I had to replace the front rotors and pads on a vehicle with only 15000 miles on it. I have been driving for 45 years and have never had a vehicle that had to have this kind of work done. After bringing the t&c in because of front end shimmy when breaking, I was told the rotors were bad/warped. 15000 miles! I was also told that chrysler has had problems with breaks previously and a recall was performed but it ended on the 2010 and did not cover my t&c; but they would be nice and just charge me $100.00, because I had the extended warranty and that was my deductible. This t&c is still under the 3 year 36 mile warranty but it does not cover rotors or pads. (how convenient) my big concern is that this vehicle has many reported braking issues, even chrysler acknowledges this. They did have a recall notice but does not cover 2011 t&c's. When will chrysler step up and fix their brakes?
2011 Chrysler Town and Country brakes complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 54 of 54, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2011 chrysler town & country. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle rear brake pads problem. *smd the consumer stated he heard an ongoing screeching noise coming from the vehicle. An inspection revealed the rear brake pads had seized in the slides, and the rear brake pads and rotors had to be replaced. The calipers and slides were serviced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chrysler town and country. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the brakes were not engaging properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the brakes would have to be replaced. Additionally, while the contact was accelerating, the vehicle became hesitant. The technician stated that the engine head would have to be replaced because it was installed incorrectly when manufactured. The part for replacement was on backorder. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000.
Rear brake pads wore out prematurely at 27,201 miles and required replacement. Front brake pads are worn very little (dealer rates brake pad wear from red to green with green the best). Front brakes were rated green while rear pads were rated red. I have never had rear brake pads on a new car require replacement with only 27,000 miles. I suspect there is something defective with the braking system or a component thereof.
We noticed when coming off of the freeway a pulsating/rumbling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. Took it to the dealer and they told us the brakes were worn and needed to be replaced sometime soon. Our van now has 34,000 mi and our rear brakes are now metal to metal. Going to need pads and rotors. Never heard of brakes going out with that few miles. Dealer says that is normal. My other car has 240k on the original rear brakes. What's wrong chrysler????
I took my vehicle in for service because the brake pedal was vibrating. The dealer stated the rear brakes were worn out. I think this is very uncommon since the vehicle only has 18816 miles.
Premature failure of brakes/rotors. Was explained to me at the dealership that it's normal for this to happen...calipers sticking wearing brakes. Caused by my driving? Repair cost over $400. From what I read online, I got lucky with getting 32k out of my rear brakes. A coworker with the same year town & country 28k had the same problem. Chrysler has a serious brake problem that needs to be addressed. Chrysler customer care is not concerned.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chrysler town and country. The contact was driving approximately 55 MPH when the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle began to shake abnormally. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer five times for the failure. The dealer performed various repairs to the vehicle which consisted of the front brakes being replaced four times and front rotors twice. In addition, the front rotors were resurfaced on two separate occasions and both front tires were replaced due to premature wear. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 8,743.
When my vehicle had about 16000 miles on it, I noticed that when breaking during highway speeds, the vehicle would vibrate. I took the vehicle to my dealer at about 17000 miles and was informed the issue was caused by warped rotors. The brake pads were fine, but the rotors would need to be machined or replaced. I opened a ticket with chrysler since the brakes were out of warranty at 12000 miles. The agreed to cover the repair. I asked for new rotors, but was informed that they were on a 4 month back order. I had hem machined instead, though I knew I would be back in the same boat soon. On 12-19-12, four months later with 6000 more miles, I took the van back into the dealer with the same vibrating issue, and was again informed that my rotors were warped. The brakes were fine with 7/32 left on them. The rotors would need to be replaced this time. At 23000 miles, this would be the 2nd rotor issue. I was informed the repair would cost $248, but chrysler would split it with me, with my part down to $124. The service mgr stated he felt the rotors weren't made well. The tech told me this keeps happening, and the chrysler rep informed me the new rotors were different, so I shouldn't have this issue again. In my mind, this is the definition of a defect. I do no think I should have to pay anything to fix a defect. Some 2011 town and country vans have been granted an extended warranty on the breaks, but mine is not covered. I was actually told by the chrysler rep that it would be a good idea to post this with the federal safety agency in the hopes of triggering a recall.I plan on getting the rotors next week, as they are on special order, because they aren't available locally. In 18 years of driving, I have never replaced rotors before 60,000 miles. Thank you for your time.
After 8000 miles, vehicle began to shake when applying brakes at speeds over 50 MPH. Dealer replaced brakes. Now six months later at about 15,000 miles vehicle is shaking again when applying brakes at speeds over 50 MPH.
Slightly before 9,000 miles I started noticing a slight shimmy of the steering wheel when the brakes were applied when driving over 50mph. This condition did not occur consistently, but was sporadic. As time has past, this condition has become much more frequent, the steering wheel shimmy has become much more severe, and is now occurring at speeds as low as 35mph. I have owned chrysler town and country vans over the past 16 years (trading up every 2 years) and can testify that their brakes have been a consistent weakness (typically warped discs). My previous 2009 chrysler t&c even had a recall for their brakes. However, this severe steering wheel shimmy thing is something that I have never seen in the past and I am afraid that it is approaching a violent situation that may cause loss of control. The mileage on the vehicle is far too low for a brake wear issue. Furthermore, a warped disc would be noticeable when breaking at all speeds. I am about to go to my dealer with this, but am checking the internet to see if this is a known issue and if there are any existing recalls. These observations are made from my 30 years of experience as a mechanical engineer and former head of product reliability at motorola.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chrysler town and country touring. The contact was traveling 55 MPH when the brakes were depressed and the vehicle started to shake. The vehicle also failed to stop properly. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 4,000 and the current mileage was 4,600.
I started our 2011 chrysler town & country, stepped on the parking brake pedal to release the brake. When I got to 65 m.p.h. The hood started shaking. I realized that when I released the parking brake that my toe must have tripped the hood release lever. This is a safety design flaw in that the hood release lever should not be located directly above the parking brake pedal. I called the chrysler customer assistance center at 800‑247‑9753 to report this problem 7-6-2012. The reference number is [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The 2011 town and country (and dodge caravan) be driven with the emergency brake engaged without the driver being aware. A red warning light "brake" lights up when the vehicle is put in motion and the brake is engaged, however there is no audible warning. This light is intended to warn the driver of the situation, but it is not visible to many drivers (including my spouse) based on possible steering wheel / seating position combinations. It is highly probable that drivers can and are driving with the emergency brake engaged (which basically applies the rear brakes) which leads to rapid wear and cracking due to the frictional heat. The bigger risk, however, is the fact that in an emergency stopping situation, overheated brakes are ineffective, leading to longer stopping distances, which can lead to increased chance of injuries and even deaths. As an automotive engineer myself, this is a major design flaw that could easily be corrected by adding an audible chime (which is used already used for seatbelt warnings and turn-signal warnings), or limiting the vehicles speed, in order to make the dangerous situation obvious to a driver unable to see the warning light. I had to replace the rear brakes on my wife's minivan recently due to this situation. Fortunately it only cost me money and not my wife's or my kids' life!
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2011 Chrysler Town and Country?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history