1997 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY Electrical Systemhorn Problems

THE HORN OFTEN DOES NOT HONK WHEN THE CENTER OF THE STEERING WHEEL IS PUSHED. SEVERAL TIMES, I HAVE TRIED TO HONK AND WAS UNABLE TO. ONE HAS TO PUSH HARD AND THEN "SEARCH" FOR THE SPOT THAT WILL MAKE THE HORN HONK. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR ME, BUT CHRYSLER HAS NOT HELPED ME.*AK

THE EVAPORATOR HEATER COIL AND EXPANSION VALVE MALFUNCTIONED. PRIOR TO THIS, THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS NOT COOLING THE VAN. THIS HAPPENED SINCE JANUARY 2002. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE MANUFACTURER THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE ABOVE PARTS. *AK THE BATTERY HAD BEEN REPLACED ON FOUR OCCASIONS, THE REAR BRAKE DRUMS, THE SERPENTINE BELT AND TENSIONER HAD BEEN REPLACED. *SCC ALSO THE HORN, DRIVER SEAT RACK AND GRILL WERE REPLACED. *JB

BEGAN AS INTERMITTENT HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL FUNCTIONS, THEN AN AIRBAG LIGHT, NOW ALL THREE ARE CONTINUOUSLY INOPERATIVE. I DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM MYSELF, GOT A $200.00 ESTIMATE FROM THE DEALER TO REPLACE THE CLOCK SPRING. HAVE NOT YET HAD VEHICLE REPAIRED AS YET DUE TO COST; AM AWAITING RECALL NOTIFICATION FROM MANUFACTURER. DT

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND NO WARNING THE CLOCK SPRING WENT OUT CAUSING THE CONSUMER HORN NOT TO WORK. DEALER NOTIFIED TS

AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON, HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK SINCE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON. DEALER WANTS $500+ TO FIX. SEVERAL OTHER CHRYSLER OWBNERS HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *AK

MY 'AIR BAG' LIGHT FLICKERED FOR A MONTH AND THEN FINALLY STAYED ON. I DISCOVERED MY HORN DID NOT WORK, OR THE CRUISE CONTROL. I REPLACED THE FUSES, AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. I CONTACTED MY REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD OTHER MINIVANS HAD THE SAME PROBLE. HE REFERRED ME TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND TOLD ME IT WAS THE "CLOCKSWITCH". IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $250 TO REPAIR. HE INFORMED ME THAT MY AIR BAG DOES NOT WORK, IN ADDITION TO THE CRUISE CONTROL AND HORN. I RESEARCHED THE WEB AND FOUND MANY OTHERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER, THEY CLAIM IT IS NOT A DEFECT AND NOT A REALL. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL SINCE OVER 124,511 OF THESE PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE, AND WHO KNOWS HOW MANY VEHICLES ARE OUT THERE WHERE THE OPERATORS ARE UNAWARE...

AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINS ON WHILE DRIVING, ALSO HORN & THE CRUISE CONTROL ARE INOPERATIVE. DEALER NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO HORN OR CRUISE CONTROL, AND AIRBAG LIGHT APPEARED ON DASHBOARD.*AK

AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINS ON WHILE DRIVING. HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL WERE INOPERATIVE. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND THEY REPLACED THE CLOCK SPRING. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON IN JUNE. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE CLOCKSPRING WITHOUT THEM EVEN LOOKING AT IT. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT MY CRUISE CONTROL AND HORN WOULD FAIL NEXT. SURE ENOUGH, ABOUT A WEEK LATER THE CRUISE CONTROL AND HORN CEASED TO FUNCTION. I HAVE A FRIEND WITH A 1997 CARAVAN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. IF THE DEALER KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT SIGHT UNSEEN, THAT INDICATES THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. I SEE THAT THERE IS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION (NHTSA ACTION#EA01007) INTO THIS VERY PROBLEM, AND I HOPE THAT IT RESULTS IN A RECALL SOON. THE DEALER WANTS ALMOST $300.00 TO FIX IT. *AK

AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON CONTINUOUS, HORN DOES NOT WORK, AND CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK. *AK

AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ALSO, HORN STOPPED BLOWING. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

THE CLOCK SPRING CONTROLS THE AIR BAG SYSTEM, HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM. I WAS TOLD BY THE REPAIR TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE PART(CLOCK SPRING) HAS FAILED ON OTHER VEHICALS AND THAT CHRYSLER HAS RECALLS ON SOME OF THESE VEHICALS FOR THE SAME PART.*AK

BROUGHT VEHICLE TO CHRYSLER DEALER IN BLOOMINGTON, MN. THEY SAID THAT THIS WAS A COMMON FAILURE IN CHRYSLER MINI VANS. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT A CHRYSLER PROBLEM, BUT UP TO THE OWNER TO REPAIR. ESTIMATED AT $300.00 COST. ALSO CALLED CHYSLER CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE, SAME ANSEWER: TOO BAD, THEY ERRORED AT MY EXPENSE. THIS IS A FAMILY VEHICLE AND I DON'T CONSIDER THE HORN AND AIRBAGS FRILLS. ADDITIONALLY, I UNDERSTAND THAT CHRYSLER HAS ALREADY REPLACED OVER 124,000 OF THESE PARTS AT OWNER EXPENSE. *AK

HORN IS NOT WORKING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER TO CHECK ON HORN, AND FOUND THAT CLOCK SPRING WAS BROKEN. ALSO, AIR BAGS WERE NOR WORKING. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, AND CONSUMER SHOULD BE NOTIFIED OF THIS .*AK

CLOCK SPRING BROKE AND DISENGAGED HORN, AND AIRBAG. AIR BAG LIGHT ILLIMINATED ON DASHBOARD. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

THE CLOCK SPRING SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON SAFETY FAILURE IN THE 1997 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY MINIVAN. THIS CLOCK SPRING PROVIDES POWER FOR MAJOR SAFETY COMPONENTS INCLUDING THE AIRBAG AND HORN.. *AK

WHILE DRIVING WITH CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED COULD NOT DISENGAGE THAT SYSTEM BY THE STEERING COLUMN, AND HAD TO APPLY BRAKES TO STOP VEHICLE. ALSO, HORN HAS FAILED TO FUNCTION. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE, AND DETERMINED THAT CLOCK SPRING WAS THE COMPONENT THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK

LOSS OF CONTROL OF CRUSE CONTROL. HORN DID NOT WORK ( ON INDICATION PRIOR). *AK

HORN WON'T BLOW, CRUISE CONTROL ONLY WORKS INTEMITTENTLY, AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON CONTINUOUSLY.*AK

CLOCK SPRINGS ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND HORN/CRUISE CONTROL HAVE GONE OUT DUE TO THIS DEFAULT. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK THE CONSUMER'S INSURANCE WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE CLOCK SPRING REPLACEMENT BECAUSE THEY CLAIM IT WAS THE MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *YH

HORN/CRUISE CONTROL WORKED INTERMITTENTLY, THEN FAILED. I NOW UNDERSTAND THE AIR BAGS WERE ON THAT CIRCUIT AS WELL, BUT I HAD NO WAY OF CHECKING THAT AT THE TIME, AND THE GARAGE DID NOT GIVE ME ANY INDICATION THAT THIS FAILURE WAS DANGEROUS. PLEASE FORCE THEM TO FIX THESE THINGS ON OTHER CHRYSLER MINI-VANS BEOFRE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT.*AK

CONSUMER NOTICED A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO THAT HORN STOPPED WORKING, AND AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON DASHBOARD. *AK

AIRBAG LIGHT IS COMING ON AND STAYING ON. CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK, AND HORN WON'T BLOW.*AK

ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AFTER STARTING VEHICLE. AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINED ON. ALSO, HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO FUNCTION PROPERLY WHEN IN USE. *AK *SLC

THE COURTESY LIGHT IN THE DOOR BURNED OUT. NLM CONSUMER STATES WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING VEHICLE THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY BECAME EXTREMLY DIFFICULT TO TURN, CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED NEW STRUTS AND A NEW RACK AN PINION, ALSO THE WINDSHIELD WOPERS COME ON BY THEMSELVES AND THE AIR BAG LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD STAYS ON.*JB

CRUISE CONTROL WENT OUT, AND THEN AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. ALSO, HORN WOULD NOT WORK.*AK

AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON, HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING, TOOK TO DEALER, CLOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK THE CONSUMER STATES THAT WERE 2.8 MILLION OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND WITH THE SAME KIND OF VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER ALSO INDICATES THAT DRIVING THIS VEHICLE WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *YH