Vehicle report

1996 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY

Defect investigations

4 actions

PE00032 · PE

AIR BAGS Investigation

There is no summary currently available

EA96025 · EA

STRUCTURE Investigation

ANALYSIS OF KNOWN INCIDENTS INDICATES A DECLINING TREND OVER THE LAST FIVE CALENDAR QUARTERS.EXTENSIVE TESTING OF INCIDENT VEHICLES HAS FAILED TO REPRODUCE OCCURRENCES OF FULL LATCH DISENGAGEMENT.NO FAILURE MODE WHICH COULD CAUSE A PROPERLY LATCHED DOOR TO LOSE FULL LATCH ENGAGEMENT WHILE DRIVING HAS BEEN VERIFIED AS A CAUSAL FACTOR IN ANY OF THE KNOWN INCIDENT VEHICLES DURING THIS INVESTIGATION.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.HOWEVER, ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINT INPUT FOR THE NEXY YEAR AND WILL REQUEST UPDATED REPORTS FROM CHRYSLER DURING THAT PROCESS.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

PE96038 · PE

STRUCTURE Investigation

CHRYSLER MAINTAINS THAT THE COMMON FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO KNOWN SLIDING DOOR OPENING INCIDENTS IS PRIOR INCORRECT DEALER LATCH ADJUSTMENT.CHRYSLER ATTRIBUTES THIS PROBLEM TO AN INACCURATE SERVICE MANUAL PROCEDURE - SLIDING DOOR LATCH/LOCK CONTROL, REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION.CHRYSLER FURNISHED INFORMATION SHOWING THAT SIX OF ITS COMPLAINTS, AND TWO OF ODI'S, INVOLVED VEHICLES THAT HAD UNDERGONE PRIOR REPAIRS TO THE AFFECTED SLIDING DOOR.CHRYSLER HAS ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM BY ISSUING TWO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS.TSB 26-06-96, SERVICE MANUAL REVISIONS, WAS ISSUED IN JUNE 1996 AND INCLUDES A SERVICE REVISION (#81-370-6105A) CORRECTING SERVICE MANUAL SLIDING DOOR REPAIR PROCEDURES.TSB 23-39-96, SLIDING DOOR(S) DIFFICULT TO OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE AND/OR INSIDE, WAS ISSUED JUNE 28, 1996.CHRYSLER IDENTIFIED THREE DESIGN CHANGES INVOLVING THE SUBJECT COMPONENTS: (1)SLIDING DOOR LATCH PAWL SPRING FORCE INCREASED FROM 5.4 NEWTONS TO 8.0 NEWTONS IN SEPTEMBER 1995 TO ENHANCE PAWL ROTATION RETURN TO NEUTRAL POSITION; (2)ADJUSTABLE SLIDING DOOR HINGE IMPLEMENTED IN NOVEMBER 1995 TO REDUCE VARIATION IN SLIDING DOOR FIT; AND(3)SLIDING DOOR STRIKER ATTACHMENT HOLES REVISED IN JANUARY 1996 TO ELIMINATE UP/DOWN ADJUSTMENT OF STRIKER TO IMPROVE INSTALLATION PROCESS AND REDUCE VARIABILITY OF ALIGNMENT BETWEEN LATCH AND STRIKER.AT PRESENT, ODI IS NOT AWARE OF ANY INCIDENTS INVOLVING VEHICLES BUILT IN OR AFTER JANUARY 1996.ODI HAS CONTINUED TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS OF SLIDING DOORS OPENING WHILE THE VEHICLES ARE IN MOTION, INCLUDING VEHICLES WITH NO PRIOR SERVICE HISTORY TO THE AFFECTED SLIDING DOOR ASSEMBLY.OWNERS ALLEGE THAT THE DOORS OPEN ANYWHERE FROM A FEW INCHES TO FULLY OPEN, AT SPEEDS RANGING FROM 15 TO 60 MPH.ODI HAS ALSO RECEIVED NUMBEROUS COMPLAINTS ALLEGING DIFFICULTY IN LATCHING THE SUBJECT SLIDING DOORS AND/OR DIFFICULTY IN OPENING ONE OR BOTH SLIDING DOORS.

PE95053 · PE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL Investigation

There is no summary currently available

Reading this report

Complaint counts are reports filed with NHTSA, not failure rates. A common model collects more of them than a rare one that breaks more often.