Engine Belts And Pulleys problems of the 1996 Chrysler Town & Country

The contact owns a 1996 Chrysler town and country. The contact was driving 25 mph when the steering wheel became very difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they advised the contact that the serpentine belt detached from the vehicle and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer a total of six times due to the recurring detachment of the serpentine belt. The contact stated that the serpentine belt would detach whenever the weather was rainy or if it became wet. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000 and the current mileage was 153,000.

The contact owns a 1996 Chrysler town and country. The contact stated that the serpentine belt would not remain in place on the pulley in her vehicle. The belt has been replaced at least three times. The contact had to replace the tension pulley and the water pump pulley to keep the serpentine belt secure. There are only two belts left to be replaced and they are currently working properly. The manufacturer stated that there was no recall for this component; therefore, they could not assist. The failure mileage was 115,619.

The serpentine belt on our 1996 Chrysler Town & Country lxi, makes a horrible screeching sound, that we've almost come to appreciate, when faced with it's alternative silence, when the serpentine belt gets wet & slips off. The immediate & dangerous result is loss of power steering, leaving the driver surprised with their inability to safely maneuver the van. Within less than a minute, a fast hazard bell sounds & the engine temperature sensor is pinned at hot. If the driver is quick, strong, & lucky enough, to get the family "safely" off the road, before the water pump fries, stalling the van in traffic, they are now left stranded. We've had the serpentine belt & tensioner pulley replaced twice, the last time at Chrysler, and still the problem has not been corrected. We've checked for recalls but Chrysler states that this is not a life threatening failure, so no recall has been made. This has happens to us often enough that we keep a wrench in our van, so my husband can attempt to retrieve & re-seat the belt onto the tensioner, in the pouring rain. We've read many complaints about this same problem & can't understand why Chrysler doesn't think loss of steering & sudden heat pump failure is not life threatening. If one of their ceos were to find themselves struggling their family van quickly off the road, standing over, or even lying under their engine, in the pouring rain, while the rest of the family hopes that he isn't injured making the repair, hit by lightening, or by a distracted driver, perhaps they would recall this system. We've spent a lot of time & money on repairs, & have come across an off-market product designed to fix this specific, widely recognized Chrysler product issue, and just purchased it. We find it disgusting to see that the possibility of this problem being addressed may depend on the number of deaths, or persons injured, before Chrysler takes any responsibility. They could at least acquire or cover the cost of the off-market repair kit.

During a light rain, I drove my 1996 Chrysler Town & Country through 2 inches of standing water. The water splashed into the engine compartment and caused the serpentine belt to jump off the pulleys. Internet discussion groups shows that this is common complaint among 1996 - 2000 Chrysler t & c owners. I have purchased an aftermarket kit designed to prevent this from occurring.

The serpentine belt came off our Chrysler Town & Country in a driving rain storm. We were stranded in charlotte, north carolina 70 miles from home until after midnight when a friend came and drove us home. We left our van in a parking lot overnight. We are hoping that it is not vandalized or stolen when we go today to repair it. When this belt comes off, power steering is gone, which can cause an accident leading to serious injury or death. This is a common problem that all automobile mechanics and Chrysler van owners know about, but Chrysler refuses to acknowledge the problem. The fix is an aftermarket parts kit by gates (part number 38379k) and goodyear (parts number 49215k) that the consumer must bear the entire expense of installing.

Serpentine belt slips/comes off during wet conditions. Has happened 4 times in past 3 months and several times before that.

The serpentine belt failed twice.

1996 Chrysler t&c minivan with 78,000 miles, being operated by wife, broke down in heavy rush hour traffic with kids onboard. The serpentine belt broke due to faulty belt tensioner. The belt had been replaced only two months previously as part of preventative maintenance schedule (just to avoid exactly what happed). Mechanic indicated that Chrysler t&c tensioners were prone to premature failure causing shredding of the serpentine belt. Belt affects power steering, cooling fan, charging system, etc. Wife, who weighs in at 95 lbs, lost all steering ability and was left stranded in middle of rush hour traffic with two kids until good samaritan arrived and 'manhandled' van off the roadway.

There are some problems with steering. When taken vehicle to dealer, dealer noted that serpentine belt and steering belt tensioner are defective.

Idler pully broke,lost power steering, cooling, also broke pulley on power steering pump. $500. 00.

Engine serpentine belt tensioner broke is very dangerous since it is difficult to steering the car due to the lost of power assistance.

Reporting the bolt on the engine pulley broke off and causing engine failure; vehicle taken to independence repairs shop and informed that the problem was due to a defected part. Dealer/mfr's was not contacted at this time. Please provide any further details:.

For the second time in a year or so the tensioner on the engine's serpentine belt broke, cuasing the loss of engine cooling, alternator, air conditioning and, most importantly, power steering. With no power the car is extremely hard to steer. Both times this item failed I was driving; if my wife had been driving she could not have steered the vehicle -- the effort required is too much. Both failures were at low speed; had it been in traffic requiring steering, this might well have led to accidents. The tensioner bolt (integral with the tensioner) breaks because there is a great deal of shear pressure on it. It does not appear to be of high enough quality for this application. I believe it should be replaced with a stronger bolt. I am considering whether my wife should continue driving this car; I consider it dangerous.

While driving through a drive through consumer heard a loud snap, and then clicking noise coming from the engine and lost power steering. Consumer looked under car, and saw tensioner belt was hanging. Second time after a car wash, consumer put car in reverse, and the same thing happened. There was a snap, and clicking looked under vehicle, and it was hanging again. Took vehicle to dealer. Dealer said they had seen the problem a lot with these vehicles. Both incidents, the tensioner broke causing the belt to break also.

While driving in rain air conditioning went out, and all the lights on the dashboard went out, windows fogged up, affecting driver's visibility. Also, belt tensioner did not work. The belt tensioner broke for the second time causing lights, power steering and the engine to fail.

Suddendly while making a left turn serpentine belt came off, and all power steering was lost immediately. Van was towed to the dealership and repaired at owner's expense. Please provide any further information.

Serpentine belt & tensioner kept slipping due to water getting on it. Vehicle loses control when this happens, cannot turn. Belt & tensioner was replaced first time by mechanic. Now problem has reappeared.

While driving the bolt that holds the engine pulleytensioner broke off, causing all power to be lost. The van has been towed to the dealership for repairs. Owner experienced this same problem 18 months ago at 30,000 miles. Repairs were made at owner's expense. Please provide any further information.

Within 5 minutes after start-up, turning thru a curve in the road steering went out. Engine started to get hot within about 2 minutes (light on dash came on). Pulled over to check out problem. Noticed serpentine belt off and tensioner laying below.

Pulley on the serpentine belt fell off and caused a loss of power steering which may have resulted in a crash.

Serpentine belt and power steering pulley broke resulting in loss of power steering while driving.

The consumer lost the power steering while starting to drive due to slipping off of the vehicle's main belt from the pulley. The vehicle had a cooling system problem. The vehicle was overheating due to belt and tensioner failures.

The engine uses a single serpentine belt for all engine-driven accessories. The idler pulley has failed twice, each time breaking its shaft off and falling into the engine cradle and causing a horrible racket as the crankshaft pulley continues to spin against the fallen idler pulley. The belt, of course, is thrown off and all accessories cease to operate. The items that will no longer operate are: air conditioning compressor, engine coolant pump, alternator, and power steering pump. Both times, the failure has occurred at relatively low vehicle speeds, but it is very upsetting with the noise and sudden heavy steering effort. My wife was driving at the time of the second failure and was happy to escape having an accident. A similar problem apparently occurred in range rover vehicles since a recall of virtually identical circumstance was issued on their 1995 4. 0se vehicle.

Most unrealiable car I have owned. These are not the only problems, just the most major. This car has been on a tow truck six times in three years. Please note first repair was to the original tensioner and serpentine belt; I tried to correct before submitting but was unable to change form.

The bolt within the serpentine belt tensioner, which is attached to frame broke, causing loss of brakes/steering and alternator. Dealer has been notified. Part # is 461289y.

Tension pulley snapped causing loss of power steering.

After pulling in a driveway, with the car still idling, heard a noise and the car began to overheat. The tensioner had broken off and fell down in the engine causing the idler pulley and belt to come off. Had the car towed to dealer and they installed a new belt and tensioner under warranty. My concern is that if it had happen moments before, when the car was still in motion, it would have caused a loss of control with possible serious consequences.

Bolt that secures belt tensioner sheared which resulted in serpentine belt operation to become disfunctional from steering to braking. Please describe details.

Timing belt/engine sensor crank malfunctioned, causing engine failure.

While driving at 5 mph turned at a curb, and bolt that holds idler pulley sheard off which could have caused loss of vehicle control. Manufacturer claimed it was a worn part.

Engine belt tension bar that keeps alternator bar tight broke, causing a loss of power and steering .

While driving the vehicles tensioner snapped and power steering was lost. This has happened twice within one year. Both incidents occurred while parking ane vehicle not moving. After failures, power steering failed completely. Dealer cant find problem. Mjs.

The serpentine belt was replaced 3 times.

The serpentine belt failed.