Steering Rack And Pinion Problems of Chrysler Town & Country - part 1

Tl the contact owns a 2006 Chrysler town and country. While driving, the power steering seized and the steering wheel could not be turned. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rack and pinion failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 130,000.

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Took town&country for oil change. While tech doing safety check, recommended 2 two tires. While on the lift he noticed that the rack and pinion was leaking possibly at the seals. Recommended replacing rack and pinion at a cost of over $700. This seems to be an ongoing issue with this model and 2005/2006 years. There is a lot of posted documentation on the web to investigate further.

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Rack and pinion failure.

The contact owns a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country. The contact stated that while having routine service performed at the dealer, the dealer noticed a leak in the rack and pinion. The contact had not notice any defects in the steering. The dealer stated that the entire rack and pinion system needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 45,000.

I am hearing a loud whine. It sounds as though it is coming from the front of the vehicle and can be heard more loudly inside the vehicle than out. It is constant. It is usually louder in cold weather. It is not as loud immediately following when I have my vehicle service and all fluids are topped off. Lately it has began to make a bit more of a grinding noise. The noise is very noticable at low speeds--not so much at higher speeds, but then again there is more road noise at high speeds. If parked and I turn the steering wheel, the whine gets louder. The pitch seems to change with engine speed, not movement. I took it to an auto shop and they said it is the power steering pump, rack & pinion. I have researched this on the internet, and there are hundreds of identical complaints. This is clearly a defect in the vehicle. Why hasn't this been recalled yet? if left unfixed, the power steering can fail. I would have a hard time trying to steer this vehicle without power steering and it would likely result in a crash. This is clearly a saftey issue.

Loud whinning for the last few months increased to very loud. Had to replace the rack & pinion steering and reservoir. . . The whole package.

Rack and pinion steering failure. General whining noise had been occurring for 10-15000 miles, with no discernible loss of power steering fluid. Increased noise and banging noise, led us to the rack and pinion steering failure.

Tl- the contact owns a 2006 Chrysler town and country. The contact stated that the rear driver's side sliding door would not unlock and the rear passenger's side sliding door would not lock. Additionally, the contact stated that the rack and pinion was fractured. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. Mah.

This problem has happened multiple times of the prior 2-3 years. We bought the van used and the problem has happened multiple times since purchased. In the rain or when there is standing water on the road, the power steering will fail. This usually happens at lower speeds, and often while lowing down or turning. The power steering will stop temporarily and you lose all control of the vehicle. This has happened to my wife twice while she was turning in traffic. The power steering will start working again usually in less than a minute. It is very dangerous, as you have no control. It only happens when there is standing water in the road during or just after moderate to heavy rain. There have been multiple reports of this problem on the Chrysler forums. We took our van to a mechanic and they replaced the rack and pinion, but the problem has persisted. I have read o n the Chrysler forum where others have replaced the power steering pump, pulleys, belts, etc. And still have the same problem.

Was told I need to replace the rack and pinion steering on my vehicle. Less than a year ago I had the pump for this replaced.

The contact owns a 2007 Chrysler town and country. The contact stated that when turning the steering wheel left or right there was a squealing noise and the wheel would not turn. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who replaced the power steering pump and the rack and pinion. A week later, the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who kept the vehicle for three days but could not duplicate the failure. The dealer notified the manufacturer who sent the contact a letter explaining the failure and what actions they were taking. The notice stated that the failure was dry park and normal operations of the vehicle. They offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 83,900 and the current mileage was 99,600.

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Was told by 2 different repair shops, the steering rack and pinion system for my van is seeping fluid. It has not failed yet but is a potential catastrophy in waiting. From research I have found thousands of simular complaints/failure of the steering system for this year and make of Chrysler van.

Van was making horrible noise when turning. Took vehicle to the mechanic. Had to replace rack and pinion. Had power steering pump replaced also. This van has been nothing but a money pit. I see many others with this complaint. I also filed a complaint a while back having major electrical issues. I see the rack and pinion is a major issue also. It was very expensive to fix as well as my electrical problems. Recall on anything????.

My 69 year old mother's 2005 town and country has been whining for over a year. Twice she took it to the dealer in raleigh where she bought it. They said they couldn't reproduce the whine. Last week, she was in a town an hour away and had to pull over and have it towed. Mechanic replaced power steering pump, but it didn't correct the problem. He says entier rack and pinion system needs replacing. Her van has 52k miles.

Power steering leak and failure. Began with whinning noise at around 70,000. Upon inspection, power steering assembly failed and required replacement. Found many other owners complaining of same condition on other websites. Some had two and three rack and pinion racks replaced which seemed to fix the problem for a short while. Concerned about power steering failure at such low mileage and possible safety risk for my daughter who has just begun driving. Appears to be a very common problem at low mileage for this model and have requested a recall from Chrysler.

At 50,000 plus miles the van began making a horrible whining noise. The steering rack and pinion had to be replaced - a total of $1,600. 00. This is ridiculous for a vehicle with only 50,000 miles. After viewing on line complaints, I see that my vehicle is not the only one. Chrysler needs to step up and recall these vehicles and reimburse the people that have been out thousands of dollars due to their mistake.

2007 Chrysler town and country with 48k miles on it notice whinning noise from front end sounded like power steering as well as a rattling noice coming from under the front end when driving also a noise that sounded like a one driving over rumble strips on the road when you turend left took to independent mechanic and was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. Once replace the whinning noise was corrected but the rattle and the rumble strip noise stilled remaind the mechanic than said the struts and ball joints were bad and they needed to be replaced he was very surprised due to the newness and low milage of the vehicle.

Rack & pinion whining, power steering harder to steer. At about 50k mi started to hear a whining sound coming from the engine area, took it in to Chrysler and they advised it was coming from the rack and pinion, but it does not affect drive of vehicle and refused to cover it under warranty, so we did not do anything with it; over time my steering got harder and harder, and whining got louder; took it back in 30k mi later after warranty expired, and they advised that the power steering is going out due to an issue with the rack and pinion and that the rack and pinion needs to be replaced along with power steering pump. At carcomplaints. Com there are a lot of other individuals with same issue at approx the same miles when problem started occurring. This to me does seem to be a factory defect and dealer is refusing to help out with any of the repairs. And the fact that it affects steering raises a huge safety concern in my mind.

I own a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country which ive put about 30,000 miles on give or take. Recently over the past year ive experienced issues with the power steering. My belt broke when arriving at an airport parking lot, stranding my vehicle with my father in law. Since then ive experienced issues with it, noises, slippage when it gets water from puddles on it, etc. Ive looked online for help and find many similar issues with the belt slippage, as well as problems with defective power steering pumps, rack & pinion, etc for this vehicle. Chrysler does not have a recall on it nor sees it as a problem, disregarding the many people who have and complain of this issue. This is a highly dangerous issue as when the power steering goes out of your vehicle you cannot turn!! had this ever happened to me, with my children in the car driving down the road I am sure this would have resulted in injury to us or innocent bystanders. This needs to be looked at and addressed. I have been told that if it is my pump im looking at a cost of over $700, if it is my rack and pinion over $1400, the belt replacement cost me $200. And according to others, even when its fixed they still have problems! I now avoid driving in the rain for fear I will lose control without steering, which is hard as our car is the only one in our household and I commute my husband to and from work, as well as my daughter to and from school, all the while with a 4yr old in the back seat.

We bought a brand new 2006 t & c and have maintained it like new inside and out - not abused. Still looks brand new. At 34,000 miles we need to replace rack and pinion! cost is around $1,000 that we don't have! Chrysler need to be honest and do something about this problem. If there is any help, suggestions, we'd appreciate it.

Power steering whine. . . Turned into needing the rack and pinion system replaced. Now hear that this is a rampant problem. This should be recalled.

The contact owns a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph, proceeding to make a turn. There was a loud whining noise coming from the steering wheel. When the vehicle was parked the contact detected power steering fluid leakage on the ground. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The failure was contributed to the steering rack and pinion. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 50,000. The current mileage was 70,000.

My car was making a whining noise when the engine was cold. I brought it in to the Chrysler dealer, and they informed me that the power steering pump was leaking, which had resulted in damage to the rack & pinion mechanism. The entire mechanism had to be replaced. Not performing this repair could have resulted in the entire steering system locking up. My professional opinion (I am a mechanical engineer) is that this pump should not have failed at such low mileage (~45k).

2006 Town & Country van failed nys inspection for safety reasons due to rack and pinion leaking seals. Vehicle had under 48,000 miles. Purchased new 12/31/2005. Rack & pinion was replaced but was not covered by warranty. Neighbor reported same problem with their 2006 Town & Country van. Also had part replaced. Are these all defective steering components? we are sending a letter to Chrysler corporation today with a copy to NHTSA. Updated 03/24/10 updated 03/29/10. Updated 04/05/10.

Power steering system has been whining and steering has shuddered when turning at low speeds. Same condition exists on three other Chrysler town and country minivans owned by different family members from 2006 through 2009 models. Found many other owners complaining of same condition on other websites. Some had two and three rack and pinion racks replaced which seemed to fix the problem for a short while. My mechanic thought it was air leaking into the power steering system.

First noticed that the power steering system whines during a highway trip michigan to tennesee in 2010. Thought the fluid was low so topped it off. Fast forward one year later and 12,000 miles and the whine occurs more often and louder. By the spring of 2011 had the system flushed ($40). Whining continued. Found on internet blogs that filter/reservoir could be plugged with debri. Tech confirmed this at the second flush($20). This service seemed to work for about a month before whine came back. Third flush ($69) worked for a 1000 mile trip and some, but whine is back at high speed and high temperature days (above 80f). Now, I'm noticing power steering fluid drops on the garage floor. Just under 60000 miles on the vehicle. I fear based on all the other complaints, I will have $1000 rack and pinion repair to look forward to.

Kept smelling a burning rubber smell, took car in for several things because of the extended warranty we have (we bought it when we bought our car new - always get an extended warranty with Chrysler products!!) they are now fixing the steering rack & pinion - and the electronic driver-side passenger door, the gps/radio system, the throttle which they claim is a maintenance issue (but there are bulletins out about that too) and our auto locks and airbag warning signal (which wa replaced before).

The contact owns a 2006 Chrysler town and country. The contact inspected the vehicle and detected that the rack and pinion were defective. The vehicle was repaired by an independent mechanic. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 45,000. The current mileage was 47,000.

Every time van is running low whine emits from under the hood, when turning steering jerks and sound under hood gets much louder. Power steering, rack and pinion need to be replaced.

Upon hearing a noise while driving, I checked under the car and noticed a lubrication seal was no longer performing its function. My local mechanic inspected the control arm and related ball joints and informed me the control system was good at this time, but the steering rack was leaking and would require replacement soon. Since I only had about 64,000 miles on my 2005 Town & Country, I was surprised especially since I had not had this type of failure in the 40 plus years of car ownership, exceeding 100,000 miles on each car. Rich in Chrysler customer assistance informed me the Town & Country does not have an historical problem with the power steering rack & pinion; thus a recall to fix the problem is not necessary. All that is required to show the stance Chrysler is taking is false is a simple internet search and a search on the NHTSA website. There are numerous complaints regarding this very serious problem. Chrysler should have recalled all Town & Countrys for the problems with the power steering. They should not be waiting for the Toyota rug under the accelerator issues.

I have a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country Mini-van that has approx. 45000 miles on it. It started whining when the engine started. Then I noticed that the power-steering fluid was low and their was a small puddle on the driveway. I took it to the dealership to have it diagnosed. They said the rack & pinion steering failed on the vehicle and it needed a new steering rack. Chrysler acknowledged that there was a problem with this part but they would not do anything to fix it. I had to pay $750 to get it fixed. I have read online many instances of this failing and yet Chrysler still will not issue a recall on this. It is dangerous to have all of these vehicles on the road with potential steering problems.

Like thousands of other owners of a 2005 town and country van, the rack and pinion steering and the power steering failed at 34,000 miles. This cost $1450 to repair. Most fail around 30,000 to 40,000 miles according to what I have read here. The car got so you could hardly steer it. I am sure this has caused many people to wreck, but I was able to get it to a repair shop before I wrecked. This is a scandalous, sometimes fatal defect that has been reported thousands of times, but no recall has been issued. The problem was so prevalent that replacement parts were on back order for months, but rebuilt parts are readily available now since so many thousands have been replaced. As far as I can determine, the newer models also have this defect.

Rack and pinion causing severe intermittent shudder and loss of power assist when turning at low speeds.

Purchased a used 2005 t&c van from a local dealership. Took it to the local Chrysler dealer to have oil & lube service. Mentioned that my brakes were a little squeaky, please check them. The vehicle has 41,600 miles and I am the second owner. Was informed by the dealership that my rack and pinion was leaking and causing the noise and needed to be replaced. . . . To the tune of $800 plus tax. I have been researching this since I got home and have seen there are many, many complaints exactly the same. This is so obviously a defect that even a child could see it. Too many vehicles with the same complaint. Chrysler needs to replace these units under warranty.

Many repairs have had to be made on our 2005 t & c Chrysler, but today we got the news that our rack and pinion need to be replaced at a cost of over 1,000 dollars. When I inquired if this is a common problem I was told no not really. I turned to the internet only to see multiple owners complaining of this very situation. Rack and pinion should not go at 40,000 miles the vehicles need to be recalled.