Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
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).
I was stopped on a state route to make a turn and was rear ended by a vehicle traveling about 50 MPH. My shoulder belt did not work properly. The belt did not break, the lap portion held me in the vehicle but the shoulder belt allowed me to hit the steering wheel with my head/mouth. I suffered injuries. The part has been replaced with much hassle from insurance. Old part May be available.
I discovered by sitting for the first time on the back of my Chrysler Town & Country lx 2001 that the rear seat belts are not working. Indeed they do not block and even do not come back properly in place when not used. I went to my dealer who confirmed today that the 4 belts are defective and is asking $900 to replace them as they are claiming my warranty has expired. If I had not sat on the back I May have never noticed the problem. Those belts are certainly defective since quite some time already. I would like to know what means I have to have Chrysler covering for the replacement of the defective belts. Thank you for giving me orientation to follow to get my car secure again for my kids who are sitting on the back.
While removing four (4!!!!) child safety seats from the rear of our 2001 Chrysler t/c minivan, three of the seat belts did not retract. We took it to the local dealer who inspected the problem and told us it would be $850 to replace the defective seat belts. We politely declined while we research the issue. Apparently, we are not the 1st to have this problem. $850 sounds pretty steep to repair a "safety" problem. 3 out of four rear shoulder harness seat belts failing sounds like a "safety" problem to me. What's the point of car seats for small children if the seat belts don't work?
Tl contact owns a 2001 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the seat belt buckles in the rear of the vehicle were extremely easy to exit. The buckles were not secure. She placed her dog in the harness, and the dog barely pushed down on the buckle and was released. The failure occurred while driving 30 MPH. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 92,760 and failure mileage was 89,000.
We have a 2001 Chrysler Town & Country van with the gen3 seat belst in it.n our way home from dallas, we checked the kids seat belts before leaving my parents house. About 20 minutes into the trip, I heard a noise as my 10 month old baby dropped one of her tiys over the side of her car seat. When I turned around to look, I noticed that the buckle had unlatched and the toy was laying right beside it.
The rear and middle vehicles' generation three seat belt buckle did not stay buckled. Consumer had toddler in a child safety seat and the seat belt buckle came unhooked by the slightest movement of the person next to them. Manufacture notified , but not willing to do anything. There is no recall.
Consumer brought the vehicle to dealer for repairs. When vehicle was returned the dealer, without telling, the owner rotated the seat belt buckles 180 degrees on the second row captains chairs. This would cause the webbing to ride over the red release button when used. Dealer said that they were told to do this by the manufacturer, to prevent an inadvertent release of the button because it was protected by the webbing. This would correct the gen III issue. Odi spoke to dealer assistent service manager and dealer said that the seats were removed during repairs and the seat belts were accidentally put on backward. But odi learned from the compainant that another vehicle at the dealership had the same experience.cw
Please refer to abcnews.com primetime March 7, 2002, death of bart moran as a result of defective gen-3 seatbelt. There is also a class action lawsuit from 5 states regarding this matter. My van is equipped with these seatbelts and is a major concern to me and my family. I have contacted Chrysler headquarters and they referred me to your dept. Stating that there weren't enough cases for your dept. To look into this matter. How many people must be injured or killed before NHTSA takes any action. Please respond to my concern within a reasonable amount of time, as my safety and the safety of my family is of the utmost importance.
The seat belt latches (the gen 3 latches) in the two back seats of my 2001 Chrysler Town and Country release the belts too easily to protect children and passengers in an accident. My daughter's carseat was found unlatched one day. My husband and I always make sure the carseat is in correctly and we could only guess that the carseat became unbelted after the van was being vacuumed out at the carwash. The employees at the carwash must have bumped the latch without knowing and the belt was released. It doesn't take much of a bump to the latch for it to release the belt. Belts should not release that easily.
I took my Town and Country in for regular maintenance and also to check the rear seat belts. The seat belts do not roll up like they should. The dealer said the repair would be $950 to replace the retractors. They say they have not had this problem before. I am scared to death that my kids are not protected. Also, they do not seem to latch snuggly. I don't understand how this can happen in a car 4 years old.
Seat Belt complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the seat belts of the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country, 5% of the model year's 462 complaints. The component named most often is rear/other (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Chrysler Town and Country seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts 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 seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to seat belts 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.