Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
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).
When the weather is 55 degrees or colder my back door on my minivan will not stay up and open. After it goes up it comes back down immediately. This van has a handicapped lift for a mobility scooter in it for inside the van. It is necessary for the back door to stay up and open to use the controls to bring the lift in and out of the minivan. The back door stays up and open in warmer weather but it immediately comes back down and closes in cooler weather. I purchased the minivan with the lift and scooter from a private owner 2 1/2 years ago. They used the minivan and lift in only warmer weather. How do I get the back door to stay up and open so I can use the lift for my scooter all year around? Is there a recall on this problem? The minivan was in a stationary position on flat asphalt pavement and the minivan was turned off in all incidents. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, a vehicle crashed into the contact head on. The air bags deployed and a metal plate fell from behind the steering column and crushed the contact's legs. The contact was unable to depress the brake pedal and rolled down a hill until she shifted to park. The contact sustained major cuts and bruises to the chest, knee injuries, and puncture wounds on the stomach. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Hi, I was other complaints regarding the 2005 Chrysler Town & Country Mini van. The problem I am having is rust though on both sides of the fender wells in front of the rear tires. I have noticed this on many other minivans on the road and believe it to be a flaw in the manufacture. Pieces of the van fell off , this could be a safety hazard as these vans age.. Are there any other complaints issued?
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. When using the key fob to open the tailgate, it opened but slammed down without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for further diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. Updated 01/05/17 the consumer stated it only happened in cold weather. Updated 01/12/17.
My 2 year old son was exiting our Chrysler Town & Country van when he realized he had forgotten his dvd player in the car. I had already pressed the button to automatically close the door and when he reached in the door closed securely on his fingers. I had to manually open the door and get his fingers released from the door, which were smashed!!! We were promised when we purchased this vehicle that it had a sensor that would not allow for this kind of thing to happen. We have since looked at newer ones, and again have been guaranteed that this is the only minivan that promises to stop the door closing process if something is in it's way!!! With all of these promises, I have to say that when we contacted Chrysler about this, they sent out an inspector that took pictures of the minivan, and experienced not being able to get the door stopped himself. …
Roof welds on both sides of the van above sliding doors are cracked! Major structural hazard. It's also allowing water to enter the inner body panels and is running down inside the window supports/pillars between the doors all the way down to the rocker panels (which are now rusting through from the inside out). It turns out this is a major problem on these vans. Http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php/18635-small-crack-in-the-roof Chrysler also knows about it, and it turns out most of the vans with the issue were made in the same plant, including mine! Here is a discussion of the issue with pictures: http://dodgeforum.com/forum/Dodge-caravan/87668-2001-to-2006-grand-caravan-roof-crack-at-seams.html . All vehicles with a VIN with the 12th digit of r, which were made in the windsor plant have this issue. …
At approximately 11:30 pm on June 29, 2012, our 2005 Chrysler Town and Country that we purchased on June 11, 2012 from a dealership was parked in our driveway when we heard a loud explosion outside the house. Upon investigating, we found the rear windshield of the minivan was shattered and had exploded out. Assuming it was vandalism, we notified police to file a report, but the police would not file a report because they were certain the window blowing out had been caused by pressure change due to temperature. The high temperature on June 29 was 94 degrees fahrenheit in northeast ohio. The van was parked in the shade all day until approximately 8:30 pm, when I drove it with the front windows down, thereby causing the interior temperature to cool to match the outside temperature, which was 75 degrees f at that time. …
Since about March of this year, our van headlamps will not turn on with the switch. It takes playing with the switch several times before they go on. Recently the headlights randomly go off as we are driving, we have to pull over and play with the switch to get the lights to go on. Also as we park and turn the car off, sometimes the headlights or the dash lights will go on by themselves. Currently we are having to jump the car often as if there is a drain on the battery. We took the battery to the location where it was bought and they tested the system, and battery and charging system passed all test. In other incidents which May or not be related our power sliding doors are not working properly. The left side does not function at all, and the right side closes and opens when the button is depressed. It takes two tries before it locks properly. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced brake failure numerous times. The most recent failure occurred while driving through an intersection at approximately 25 MPH and the brakes failed to engage. The contact was able to coast the vehicle into a parking area and was able to stop buy engaging the emergency brake. The brake pad and tires were replaced at 18,000 miles, the strut was replaced at 5,000 miles, and the rotors were replaced at 28,000 miles however, the failure was not corrected. The steering wheel made a grinding noise and was hard to turn. In addition, the doors could not be unlocked automatically or manually and sometimes the doors opened independently while driving. …
Power locks quit working. Vehicle acts like it was locked up when pressing the remote (horn beeps, lights flash) but locks don't lock. Power doors also quit working causing potential pinch-points. When the doors act up and bounce back open, they sometimes try to re-close but the interference sensor doesn't stop the door from closing on a body part. Can temporarily make it better by removing and replacing the iod fuse, but the problem returns a short time later. Problem began right after warranty expired. Dealer wants 300-800 to attempt to fix the problem but can't guarantee that either component will positively correct the problem. Hundreds of similar complaints on the web with the same issue and no positive corrective action.
Body complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2005 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the body & structure of the 2005 Chrysler Town and Country, 4% of the model year's 857 complaints. The component named most often is body (16 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chrysler Town and Country body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure 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 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 13 injuries to body & structure 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.