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1998 Chrysler Town AND CountryProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 296 owner complaints about the 1998 Chrysler Town AND Country, most often about the engine and engine cooling. It is covered by 5 safety recalls.

57
CarFlaw IndexSolid year25% below the Town AND Country median · #18 of 27 years by complaints
Safety recalls5Free fix at dealersOwner complaints29641 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage85kEngine and engine cooling, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through June 13, 2017. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1998 Chrysler Town AND Country has problems

296 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Engine and engine cooling6712
Electrical system624
Air bags453
Steering300
Power train301
Suspension180
Service brakes, hydraulic167
Fuel system, gasoline155
Vehicle speed control121
18 other systems795

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

5 recalls

1998 Chrysler Town AND Country recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

–no report yet

Air bags

Recall 04V-480 · Oct 6, 2004 · 955,344 vehicles

Risk. THIS CONDITION WILL MANIFEST ITSELF THROUGH ILLUMINATION OF THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP, AND COULD EVENTUALLY RESULT IN A DRIVER'S AIR BAG OPEN CIRCUIT, IF THE…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Air bags: frontal

Recall 02V-293 · Nov 7, 2002 · 1,500,521 vehicles

Risk. THIS CONDITION WILL MANIFEST ITSELF THROUGH ILLUMINATION OF THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP, AND COULD EVENTUALLY RESULT IN A DRIVER'S AIR BAG OPEN CIRCUIT, IF THE…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Seat belts: rear/other

Recall 02V-076 · Mar 8, 2002 · 545,311 vehicles

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system

Recall 00V-268 · Sep 13, 2000 · 1,163,000 vehicles

Risk. FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 1 more recall

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Chrysler.

Mileage at failure

When do engine and engine cooling problems start?

85kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 30 engine and engine cooling complaints. 53% were reported before 100,000 miles.

Only 38% of complaints for this model year include a mileage.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
0under 30k miles16under 100k miles14100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Electrical system

9 owners mentioned a cost

$500median

Middle half: $200 – $1,200

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

1998 vs. every other Town AND Country year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Town AND Country median. How we score

'67'74'75'82'83'84'86'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
6 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1998 Chrysler Town AND Country, and the recalls they led to.

  1. AIR BAG CLOCKSPRINGEA01007 · closed Nov 22, 2002
    Led to recall 02V-293
  2. DRIVER AIR BAG CLOCKSPRING FAILUREEA04013 · closed May 25, 2005
    Led to recall 04V-480
  3. POST COLLISION FUEL SYSTEMEA99013 · closed Aug 10, 2001
    No recall
  4. POST-COLLISION FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITYPE99010 · closed Jun 11, 1999
    No recall
  5. DC MINIVAN FUEL INJECTOR RAIL LEAKRQ00008 · closed Mar 18, 2002
    Led to recall 00V-268
  6. DRIVER AIR BAG CLOCKSPRING FAILURERQ04001 · closed Jun 4, 2004
    No recall
In owners' words

What Town AND Country owners report

Recent engine and engine cooling complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. WHILE DRIVING IN RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITHOUT WARNING AND THE ILLUMINATION OF THE BATTERY WARNING INDICATOR. THE CONTACT DROVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF.…
Complaint 10426872 · Sep 23, 2011 · 142,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACTS PLACE OF RESIDENT. A LOCAL MECHANIC PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC ON THE VEHICLE AND NO FAILURE CODES DISPLAYED. THE VEHICLE WAS…
Complaint 10374001 · Jan 3, 2011 · 151,000 miles
ENGINE SPONTANEOUSLY STARTED ON FIRE AND FIRE DESTROYED THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. OWNER JUST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE 1 WEEK PRIOR TO THIS OCCURRING FROM A DEALERSHIP. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THERE WAS SMOKE EVERYWHERE WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, AND WITHIN 3-4 MINUTES OF PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD DUE…
Complaint 10353795 · Sep 3, 2010

Own a 1998 Town AND Country?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.