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Chrysler Town & Country power steering problems

64 messages,  Last post on Nov 25, 2009 at 11:49 AM

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#41 of 64 chrysler town and country steering whine by littlevanowner Aug 02, 2008 (9:36 pm)
ok,   i have an '04 T and C which i bought a year and a half ago...great vehicle except for the steering whine...brought it in to the dealership and had it filled and bled (to remove supposed air bubbles) more than once...would seem to be improved then go back to same old thing...the noise would start when i started the car in the morning and would be worse in cold weather...was told to turn the wheel while i warmed up the car in the driveway..this seemed to get the groaning under control...one morning i was in a particularly bad mood and turned the wheel pretty violently and as i backed out i saw a puddle of red steering fluid on the ground...all the fluid just gushed out...had to have it towed to the dealership where they found one or more loose clamps in the steering system hoses...the clamps were replaced and the steering fluid filled and no more problem!!! that was several months ago (winter time) and the problem has not resurfaced...hope that this helps other T and C owners:-)
#42 of 64 steering shudder by 5hills Aug 07, 2008 (3:13 am)
'05 T&C with +63,000 miles   Like others, we've experienced the whining of the power steering system, but only during low ambient temperatures. Keeping the fluid level topped off seemed to eliminate the noise problem. The problem of more concern is the shudder in the steering, whether at slow or highway speeds.   I went to a dealer to discuss the problem and the service guy indicated that this is a frequent problem and Chrysler is aware of it, but unless you are within a warranty period, regular or extended, there's nothing they will do about. I asked that he call the Chrysler regional manager to discuss it, but he indicated that Chrysler's not returning any calls. No wonder the company is tanking   Anyway the service guy says the problem is usually one of three things.   plugged screen in the reservoir preventing fluid flow through system. Solution, replace the reservoir and be sure to use ATF+4 fluid.   A pressure switch in the system senses low pressure and calls for the engine to increase the idle Solution, add more hose, and cooler if not present. Chrysler thinking is that the additional volume of fluid in the system will prevent low pressure and reduce the idle changes. The explanation seemed lame.   Bad steering rack Solution, replace the steering rack.   Well, I've got a shudder, and I'm not ready to let them work on it yet. Purchased the reservoir, about $25 and replaced it myself. Not hard to do except for getting to the 10mm nut. Looking at the old reservoir screen it looked clean, no sign of pluggage. Test drove with new reservoir and the shudder is still there. But maybe the whine will go away come cold weather.   Next step ??? Replies to this message: 5hills (Aug 23, 2008 4:17 am)
#43 of 64 T&C Power Transfer Unit by vand59 Aug 08, 2008 (5:46 am)
We have a 2002 T&C that had been having the power steering noise that got worse in the winter. I had read about the problems with this and how some people had paid the $700-800 to fix it only to have it come back so I did not get it fixed. The other day it just pretty much died and now makes a horrible grinding noise when you drive. The dealer said it is the Power Transfer Unit and it will cost $2300 to fix. I don't know if it is worth fixing. I just replaced the air conditioning compressor? for $700.00. I am ready to ditch it. Has anyone ever heard of this problem and is it related to the power steering noise?
#44 of 64 by 68gs Aug 08, 2008 (9:23 am)
This has been an interesting read, to say the least. I had my 05 T&C to the dealer yesterday for a brake job. No problem there, but they told me the steering rack seals are going and the boots are filling with fluid. They wanted to replace it at about $850. Didn't say if they even HAD a rack in stock though. 61,000 miles and 3 yrs old. That's total BS. No fluid on the garage floor at this point, so I'm going to keep an eye on the floor and the fluid level. I gave them a little lecture on the recall/TSB subject and got nowhere of course. They DID admit to replacing a lot of them during severe cold spells in the last couple winters, some under warranty, some not. It's not making ANY odd noises at all either, so I was quite surprised when they told me what they'd found.   GM eventually gave in and recalled steering racks last year on some GP's and Regals, maybe Chrysler will see the light eventually...
#45 of 64 Town & Country by cthomp516 Aug 20, 2008 (5:03 am)
I have on 07 Town & Country that got fire on the underside last night. Luckily I was pulling out of a friend's driveway when it happened. I heard a loud noise and then all sudden smoke was everywhere. I jumped out of the car to find it on fire. After the fire was put out, my husband noticed the power steering fluid was completly empty. I had no power steering for driving at all. I'm wondering if what happened it what all of you are describing. My van only has about 19,000 miles on it and I haven't even had it for a year yet. I will be interested to see what they say is wrong with it.
#46 of 64 Re: steering shudder [5hills] by 5hills Aug 23, 2008 (4:17 am)
Replying to: 5hills (Aug 07, 2008 3:13 am) Took the car back to the dealer for them to look closer at the problem. They called to indicate that the shudder they noticed was unlike any that they've seen previously. They were able to call Chrysler which gave them some specifications to check out. Long story short is that everything related to the steering check out within specifications. Looks like my shudder problem is related to the tires.
#47 of 64 Chrysler Town and Country Steering Problems by silverdale Aug 25, 2008 (6:09 pm)
We bought a new 2006 T&C SWB a year ago that now has 3,200 miles on it. The car has almost no power steering although fluid hasn't leaked and there's no noise as others have experienced. It just has no power. The dealership replaced the rack and pinion and pump but it made little change in the hard steering. They agree that the steering is unusually difficult, but have no solutions and are trying to get around the problem by also claiming the steering is normal. Our friend's 2005 that uses the same parts is easy to steer - normal, and other used T&C's we've tested on car lots are normal. Has anyone else had this problem? Replies to this message: ehumbert (Nov 18, 2008 10:32 am) jrsatt (Nov 18, 2008 5:43 pm)
#48 of 64 Re: Chrysler Town and Country Steering Problems [silverdale] by ehumbert Nov 18, 2008 (10:32 am)
Replying to: silverdale (Aug 25, 2008 6:09 pm) I've an '05 T&C, bought in Sept of '05. It's got about 34K on it, and I found out today that the power steering assemby has to be completely replaced. Not under warranty, as I'm two months past the 36 month deadline. I'm a paraplegic, and have no choice but to go to someone to have it fixed. From the looks of the posts here, I think there's a very good chance for a lawsuit against Chrysler. Meanwhile, I'm going to the local TV station to see if they will do an expose' on this subject. $1127 for this repair is killing me.   Eugene Humbert Denver, Co. Replies to this message: jrsatt (Nov 18, 2008 5:43 pm)
#49 of 64 Re: Chrysler Town and Country Steering Problems [ehumbert] by jrsatt Nov 18, 2008 (5:43 pm)
Replying to: ehumbert (Nov 18, 2008 10:32 am) I highly suggest you contact a person of knowledge and make personal contact with the Chrysler Corporation and express your concern over the sever problems that their mini-vans are having with the power steering racks and demand satisfaction. They put out a piece of junk and are hiding behind a stone wall. I had the same story except I had purchased a policy so it only cost me $107.00 which included state tax on the repair bill. Go get em!
#50 of 64 Town and Country Steering Problems by WonderingMB Nov 23, 2008 (12:22 pm)
Took my 06 T&C to a dealer to have it serviced. They changed the oil & everything checked out ok except there was a problem in the steering rack. Had some noise in the steering the past couple of weeks so I listened. The steering rack was leaking fluid and it was going into the boots which could cause a problem of locking up. Since I have an upcoming trip back to Indiana (I live in SC) I figured I better replace it. Total cost of $707.73. Called back the next morning and was told the dealer couldn't do anything about it. Was given Chrysler's customer service number 1-800-992-1997. Only had 42447 miles on the van I purchased in May '08. Had just over 32000 on at purchase. After reading all these messages I figure there's a real problem with the rack and pinion steering on Chrysler vans. Am going to follow through with the call to Chrysler and see what happens. The other recourse is Indiana's Lemon Law.

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