Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Vehicle has shut off, while driving, multiple times over the past year and a half. The first instance was Summer 2021. Coming to a stop from a highway exit ramp and the van shut off for no reason. I was eventually able to restart and drive within a few minutes. A few days later, the van would shut down, or try to shut down, every time I would slow to a stop during a 2 hour trip. A few months ago, while driving approximately 35 mph, the van dashboard lights shut off, windshield wipers turned on and all other lights and power steering / brakes shut down temporarily. Luckily we were driving in a straight line because I had no power brakes or steering at that moment. Most recent issue occurred 8/27/2022. Driving van on highway, shut off at a light at bottom of exit ramp. We do not feel safe driving this van.
Van engine dies while driving. Has happened four times at high rate of speed- once on the expressway going 65 mph. Dash lights come on when driving and engine dies. Power steering and brakes go out. No codes. I coast to a stop on side of road. When trying to restart, van will have power, but will not turn over. After about 45-60 minutes, starts and runs normally. Could not replicate problem at auto repair shop. Had it towed first time. Three times since it restarted after sitting an hour. Almost was rear-ended on expressway overpass the last time it died. Children were in the car. Also died in the rain at dusk on county highway. Unsafe location. No warning prior to the failure. Also happened to another driver. First event May 2022. Again June 2022. Again July 2022. Again September 2022.
My town and country will shut off while driving, this is very concerning to me I have 4 children with me at all times. I can be going 10 miles down the road and it will shut off atleast 5 times. I live in the mountains so getting it out of the road is an challenge at most times. The other day I was going thru a green light and it shut off. Luckily it had just enough roll to get it out of the intersection and kinda off the interstate. It just does it no warning at all shuts off I loose breaks steering everything! IT IS VERY DANGEROUS!!!
I have a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country van. In 2021 I had brake calipers replaced on the rear end because they were leaking brake fluid. Again this year same problem. What is going on with brake systems on todays cars? I do not think this is normal wear. How often are consumers dealing with brake problems? Are manufacturers using poorly made parts? I think this needs to be investigated.
2012 Chrysler Town&Country My 2012 Town and Country has randomly stopped on me three times in April and May of 2022. The car shuts off completely for no apparent reason. The car will not start again until put into park. This was unsafe because I had no control of the car until it rolled to a stop. Fortunately, each time the hazard lights responded and cars behind me went around. The very scary part was not knowing if I would run into the car ahead of me as neither brakes nor steering worked. I took it to my dealership and told them the problem. They said they discovered there was faulty wiring and repaired it at the cost of just nearly $700. I picked up the car. I drove it for under an hour and it stopped in the middle of a busy street. I took the car back to the dealership. They kept it for two weeks and finally said they made it do the event again. …
Grinding coming from rear wheels. Attempted to remove wheel on passenger side 1 lug nut broke. Dealership claimed to attempted to remove by drilling it out, but claimed couldn't because heat had been applied. I never took it anywhere nor applied heat. Took it some where to have taken off. Turns out I had to replaced rear brake pads and rotors. Funny how theres a hub issue on some Town and Country but not mine. They didn't think the lug nut was a defect. I've never seen one break where the cover of the lug not tears off. Then the sides of the lug break off leaving the base of the lug. After driving the van prior to replacement of parts you could feel the heat coming off of the wheels. Possibly, could that have been the heat that caused the lug not to be able to have been drilled out like the dealership attempted. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while driving 10-25 MPH, a squishing sound was heard when the brake pedal was depressed. The ABS and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to truck farm of easley (296 calhoun memorial hwy, easley, sc 29640, [phone]) however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the battery terminal was loosened, the brake valve and brake booster wire were eaten by rodents. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the repairs were not covered under warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 126,000.
I got into a car accident hit from side my car sustained over 5,000 of damage my children and I were in the car at the time the airbags did not deploy. I reported this to Chrysler they just advised me to go to dealer to have airbags checked. Never offered to do any further inquiry. Currently, my van starts at times and at others does not my new battery which was costly continues to be drained I called Chrysler they said it would cost 145. Just to diagnose the problem I don't have that kind of money available to check the car I said to the service dept. "you know these vans are experiencing these problems yet you still charge me so much to have a known problem checked?" they said yes do you want to make an apt.? Of course I did not.
We purchased this vehicle at carmax in calfornia, right before christmas of 2014 we had the brakes replaced and rotors. 2015 of August we had to have the front brakes replaced. Not it is 2016 October and my front brakes (right side mostly) is squeaking again. We own a Chrysler 300 srt8 and a tahoe, my tahoe of which I had since 2005, has only had 2 brake replacements. I feel there is some other issue with this vehicle and no one is looking into it. There is something defective. And I think it is very dangerous. On top of that my airbag lights continuously go off and on and currently has stayed on, and will not turn off.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country. While the vehicle was parked, the push to start button was depressed and the vehicle was shifted into reverse. Suddenly, the vehicle stalled and rolled backwards. The contact activated the emergency brake and shut off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure occurred intermittently. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.
Brake complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2012 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the brakes of the 2012 Chrysler Town and Country, 4% of the model year's 634 complaints. The component named most often is conventional › mechanical › linkage and cable (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2012 Chrysler Town and Country brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2012 Chrysler Town and Country, though it has 5 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 2012 Chrysler Town and Country brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 42,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes 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.