13 problems related to power steering pump have been reported for the 1996 Chrysler Town & Country. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My minivan has been not wanting to start, the speedometer has been jumping all over the place . I had my fuel pump and filter replaced in December 2014 due to it not starting. Now within the last 2 weeks or so it started to act like it was going to die as I would be driving and sometimes it would jump out of gear. All this last week it has been giving me problems with starting and every time I would get out of the van it would smell like somethings burning. When I turn the key to start it all you could hear is a click, try to start it a couple more times and finally get it to start. Today it wouldn't start no matter how many times I tried to start it. I open the hood and looked at the battery and one terminal looks like it is burnt.
While driving belt tensioner broke off, unable to steer vehicle. Contacted dealer.
While driving spring idle arm broke which caused the power steering pulley to break, resulting in loss of steering control.
Loss of power steering. Almost impossible for a woman to turn. Loud noise. Chrysler replaced belt tensioner and bracket drive belt.
Defective power steering tensioner broke, causing loss of unexpected power steering while driving , which may have caused a crash. Please provide further information.
Power steering belt tensioner failed catastrophically, resulting in loss of power steering and control of vehicle.
Belt tensioner on steering went out. Second (2nd) time it happened. Driving 35mph at time. Had no control. Stopped vehicle. Had it towed to dealer 1st time & 2nd time went out. It recovered itself & then went out again.
Power steering fails due to slipping belts during low speed turns with a/c running.
The design of the power steering system malfunctioned when water got into the power steering belts, causing loss of steering control; and may result in accident. Once the belt dries, the power steering is functional. Dealer cannot determine problem.
Power steering pump pulley snapped off.
When driving through a puddle of water, the vehicle will lose power steering for about a minute or two, then the power is restored. Service manager is aware of this problem with the power steering belts.
At 20k and 40k miles I experienced a loss of steering when cornering on wet pavement. The steering would seize while in the turn so I was not allowed to straighten the wheels. Fortunately I was not in a high traffic area when this occured and I was able to avoid a collision. On both instances I immediately went to my Chrysler dealer. They initially replaced the tensioner which did not correct the problem. When they replaced the power steering belt it corrected the problem for 20k miles. At 40k miles they once again replaced the tensioner thinking it would cure the problem but they needed to replace the belt again as well. Now I expect to have this problem every 20k miles as it seems to be a design problem. The power steering unit is located beside the right front wheel and appears to be prone to water problems. When I asked Chrysler who was going to pay for these repairs every 20k miles for the life of the vehicle they told me to take it to my dealer and he would take into consideration mileage and warranty to make that decision. They implied that I am the only person that has had this problem. I feel it is a design problem. If this is the case then I certainly shouldn't be the only person experiencing difficulties.
Parts began to fly from the engine compartment while being driven and there was a loss of power steering in the vehicle, along with loud noises from the parts coming loose. Mechanic said the power steering tensioner belt needed to be replaced.