2000 Chrysler Town & Country Steering Problems

ONCE AFTER HITTING WATER PUDDLE AND THEN WHILE DRIVING IN RAIN, BELT SLIPS OFF PULLEYS AND STEERING LOSES POWER. THEN BATTERY DIES QUICKLY WHILE FLASHERS ARE ON. VERY DANGEROUS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN RAIN!

WHILE MY WIFE WAS PULLING INTO A DRIVEWAY SHE DROVE THRU A SMALL PUDDLE AND THE WATER SPLASHED UP ON THE IDLER PULLEY AND CAUSED THE BELT TO SLIP. THIS IN TURN CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER STEERING. SHE ENDED UP IN THE YARD INSTEAD OF THE DRIVEWAY. I HAVE BEEN IN QUALITY SINCE 1985 AND I AM CURRENTLY A QUALITY MANAGER SO I AM REALLY SURPRISED WITH CHRYSLERS' LACK OF CONCERN WITH THIS DESIGN PROBLEM. I AM REALLY DISAPPOINTED WITH CHRYSLER AND THE NHTSA FOR NOT DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS ISSUE. MAYBE IT IS TIME TO LET SOME OF THE NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE TV SHOWS KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM. *TR

SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF SERPENTINE BELT DISENGAGED (SLIPPED OFF PULLEYS) CAUSED LOSS OF STEERING AND OVERHEATED ENGINE. FIRST TIME HAPPENED IN CAR WASH AND THREE TIMES DRIVING THROUGH RAIN PUDDLES. *TR

AFTER REPEATED SERPENTINE BELT REPLACEMENT ON 2000 T&C THE BELT HAS SLIPPED OFF DURING A "MINOR" RAIN STORM, THE BELT SLIPPED OFF AGAIN AND CAUSED ME TO LOSE POWER STEERING AND I CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AS WELL AS A BUSINESS. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN REPEATED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THAT BECAUSE THE NHTSA HAS NOT ISSUED AN "OFFICIAL" RECALL OF THIS PROBLEM THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. WHAT ARE MY TAX DOLLARS BEING SPENT ON? *TR

AFTER GETTING CAUGHT IN AN EARLY EVENING'S THUNDERSTORM, I ATTEMPTED A REGULAR, RIGHT TURN OFF US 34 TOWARD OUR SUBDIVISION. OUR 2000 CHRYSLER MINI VAN LOST POWER STEERING DURING THE TURN. I WAS UNABLE TO KEEP COMPLETELY WITH IN MY LANE. THANKFULLY, NO ONE WAS IN THE OPPOSING TRAFFIC LANE. AFTER REGAINING MY COMPOSURE, I DECIDING IT WAS OK TO "LIMP" HOME WITH THE VAN, THROUGH THE SUBDIVISION. I NOTICED A LOT OF THE DASH LIGHTS WERE TRIGGERED, WHICH INDICATED TO ME THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS NO LONGER WORKING FOR THE FINAL COUPLE OF BLOCKS. THIS AFFECTED THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE HEADLIGHTS AND SLOWED THE WIPER SPEED. THIS ALSO AFFECTED THE AIR CONDITIONER AND THAT PREVENTED THE DEFOGGER FROM WORKING PROPERLY. ONCE AT HOME, I FOUND THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT HAD COME OFF. IN ANOTHER MOMENT OF TIME, THE BELT'S COMING OFF MIGHT HAVE EASILY HAVE RESULTED IN MORE DISASTER. CONSULTING THE AUTO REPAIR PLACE, (WHICH HAD REPLACED THE SAME BELT IN JUNE), I HAD THE VAN TOWED IN, WHERE A NEW BELT WAS INSTALLED. NOTHING ELSE WAS FOUND AMISS IN THE SYSTEM. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT PERHAPS THE RAIN OR A PARTICULAR PUDDLE HAD THE EFFECT OF CAUSING THE WET BELT TO SLIP OFF DURING THE TURN. AND IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THEY HAD SEEN SIMILAR "WET BELT" ISSUES FROM MY VAN'S MANUFACTURER. NOW I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH THE VAN FOR FEAR OF IT HAPPENING AGAIN WITH WORSE CONSEQUENCES.

AT LEAST 6 TIMES SINCE OWNING A 2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY, THE SERPENTINE BELT HAS COME OFF EITHER IN THE RAIN OR SNOW. ONCE CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE AS I PULLED OFF THE ROAD WHEN THE CAR OVERHEATED. IT ALSO CAUSED THE HEAD GASKET TO FAIL. GATES HAS A CORRECTION KIT FOR THIS. CHRYSLER SHOULD SUPPLY THEM ON A ONE TIME BASIS T EVERY OWNER. FAILURE OF THIS DESIGN CAUSES OCCUPANTS TO BE PUT AT RISK IN THE MOST INCLEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS WHEN YOU NEED THE CAR TO PERFORM IT'S BEST. ADDITIONAL THERE IS LOSS OF POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, AND ALTERNATOR. *TR

I OWN A 2000 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY WITH A 3.8 LITER ENGINE. I'VE HAD THE SERPENTINE BELT FALL OFF NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PAST STARTING AT 95000 MILES AND THEN AT 131000. I REPLACED THE BELT 3 TIMES ALONG WITH THE TENSIONER AND BELT ALONG WITH THE WATER PUMP TO TRY TO ELIMINATE THIS ISSUE AND IT WORKED.... FOR A YEAR.... IT JUST HAD IT HAPPEN AGAIN. AFTER READING ISSUES ON THE INTERNET, THIS APPARENTLY IS A COMMON ISSUE. LUCKILY WHEN IT HAPPENED, I WAS DRIVING AND WAS ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER STEERING. IF IT WERE MY WIFE DRIVING, THE STEERING ISSUE BECOMES A SAFETY ISSUE. I FEEL CHRYSLER SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS SAFETY RELATED ISSUE. I'VE NOT SEEN ANY RECALLS WITH REGARDS TO THIS ISSUE. *TR

DURING RAIN OR SNOWMELT EVENTS, SPLASHING WATER CAUSES THE SERPENTINE BELT ON THE ENGINE SLIP FROM THE ENGINE IDLER PULLEYS. THEY ARE SMOOTH AND ROUNDED IN DESIGN, ALLOWING WATER TO SLIP BENEATH DURING OPERATION RESULTING IN THE BELT SLIPPING FROM THE PULLEYS. THE STEERING ON THESE VANS IS EXTREMELY INADEQUATE WITHOUT POWER ASSIST, EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING. OUR BELT HAS SLIPPED OFF IN THE PAST, REQUIRING BELT REPLACEMENT, BUT THIS RECENT EVENT CAUSED A LOSS OF STEERING WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, RESULTING IN A CRASH. NO ONE IN MY FAMILY WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, BUT THE VALENCE AT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED. AFTER CALLING MY LOCAL DMV TO FIND OUT WHERE TO REPORT THIS, AND SEARCHING THE INTERNET ABOUT THE PROBLEM, I FIND IT UNCONSCIONABLE THAT CHRYSLER AND THE NHTSA HAVE NOT ACTED ON A SOLUTION SOONER. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION, THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE WAS OBSERVED TO BE LEANING INWARD. THERE WAS A POLICE REPORT FILED AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT DETERMINED THE SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FRACTURED, AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED.

WHILE NEGOTIATING A CURVE, I LOST ALL CONTROL OF STEERING. MY VAN WENT INTO A DITCH. THE TIE ROD END JUST CAME OUT. THERE IS NO RUST, NO DAMAGE, ETC. IT JUST CAME UNDONE. I HAD TO BUY A NEW ONE AND HAVE IT REPLACED. THE AUTO PARTS DEALER HAS NEVER SEEN ONE THAT JUST CAME APART. *NM

WHENEVER THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN THERE IS A TENDENCY THAT THE POWER STEERING FAILS MAKING THE VEHICLE HARD TO MANEUVER. THE BRAKES ALSO TEND TO SQUEAK WHENEVER THE VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN.*AK

WHEN DRIVING IN THE RAIN VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO DRIFT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

IT SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION. THE VAN BEGAN TO DECELERATE AND THE STEERING BEGAN TO LOCK WITHIN ABOUT 10 SECONDS OF THE EXPLOSION SOUND. THE VAN STOPPED AND THE TIRES LOCKED UP. *AK

UPDATE TO THE PROBLEM RELATED TO THE SERPENTINE BELT OF A 2000 TOWN AND COUNTRY.(ODI NUMBER: 770436 12/4/02). A FIFTH (5TH) OCCURENCE OCCURED ON JAN 17, 2004 . STILL WITHOUT RESOLUTION OTHER THAN TOW THE VAN AND PUT BACK THE SERPENTINE BELT. *AK

WHILE DRIVING MY 2000 CHRYSLER T&C IN WET WEATHER, THE DRIVE BELT SLIPPED OFF DURING A LEFT TURN. THE STEERING IMMEDIATELY BECAME VERY HARD DUE TO THE LOSS OF POWER. IF MY WIFE HAD BEEN DRIVING THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS SHE IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO TURN THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT BERMONT MOTORS SAID THAT THIS HAPPENS OFTEN WHEN GOING THOUGH PUDDLES. LOSS OF STEERING HAPPENS OFTEN WHEN GOING THROUGH PUDDLES? THE DRIVE BELT SLIPS OFF IN WET WEATHER AND PUDDLES! HOW SAFE IS A LOSS OF STEERING, EVEN JUST FOR A LITTLE WHILE? *JB

UP TO 1999 MODEL TOWN & COUNTRY, BY CHRYSTLER, WE UNDER RECALL FOR A PART IN THE STEERING COLUMN. MY VEHICLE WAS PRODUCED IN 1999, BUT WAS THE 2000 MODEL. RECENTLY, I HAD TO HAVE THE SAME PART REPLACED IN MY VEHICLE THAT WAS UNDER THE RECALL FROM CHRYSTLER, BUT IT IS NOT COVERED. I FEEL THAT THE SAME PART SHOULD BE COVERED REGARDLESS OF THE MODEL YEAR.*AK

ALL 4 INCIDENTS HAPPENED ON A RAINY DAY (SPRING 1X (WIFE DRIVING AND TURNING FROM A STOP LIGHT 5-10 MPH), FALL 2X IN ONE DAY(30-40MPH), LAST INCIDENT 12/4/02 (30-40MPH)). WHEN BELT SLIPS OFF, POWER STEERING DISABLED, POWER BRAKE DISABLED, ALTERNATOR DISABLED, COOLING SYSTEM DISABLED, ENGINE OVERHEATS, STALLS WHEN BATTERY RUNS OUT. LOCAL DEALER (SPIRIT CHRYSLER, LUBBOCK) HAS NO IDEA WHY THE PROBLEM PERSIST. DT

THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING OVER PUDDLES. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO TURN. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THEY DON'T THINK IT'S DANGEROUS. THE VAN HAS BEEN SERVICED 5 TIMES FOR THIS ISSUE. *NM

WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL CONSUMER HEARD A POPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

WHEN MAKING SLOW TURNS IN WET ROAD CONDITIONS, IN EITHER DIRECTION, POWER STEERING GOES OUT FOR 3-4 SECONDS. AS SOON AS TURN IS COMPLETED POWER STEERING IS BACK ON. VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXAMINED TWICE BY DEALER, COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE.*AK