Fuel was leaking from the fuel rail causing fuel fumes to enter passenger compartment. A recall has been issued on the vehicle.*ak while driving, the fumes continued to come into the vehicle. Took the vehicle to the dealer and found that the fuel rail was leaking
1996 Chrysler Town and Country: gas smell in the cabin
15 of the 925 complaints about the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country describe gas smell in the cabin.
- owner complaints
- 15
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 4
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
Gas smell in the cabin by model year
What owners say
Fuel smell in cabin. Dealer found crack in tank filler neck - no action taken - awaiting pending recall.
On 11/14 or 15/2001 I noticed the smell of gasoline from the engine compartment of my car. It was stronger when I opened my hood. I called a mechanic to my house to diagnose the problem. He determined that the fuel rails were leaking. I determined that such a problem afflicted other 1996 town and country vehicles. I contacted my local chrysler dealer who would only state that my vehicle had no outstanding recalls. When I specifically mentioned recall 00v268000 they refused to confirm such a problem or recall existed. I then called chrysler customer service. They too told me that no recall was outstanding on my vehicle. They also refused to confirm that such a problem existed on 1996 chrysler town and country vehicles, but also told me that just because it was on the federal safety agency's web page doesn't mean it's a recall. Both the dealer and chrysler refused to provide any help with this repair or any information.
There was a fuel odor when the gas tank was full, consumer was informed by dealer that the vent tube on top of the gas tank was cracked and the entire tank needed to be replaced.
I wasn't involved in an accident. The van could have burned up though if I hadn't caught the problem of gas leaking onto the hot exhaust system. The defect was not immediately noticeable, it didn't cause obvious engine or operating difficulties and there were no warnings of fuel leaking from the on board trouble warning system. I caught the problem when I drove into my attached garage, turned off the engine and got out of the van.. I smelled gas, backed the van out of the garage, raised the hood with the engine running and observed the raw gas pouring out of two places on the engine. As it was the labor day weekend I left the van outside and used our other car. I'm a realtor with century 21 and an associate in our office had his dodge mini-van catch fire and burn up last year and now I wonder if this isn't a common problem with this series chrysler products. My home could have burned to the ground had I not obseved the gas smell and got the van out of the garage. Had we been asleep in the house my wife and I could have both been burned to death. Even if we were just driving and happened to be involved in an accident the van would be more likely to catch fire from the leaking gas and we might have been trapped in it. We're both in our 70's. The repairs cost $221.47 and because there seems to be a demand for the replacement fuel rail & injector o-rings it took the dealer several days to get the parts from chrysler. Does this not suggest there's a problem
Consumer was traveling about 8mph on street and smelled gasoline fumes coming from underneath engine. Gasoline was coming from fuel rail.dealership will repair it at consumer's expense.
Fule rail began leaking dumping large quantities of gasoline onto the valve cover and would have contacted hot exhaust manifold if leak was not detected. Noticed strong gasoline smell. This was a high potential for engine fire and house fire if car had been parked in attached garage as normal. Just luck that it was discovered.
I have already filed a verbal report on the phone, however my van that we purchased new caught fire on sept. 19. 2000. I, e. Amanda harris wasthe primary operator of the vehicle. I just wanted to add some additonal info. To the original report. We had always taken the car to be serviced and at one such time I complained to the dealer that whenever I filled the van up with gas I smelled gas fumes inside of the van as if something was leaking. They returned the van indicating nothing was wrong. During the first 30 days after I purchased the vehicle one of the sealent rings fell off and the transmission fluid poured out. I was stranded dangerously on the side on the road during rush hour traffic with five children. We used the van for family travel also. On the day of the event it was the grace of god that the vehicle didn't blow up with my children in the vehicle. Many times they would have been sleeping. We purchased this vehicle because we thought is was safe, only to find out it wasn't. Worse yet I cannot afford to purchase another vehicle yet and we are struggling with one 4 dr sedan until we can afford to do better. I cringe when I see any van these days, especially chrysler, dodge or plymouth. I'm grateful I'm alive.
Vehicle parked in garage overnight. Garage was filled with gasoline fumes. Checked under hood and gas was leaking from the fuel rail. Engine block was soaked with gas. Had heard of chryler fuel rail problems but dealer says none pertain to my vehicle.
Consumer drove vehicle inside of garage, and was complaining about a gasoline smell inside of vehicle. Took vehicle to dealership. Mechanic said that fuel tank, which was plastic, leaked fuel.
Fuel tank began leaking gasoline when tank is filled. Gasoline fumes present most of the time. Dealer says that fuel tank filler overflow valve is defective and entire gas tank must be replaced as there is no way to repair the valve itself. This seems like a safety issue and a design flaw if the entire gas tank ust be replaced for a defective valve in the filler tube.
Broken vent on fuel tank caused gas fumes when tank was full. Dealer replaced tank at a cost of $500 to me. Said was not under warranty due to vehicle age.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: mini vans built with 3.3l and 3.8l engines have fuel rails with nitrole rubber o-ring seals that can degrade over time. Fuel leakage from the underhood fuel injection fuel rail could result, increasing the likelihood of a vehicle fire.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a seal on the vehicle fuel rails to prevent external leakage of fuel from the fuel rail crossover tube, should the existing o-rings continue to degrade. Owner notification began on january 25, 2002. Due to the large quantity of vehicles involved in this campaign, the owner notification will be phased over the next several months. However, if a vehicle is leaking fuel from the o-rings, the vehicle should be taken into a dealer to have this repaired as soon as possible. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 00V268000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: minivans. Fuel can leak from the fuel tank at the interface of the fuel pump module attachment.
- Risk
- If a fuel leak occurs in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel pump module attaching nut with a nut that includes tighter design tolerances. The sealing o-ring will also be replaced.
Recall number 99V216000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap
- What is wrong
- A static electric charge can build up on the ungrounded metal section of the fuel filler tube.
- Risk
- This condition could cause a spark to occur when fueling the vehicle and possibly ignite the fuel vapors.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a ground strap for the fuel filler tube.
Recall number 96V002000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- The fuel tank rollover valve can allow fuel to pass into the vapor canister resulting in the potential for fuel leakage.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage increases the potential for a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel tank filler tube with a filler tube that has an additional rollover valve. The associated rollover valve vapor hoses will be rerouted.
Recall number 95V236000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country fuel smell
Is gas smell in the cabin a common problem on the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country?
15 of 925 owner complaints about the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country (2%) mention gas smell in the cabin. The model year with the most reports is 1996.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country?
There are 4 recalls and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Chrysler Town and Country
Airbag light 77Wipers 68Fuel leak 60Adaptive cruise 55Stalling 55Transmission failure 39Fire or smoke 34Loss of power 32Door locks 29Power steering loss 25Headlights 18Fuel pump 17ABS 14Brake failure 13Overheating 11Fuel gauge 9No deployment 7Slipping 7Grinding brakes 6Jerking 6Won't start 6Engine failure 5Seat belt 5Steering lock-up 5Won't shift 5
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