Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the parking brake warning light had illuminated the instrument panel. After she checked her parking brake and saw that it was not engaged, she continued to drive and noticed an abnormal rubber odor coming from the vehicle. She continued driving and then noticed white smoke coming from the dashboard. The contact panicked and attempted to stop the vehicle however, the vehicle continued to accelerate independently. The contact was able to drive the vehicle into a parking lot and placed the vehicle in park. The smoke then progressed from white to black as she tried to exit the vehicle however, she was unable to exit the vehicle since all the electrical features were inoperable. The contact then heard her doors unlock after multiple attempts to open them and immediately ran out of the vehicle. …
Tl contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country. The contact was driving approximately 2 MPH backing out of a parking space. The gear was shifted into the drive position with his foot on the brake pedal. The accelerator pedal was engaged and immediately, there was a loud noise underneath the hood. The vehicle accelerated to rapid speeds and crashed into the front end of a vehicle. The vehicle did not stop and proceeded to crash into the front end of a second vehicle. The contact attempted to apply the brakes and crashed into two other vehicles and a bus. The police was not at the scene. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer did not investigate the vehicle. The authorized dealer inspected the vehicle and there were no failures within the throttle, braking or accelerator linkage system. …
Dt: the consumer complained about acceleration problems. While traveling 5 MPH, and turning to get into a parking spot. Consumer turned to straighten out the car and accelerator stuck, hitting cement curve, it knocked down a cement parking post and headed down an embankment. The vehicle went 30 feet downwards. However, was restrained by underbrush. Vehicle ended up 200 feet from where it initially went over the curb in a ravine. This was the second time that an accident occurred. Consumer did not have vehicle checked for any acceleration problems. There were no injuries. Consumer went to the dealership; they suggested that consumer call NHTSA. Also, dealership suggested that consumer should call the salesperson who sold the car.
Y car accelerates too fast at certain times, like at intersections. It accelerates too quickly that my tires screech like I pressed the gas petal all the way down. This happens when I have the brake pressed and then put my foot on accelerator. This happens pretty much every day but not every time. Finally, I should mention that all my cars have been having problems since we moved and rented a house from my ex-landlord paul, who is a mechanic.
Every time the vehicle gets a complete fill up of fuel. When I drive off onto the highway, the vehicle starts acting very erratic and hesitates severely. It happens every time and is very dangerous. I have read online that this issue has happened to many others as well.
Accelerator petal engaged to the floor and took off down the nj turnpike. I started braking trying to slow the car down while signaling to get over in order to bring the car to a stop.(I was on the truck side..) once over on the side and at a full stop the car continued to run. The engine was running as if I was going 55 miles per hour. I placed the car in park and heard a loud shift/clank nose. I turned the car off and the motor finally stop racing and stopped. My wife and I was so scared... We started to get out if it had not stop running. We thought it would start a fire. We waited a while, started up again, got of the turnpike immediately and drove home very slow. I took it to the dealer the next day. They kept it for a day an a half and told me they couldn't find any problems with the car. The supervisor of repairs said that the computer/diagnosis reads a code: p299s. …
1-reported vibration in steering wheel between 20-50 MPH [2-possible exhaust leak, I was getting sleepy after 20-30 min drive time, I use recycle mode on A/C due to having asthma [ 3-reported noise from the muffler/exhaust area[4- A/C compressor makes a laboring noise [5-vibration and a growling noise in rear suspension, axle or transmission[6-transmission seems to slip or jerk into and out of gear between 15-45 MPH. Service department could not duplicate any of my concerns but by the same token my mileage out was the same as my mileage in so I'm not sure it was even driven. …
Currently this vehicle has approx. 18,000 miles. Has been to the dealer 4 times with a 5th visit coming soon. Chrysler should give away complementary cots and pillows to new car customers so that they can sleep at the service departments at dealerships, especially the union shops that don't work on saturdays (and seem not to care about the vehicle in the first place). 1. Broken forward engine mount, 2. Loose sway bar/sway bar mounts replaced, 3. High pitched grinding noise on cold startup (maybe the starter but since it never does it at the dealership I'll never know for sure), 4. Cruise control does what it wants to (set it to 55 MPH, it can actually go down to 51 or up to 59 depending on the terrain, dealer says it's normal), 5. Power steering (red) fluid is leaking, now there's a surprise! And finally 6. …
2005 Jeep grand cherokee limited VIN# [redacted] - three times within the first 1600 miles, this car exhibited un-commanded acceleration when the brakes were applied. The first time to 2500 RPM, the second to 3000 RPM and the last time it went full throttle! Throwing the shift lever into neutral and waiting a few moments would end the incident. My dealer could find no defects and felt the car was safe to operate as is. I felt otherwise and sold it back ( suffering a loss). I hope you find this of interest and will be able to inform any future owners of this serious defect before a disaster occurs. Thank you! Updated 07/18/2012
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was stopped and the gas pedal was applied, nothing occurred, then rapid acceleration occurred suddenly without warning. The contact had to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. This happened on a permanent to worsening basis. The dealer was contacted, and determined the vehicle was not included in any recall due to the VIN. The vehicle had not been examined. Updated 1/29/2007 - the vehicle did not accelerate immediately when the accelerator pedal was pressed. As a result the consumer continued to apply pressure at which time the vehicle finally accelerated suddenly. The accelerator pedal only becomes stuck when accelerating from a complete stop.
Acceleration complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2005 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2005 Chrysler Town and Country, 3% of the model year's 857 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chrysler Town and Country acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2005 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 2005 Chrysler Town and Country acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.