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).
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start intermittently. The contact stated that the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started jerking while the transmission was shifting between gears. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a burning odor coming from the vents while driving in hot weather. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Several unknown dealers were notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 189,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shifting hard between gears and the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall; however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 184,000.
The ignition switch AKA WIN MODULE has to be broken, making it extremely dangerous to drive my vehicle. Any time I go over a bump or the key wiggles slightly the car will turn right off and I lose full control over the car. I have to find a safe place to pull over and restart the car by taking the key out and putting the key back in. The part where the key goes in is very very loose. This puts myself and my kids at risk especially driving on the highway! Whenever this happens I would have to find a way to come to a complete stop in which the brakes start skipping because of the malfunction. After research , I have found that there was a recall with the other Chrysler town and counties from year 2008-2010. I'm not surprised that this is now happening with my vehicle . This is extremely dangerous.
While taking turns or going over bumps/ potholes the vehicle will turn off and need to be restarted. All systems shut down including power steering, dash, and engine. The driver and occupants are put in life threatening danger due to the total shutdown of the vehicle and all of its accessories. The vehicle has not been taken to a dealer or service center but instead a independent auto mechanic. Through their research they found there was similar recalls on Mopar vehicles on earlier year models. The vehicle has NOT been inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There were NO warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
The Flexplate/Flywheel cracks every 4 years for us, this is our second repair same part. Dealership says now there is a reinforcement plate. That we have to buy, Seriously, give us a break with a broken Flexplate that is either to thin or made of a inexpense product. IDK. Dealership told my Mechanic they keep a lot on hand because they know it's a problem. Help Please At least give us the reinforcement plate, for Heavens sake!!! Then come up with a Fix to this ongoing Problem, Please and Thank you... God Bless/SAVE America again, in NC a Jesus name!!!
Couldn't reverse vehicle after buying the vehicle three days ago. My safety and my passengers safety wasn't safe I almost got hit from the front and back trying to reverse the vehicle to go. I can put the vehicle in any other gear and it works but the reverse. i called the vehicle repair shop and bring it in to the shop where I was told they were going to work on the vehicle for free since I only had it for three days. I paid for the warranty part and everything. This the second car I bought from Fett's city motors that been dangerous to operate on roads and highways.
The vehicle randomly shuts off while driving dash goes black and then randomly starts back up or I have to put it in (n) to start it back up while Im at a free role i lose control of the power steering and braking this is a dangerous for myself my children and grand kids also others Im the road this is seriously gonna get someone hurt this issue should not be occurring this is very dangerous
There was a recall on the rear quarter vent window switch. This caused an electrical fire inside my van causing all of the windows and electric doors to cease opening, literally trapping my then 3 year old twins inside the van on 11/30/16. Supposedly fixed only to have it happen again 8/31/17. The second issue involves a recall on the powertrain control module when the van was brand new. It had to have reprogramming of software because of poor shift quality. This was done on 1/1/12. The last almost 2 years of my life have revolved around this issue. My van frequently thinks it's stuck in reverse when it is actually in park so it won't start. This can go on for days. It was brought to the dealership on 10/18/16, 11/3/16, 11/30/16, and again on 8/31/17 all for this exact reason. …
Transmission intermittently locks into 2nd gear and will not shift up or down until vehicle is restarted. This issue has happened approximately 45 times in the last 6 months with the cold months of December and January each having 10 instances. This problem happens just after starting vehicle and putting into drive. The vehicle May thunk or lurch forward just after starting motion which indicates the transmission has malfunctioned. There are no codes thrown to the TCM. If it does not happen in the 1st 30 seconds it will not happen. Manufacturer has not fixed the problem as they cannot duplicate but it is so intermittent that they will never be able to duplicate. Dealer seems unwilling to discover what the problem is. Dealer states manufacturer has no records of such an issue while there are many on the internet who have had the same of similar issues. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated to approximately 80 MPH without warning. The contact's wife depressed the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle, but it became uncontrollable and would not slow down. The contact reached over and turned off the engine. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and restarted after a few minutes; however, the engine rpms immediately increased to 4,000. The contact disconnected the battery and reconnected it after about one minute. The vehicle restarted and the failure did not recur. The failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 63,600. Updated 12/01/15; updated 4/10/18
Transmission complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2012 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2012 Chrysler Town and Country, 6% of the model year's 634 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Chrysler Town and Country transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain 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 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 94,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.