Steering wheel locked up while driving, with engine running, car went off road, almost hit tree. After stopped , with engine still running ( it never stopped) I had to pull back and forth on the steering wheel, suddenly the wheel was free to turn and has acted normal since. Drove home fine , but scared it may happen again ! Kids were in van !
2001 Chrysler Town and Country: steering wheel locks up
6 of the 462 complaints about the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 65,049
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 10 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Steering wheel locks up by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chrysler town and country. The contact stated that while driving in reverse at approximately 5 MPH, the steering wheel seized while the contact attempted to make a turn. The contact also stated that the power train position light flashed. The contact restarted the vehicle and it operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that there was a rock under the hood that was interfering with the driving. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 91,000.
Steering wheel locks when engine is first turned on in morning. Slowly, with a bump or whirring noise, it finally (about 15 seconds) loosens up. However, and this has happened 4 times, as we drove about a mile and stopped at a light, it froze again and wheel would not turn until car moved about 20 ft with gas pedal engaged. If we sat there it would continue. Seems it needs the engine to do more than idle.
I made a right turn onto the freeway and my steering wheel locked causing the me to lose control of the vehicle. It continued to the emergency lane. After I stopped the car, the steering was back to normal. Car is going to be taken to dealer for inspection/repair?
When turning from a stop the steering wheel locked up. Consumer was able to unlock the steering wheel with force. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
While reversing steering wheel locked up, but will unlock when driving straight. The problem became worse. Currently, the steering wheel locked up, even when driving straight. Mechanic indicated by phone it may be a failure in the rack and pinion. Vehicle shouldn't be driven because the problem will only get worse.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Revised power steering system bleeding procedures
- Steering shudder
- Pop/tick sound in steering wheel area
- Subject regarding steering shudder
- Subject regarding power steering moan/groan sound
- Information on power steering moaning/groaning sound
- Experiencing a shudder (vibration) felt inside the vehicle while turning the steering wheel
- Experiencing a pop/tick sound heard coming from the steering wheel area while the vehicle is in motion
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country?
6 of 462 owner complaints about the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country (1%) mention steering wheel locks up. The model year with the most reports is 2010.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country?
There are 0 recalls and 10 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2001 Chrysler Town and Country
Airbag light 33Check engine light 29Transmission failure 28Headlights 27Loss of power 17Power windows 14Wipers 14Stalling 13Power steering loss 12Adaptive cruise 10Door locks 10Whining noise 10ABS 9Ball joint 9Grinding brakes 9Seat belt 8Tire blowout 8Overheating 7No deployment 6Brake failure 6Knocking 6Fuel leak 6Fire or smoke 5Won't start 5
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