Most common 1996 Chrysler Town and Country problems
Share of the 938 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chrysler Town and Country complaints by model year
Best Town and Country years: 2004, 2007, 2003. Years to avoid: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2005, 2009. Compare all years →
1996 Chrysler Town and Country recalls (7)
Air bags › Frontal
On certain Mini vans, the clockspring assembly May have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the clockspring assembly on all vehicles with 70,000 miles or less. An extended lifetime warranty will also be placed on this component for all affected vehicles, regardless of mileage.
Fuel system, gasoline › Fuel injection system
Vehicle description: Mini vans built with 3.3l and 3.8l engines have fuel rails with nitrole rubber o-ring seals that can degrade over time. Fuel leakage from the underhood fuel injection fuel rail could result, increasing the likelihood of a vehicle fire.
Remedy: Dealers will install a seal on the vehicle fuel rails to prevent external leakage of fuel from the fuel rail crossover tube, should the existing o-rings continue to degrade. Owner notification began on January 25, 2002.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Vehicle description: minivans. Fuel can leak from the fuel tank at the interface of the fuel pump module attachment.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module attaching nut with a nut that includes tighter design tolerances. The sealing o-ring will also be replaced.
Child seat
Vehicle description: Mini vans equipped with integrated child seats. The shoulder harness restraint on the integrated child seat can become difficult to extract when the safety belt latch plate becomes contaminated.
Remedy: Dealers will clean the latch mechanism. An extender will be added to the emergency release anchor for the child seat safety belts so that the release clips are more visible and accessible to the operator in the event…
Seat belts › Integrated child seat
The bolts which secure the integrated child seat modules to the seat frame can break.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the integrated child seat module bolts.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap
A static electric charge can build up on the ungrounded metal section of the fuel filler tube.
Remedy: Dealers will install a ground strap for the fuel filler tube.
Show 1 more recall
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
The fuel tank rollover valve can allow fuel to pass into the vapor canister resulting in the potential for fuel leakage.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel tank filler tube with a filler tube that has an additional rollover valve. The associated rollover valve vapor hoses will be rerouted.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 14 possible defects involving the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country:
Integrated child seat belt lockup
Odi continues to receive complaints alleging latching/retractor mechanism problems.Chrysler's assessment of the problem indicates that owners of the vehicles are not adhering to the cleaning requirements for the seat.the seat appears to malfunction if crumbs of food or beverage residue accumulates on the latching tongue in thewell located between the child's legs.odi has 19 complaints of retract lockup.seven of…
Dc minivan fuel injector rail leak
There is no summary currently available
Post-collision fuel system integrity
There is no summary currently available
Fuel leaks from the gas tank
Analysis to date indicates that some of the subject vehiclescontinue to experience fuel leaks from the fuel tank at the sending unit interface.most often the leak involves the o-ring seal.
Sliding door latch failure
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…
Safety blt latch operation
There is no summary currently available
Fuel leakeage from rollover valve
There is no summary currently available
Air bag clockspring
There is no summary currently available
Post collision fuel system
Integrated child seat belt lockup
This investigation is closed.Chrysler corporation has submitted a defect information report identifying a safety defect and outlining the proposed remedy.recall number 98v-185 has been assigned to this safety recall.
Fuel tank leaks
This engineering analysis was opened on January 31, 1997 based on information gathered during preliminary evaluation (pe), pe96-051. The pe was opened on August 19, 1996, to investigate allegations of fuel leakage from the area where the fuel pump/sending unit joins the fuel tank.for brevidy, this area will be referred to as the pump/tank interface.these allegations were first received by odi on August 2, 1996 while…
Sliding door latch failure
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…
Air bag clockspring
There is no summary currently available
Defective air bag crash sensor
Cfas sent a follow-up letter on December 12, 1996, to change the intent of the petition to airbag aggressivity and deployment variability.NHTSA received the letter on 12/12/96; accordingly, the petition due day was changed to April 12, 1997.cfas petitioned the agency to conduct an investigation to determine whether the airbag crash sensor and/or deployment systems for the 1991-92 Chevrolet corsica/beretta, 1990-92…
What 1996 Chrysler Town and Country owners say
Fuel & propulsion system all 176 →
Last week, 17 aug 05, I had to replace the fuel tank on my '96 Chrysler t&c [redacted] due to a fatigue crack that was spilling fuel. Chrysler has refused to accept any responsibility since my vehicle is out of warranty. Are there any requirements regarding the longevity and performance of plastic fuel tanks? Other than the obvious safety concerns, the replacement cost exceeded $800. At the time of failure my vehicle had 180,885 original miles and has been meticulously maintained. The location of the crack (top, front, left corner) precludes any accidental impact of the undercarriage. According to the servicing dealer, hayes Chrysler, lawrenceville, ga, the defective tank was destroyed per environmental requirements. Please advise if there is a course of action I can take to ameliorate this problem. Updated 07/19/2012
There is fuel leaking in a drizzle out of the end of the front fuel injection crossover tube/ injection rail assembly onto the valve cover where it accumulates into a puddle of gas on the valve cover. Lip then spills onto the exhaust header. Huge huge fire hazard. This must be recalled. Called my Chrysler dealer and they say there is no known recall on this and would not honor a fix for this problem. How many lives and vehicles must be lost before someone forces Chrysler to recall and fix this. This will be the last Chrysler I own. **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*753523
Engine & cooling all 164 →
The vechile stalls while driving down the road regardless of whether highway/city street driving, when attempting to restart it sometimes it starts right back up and other times it doesn't..when it does this jumping the vehicle does nothing. I have seen lots of people on the Chrysler Town and Country site below with the exact same problem: https://www.cargurus.com/cars/discussion-t27257_ds554284 sometimes when attempting to restart it there will be a click click sound when its not starting...
While driving the transmission failed and the vehicle was unable to shift gears. Transmission was replaced twice, however the problem recurred. The horn airbag and cruise control have been replaced. The vehicle had brake problems. The dealer determined that the front brakes were at 45% but the rear brakes were at 70%. The dealer cleaned and adjusted the brakes. The A/C failed, the dealer replaced the fan module. The power door locks failed. The cd player doesn't work. The low beam head lights do not provide enough light therefore the consumer has to leave the high beams on to see. This problem has been checked three times but the dealer said they seem correct. The passenger seat broke. The starter failed and as a result the vehicle would not start. The steering pump failed and as a result the steering wheel became tight when making turns. The rear heater lines were leaking. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 147 →
Transmission stopped worked, electrical cluster waving back and forth before and after transmission repair, newly installed transmission broke down 5 days after installation, repair shop claims electrical system not working properly and is cause of transmission breakdown.
I have a 96 Chrysler t&c van the transmission was replaced almost 30 months and 38 k miles ago after it broke a shaft on the inside at 101K miles. Came to a stop at conner went to go forwarded and the van was in neutral in gear position. Dealer did not want to open it up just replace with new remanufactured from Chrysler. Said they were all doing that. Now the replacement unit just broke a shaft for the third gear (bad weld). This is on a transmission with only 38525 miles on it. This was a new transmission when it came out in 1996 and now with 2 broken shafts on two transmissions in the same van, what is wrong with their product and this picture? Who would of tunk it? I placed 165K miles on a 1991 Dodge dakota without any transmission problems. What happens if the shafts break when someone is trying to get on the highway in front of 70,000 lbs of moving truck? …
1996 Chrysler Town and Country engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 20 / 16 |
EPA ratings. Class: Minivan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country a good car?
Based on 938 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1996 Town and Country rates avoid: 2.6× as many complaints as a typical year of the Town and Country at the same age. It is one of the Town and Country years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country?
The fuel & propulsion system — 176 complaints, 19% of all complaints for this model year, most often about storage › tank assembly. Next are the engine & cooling (164) and transmission & drivetrain (147).
How many recalls does the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country have?
There are 7 recalls for the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country, the most recent from November 7, 2002 (frontal). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Chrysler Town and Country?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2004, 2007 and 2003. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2005 and 2009. See the full Chrysler Town and Country years comparison.
At what mileage do 1996 Chrysler Town and Country problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 94,000 miles; 6% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.