2005 Chrysler Town and Country: rotors or pads wearing out early

Filed Jun 11, 2010 · Brakes · 33,500 miles · TX

I own a 2005 chrysler town & country which was purchased new in april of 2005 directly from a dealership . The car has 33,600 miles, I was recently told after a brake inspection my rotors need to be replaced but the pads still had 5k miles left on them. I have never had a problem like this where the rotors wore out faster than the pads. I believe rotors are defective and should be recalled for safety reasons due to premature wear. The dealer told me this is normal wear, I disagree and will not purchase another chrysler product due to this attitude.

Filed Mar 2, 2009 · Brakes · 58,000 miles · OH

1) normal driving 2) brake pads wear out faster than usual when comparing it to other chrysler minivan models not town and country. 3) I had the brake pads replaced more often than expected.

Filed Dec 3, 2006 · Brakes · NC

Front rotors warped at 11,862 miles during normal driving,it was so bad that the steering wheel would shudder valiantly when trying to stop. Took to dealership and they resurfaced the rotors at no charge during 12,000 mile warranty,but if it happens again after 12,000 miles a charge for labor will have to be paid. Now our van is at 21,608 miles and the rotors are warped again, because the shudder is returning again. I hope I do not have to pay every 10,000 miles to keep the brakes working properly. Could this be an engineering flaw on brake size for weight and size of vehicle?

Filed May 31, 2006 · Brakes · 26,000 miles · CO

Right front brake pad worn to metal at 26,000 miles while the left front had 50% life. Chrysler refused to cover as a warranty item. Service manager claims this wear pattern is normal.

Filed May 24, 2006 · Brakes · 16,900 miles · VA

2005 t & c limited - 16k miles....no signs of trouble until last week, when an obvious grinding noise became apparent in the right front. Checked the right front rotor, and abnormal grooving and gouging was evident - however, left front rotor looked fine, and hadn't noticed any noise emanating from there. Led me to believe there probably was some sort of design defect with the right front brake system. Long story short - dealer says "metal on metal" both front brakes - need to resurface rotors and replace brake pads, plus bleed the brake fluid, to the tune of $360 - warranty won't cover, as brakes only covered to 12k miles. My 2002 t & c didn't need any kind of brake service up to 40k when we traded it in. Friend who had same make/model minivan (2005 t & c) had to replace brakes at 20k. One service manager in small town wisconsin said "I haven't had to replace brakes prior to 35k in my fifteen years as a mechanic." my service manager said 2005/2006 model year t & c's coming back prematurely with brake issues. Obviously, something was changed in the hydraulic system/brake system (downgrade in parts to cut costs?) that has resulted in premature wear and tear on the brakes. Also, we had no warning whatsoever that the brakes were wearing down - no squealing...nothing. This is unacceptable!

Filed Feb 4, 2006 · Brakes, Engine · 19,115 miles · TX

Vibration and in brake petal and/ or steering wheel. When turning sharply to left makes a grinding noise also has a bumping feeling like something is loose. Service department checked and had warped rotors and needed front disk brakes for the vibration, the grinding and the bumping noise was loose suspension sway links front brakes were replaced and rotors were resurfaced- I had to pay for the brake and rotor repair; the suspension loose sway bar links were replace listed was replaced front sway bar link and a link-sway eliminator. Driver seat feels like it has lost its cushion sometimes feels like there is a hard knot of something in the tail bone area of the anatomy. The A/C vents are unable to adjust for cooling the front and side windows. The floor vents do not line up with the openings in the floor console causing any air to be moved toward the front and under the dash. Was told the seat and A/C was all in normal operation.