

   What to check: Ask whether the vent-window switch recall was performed and check the build date against the recall range. Look for melted or discolored switches, a burning smell at the door, and test the sliding doors and power seats.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Parked van on driveway and opened passenger side rear door. As it often does, it tried to close back up on my arm, so I stepped back, let it close, then opened it again. Confirmed the power door was staying open, then unloaded my bags. Closed door and locked van with keyfob (can see this on security camera footage). Ten hours later, the locked hatch opened on its own and within ten minutes the back of the van was smoking, then engulfed in flames. Entire van burned down, starting at back passenger side. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11321650, filed 2020-04, 108,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2010 Chrysler Town And Country. The contact stated that while driving on a highway at 45 MPH, the driver's side door caught on fire from the vent window switch. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she proceeded to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact was able to reach her residence in time to exit the vehicle, and to call her husband who quickly rushed over to extinguish the fire. A fire department report was not filed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11629782, filed 2024-12, 114,633 miles

Buying note. This van has a long list of owner complaints centered on the electrical system, so a pre-purchase scan for stored codes and a check that open recalls were completed are worth more than a clean body. Have an independent mechanic verify starting, charging, headlights and the sliding doors, and budget for electrical diagnosis.

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.