2002 Chrysler Town AND Country: common problems

Owners of the 2002 Chrysler Town AND Country filed 404 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 404
involving a crash: 15

What fails most often

1 Steering 19% of all complaints
2 Air bags 17% of all complaints
3 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
4 Powertrain 10% of all complaints
5 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
6 Exterior lighting 6% of all complaints
7 Latches, locks, linkages 6% of all complaints
8 Service brakes 5% of all complaints

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

Steering: 76 complaints (19% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Air bags: 67 complaints (17% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 60 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 40 complaints (10% of all).
Engine and cooling: 31 complaints (8% of all).

Engines and transmissions

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

2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl
3.3 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
3.8 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
automatic, 3-speed
automatic, 4-speed

Drive: FWD, AWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 404 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

steering or power steering problems56 · 14%
airbag warning light48 · 12%
warning lights, check engine38 · 9%
smoke, burning smell, fire28 · 7%
A/C or heater26 · 6%
knocking, grinding or other noise25 · 6%
headlights and tail lights23 · 6%
windows, sunroof19 · 5%
stalls while driving18 · 4%
infotainment or screen glitches13 · 3%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Steering	76	4
Air bags	67	8
Electrical system	60	1
Powertrain	40	0
Engine and cooling	31	0
Exterior lighting	24	0
Latches, locks, linkages	23	0
Service brakes	22	1
Equipment	21	1
Structure	19	1
Suspension	17	0
Visibility	16	0
Fuel system	15	0
Seat belts	13	1

What owners report

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

My car collided with a 1999 ford f150. My car hit the truck from behind. The impact resulted in severe damage to the front of my car. In fact, my car was totaled and the airbags never deployed.
Air bags · crash · 2014-11-03 · NHTSA complaint #10652236
When slowly pulling into a parking space (my foot was on the brake) with approximately two to one foot to complete this action, there was a tremendous surge of energy that drove the car forward into a building leaving a hole in the brick wall and broken windows.
Service brakes · crash · 2014-07-20 · NHTSA complaint #10614862
The airbag did not deploy resulting in whiplash of the driver of this vehicle, followed by 3 months of recovery, reduced work schedule, pain, etc. This vehicle hit the other car in the driver side tire, breaking the front axle of the other car. Both cars came to a very immediate stop.
Air bags · crash · 2006-05-22 · NHTSA complaint #10157994
02 chrysler town and country was rear-ended by another vehicle. Drive seat back complapsed, ejecting driver of town & country to rear of van.
Seats · crash · 2006-01-15 · NHTSA complaint #10147809
At 10:30 am, southbound at the 346 mile marker i35s, just north of waco, my 2002 chrysler town and country lxi minivan was in a rollover accident caused by the left rear tire tread separation and subsequent blowout. Minivan was in the left lane and driving the speed limit of 70 mph.
Tires · crash · 2005-11-29 · NHTSA complaint #10143939
Dt: the contact stated on 5-7-05 vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle going approximately 50 mph. The contact was sitting still in his vehicle at this time. The vehicle was totaled by the accident. The passenger's side and driver's side seats fell backward. He did not have pictures of the seats.
Seats · crash · 2005-08-31 · NHTSA complaint #10134976
Airbags failed to deploy during a collision. Passenger air bag did not deploy. The passenger was injured (chrysler town and country).
Air bags · crash · 2005-06-08 · NHTSA complaint #10124709
Problems with engine when air conditioner or heater was operative. (nar) the consumer noticed that when the heat or a/c were on the engine strained. The dealer replaced the compressor but that did not alleviate the problem.
Steering · crash · 2004-11-30 · NHTSA complaint #10046669

When owners complained

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

20011
200229
200361
200468
200555
200645
200731
200818
200916
201016
201115
201210
20136
201410
20155
20164
20174
20183
20191
20202
20212
20221
20231

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 962 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Town AND Country has 366 complaints (37 years in the data). This year has 404, about average.

What to check before buying

Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
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.
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 2002 Chrysler Town AND Country?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, air bags, electrical system. Total complaints: 404. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: steering or power steering problems (14%), airbag warning light (12%), warning lights, check engine (9%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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 2026-11-05.