Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (air conditioning, heater, defroster, HVAC controls).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Driver side heated seat would become very hot after 3 to 4 min. I would often have to suddenly locate the switch while driving to prevent being burned. On 1/25/04 I had just started driving with the seat heater on but got out of the car to talk to my sister. After about ten minutes I returned to my car (still running) to find it full of smoke. I also noticed a hole burned through the leather seat and a smoking wire showing through. This area is at a seam near the middle of the seat. I feel that this is a major safety hazard. The heat switch is located on the side of the seat and is often knocked on without my knowledge. I fear the passenger seat May also burn up since it is often not occupied but in the on position. I noticed in my 2003 version of the same van, the seat heat switches are on the dash instead. The Chrysler parts dept. …
My 1999 Chrysler Town and Country limited Mini van driver seat caught fire when the seat warmer was on. The seat got very hot about 1 minute before and then smoke came up in front of me while I was driving and I looked down and saw flames. I put it out and turned off the seat. We purchased the vehicle in 2001. At the time of the purchase, the driver's seat warmer was not working and as part of our sale the dealership replaced the entire seat with a brand new one to correct the problem. Also, at the time of incident my passenger sliding door will not open from the inside. So, had the fire spread my passengers in the back would not have been able to open the door from the inside of the car. Someone would have had to let them out from the outside of the car. We have had the locks replaced in the past 2 years due to the car locking itself and locks not working from both outside and inside.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the heated passenger side seat caught fire. The vehicle sustained approximately $10,000 worth of damages. The failure began while the contact was driving at an unknown speed, and the seat began smoking. He pulled off the road and the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department arrived at the scene. A police report was filed. Chrysler stated that there were no defects and the failure was due to how the vehicle was driven by the owner. There were no injuries. The current and failure mileages were 178,000.
Last year while I was driving the driver's seat went on fire. It burned a small hole in the seat and caused a severe blister on my leg before I switched it off. The dealer said it would be over $1100 to fix it. I today read all the reports on line about this problem, so I am now reporting it. I do not understand why something as dangerous as this is not the subject of a recall.
This is a corrected complaint from odi#759939. We purchesd the van with 38,600 miles. We believed we had a 3,000 mile or 3 month warranty. The driver's side seat heater shorted and caused the seat to catch fire. Not a smolder, a real fire with flame and smoke etc. My 4 children were in the vehicle. Fortunately my wife was standing near the van and was able to put the fire out with snow. We notified scott morris at morris motors and he said he would check into the situation. We have waited patiently and only called every couple of weeks. He kept telling us Chrysler would call us. No-one ever called. Today scott said he will do nothing and should have let the van burn up. No kidding, he said that. We called Chrysler ourselves. They told us they would do nothing and not to call back and that we could not speak with any supervisors. …
Re: 1999 Chrysler minivan seat heater overheat failure. VIN: [redacted]. On 11/28/03, the subject passenger seat heater overheated, producing smoke and significant odor. As soon as it was evident that the seat heater was the cause, the heater was manually switched off before the heater failure had an opportunity to reach its' natural conclusion. Afterwards, a burn hole was visibly evident in the top center portion of the seat cushion, approx. 10mm in size. Damage internal to the seat was not examined by myself. Upon contacting service at siemens car service and purchase point for the vehicle 11/28/03 and 12/1/03 (bridgman, michigan), I was referred to Chrysler corp. Upon contacting Chrysler corp 12/1/03 (ph. [phone], spoke with emelia, complaint no. …
No crash involved...noticed after a rainstorm here on the coast, that there was the sound of water rolling back and forth in the dash area when I was driving..not only that, but there was a significant(huge flood) of water coming into the passenger compartment from the dash area immediately in front of the passenger seat...enough water that my carpeting was completely soaked, and ruined. After this happened many times..I finally figured out what it was..there is some sort of drain hose to a water collection reservoir under the windshield...which can be disconnected to drain, but in the event of debris washing into it...would clog up and overflow..resulting in the described condition..this is very poor design in my opinion..some of folks I have had this to..did not have a clue what was going on...I have not said anything to Chrysler about this...but think it is not just me who has the …
The vehicle was equipped with heated seats. The owner took the vehicle to the dealer to have the seats checked. The problem was not detected. Now, the passenger seats are over heating also. The owner had the seats replaced on two seperate occassions. Provide further details. The consumer stated that all four seats failed. Both front seats had burn holes in them. The consumer heard a noise coming from the front of the vehicle when going over bumps. The consumer was told that the strut tower went bad and had it replaced. The consumer complained that a vibration is felt while driving as if the vehicle drove on four flat tires. The consumer heard a whining noise when using the am radio which only happed when using the brake.
The electrical heating of the leather covered seats was being used due to cold winter climate. The passenger was dropped off but the seat heating was left in the on position. While driving down the road, a burning odor was noticed, then sparks and the leather cover and padding ignited. While stopping the vehicle to extinguish the flames, a hole the size of a quarter was burned into the seat back.the burn hole exists in the middle of the seat back in the threaded seam. Smoke damage exists on the upper portion of the seat back. The heated seat has stopped working.
Submitting this complaint on behalf of my 80 yr. Old mother. 1999 Town & Country purchased new sept. 1999 now 40000 miles. Required repairs past 2 weeks. Airbag and horn $250, speedometer $135, cracked exhaust manifold cost to be determined. Airtconditioner $ to be determined est. To cost $1100. Our phone call to Chrysler customer service [phone]) was a horrible experiece.
NHTSA investigations
Overheating of seat heaters
Odi opened this investigation based on 24 complaints alleging that the electrically heated driver or passenger seat sparks/overheats.daimlerchrysler believes the failure is due to one of two factors:the stitching operation on the seat cover May cause the sewing needle to sever some strands of the wire heating grid in the seat, or a poor solder joint/wire connector fails due to improper processing or long term…
AC & Heater complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are ac & heater problems on the 1999 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 45 complaints about the a/c & heater of the 1999 Chrysler Town and Country, 12% of the model year's 362 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › seat heater/cooler (42 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Chrysler Town and Country ac & heater problems?
No. NHTSA lists no a/c & heater recall for the 1999 Chrysler Town and Country, though it has 4 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 1999 Chrysler Town and Country ac & heater problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 18 fires and 4 injuries to a/c & heater 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.