Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I just returned from a family trip and on a routine under the hood inspection I discovered to my horror that the right strut tower on my 1996 Chrysler minivan had rusted right through and was holding the entire weight of the vehicle by a thread. I quickly looked at the internet to see if this was a recurring problem and found that thousands of other Chrysler minivan owners have the same problem. Considering that there are millions of these Mini vans on the road this problem must affect tens of thousands of minivans . I'm horrified at the lack of attention this problem has received from Chrysler and the NHTSA because if a strut fails in this way while traveling at high speed on a highway the consequences can be catastrophic , with loss of steering, going off the road, crashing into other cars and rollover resulting into multiple fatalities. …
I have read all the complaints about the 1996 Town and Country. I find it interesting how the complaints are exact to one another. Different owners, same problems. Chrysler takes no responsibility for the problems of this vehicle. I have owned mine since 1999 and have experienced every single one of these claims that other consumers have experienced. I will never purchase another Chrysler product again and will make sure to let the people I care about know the problems of this over priced hunk of rusted metal. I would certainly hate to see them go through the grief I have owning this vehicle!
Subject vehicle involved in side impact accident. Subject vehicle pulled away from a stop sign and was broad sided by oncoming full-size van. Subject vehicle immediately burst into flames (per witness statements). Driver and passenger were both unconscious. Bystanders were unable to get either out of burning vehicle due to doors being locked (auto door locking mechanism) and were unable to break windows out before vehicle was fully engulfed.
Consumer brought vehicle in for repairs to the dashboard lights. The problem had fixed with no further difficulties. Two and a half weeks later on aug 25 the vehicle burned up from a fire which originated from the dashboard area. This was an electrical fire that came about with out any warning. Consumer is requesting monetary reimbursement for expenses. The visor hooks were replaced prior to incident.
Passenger side liftgate gas charged support shock mounting bolt failed where shock mounts to the body and the liftgate crashed down on a persons head. This dangerous safety problem that could have seriously injured a small child appears to be related to bolt stress/fatigue since there was no obvious evidence of any corrosion around this mounting bolt.
Air bag light permanently on due to failed clock spring assembly, air bags disabled, also affected horn and cuise control. Vehicle suffers from unusual power drains/fluctuations, battery replaced 3 times within 3 1/2 years. Electronic door locks (four doors) frequently fail, can only service when failure is consistent. Vehicle occasionally stalls (abruptly) at any speed, throttle system serviced a few times (outside of tune-ups) with little benefit. Front and rear windshield wipers activate by themselves quite often (but never at the service shop/dealership), with no set pattern, multifunction switch replaced twice. All problems except for air bag (customer paid for repair as well as for other problems) still persist.
This van has been nothing but a failure since I bought it. I have kept up the oil changes and maintenance as needed. The paint is coming of off the grill and the paint on the rest of the van is not holding up. I have replaced: timing belt 3 times power steering pump once the thermostat twice the relay switch three times and it still does not work the relay on the motor once the air conditioning is failing in the front the rear door lock on the passenger side doesn't work my transmission is going out very soon I am a single parent in a large metroplex. I need my car to get to work. I cannot afford to buy another car now.
Power locks....locks you in, cannot open the doors. Locks you out, cannot open the doors. Does not lock all the doors at once, usually leaves passenger side sliding door unlocked. Have had system replaced, is now worse than original. Also, sets off alarm unnecessarily. ...... - windshield wipers come one intermittently when turning corner, turning on turning signals, or without any justification. Very startling, and extremely distracting when driving and the wipers just come on. Thank you for your work.
While driving at any speed consumer can hear clunking noises in steering column. It could cause consumer to have steering problems. Dealer notified. Consumer states that steering wheel makes growling noise when turning due to rack and pinon failure. Steering makes schruching noise when turning right and dealer lubercate steering shaft. The rear brakes made a noise. The driver side door was hard to close. The left sliding door was rubbing on the body when shut
When making a turn with air conditioning on vehicle will shut completely down, causing a loss of power. The dealer has been contacted. Condensation from the A/C was falling on the elctrical component causing the vehicle to die this occurs because of the flaw in design. Sliding door sticks. Windshield wipers failed. Hazard device failed. Horn malfunctions. Air bags failed.
NHTSA investigations
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…
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…
Body complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the body & structure of the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country, 4% of the model year's 938 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (23 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Chrysler Town and Country body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1996 Chrysler Town and Country body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 112,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 4 injuries and 2 deaths to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.