Opinions on the Chrysler Town & Country -- Any Engine/transmission Problems?

I have an '05 Town and Country. 78,000 miles and no issues except a $400 emission sensor. We had a '97 Dodge Caravan which we traded in to get the T and C, and we did have to replace the tranny in that, at 170,000 miles! I never thought I would like a mini van, but I loved both of these. It is so much easier to haul kids and their junk around in, and convenient, as someone else said, to be able to walk back to take care of someone in the back. I highly recommend it.

What a lot of people don't understand with transmissions is one how you drive the car, so many people beat up on their transmissions and don't even realize what they are doing. You want a good van stick to a 3.8L engine so the transmission doesn't have to take up the slack. So many people will by a 4 cyl 2.4L van and load it up like a normal van this can't be done cheaper, yes, in the beginning but you pay for it later. Every car company has something that always fails its a part of life. And you need to watch what you buy cause a lot of people don't even realize that the new VW routan is the exact same car under the hood as a caravan or T&C. You are just paying more for the name and the luxuries inside. I do have to say most importantly is avoid 05' year dodge vans as they were a tester year (coming out with some new different features), tester years are prone to issues with any company Best of luck car buying. And remember yes there will be issues but as far as a van goes you get a lot for the money and compared to other companies your issues will be fixed a LOT cheaper. Even for the little things. Transmissions in dodges are easy to find and cheap to buy.

Our friends bought one 2 years ago (with all kinds of incentives/rebates - fully loaded was $27k) - they figured with the money they saved versus buying a Honda/Toyota fully loaded ($40k+) they could replace the transmission a couple of times if they had to. So far no problems and they love their van. That being said we just bit the bullet and bought the Toyota only because I have a Camry and liked how it felt just like my Camry (and we had the money). But if we had not had the money available I definitely would have considered the Dodge/Chrysler especially if you can get that kind of a deal!!

I have a 2005 Dodge Caravan. I love it. Love everything about it. I have in the past had a chrysler labaron which did have transmission problems. My minivan has 78000 miles. we have never had a problem with transmission. What we have had problems with is the rack & pinion steering. It has had to be replaced twice. Both times it was under warrentee still. Just had the first out of warrentee thing. And man o man expensive. The ABS light came on (antilock brakes) that was $250 and the water pump had to be replaced at $422 so one trip to the garage was $672. Haven't had to pay out of pocket for anything for a long time. Hoping not again for a long time. We love this van. Its the first vehicle I have had in 22 years of marriage that I didn't want to trade in the next year. I love it as much today as the year we bought it 5 years ago.

My sister has a Town and Country (I think it is an '03) and they have had quite a few problems over the years with it. In fact, their vehicle is in the shop right now to have the entire engine replaced..... Overall, she said their family has been satisfied with the TC, but they would be out of a LOT of money if they hadn't purchased the extended warranty!!

How about a used Toyota or Honda?

We replaced our 96 chevy venture with a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan last summer...

While looking I noticed something. THe Grand Caravan and Town and Country are the EXACT same vehicles with different trim packages. T&C is the more "expensive" one while the GC is more moderately priced. Same exact features.

We bought our van used from an awesome local dealer and have had ZERO issues with it.

You always run the chance that you MAY get a defective part no matter what you buy. Choose what you can afford and what fits your life. Autos have changed ALOT since the 90's ...

We had a 1995 T&C years ago and we had transmission problems. We currently have a 2006 T&C and no engine or transmission problems with this one. However, we have had problems with the brakes.

Since 1996 I have vowed to never, ever own another Chrysler product again! I had a new car and had problems with the transmission from the start. I had to take it in about 5 times before they got anything done about it. All this was right after I bought it. That experience has soured me on anything in the Chrysler family forever.

My neighbor bought a brand new Town and country and has nothing but problems with it. It has been in the shop countless times and is now considered a "lemon". On the other hand, I have a friend that bought a used T&C and loves it. I think it just depends. I do have a couple friends that have the honda odyssey and LOVE it. Personally, I think the Honda is an all around better vehicle. I know you said you are on a budget, but maybe a used one might be a good option. Good Luck. I know this can be a huge decision.

After I posted this, I thought I should add, Toyota has been in the news a lot lately and not for good reasons. You could most likely get a great deal if you are able to trust the brand.

We had a 1997 Chrysler T & C and just got sold it last August. It wouldn't die!! We never had an issue with it, all we did was routine care.

That said, I was the main driver and it was 1 of 4 cars at the time and our (Home Depot) or load car. It had less than 60,000 miles when we sold it and it was in fantastic shape as well. We take great care of cars.

I loved it when daughter was little because I could walk thru the area between the passenger and driver and care for her, use the side door to get out, etc. I liked the convenience.

We actually miss it now because we will not be putting any home depot stuff in the cars we have now so we have to pay for home delivery!

Not sure about the newer models but we have a 2001 Dodge Caravan and our engine warning light is on and we have to get this fixed before the emissions test is due & will cost around $1400 , I have a friend who has the old shape Chrysler T & C and she also has the same light lit.