Four problems related to alternator/generator/regulator have been reported for the 2002 Chrysler Town & Country. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My lights flicker on and off, replaced battery and alternator. . Not fixed. . Now I have been noticing that the panel behind my headlight switch gets very hot to to the touch. Afraid of a fire. . . Can't find any info on internet as to what can be the problem.
Driving vehicle at appropriate speed in traffic, noticed a/c was blowing warm air, smell of something burning and smoke under hood from passenger side. Immediately turned off air and stopped vehicle as soon as it was safe to do so. Upon opening the hood found smoke coming from right front engine bay area around alternator and a/c compressor. Allowed engine to ventilate and cool, restarted vehicle but with hvac system off and drove to the nearest repair shop where the mechanic checked the vehicle. Mechanic changed the engine oil and recommended to charge the a/c system with refrigerant. Other mechanics suggested taking vehicle to a/c repair shop. Informed that t&c vehicles prone to have a/c compressor issues and known defect. Never received recall notice or offer by Chrysler to have known defect corrected.
My 2002 town and country had to have a new transmission in 11/12. In June of this year, my speedometer quit working causing the transmission to shift hard. I took it to the transmission guy who replaced the speed sensor. It worked fine for a couple of weeks. Then my battery light came on suddenly. I had my battery checked and they said it was fine. They said I might need a new alternator. So I had a new alternator put in. The car did ok for about a couple of weeks, then the speedometer started jumping erratically. I took back to my transmission guy who said the speed sensor was fine. He thinks it may be due to a loose wire or a possibly damaged wire or corrosion. So far, no answers and my car is still undrivable. It jumps when I am stopped. It acts like its already in second gear or something. I am afraid to try to drive it as it is dangerous. Help! I can not afford to put more money into this. It cost too much to start with. 3. 8l v6 limited. I am a single mom with a child who has heart defects. I need reliable transportation!.
Since the day I drove my van off of the dealers lot, all of the lights (map lights, dome light and headlights) on the van pulse (similar to the pulse of a flourescent tube warming up on a cold day). The speed of the pulse changes with the speed of the engine. The van has been to two different 5-star dealers and the headlight switch has been replaced twice. Something in the computer was upgraded once. Every oil change they try to determine if/what might be causing the problem; to no avail. Because the speed of the pulse changes with the engine rpms and from other personal experiences, my husband believes it is the alternator current bleeding into the rest of the electrical systems, but because the alternator doesn't test bad according to their computer they are unwilling to consider this possibility.