1999 Chrysler Town AND Country reliability: common problems

Owners of the 1999 Chrysler Town AND Country filed 362 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 362
involving a crash: 18

What fails most often

1 Air bags 16% of all complaints
2 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
3 Seats 13% of all complaints
4 Powertrain 12% of all complaints
5 Engine and cooling 9% of all complaints
6 Suspension 9% of all complaints
7 Wheels 8% of all complaints
8 Service brakes 7% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Air bags: 59 complaints (16% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 56 complaints (15% of all).
Seats: 48 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 44 complaints (12% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine and cooling: 34 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Engines and transmissions

US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.

3.3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
3.8 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
automatic, 4-speed

Drive: FWD, AWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 362 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

rust, corrosion49 · 14%
airbag warning light35 · 10%
smoke, burning smell, fire34 · 9%
steering or power steering problems28 · 8%
A/C or heater27 · 7%
warning lights, check engine26 · 7%
infotainment or screen glitches15 · 4%
won't start13 · 4%
overheating, coolant loss13 · 4%
headlights and tail lights11 · 3%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Air bags	59	4
Electrical system	56	0
Seats	48	1
Powertrain	44	6
Engine and cooling	34	1
Suspension	32	1
Wheels	28	0
Service brakes	27	4
Steering	25	2
Structure	17	0
Vehicle speed control	16	1
Engine	11	0
Tires	11	0
Visibility	10	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Strut tower corroded and spring and strut popped thru and caused loss of control.
Suspension · crash · 2011-11-11 · NHTSA complaint #10435246
I was pulling into gas station when the van suddenly accelerated by itself.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2010-03-02 · NHTSA complaint #10315962
The serpentine belt fell off last night and due to the loss of steering assist I ended up in an accident. Luckily no one was hurt. It has been an on-going problem with the serpentine belt falling off. I replaced all the parts associated with the belt and it still happened.
Engine and cooling · crash · 2009-12-17 · NHTSA complaint #10296192
Vehicle rolled down the driveway nearly crushing passenger. *** no answer required*** the consumer's one year old son was able to move the gear shift out of park although the consumer had the key in his pocket. The vehicle rolled down the consumer's driveway before striking a tree.
Steering · crash · 2005-11-29 · NHTSA complaint #10144262
I was vacuuming my 1999 chrysler town & country van before church when my 1 year old son pulled the shifter out of park and the van rolled down our driveway. The drivers door struck a tree causing $1800 damage. The keys to the van were in my pocket.
Powertrain · crash · 2005-09-27 · NHTSA complaint #10137837
One week prior to receiving the recall on the air bag clockspring the consumer was involved in an accident in which the driver's side air bag did not deploy. The driver sustained substantial injuries.
Air bags · crash · 2005-04-04 · NHTSA complaint #10117261
My passenger door was open and so was his so they collided as my van rolled backwards down the drive. I hopped in the van and tried to apply the brake, but the only thing that stopped my van from rolling in to the road was his car. They "locked" together.
Powertrain · crash · 2005-03-21 · NHTSA complaint #10114401
Upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries to report. The dealer and manufacturer were notified.
Powertrain · crash · 2004-12-13 · NHTSA complaint #10103640

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19981
199915
200017
200135
200238
200368
200466
200528
200618
200715
200811
20097
20107
20113
20127
20135
20146
20157
20165
20193
20241

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 1,082 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Town AND Country has 376 complaints (36 years in the data). This year has 362, about average.

What to check before buying

Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1999 Chrysler Town AND Country?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, seats. Total complaints: 362. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (14%), airbag warning light (10%), smoke, burning smell, fire (9%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Chrysler Town AND Country?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1999 Chrysler Town AND Country from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1999 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.