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 2016 Chrysler Town and Country owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that after arriving at her destination, she became aware that both the driver's and passenger's side sliding doors were jammed. Upon applying great force, the contact was able to open the driver's side door, and after visual inspection, she observed the sliding door was off the track with electrical wires exposed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer was also unable to open the passenger's side sliding door. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the driver's side sliding door was making an abnormal sound and failed to open and close as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the passenger side sliding door emits a buzzing noise. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
The driver side sliding door stopped unlocking, manually or automatically, it also stopped opening manually or automatically by button. I contacted my dealer who referred me to TSB 23-036-21 REV. A. They said the repair would be 100% covered by the manufacturer, however, after repair, they tell me that certain parts required for repair we not covered by the extended warranty. They replaced the actuator as the repair required, as well as the latch. The actuators are specified in the TSB, the latches are not. But the dealer insisted that to repair this they followed manufacturer instructions and the latch was necessary to fix the door. They gave me the FCA Chrysler hotline, which I called and they tell me that the latches ARE required to be replaced for repair, but that the customer is required to pay for this part which is nearly $800. …
Back sliding door inoperable, dealership sold the vehicle this way, neglected to disclose the issue. When we noticed we refused the sale, dealership added to the sale contract that it would be fixed before delivery, vehicle was not fixed before delivery after several attempts, and a third party off site company attempted to fix the issue. Dealership had the vehicle for 36 days before coming to a temporary fix, door still has issues opening and closing. Sometimes won't open at all or just close instantly after opening pinching/crushing anyone who isn't fast enough to get out of the way in the door. Door has also come completely off the track at one point. The door will not stop if it starts to close, it will slide closed into you or a child, the censors do not work as designed apparently. …
Driver side sliding door cannot be opened either remotely or manually, Something is non-functional inside the door. In order to exit the vehicle, people must climb over to the front seat or across the vehicle to the passenger side sliding door. If this were to happen on the passenger side, the only way out is through the front doors. This must be a design issue as the vehicle has NOT been in any accident--people in the rear seats are at risk if they need to exit quickly. Previously told by a mechanic shop, this was an actuator problem. Chrysler has now extended the warranty on the actuator, but now they say it is a latch issue not covered by the extended warranty, and want $1100 to repair it. Latch, actuator, or whatever reason, no vehicle door should ever get into this type of mode. …
On 3 July 2021 the driver side rear sliding door became inoperable. The door would not open using either the electronic motor or by manually pulling the handle and sliding the door. The door lock appeared to be jammed in the locked position and could not be unlocked either electronically or manually. Not being able to open the rear door in any manner is unsafe and in the event of an accident would not allow access or egress to passengers in the rear of the vehicle. I had an independent ASE Certified Master Mechanic asses the issue. The only way to get the door open was to remove the door panel from the inside and manually push the lock actuator back into the correct position. Upon further inspection and testing it was noted that flipping the child safety lock back and forth several times seemed to have reset the actuator and the lock and door has worked correctly since.
First incident. Driver side sliding door lock failed. Sliding door could not be unlocked and opened from inside or outside the vehicle. Had to use other sliding door to exit van. Door had to be dismantled and failed latch replaced. Approximately 7 years old and roughly 52,000 miles. This was around 9/2023. Second incident. Passenger side sliding door lock failed. Sliding door could not be unlocked and opened from inside or outside the vehicle. Had to use other sliding door to exit / enter van. Scheduled to go in for failed latch replacement at Chrysler dealer. Approximately 9 years old and roughly 63,000 miles. Either one of these unexpected failed door latch incidents could have led to injury or possibly death.
This summer our driver's side sliding door stopped working. It will not open manually or with the buttons in the car or on the remote. Around the same time, the lock on the passenger side sliding door started to buzz every time it unlocked. This weekend, the passenger side sliding door became stuck closed as well. Neither door is functional. I have a child in a 5 point harness that must be in one of the middle seats. It is very difficult to get her in and out. In the case of an emergency, we would be struggling to get the 4 kids out of the back. I see that you are doing an investigation, so I wanted to be sure and report the problem. We have not pursued a repair yet as it is not in our budget.
Defective door-latching system; in particular: the driver side, (left side), passengers sliding door; which resulted in occupant being trapped in vehicle until we were able to extricate through other door. There is a pending class action lawsuit regarding this defect: UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN Case 2:21-cv-11696-JEL-DRG; failure occurred with no warning and does not allow for manual operation of the door system. This defect poses an extreme safety hazard, as it is possible that both passenger doors could be affected, essentially trapping the occupants in the mid and rear seating compartments.
Body complaints in other Town and Country years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2016 Chrysler Town and Country?
NHTSA has 75 complaints about the body & structure of the 2016 Chrysler Town and Country, 14% of the model year's 527 complaints. The component named most often is body (66 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Chrysler Town and Country body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2016 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 2016 Chrysler Town and Country body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury 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.