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 2001 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Brake lines rusting. I had a 94 van that was totaled because the brake lines burst during a panic stop. My son was driving the van and a truck went through a red light. My son slammed on the brakes and nothing. The pedal went to the floor; the van rolled down a ravine into a guard rail and totaled the van. The left strut housing was ripped off. At the time I was suspicious of what happened, I thought the brakes could have been pumped to slow the vehicle down, my son said he tried to pump the brakes but nothing happened. The critical issue here is a catastrophic failure of the brakes, which I couldn't understand. Everyone on this board that had the lines rupture mentioned a complete failure of the brakes. The van was towed home and upon inspecting a 3' piece of brake tubing was missing from the left rear wheel, the rest of the lines was badly rusted. …
9/8/01 10,232 miles. Pulsation when braking. Found front brake rotors warped. Replaced rotors. Also ordered weatherstriips and door cladding because weatherstrip around r/sliding door on body is deformed. 10/1/01 12,408 miles. Rattling noise in front suspension. Replaced front sway bar links. 12/26/01 15,592 miles. Both front heated seats do not operate. 1/21/02 15,999 mile. Both heated seats repaired. 2/09/02 17,280 miles. Front heated seat does not work again. Repaired front seat. 4/19/02 l9,901 miles. Repaired l/sliding door defective weatherstrip. Left front window won't go up or down. Found l/f window regulator motor defective. Replaced l/f window regulator motor. 3/23/02 l8,949 miles. Pulsation when braking. Found and replaced front brake rotors. 8/8/02 23,559 miles. Pulsation when braking. Found pulsation is from rear rotors. Turn rear rotors and remove high spots. …
The vehicle made a knocking noise in the front end. The dealer replaced the front suspension strut, strut mount, front sway bar and sway bar link. The rear end of the vehicle also made noise. The dealer replaced the transfer gear set. The vehicle also experienced a whining noise in the steering wheel. The dealer replaced the spring clock along with the shroud stabilizer. Power steering fluid due it being clog and caused the steering to whine when turned. The rear lift gate would not open with the remote. Faulty front rotors squeaked when applied. The drivers side window would not go up due to a faulty regulator. The cruise control would not disable when the brakes were applied and the brakes would not work when the cruise control was engaged. The rear windshield wipers were inoperative. The engine made noise when started. …
My wife told me that she had a close call; almost hit the car in front of her some time ago because the van would not come to a complete stop fast enough. Last night on the highway, I pressed hard on the brake pedal. The car slowed down but would not come to a complete stop, resulted in bumping into the car in the front. Both the passenger and I thought the van should have stopped in time to avoid such an accident. Although I was pressing hard on the pedal, I could not feel any pumping of ABS. We are not sure if the car is safe to drive around. Would like to know if there is something that can be checked out and/or fixed.
Dt*: the contact stated while traveling at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, it had to be pumped to get the vehicle to stop. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence, and then towed to the dealership. The master cylinder was replaced. Two and a half years later the problem returned and the master cylinder was replaced a second time. Updated 1/31/2007 - three days after the master cylinder was repaired , the problem recurred. The problem was found to be some type of faulty control unit. To date, 12/30/2007, there haven't been anymore problems.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving at no particular speed, the brake pedal was depressed to slow the vehicle down; however it did not slow down. The brake pedal was pumped several times to get the vehicle to slow down enough to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. It was then restarted and taken to the dealer for inspection. They replaced the calipers and the master cylinder. The vehicle has the same problems although those changes were made. The vehicle is currently at the dealership undergoing additional testing.
2001 Chrysler Town and Country Mini van brakes continue to fail in cold weather. Bought this car in July of 2009. Brakes started failing in nov 09 had them looked at 7 times and each time they thought they fix the problem, but brakes would work for about 2 weeks before failing again. Don't know what the problem is, but it is a major concern when I have a newborn baby and three other children on board and this is our only transportation. Please help.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the rear brake line ruptured, causing brake fluid to leak. The failure occurred three times. The contact had the brakes replaced each time and felt that there was a serious safety issue with the brake line. The contact called the manufacturer and was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.
Air bag sensor light blinks on and off. A recall was issued on the clock spring, however this vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN. The vehicle had numerous problems such as steering problems, sliding problems, brake and acceleration problems, a strong odor of gas and thefront sway bars and rear shocks were replaced
We bought a used 2001 Chrysler Town and Country in March. Right away we started having brake problems. We have had the vehicle in the shop 3 times for the brakes. Today I went out, and there was absolutely no brakes. The pedal was all the way to the floor, and the van was still rolling. We have replaced pads, caliper, and lines already.
Brake complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country, 7% of the model year's 462 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › disc › rotor (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Chrysler Town and Country brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country, though it has 2 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 2001 Chrysler Town and Country brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles, and 47% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 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.