MileageCurve What breaks, and at what mileage

Chrysler Town And Country 2001–2007

4th generation minivan (RS) · Chrysler RS · 3,696 complaints, 2,875 with mileage

Owners filed 3,696 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001–2007 Chrysler Town And Country, and 2,875 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.

Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 37,000 and 100,000 miles. The median is 64,000 miles.

The most-reported areas are the electrical system (13.3% of complaints, typically around 79,900 miles), the steering (12.9% of complaints, typically around 52,461 miles), the airbag system (11.4% of complaints, typically around 62,375 miles).

1 recall campaign cover this generation.

When failures happen

0–5k: 155 complaints (5.4%)0–5k5–10k: 78 complaints (2.7%)10–20k: 162 complaints (5.6%)10–20k20–30k: 160 complaints (5.6%)30–40k: 228 complaints (7.9%)30–40k40–50k: 253 complaints (8.8%)50–60k: 279 complaints (9.7%)50–60k60–70k: 250 complaints (8.7%)70–80k: 192 complaints (6.7%)70–80k80–90k: 204 complaints (7.1%)90–100k: 183 complaints (6.4%)90–100k100–120k: 220 complaints (7.7%)120–140k: 217 complaints (7.5%)120–140k140–160k: 133 complaints (4.6%)160–200k: 108 complaints (3.8%)160–200k200k+: 53 complaints (1.8%)2790

10% of failures occur by 12,853 miles · a quarter by 37,000 · median 64,000 · three quarters by 100,000 · 90% by 140,000. Based on 2,875 complaints that record mileage.

What fails, and when

SystemComplaintsShareTypical mileageMiddle half
Electrical System49313.3%79,90042,000–120,000
Steering47612.9%52,46137,800–75,000
Air Bags42111.4%62,37540,588–96,000
Exterior Lighting2767.5%85,00052,000–122,500
Power Train2185.9%56,00032,860–84,000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1764.8%20,00011,129–37,000
Engine And Engine Cooling1734.7%48,36227,226–74,000
Fuel/Propulsion System1694.6%99,00070,000–125,000
Structure1393.8%64,64536,000–114,422
Visibility1293.5%60,00030,000–84,000

By model year

YearComplaintsWith mileage
2001606375
2002518361
2003336250
2004219190
20051,154960
2006569487
2007294252

Which systems, and when

Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 64,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.

The electrical system accounts for 13.3% of complaints (493 reports, 392 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 79,900 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 42,000 and 120,000 miles.

The steering accounts for 12.9% of complaints (476 reports, 372 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 52,461 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 37,800 and 75,000 miles.

The airbag system accounts for 11.4% of complaints (421 reports, 325 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 62,375 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 40,588 and 96,000 miles.

The exterior lighting accounts for 7.5% of complaints (276 reports, 232 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 85,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 52,000 and 122,500 miles.

The transmission and driveline accounts for 5.9% of complaints (218 reports, 161 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 56,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 32,860 and 84,000 miles.

The hydraulic brake circuit accounts for 4.8% of complaints (176 reports, 135 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 20,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 11,129 and 37,000 miles.

Differences between model years

Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2005 model year drew the most — 1,154 complaints — while 2004 drew the fewest at 219. The median year sits at 518.

That makes 2005 an outlier: roughly 2.2 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.

Recalls and what they cover

NHTSA records 1 recall campaign covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.

Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.

Reported severity

Of the 3,696 complaints filed against this generation, 189 reported a crash; 83 reported a fire; 282 reported an injury; 6 reported a fatality. Crash-involved reports represent 5.1% of the total.

These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.

What this means if you are buying one

For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 37,000 and 100,000 miles, with a median of 64,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.

On inspection, the electrical system and the steering are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The steering in particular shows a median failure mileage of 52,461, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.

None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.

Documented problems

Transmission 2001-2007

41TE 4-speed continues to fail via solenoid pack, input clutch and pump wear; limp-in and loss of forward gears are the characteristic symptoms.

Body 2001-2007

Power sliding door and power liftgate motor/cable failures remain the most-complained-about non-powertrain item.

Electrical 2004-2007

Instrument cluster and body control module faults causing intermittent gauge dropout and no-start.

Recalls (1)

CampaignDateComponent
10V0080002010-04-19Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-Inactive

What owners reported

2001 · 11 miles · Steering
I FEEL GOOD NOW THAT COMPANIES ARE REPAIRING THEIR DEFECTIVE AUTOMOBILES, A PROCESS THAT SAVES CONSUMER LIVES AND MONEY. ONE WOULD ASSUME THAT REGULATORS ARE CONTROLLING THE AUTOMOBILE COMPANIES AND PROTECTING THE PUBLIC, BUT THIS ASSUMPTION IS NOT TRUE. THE PUBLIC SPENDS BILLIONS ON DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS THAT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DOES LITTLE ABOUT DEFECTIVE AMERICAN CARS. MY POWER STEERIN…
2001 · 4,000 miles · Electrical System
VEHICLE HAS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO POWER WINDOWS, WIPERS, STEREO, HEADLIGHTS, AND AC CONTROLS. PROBLEMS INCLUDE HEADLIGHTS FLICKERING ON AND OFF, WIPERS/STEREO DOES NOT FUNCTION WHEN YOU FIRST TURN ON THE CAR AND THEN COMES ON BY ITSELF ANYWHERE FROM 30 SECONDS TO 3 DAYS LATER. NO PATTERN CAN BE DETERMINED WHICH MAKES ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF …
2001 · 4,000 miles · Steering
VEHICLE HAS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO POWER WINDOWS, WIPERS, STEREO, HEADLIGHTS, AND AC CONTROLS. PROBLEMS INCLUDE HEADLIGHTS FLICKERING ON AND OFF, WIPERS/STEREO DOES NOT FUNCTION WHEN YOU FIRST TURN ON THE CAR AND THEN COMES ON BY ITSELF ANYWHERE FROM 30 SECONDS TO 3 DAYS LATER. NO PATTERN CAN BE DETERMINED WHICH MAKES ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF …
2001 · 4,000 miles · Visibility
VEHICLE HAS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO POWER WINDOWS, WIPERS, STEREO, HEADLIGHTS, AND AC CONTROLS. PROBLEMS INCLUDE HEADLIGHTS FLICKERING ON AND OFF, WIPERS/STEREO DOES NOT FUNCTION WHEN YOU FIRST TURN ON THE CAR AND THEN COMES ON BY ITSELF ANYWHERE FROM 30 SECONDS TO 3 DAYS LATER. NO PATTERN CAN BE DETERMINED WHICH MAKES ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF …

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