Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2011 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the window glass fell into the door abruptly. A mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that the failure occurred due to an internal door fracture. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated while driving and turning the steering wheel, the steering wheel made an abnormally loud squealing sound. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had difficulty starting, and there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light and the electronic throttle control warning light were illuminated. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 174,098.
The contact owns a 2011 Chrysler Town & Country. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while driving at various speeds, the power steering failed. As a result, the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver then the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump relay needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 275,000.
At first starting the van was intermittent you would have to wait till you heard the fuel pump turn on in order to start the vehicle because the fuel relay on the TIPM board is going bad. Once you heard the fuel pump come on the van would start but there are times where the starter stays engaged and wants to keep trying to start when the van is running. Last weekend I was on the highway with my five year old daughter and the fuel pump shut off while driving( in motion), speed limit of 70,.I lost control of the steering, the van decelerated very quickly in heavy amount of traffic, I was nearly in a multi-car accident. When the van is shut off I am not sure the air bags will work if I had been involved in an accident. I have to unplug the fuse to the fuel pump every time I get out of the vehicle because the fuel pump keeps running draining my battery. …
For a week I had trouble getting vehicle to start, on 9/10/15 only 5 months after buying vehicle it starting loosing power while I was driving 45 MPH down a busy highway. No lights came on indicating there was no power it just started slowing down, so I pulled over which was very hard to do because the steering wheel was tight and the brakes were tight as well. Finally got it to crank so I could get to a safe place off of the side of the road. I had it towed to a local mechanic who stated it was fuel pump but he wanted dealership look at it to be sure that was the only thing. They towed in on 9/16/15. Was not able to get it fixed until 9/23/15, when I had my husband take me to pick it up. I drove it across Town to work, at lunch would not crank. They had to tow it back to dealership where they informed me there was a bad connector and was fixing that. …
I have had electrical issues since the beginning of buying our vehicle brand new. Most recently the engine stalled while driving 25mph, engine light came on and flashed before the engine stalled causing power steering to fail. I took it to the dealership and was told they could not find an issue. The following week, on 3/16/18 they did an oil change and air filter change, again did not find any issues. On 3/19/18, as I was driving my 3 kids to school, the battery light came on and I lost power steering. I almost crashed with the kids in the car due to this issue. I ended up driving it back to the dealership and was told the power belt was completely off and the alternator was not attached to the engine as it should be. The brackets that hold the alternator on, was gone. This was the 3rd time this month I have brought this vehicle in, was told multiple times there was no issue. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact received a recall letter in 2012 and the vehicle was repaired. The NHTSA campaign number was unknown. After the repair, the contact attempted to start the vehicle, but the ignition would not turn over. After a few moments, the vehicle was able to be restarted. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle slowed down and the rpms went to zero. Suddenly, the vehicle accelerated independently and then decelerated without depressing the brake pedal. The check engine indicator illuminated prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to sears auto center where it was diagnosed that the power steering module needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a Chrysler dealer. It was unknown if the manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 79,949.
My wife and I were driving the vehicle when all of a sudden it just completely died. We had no brakes no steering no power anywhere. Thank god we were only going 40 miles an hour and were able to cruise to a stop. Apparently this also happened to my wife earlier in the day. We have only had the car for about a week. But after doing some research apparently were not the only ones having a problem with this vehicle doing this. This needs to be fixed before someone either gets hurt or killed. We are taking it to a Chevy dealership tomorrow to get it looked at. If I'm right though its some type of module that Chrysler is very aware of that's faulty.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chrysler Town and Country. While driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal pulsation in the steering. The contact also stated that there was an abnormal noise emitting from the front and rear braking system. The contact stated that the front and rear brakes were serviced five to six times; however, the failure recurred. The contact also stated that the vehicle independently accelerated from a traffic light. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chrysler Town Country. While driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel shook and made a humming noise. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. In addition, the blind spot sensor malfunctioned and created a constant beeping noise. Furthermore, the windows opened and closed by themselves. The vehicle started and locked from the inside on its own many times. Lastly, the brake pads melted and were replaced more than once. The vehicle was taken to be diagnosed, but was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 58,000.
Traveling on 2 lane road across a bridge at 35 MPH when all dash lights came on then all off and engine died which caused power steering loss and power brake loss, no power at all in vehicle stranded on side of road. This could have caused a bad accident had there been more traffic. This was caused by the PCM (engine computer) failing. I see that this is a frequent occurence with this vehicle.
Related recalls
Steering › Column
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011dodge journey, Jeep wrangler, Chrysler 200, Chrysler 200 convertible, Dodge avenger, Dodge nitro, Jeep liberty, Dodge caliber, Jeep compass, Jeep patriot, Dodge grand caravan and Chrysler town & country vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect for rivet presence and alignment and repair the steering column pivot as required, free of charge. The safety recall began on July 4, 2011. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Steering complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2011 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the steering of the 2011 Chrysler Town and Country, 3% of the model year's 773 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Chrysler Town and Country steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 11V-315 (column, Jun 8, 2011). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2011 Chrysler Town and Country steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
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.