Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly jerk and hesitate. Also, the speedometer failed to operate as needed. Additionally, while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately stop with the pedal extended to the floor. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,346.
While driving at 35 MPH consumer's son heard a loud popping sound coming from the steering column. Moments later, the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a guard rail on the driver's side. The seat belts were worn, and the air bags did not deploy however, there were no injuries . Before the collision the consumer heard ticking sound coming from the steering column. Also, there was a TSB concerning this problem. The vehicle was taken to the dealer once before the collision and once after the collision. Vehicle was repaired by the dealer, but the problem still persisted. In June 2003 the consumer had a problem with a major draw on the engine with the heat or A/C running. The consumer was told that the compressor was replaced so the A/C and the heater would work properly. …
The fuel injection wiring harness length is apparently too long and it can drop down near the exhaust manifold where the heat will melt the insulation on the wires causing them to short together causing severe misfire and possible damage to the catalytic converter. The vehicle had run fine a couple of days previously and on starting the vehicle it seemed to idle a little rough. Driving on the road it ran very rough and was randomly misfiring on multiple cylinders. The MIL light began to flash on and off on acceleration. On investigation the wires in the fuel injection wiring harness were found to be melted and shorting together. I suspect in the ensuing two days that the temperature changes exacerbated the problem and temperature change induced movement caused the wires to short together. From researching this problem it affects many vehicles. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle overheated. The vehicle made a clacking noise and smoke began to rise from the engine. The check engine light did not illuminate until the vehicle began smoking. The contact pulled to the side of the road. The engine shut off and the contact allowed the vehicle to cool down. He added water to the radiator and drove to his residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer and they stated that the computers failed and needed to be replaced. The contact disagreed and stated that the vehicle overheated because the fan and cooling system were inadequate in size. The dealer did not repair the vehicle. The current mileage was 71,421 and failure mileage was 50,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and running when smoke began emitting from under the instrument panel. The vehicle was turned off and the contact inspected the vehicle to discover smoke bellowing from under the hood but no flames. The fuse box was disconnected and the contact found burned wires within the fuse box. The vehicle was repaired yet the failure recurred in less than one year. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer for further inspection. The current mileage was approximately 150,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
On Monday, July 5th 2004, my 2002 Chrysler Town and Country [redacted] erupted in a van fire. My daughter was sitting on the 3rd seat on the left side of the vehicle when she heard noise, saw flames and yelled there was a fire. My family immediately evacuated the vehicle. Nyc fire department, Chrysler fire investigator and auto insurance fire investigator deemed it as an electrical malfunction due to a manufacturer's defect. No recalls have been placed on this issue. Updated 07/25/2012
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country. While driving at 35 MPH, the left turn signal was activated and all the lights, meters, and gauges on the instrument panel failed to function. In addition, the contact stated that the doors failed to automatically lock. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The contact was unsure about what part needed to be replaced; however, the failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, smoke emitted from under the hood. The contact inspected the vehicle and found the wiring harness was on fire. The contact was able to extinguish the fire and the vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 171,528.
I have a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country (90,000 miles). After normal driving and parking ,car would not start. I found out later that the starter had an internal short. It destroyed the battery and melted the starter housing,concerned that it could have caused a major fire!!!.(pictures available, had to return core to auto parts store).
I sadly own a 'Chrysler' Town and Country AWD 2002 minivan with many electrical and mechanical problems that I'm forced to live with, but the following safety issues are intolerable. First, the intermittent air bag light, now on steadily. Second, the intermittent non-functioning horn, now does not work at all, cruise control does not work and radio buttons on steering wheel does not work. Chrysler corp denies major safety problem exists yet its a complaint that's all over the web among its many other persistent problems. Chrysler says its sounds like the problem May be in the "clock spring" in the steering column. I say its sounds like the problem May be in the care or lack of care of Chrysler on real safety issues on their products. Events that lead up to the failure are none, product is just simply defective and fails on its own. …
NHTSA investigations
Headlight malfunction
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation after receiving reports from consumers that their headlights would malfunction in various ways from flickering to complete non-illumination.headlight operation is monitored by the vehicle's body control module (BCM) and front control module (fcm).odi is upgrading this preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis (ea05-009) to further examine…
Speaker fire in the rear of the vehicle
On July 7, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation based on consumer complaints alleging an interior vehicle fire starting in the area of the driver side rear speaker.daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) informed odi that condensation from the instrument panel air conditioning ducts May drip onto the radio and into vent holes on top of the radio.this can result in a short circuit…
Headlight malfunction
Owner reports indicate allegations of improper headlight operation of one or both headlights.some report intermittent outage or dimming.many report that the condition is random; it sometimes does not repeat and lasts for a very short duration.
Electrical complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2002 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the electrical system of the 2002 Chrysler Town and Country, 15% of the model year's 404 complaints. The component named most often is wiring (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Chrysler Town and Country electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2002 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 2002 Chrysler Town and Country electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 7 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.