Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
As head of engineering development at temic automotive, n.a., now owned by continental teves, I was involved in the investigations into hundreds of cases of 'thermal incidents' on ABS controllers on nearly every program. The incidence was highest, on those vehicles with the greatest exposure of the connector to the elements. Our investigations showed that a direct battery to ground short would develop in the presence of moisture and contamination, and even a 'sealed' connector design would not prevent this. The highest failure rate was on the Chrysler minivan. An interim fix using a raychem gasket was employed, and even used as a silent recall fix on many customer vehicles. It is my opinion now, that this should have been a recallable issue, should such an direct short situation develop that it might lead to a vehicle fire. I am not aware of any vehicle fires directly traceable to this. …
This morning when I put the car in drive, I heard a loud constant squealing noise. I attempt to turn the steering wheel to the left, but the van took off striaght ahead and would not turn and crashed into a parked car, which was totalled afterwards. Although my foot was on the brakes at all times, my van continued to propel forward. It then knocked over a tree approx. 12 ft. Tall and finally stopped when it ran into a neighbors shrubs. Fortunately, no one was injured or walking in front of the van at the time or perhaps someone May have been killed. Upon investigation, there was visible skid marks from where my van was parked to where it finally stopped, which was over 60 feet away. Ironicallly, my van was still drivable after all the damaged it had done. I had it towed to a local Chrysler dealership, they conducted a test drive and found nothing out of the ordinary. …
Nar 06/19/2003. Soon after the consumer purchased the vehicle he noticed the parking brake did not work. The vehicleh had a flat tire before entering the interstate. The car was taken to the service dealer to have the brakes repaired, but it was evident that the parking brake was defective. Along with the parking brakes several other problems existed with the vehicle. A belt tensioner and tune up was needed. There were two recalls were issued for the fuel rails and clocks springs. However the dealership failed to recognize other malfunctions like the parking brakes in which the consumer felt a recall needed to be issued. Please investigate and give prompt response. The consumer was told the reason the parking nrake did not work was because the vehicle needed disc pads, brake shoes rotors and drums because they were glazed and could not be resurfaced. …
The most recent brake failure was the most potentially deadly. Without warning, we had total brake failure due to rear wheel cylinders seizing up. We contacted Chrysler, offered to send them the defective parts. After numerous calls to customer service and the recall center, we were told Chrysler was not interested. Chrysler contacts were very rude. We pulled up a recall from NHTSA id number 96V215000. Our concern was the remark in the corrective summary. The master cylinders in 1997 minivans made in st. Louis were defective. Our minivan was manufactured in st. Louis. According to Chrysler recall center, the recall was on vehicles with traction control. We have traction control. People at customer service will not talk to us about the recall notice to help us. Our van is handicap accessible. Safety for our family and out disabled son is of utmost concern. …
Having owned maney cars and trucks since 1965 I feel these brakes are the worse ones I have owned to date and feel that they were resonsible for the accident.the brakes require too much foot pressure to apply. I have driven other Chrysler vans, and feel it is the 1996 and above model year that have the greatly increased foot pressure requirments to stop. It seems like the vacuum booster is too small. The 1994 Dodge minivan we vanpool to work in has far better brakes in terms of brake power to foot pressure response. I have driven several different ones at the dealers and it seems to just be the late models that are efected. It requires too much foot pressure for a small person during a panic stop. Regular braking seems to be OK, but I would prefer a lighter pedal.
I went to dmv to have my car inspected and was given a report that stated several parts on my vehicle were recalled. I am trying to find out if vehicle can be serviced for free from dealer because of the defects or will I have to pay for them? Parts listed under recall were rc-j25-09 emissions recall j25 mopar value line catalytic converters my car failed for emissions problems b24-clockspring safety recall - lifetime warranty 895- safety recall fuel rail seals.
The evaporator heater coil and expansion valve malfunctioned. Prior to this, the air conditioner was not cooling the van. This happened since January 2002. The consumer was told by the manufacturer there was no recall on the above parts. The battery had been replaced on four occasions, the rear brake drums, the serpentine belt and tensioner had been replaced. Also the horn, driver seat rack and grill were replaced.
Consumer said that the brake rotors had little deep indentations, like holes that didn't go all the way through. The passenger's side and driver's side calipers cracked and a chunk of metal was missing on the passenger's side caliper. The consumer believed this was a manufacturer's defect and that the metal was not strong enough. The holes in the rotors ranged from a couple of mm to 15 mm.
When slamming on the brakes to stop in an emergency, brake pedal went to the floor, resulting in extended stopping distance, and the vehicle crashed into the rear end of vehicle in front. There was no deployment of the driver's side or passenger's side air bags. Owner waiting for help from Chrysler about the crash. Prior to crash brake service light can on and dealer turned it off and said nothing was wrong.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that something under the vehicle was making a grating sound. She could feel and hear a popping sound when the accelerator and brake pedals were depressed. She believes the vehicle is unsafe to drive. The current and failure mileages were 111,501.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
The master cylinder rear seal, between the hydraulic fluid and the vacuum reservoir, May not seal adequately allowing hydraulic fluid to be drawn into the power assist vacuum reservoir.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder on all affected vehicles. Addendum (4-14-97): vehicles inspected per Chrysler recall no.
Brake complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1997 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the brakes of the 1997 Chrysler Town and Country, 12% of the model year's 388 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Chrysler Town and Country brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 96V-215 (master cylinder, Oct 29, 1996). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Chrysler Town and Country brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 97,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 9 crashes, 2 fires and 8 injuries to brakes 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.