A groaning noise was coming from the steering. Examined by the dealership - courtesy dodge - and I'm told it is the power steering rack. Reviewing complaints on the web I find that this is a common problem with chrysler town & country mini-vans and that chrysler fights people on covering this common issue.
2005 Chrysler Town and Country steering complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 121, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Vehicle steering rack and pinion bad. I bought this vehicle new/used. The first time I drove it home it started to "whine" when braking and turning the wheel. The steering gets very hard at times, also now makes "popping" noises and feels like the wheels are coming off. My mechanic said has a bad rack and pinion. There are numerous amounts of claims on this vehicle for the very same problem, but still no recall. I feel for my safety and I can't afford to have this repaired. Chrysler still hasn't issued a recall for this matter. My mechanic said it is definitely a safety issue. See website http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f172b27/26 for the 50 or so complaints for the same thing. My vehicle has 42,000 miles on it and it is out of warranty. When it was in warranty they told me there wasn't a problem. Help!!!!
2005 chrysler town and country , turn on the van there is an immediate whine. While turning corners and going at slower speeds vehicle will whine and grind. Has continually gotten louder over the last 3 months. Replaced power steering pump after consulting repairman and did not fix problem. Now we are leaking power steering fluid and whine and grind is even louder. Have read many forums about power steering racks going out, that is our next try, to fix whining problem.
2005 chrysler town & country purchased new. Grinding sound from the front end starting at 17,000 miles. Numerous parts replaced under warranty. Steering rack leaking/failing with only 56,000 miles. Local dealership denies any knowledge of steering rack and pinion problems. Steering problems are potentially very dangerous. I feel that there should be a recall on this vehicle.
Brought vehicle in for routine maintenance and was told that I needed the steering rack replaced. Purchased the vehicle a little over a year ago with a 1yr unlimited miles extended warranty due to the fact that it was returned under the lemon law for a different matter. Considering that vans are more of a family orientated vehicle I find it odd that there hasn't been some type of recall on this. Have been to several different internet forum discussions and it is just amazing how many people are having this same problem. The vehicle had roughly 46,000 mi. At time of discovery. There weren't any noises or anything out of the ordinary that would have suggested that there was something amiss. Not sure how long driving like that, which worries me with children.
Failed steering rack on chrysler van at 43,000 miles. Pa vehicle inspection issue required to be repaired. Rack leaking oil which drips onto hot exhaust system pipe. Van becomes difficult to steer at times. Chrysler corporation refused assistance although dealer service representative stated huge problem exists with many backordered steering rack systems for these vans and is considered a manufacturing design and quality issue. Chrysler, however, leaves the financial fix to come from its customer without assistance. No safety recall which is incredible!
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chrysler town and country. In december of 2007, the contact heard a clicking noise while turning the vehicle at 35 MPH. She took the vehicle to the dealer, but they did not make any repairs. She returned to the dealer in january of 2008, but the dealer still could not find any failure. Most recently, the dealer stated that the power steering rack was leaking. The dealer recommended that she replace the power steering gear at the cost of approximately $800. The current mileage is 62,020 and failure mileage was approximately 55,000. Updated 06/16/08
I notice some oil leaks on my drive way .so I took my car in too have it look at and was told I need a new power steering rack replace. It s going to cost me 1000.00 to get it fix. I have read many complaints about this problem this issue should be a recall. I also read that chrysler has redesign the rack and pin for this model. Why are they doing this unless it is a problem that they are trying to cover it up. I am really disappointed in chrysler I now am rethinking if chrysler was a good choice for me and my family.
I have a 2005 chrysler town county lx. I have been having this problem since I got the car as always there is nothing wrong they say, but had to replace rack and pinion and now I am back to the same thing again I feel that this is a problem with all 2005 town county from what I have heard. I have gone through three front end alignments a set of tires and I get the same old story blah blah, something needs to be done please help all of us on this issue.
Began hearing "whirring" noise upon cold start. Upon taking to my regular mechanic - was told that there was a leak in the power steering rack and it would have to be replaced. However the part had to be back-ordered and did not get it replaced until 4/28/08 at a cost of $1,200.00!
We have a 2005 town and country chrysler mini-van with a rack and pinion leak, oil pan gasket leak, and front timing cover seals leak. All issues that have come up in numerous other vehicles of the same make and year. There should be a recall.
2005 chrysler town & country van was serviced for scheduled lube, oil, oil filter and air filter replacement at a chrysler dealership. A chrysler service rep. Approached me in their waiting room to inform me that the oil, oil filter and air filter service has been completed but there are additional items that needed to be addressed. Additional services needed include: tire rotation, wiper blades replaced, front brakes, sway bar links and power steering rack replacement. This vehicle was purchased new and has only driven 34,500 miles. The chrysler service rep. Explained it all as best he could. The cold weather has caused the power steering rack failure to occur. The brakes are needed because the front brakes wear out first. No mention of the tire rotation, but; the sway bar links are noisy when driving the vehicle onto the lift in the service bay. The tires on this vehicle are goodyear integrity all season tires rated for 50,000 miles of tread life. The rear tires (after rotation) are worn excessively and approaching an unsafe tread wear pattern. The front steering components are failing and are causing this wear. The tires have been rotated as recommended by chrysler. The power steering rack is defective and the front brakes are insufficient. This vehicle drives 5 days a week on 45 - 65 MPH. Paved roads.
Rack & pinion steering assembly failure. Seals in the assembly have failed and power steering fluid has leaked out. Was told by repair shop that it all the fluid drains out the steering system could freeze up causing an accident. The problem was only discovered during a state inspection, so was lucky that it was caught, before it was completely empty. I was told the whole assembly would need to be replaced. I have read that this is a major problem with this vehicle and has happened to thousands of these vehicles.
I purchased a 2005 chrysler town & country touring edition brand new in july of 2005. During december of 2007, I noticed a slight hum under the hood during startup. This sound eventually kept getting louder and lasting longer. This sound is more drastic during turning of the steering wheel. I had the vehicle inspected by a chrysler dealership service center. They said it was due to a leak in the rack of the rack and pinion system. They said that the whole rack and pinion assembly needs to be replaced ($800+). They also said that is the system fails further, it could result in loss of steering (during driving!). I have seen a lot of complaints for the same exact issue. My vehicle has 37,000 miles on it (warranty expired at 36,000). This is definitively a recall issue. Steering systems should not need replacement in less than 3 years and 37,000 miles.
Problems with the power steering system. Have refilled several times and now is having extensive leaking. Problem is with the power steering system.
Started hearing a groaning type noise from under the hood when turning, backing and certain other conditions about 1 year ago which I figured was the power steering pump. I finally and reluctantly returned to the chrysler dealer to have it looked at and was told that the steering rack has a leak and that and the power steering pump had to be replaced. Of course my 3/36 warranty had expired in september 07 and I only have 39000 miles on the van. I feel this is a huge problem with these vans and there should be a recall and we should be reimbursed for our expenses which in my case cost me $1350! This could be much more serious with injury occurring if the unit had run dry and I lost control of the steering.
The 2005 chrysler town & country made a whirring noise at start up and lasted for several minutes until the vehicle warmed up. Asked dealer service rep to check out the noise. I was told there was a steering fluid leak in the rack component of the rack (steering component) and it needed to be replaced at about $800. Service rep stated that it was a common problem but there was no recall on the part. Service rep said that if it was not fixed it could result in a steering failure and needed to be replaced. I authorized the dealer to complete the work. This has been a one owner vehicle with regular service and only about 70,000 miles.
Steering rack and pinion system failed. Began leak ng profusely. Chrysler would not offer assistance as problem was out of warranty. Second failure - unit had between replaced under warranty on 30 mar 06.
I started to hear a low roar (not unlike turning the starter while the car is running) coming out of the right front of the van, usually upon starting, usually intermittent, but sometimes briefly while driving or turning, and sometimes when starting the van, the noise would continue until the engine was shut off. Took it to the mechanic who diagnosed it as a rack and pinion failure, with fluid leaking out, which he says they would not usually see in this "young" a vehicle. Mileage = 53,000. He wanted me to call the dealer to see if they knew about the problem, or if the repair would be covered. The dealer claimed to have no knowledge of this issue at all. I have researched and now see that this has been a recurring problem for this van, and chrysler should own up to it and repair. This van is not even four years old, has not been in any accident or driven abusively, and this kind of a failure must indicate a defect in design or materials. I am now looking at a very expensive repair bill.
My 2005 town & country had been making a whining noise for last month. The noise will increase as the accelerator was pushed,but noise disappeared after the car had been driven for 5 - 10 minutes. Mechanic found that the power steering fluid was really low, filling the fluid to the correct level fixed the noise problem. Upon inspection, it was found that the rack has a leak. It seems like this is a common occurrence in these vans, I believe this should be investigated and possibly a recall should be done as this is an expensive repair.
Rack & pinion on 2005 chrysler town & country. A noise when turning steering. Was told by dealer it was a problem with the 2005 vans and was not being covered. Was told it would be around $750.00 plus tax to fix. If there are this many problems with the vans, chrysler should fix them as a recall. Was told by another mechanic to put an additive in the power steering and it has slowed down the loss of power steering fluid but keep wondering how safe I am driving it on the highway at high speeds.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chrysler town and country. The contact stated that she has had to replace the rack and pinion, tie rods, water pump, rear windshield wiper motor, passenger side window motor, and the egr valve. Currently, the axle is failing. The dealer could not determine the cause of the failures; however, they were all covered due to an extended warranty. The VIN, engine size, and number of cylinders were unknown. The failure mileage was 51,000 and current mileage was 55,450.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chrysler town and country. The contact had her vehicle inspected. All the fuel levels were checked and she was informed that there was a leak in the rack and pinion steering system. The dealer stated that the parts were on a national back order. The contact assumed that because the parts were in such high demand, many other vehicles must have experienced the same failure. Chrysler stated that nothing could be done and referred her to the federal safety agency. The current mileage was 43,283 and failure mileage was 43,001. Updated 05/05/08
Grinding/whining sound from the front end. Steering rack is failing with only 22k on the vehicle but 4 months out of warranty.
It started actually quite some time ago. It seemed that every once in a while I would lose my power steering. Once it almost caused me to run off the road and into a cement curb. Luckily, I was able to work the wheel around and after about five minutes of trying to control the van, the power steering came back. There has been a noise at the front of the vehicle for quite some time and then I noticed the van was leaking something. I took it to the dealer and they said there was a leak in the steering gear assembly and that it needed to be replaced. They also said that they are replacing so many of them that the part was backordered and they were unsure when they would get one. That was in nov. 2007. It is now april 2008 and I am still waiting. In feb of 2008 I was told they had one for me and I took my van in and then was told that it never arrived and that they told their parts dealer that they needed it immediately because the power steering fluid is leaking onto other parts and can cause problems. It's still been two months since then and nothing. The whole front of my van feels and sounds like its going to fall off at any moment. I have had to refill my power steering fluid every 2-3 days since nov 07 and it isn't getting any better. Unfortunately, this is not the only problem I have had with this van. The right cv joint had to be replaced after only 2 years, the air bag sensors went bad and only after I paid to have it checked out to the tune of $70 were they recalled, there was a recall on the rear heating/cooling tubes because of cold weather conditions, the driver side sliding door no longer works as well as the front passenger window. During a terrible rain storm, I had to go through a large puddle and the spare tire was ripped from the undercarriage because it was never sealed properly and the part was defective. Both sets of brakes have had to be replaced, rotors redone and the tires have been replaced twice.
We purchased a used 2005 chrysler town and country mar 2008. During the test drive we noted a whirling sound upon acceleration. We were told that through their 90 day warranty we can have it checked out (the car ws purchased from a honda dealer) after purchased we took the van to a chrysler dealer to be inspected, several problems were found including a leak in the steering rack (source of noise). The entire steering rack will need to be replaced at a cost of $840. The part is on back order due to the enormous amount of vans that need this part replaced. We would like you to look into the number of steering racks being replaced as we feel there should be a recall.
Power steering noise found to be leaking/fault steering rack. Upon inquire to dealer for repair/replacement found that 13,000 were on back order!!! Many similar problems found posted. Some individuals have had multiple replacements. Chrysler should recall due to negligence, danger to human life and the sheer volume of defects.
I bought a 2005 chrysler town & country with 48,000 miles on june 29,2007. In january 2008 while driving my van I had a loud squeal coming from the steering,upon checking I found that I was losing power steering fluid, I set an appointment up with the dealership to have the problem checked. On 01/29/2008 I was told by the dealership that the rack and pinion was leaking. The dealership also told me that there was alot of problems with the rack and pinion in my year van, and that there is a 6 month back order on the rack and pinion, the new ones have been redesigned to stop the problem. I contacted chrysler about this they would only state that it was my problem, and they would not discuss anything but my vehicle,or about the back order of the rack and pinion. I also contacted other dealerships asking about this problem, they stated there is a back order on the rack and pinion, and they have had several problems with the rack and pinion in the 2005 town and country's.
I have a chrysler town & country van 2005. I heard a sound when driving the car. I took it to the mechanics and I was told that the rack & pinion needed to be replace. $550 dollars. After doing some research on line noticed thousands of complaints about the same. Please help!! The rack & pinion is broken and needs replacement. $550 dollars.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chrysler town and country. The contact was experiencing steering failure. The dealer informed him that the vehicle ran out of rack and pinion fluid. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.
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