1996 Chrysler Town and Country 3.8

Summary:

Done with Chrysler!!

Faults:

I have owned this van for 2 years now. I have only put about 12,000 miles on it. In that time, I have put in a new battery, a blower motor for heater and A/C, water pump, driver's window motor and cable, and now the mechanic says the PCM module needs replaced!!

I have also noticed when I use my turn signal, that sometimes the wipers come on!!

I also have a problem with the passenger sliding door won't unlock when other doors are unlocked.

The CD player has totally quit working and I didn't play it very often. The speakers don't operate properly. Sometimes they all work for awhile and then some cut out!!

General Comments:

I really like my van, but I can't take any more repairs.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd August, 2009

1996 Chrysler Town and Country LXi

Summary:

It is well worth fixing if you have had luck with it

Faults:

We have had to replace the brake pads, battery, plugs, timing belt and pulleys, shocks, back door lock, computer board, and are currently in the process of fixing the air conditioner, which has to be replaced completely. And are checking the lines for the heat.

General Comments:

We love this van. After trading in 2 cars with low miles in perfect condition, for this van that required a lot of maintenance work, we are pleased with the current performance. At first it seemed like it would nickel and dime us to death, but now, it drives like a dream. It if loaded with leather seats. The wear is actually not in bad condition considering how old it is. Fortunately, we have not had any of the issues others have written about and I cannot imagine not driving this van. It does get expensive to fix, but once done, it drives beautifully.

Our van is white, and shows its age with the rust on the underside, but we also live in the Upper Peninsula, where it gets cold. I now know to periodically get the under carriage washed during the winter. The rust will be repaired free of charge from the person we bought it from, which would make this van that much more of a gem to us. We drive long distances with it and it has held up with each trip. I just want to be reassured that it will last many more miles, since it has so much on it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th October, 2006

7th Apr 2008, 10:42

I've had a white 1996 LXi van since 2001. It's got leather seats, rear balancing shocks, seats seven. I bought it at 53,000 miles and it's now at 183,000 miles! A lot of highway driving. It has some rust that showed up in the last year. I'm in Maine. I had a partial transmission repair at the dealer's back at 102k miles and I've had the usual tires, brakes, cv joints. It has a LOT of torque. During it's time with me, I managed to snap the drivers side drive shaft twice, both at stop lights that went green and I stomped on the gas. I don't stomp on the gas anymore, and it's been fine. It's been a great van.

From reading the posts here, it seems like the LXi had uneven quality- some go a long time, some need tons of repairs and act up while on the road.

I was born in the UP, in Hancock! How are things up there?

1996 Chrysler Town and Country LXI 3.8 Liter V6

Summary:

This van gave me nothing but worry and stress

Faults:

I bought a 1996 Chrysler Town and Country LXI with 63,389 miles in April 2002. The van has had the following problems:

Replaced 3 transmissions (The transmission was replaced once before I bought the van)

Replaced A/C Compressor @ 64,865 miles.

Transmission Leak @ 64,865 miles.

Replaced PCM (the vans computer) @ 69,614 miles.

Replaced Right Front Axle @ 71,645 miles.

Replaced starter @ 88,546 miles.

Replaced Battery Switch, Battery and Door Ajar Switch @ 93,999 miles.

Replaced EGR and Blower Motor @ 95,516 miles.

The crazy and dangerous wiper problem. Replaced multi-function switch, which did not work. Replaced wiper motor, which did not work, Replaced the BCM (Body Control Module) which did not work. I decided not to pursue this problem. I now use Rainx, which works just as well as wipers, when traveling at least 40 mph.

The van alarm goes off about 1 out of 6 times getting into the vehicle. My daughter puts her hands over her ears, every time I go to unlock the van.

The right side sliding door does not unlock or lock electronically.

The stereo has blown the speakers. This was a problem when we bought the van, but didn't catch it in time. The CD player will occasionally stop playing and states “Disc Err”

The leather on the driver's side seat seems to be dissolving.

Finally, the van is only firing 4 out of the 6 cylinders, because of a bad PCM (the van's computer). Once the PCM is tapped on lightly with a hammer, the 2 cylinders fire again. The dealership also said that the van needs a new coil pack, with the new computer or they will not guarantee their work. This is going to cost $1100. The van currently has 135,000 miles on it and I think it's time to put the “Old Boy” down. Of course, any of you reading this review probably think I should have done this many miles ago.

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. I will be checking this site regularly. I have so many more details about the above problems that may give you more insight.

General Comments:

Please do your research when thinking about purchasing a Chrysler Town and Country or a Dodge Caravan... the earlier models anyway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th August, 2006

14th Sep 2006, 11:29

I was wondering about your wiper problem. Did the wipers operate normally, and then would not turn off, or did they do something else. I have the same vehicle, but my transmission will go into lymp-mode when I turn the wipers on..

22nd Sep 2006, 07:43

The wipers would randomly turn on as I was driving down the road. Most of the time it would occur when I used a turn signal, which makes me think it might have been the multi-function switch. The wipers would stay on for about 15 to 30 seconds and then turn off. I also noticed that if I would apply a little pressure (a light twist) to the wiper control, they would then turn off. When I would need the wipers they would not turn on 50% of the time. About 2 years ago, the wipers did not turn on at all. I had to to travel from Ohio to Florida in continual rainstorms, without any wipers. That's where I discovered the power of Rainx. In Charlotte, NC it rained so hard that people had to pull over to the side of the road, but not me... the Rainx kept the rain off my windshield. I promise I don't work for Rainx. I just want all Chrysler Town and Country owners to know that they don't have to spend over $600 to be able to drive in the rain. I do think snow may present a problem though.

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