Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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).
Tl* the contact owned a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that smoke emitted under the hood. Within minutes, the hood caught fire. The fire department was notified. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 34,000.
I was driving on street and brakes went out. Did not hit anyone but had to drive to shop do to no brakes very slow. Brakes line rusted out and had to replace brake lines used emergency brake to stop and go. All parts of van is rusting frame that holds motor in rusted and can not trade in do to dealer said it is a safety factor and it can not be repaired do to rust.
While driving vehicle to an appt my daughter started complaining of her feet becoming very hot. She was sitting in the passenger front seat, there was a burning odor. I pulled over and looked underneath the vehicle, the exhaust was cherry red and there were flames near catalytic converter area. I had to have the van towed home.
While driving a 1999 Town and Country Chrysler van the pulley for the water pump separated from the water pump. This caused the drive belt for all engine accessories to come loose. The lack of the belt caused the loss of all power assist, I.e., brakes,steering elect. Etc. A subsequent review of the water pump pulley showed that it was bolted to a three bolt hub. The hub was a pressed fit on the water pump shaft. The hub appeared to be designed to be permanently attached to the water pump shaft. There was no obvious damage to the water pump shaft nor to the hub bearing that would indicate that an induce torque caused the separation of the hub and the water pump shaft. The vehicle only has 42,000 miles on it. It appears that this premature failure is either a poor design or a manufacturing defect. In either case the failure at highway speed would induce a high risk accident. …
On several occasions my 1999 Town and Country has had belt and pulley problems where while riding in busy traffic rainy days, the belt will slip completely of the pulley its attached to,causing my vehicle to completely lose all power steering abilities right in the middle of the heavy traffic,prior to the belt coming off the vehicles makes this loud chirping noise for several days prior to the belt coming off. I have had so many incidents with this same problem,but cannot afford to purchase a new vehicle as this one is still nice and paid off. Every mechanic I've used is telling me that this is a know factory issue because of the number of vehicles they've seen with the same problems. And have suggested that I change my vehicle for something with less aging problems. This is such a problem. …
This is the 2nd incident for the same problem. First complaint #10468365. I was stopped at an intersection. I crossed the street and my tires splashed water that was running down the street gutter. The water was 2-4" deep. I once again immediately lost steering and the engine began to overheat. I was able to muscle the steering wheel enough to pull it off to the side of the road. I looked under the hood and found the belt had slipped off again. I had to have it towed to the garage. The mechanic checked out the belt and the tensioner and said they were OK, and they reinstalled the belt. The first time this happened I was turning a corner, and the van went into the opposite lane. I guess I can be thankful for the draught these past few months. This is a serious problem. It makes me afraid of driving when it is raining or with any water on the road. …
My vehicle has been going haywire. Sometimes the locks goes up and down by itself and you can hear something sort of like a tazer. The odometer blinks while all of this is going on. Also, I took my van to the shop at sears because when I turn the switch for air, it only works on high and not all the time. They told me that seems to be the case with many of the Town and Country vans that come in there. Also the pipe that runs coolant to the back vents rusted out. Again, after researching with many shops, was told that it appears the same issues are taking place with this model van. Also there is a lot of rust underneath. Not sure as to how it is happening. I have had to replace my radiator twice with the last 6 years as if something is rusting parts underneath. I will be visiting many shops and having the owners sign a petition as to what are the ongoing issues with these vehicles. …
Tl contact owns a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated to 95 MPH. The contact was able to pull over and stop the vehicle. The vehicle had to be towed. She found that there was a plastic sleeve that failed inside the air filter housing hose. A piece of the plastic went into the accelerator and held it open, making it impossible to decelerate. The plastic piece that went inside the accelerator was 4 inches long, and another piece of plastic went inside the housing. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The piece was removed from the accelerator and the vehicle is currently working fine. The manufacturer wants the contact to buy a new resonator air cleaner. The part numbers are available. The contact filed complaint number 17422816 with daimler Chrysler. The purchase date was unknown. …
The incident is the failure of the retaining bolt on the accessory driver's belt tensioner pulley assembly. The bolt failed by shearing off at the engine block. In failure, all accessories driven by the drive belt cease to operate, including the alternator, water ump and power steering pump. When the power steering pump stops, the driver is left in the hazardous situation of not being able to handle the vehicle. If the vehicle engine is left running, it will soon overheat because the water pump is no longer running. Additionally, on failure, the tensioner pulley assembly falls down into the engine compartment where it can damage other components. In our case, it broke the power steering pump pulley. …
On this day I was siting in my van with the ignition in the on position resetting my clocks in the vehicle I rested my hand on the shifter when it released from park into reverse gear without the engine running there are no brakes because of power braking you cant stop on a dime so I quickly engaged the parking brake to stop the vehicle from rolling down my drive. I immediately contacted Chrysler who claims they are not responsible for this issue since they did not install this saftey feature on any Chrysler Town and Country van to date also I have an issue with when it rains the serpentine belt falls off the pulleys if water splashes up onto the belt itself causing loss of brakes and steering due to this defect Chrysler is aware of this issue but again refuses to recall the vehicles for a safer fix something needs to be done beofe they kill someone.
Engine complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1999 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 45 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1999 Chrysler Town and Country, 12% of the model year's 362 complaints. The component named most often is engine › gasoline › belts and associated pulleys (16 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Chrysler Town and Country engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 119,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 4 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.