Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The Battery died and would not recharge. I checked the van. No lights were left on; no warning notifications. I replaced the battery. I had the seat behind the driver seat stowed because I had surgery on my left foot and needed to haul my knee cart with me. I no longer needed it so I raised the seat and found it had melted/burnt in several spots on the seat back. I was mortified! My van is a 2013 but is in great shape and only has 46,937 miles on it. It was parked in my garage and could have caused a house fire killing all occupants. I contacted Chrysler. They won't assist in the repair or replacement stating it hadn't been recalled and was no longer in warranty. Insurance denied the claim due to it being a part malfunction. Please let others know that the seat heater & wiring harness are defective!! …
The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that while stopped, the child sitting in the second row hugged his sibling, who was sitting in the front seat, and the front passenger's seat headrest deployed. The contact was unable to push the headrest back down. The headrest struck the child on the face; however, no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that an unknown plastic item had detached from the head restraint. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 132,168.
Today my wife was driving our 2013 Chrysler Town and Country. I took some pictures of the headrest popped open. I watched some YouTube videos about it to find out that it is a safety feature if the vehicle is in a rear end collision. This van however was not in an accident. Since it is Saturday, my dealer's service department is not open. I will have to call them on Monday.
I was driving and all of a sudden we heard a loud pop and the passenger head rest deployed on its own. There was no accident, just was driving. Looked online to see if I could push back together, but learning about all the pieces, the plastic parts that hold the pin in broke as it was deployed. Will need to call the dealership now to get it fixed/probably entirely replaced.
The driver side headrest airbag deployed. No one was hurt, this was a replacement recall part from December 2023. This was supposed to be safe, what if I was driving my family and friends around and this happened? We don't feel safe. I left a message with the dealer and am waiting to hear back. No one has inspected it this time yet. No warning signs.
I found the headrest exploded on the driver side when I got in the car in the morning. Apparently, this is common as I found it on the Internet while looking for a solution. Looks like a plastic part inside the headrest broke. AHR system inadvertently activated it seems. I'm glad I wasn't in the car and it didn't hit my head.
The front passenger headrest deployed . There was no collision, did it for no reason. The plastic catches broke causing it to deploy. If this had impacted my wife's head it could have injured her, if this happens to the drivers side while someone is driving and impacts the driver it could cause them to lose control of the vehicle.
The active headrest restraint of the front passenger seat deployed, while the van was parked in our driveway. The plastic brackets were broken, so there was no way to reset the headrest. The vehicle was not in any type of collision when the headrest safety feature was activated.
I was driving and all of a sudden I heard a loud pop and the driver side head rest deployed on its own. There was no accident, I was just was driving. The headrest struck the back of my head resulting in me having a sore neck.
My 18 year old son was driving my 14 year old daughter on I97 in Maryland when the passenger seat active head restraints headrest deployed startling both of my kids. No injuries or accidents but pretty scary at 65 MPH
NHTSA investigations
Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early…
Seat complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2013 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 58 complaints about the seats of the 2013 Chrysler Town and Country, 9% of the model year's 681 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › head restraint (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Chrysler Town and Country seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2013 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 2013 Chrysler Town and Country seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 9 injuries to seats 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.