Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Caravan Door & Window Problems

boiloffboiloff Member Posts: 14
in Chrysler
2002 T/C Limited- Passenger side power sliding door works intermittently - works during warm weather, not when cold. If you open it manually, feels very heavy. Seems like I need to lubricate something somewhere. Driver side power door works, but also feels heavy when you open/close it manually. Anybody had this problem? Thanks
Tagged:
«13456789

Comments

  • eric6eric6 Member Posts: 10
    Hi,

    I have posted a couple of times with this issue. I have a 2002 T&C EX. I have the same exact issue. Only problem, it gets worse. Mine started off like yours. On a cold morning it would pop open about a half inch and stop. Now it happens all the time regardless of temperature. I replaced the battery, thinking that was the issue. The battery did not solve the problem.

    I took it to the dealer. They told me the clutches were not properly releasing. That is why it was hard to open manually. They also said the control cable was "binding".

    The dealer gave me an estimate of 600 dollars. About 300 for parts the rest for labor. I am going to have to live with it for now.
  • boiloffboiloff Member Posts: 14
    thanks eric6. took apart the door yesterday. removed the motor - door slides smoothly. took apart the motor/clutch assembly - found some white powdery stuff on the face of the clutch plates. did'nt know if this was normal, so i wiped them off. same problem.
    my wife will have to live with this problem for now, till i find another nice saturday afternoon to tinker around.
  • gmhellmangmhellman Member Posts: 121
    Inherited 97 Town and Country SX from my grandparents estate. No problems with the tranny. Put almost 8000 miles on towing a 1200lb popup camping trailer. I have the 3.3 liter engine. I only tow it in 3rd gear. I have been told to change from atf3 to atf4.....I plan to do so at 75,000miles. The dealership told me to only tow in the third gear as this will help with prolonging the tranny life, less hunting and searching by the tran. The only problem that I have noticed is an occasional groan or creek by the passenger side sliding door when going over bumps. I wonder if the door needs to be adjusted or if this is just the interior plastic?

    Greg
  • royallenroyallen Member Posts: 227
    Greg, For your abnormal sound, you might try silicone spray on the door seals. Also I'd recommend you install an auxiliary transmission cooler if this has not already been done. In '99 they became a factory item and improve transmission longevity by lowering the transmission temperature which is more important when towing in warm weather especially on longer up-hill grades. Roy
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    "Also I'd recommend you install an auxiliary transmission cooler if this has not already been done. In '99 they became a factory item..."

    Really? I didn't know that. Were they a "factory item" as part of a towing package or were they included on every van?

    With the above in mind, I wonder if the reason why the tranny in our 1998 has lasted so well is that it's spent most of its life either in the NYC area or in New England, and as such hasn't gotten all that hot. I mean after all, during my regular back and forth commuting last summer I can only think of a handfull of days where I needed to use the A/C. Hmmmm.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • gmhellmangmhellman Member Posts: 121
    Is the transmission cooler expensive to have installed and would you recommend a transmission fluid change with a atf +4 at the same time? And was the change in 99 part of a towing package or every van. I live in the UP of Michigan and our summers a warm, but not very hot. I only travel short distances when towing (3 hours or less one way). I still need to put on a new fuel filter and plugs and wires. I am very close to the 75,000 mile mark.

    Greg
  • 97xpresso97xpresso Member Posts: 249
    It is not expensive, and if you are handy, you could do it yourself. I'm pretty sure if you have a factory tow package it would already be there. At 75,000 miles your transmission should have been serviced at least once already, since you do tow with it. If your vehicle was built before the use of ATF+4, the service interval was 30,000 miles for "normal" use. Now ATF+4 vehicles have a lifetime interval for "normal" use, and 48,000 miles for severe use.(towing) If you tow, every 30,000 miles with ATF4 would be cheap insurance.
  • royallenroyallen Member Posts: 227
    The '99 Voyager I looked at for a friend had the cooler without a tow package. They are fairly simple with kits in the $40-$100 and would take a mechanic an hour or a little more to install. The cooler goes behind the grill and the transmission fluid return from the radiator goes to the auxiliary cooler and a new return from the auxiliary cooler to the tranny. Roy
  • frogger123frogger123 Member Posts: 20
    I haven't had the problem with the hatch but have had problems with the sliding doors. I've had a problem with mine either not openning when you press the button or they open then close immediately. I've had the GC at the dealer 4 times for this - of course they can't replicate the problem. The last time I told them the doors could have jammed the kids. They found some TSB on the door issue & reprogrammed the module. I haven't noticed problems since, however, I haven't been on a long trip since then & after long trips is when the problem occurred in the past. Good Luck!
  • aussie_in_keywaussie_in_keyw Member Posts: 1
    Ok so i have a 2003 Chrysler Town and Country LXi that we bought barely used in 04. it had under 15k on it and was spotless in and out...
    after wrecking our first T&C LX in a 7 car pile up and with no injuries we decided um....well get another...we tried every tactic possible when we found the 03 LXi and they finally gave in and we got the price from 21k to just over 19k (thank-you thank-you...lol)
    We have not had one problem since but recently have run into our first mishap and have no idea what to do...
    We are in Keywest Florida and have limited times to get to the dealership...and so i thought this would be the best way to see whats up with it..
    The left side backdoor which is power was cracking open but then stopping instead of opening all the way....today about a month after this started it is opening all the way....but not closing and stopping right before it moves back in towards the van to close and click shut...
    Can anyone give me some insight, a quick fix, anything as i have no time to get to the service department and dont feeling like losing an arm and a leg over this problem...

    also my other problem is when it rains my accelerator foot and the passengers left foot get wet after a rain? has htis happened to anyone here.....the carpet get soaked back where the carpet meets the back on the center console..

    thanks very much for your time....sry i didnt get to the point right away lol....any help is appreciated..
    apart from that has been a great car! suprisingly powerful and good on gas...about 20.5-21 mpg here lately..which is nice when gas is 3.30 a gallon here

    image
  • chuckgchuckg Member Posts: 69
    A repair for the sliding door has been discussed and solved. You can read about it here:

    http://www.redhouseon7th.com/howto/2001CaravanDoorRepair/

    As far as your water on the floor is concerned, here is a message 97xpresso posted on Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler Minivan Problems & Solutions forum:

    "I had this problem with my 2001. The front passenger carpet would get soaked from highway speeds pushing water back into drain tube, thru the firewall onto the carpet. Part # 56000724AB is a hose which curves downward that slips over existing drainpipe. About $7.00. Make sure that the hose is slipped on all the way to firewall to insure bottom notch in pipe is covered. On very hot humid days I still get a drips of condensation from the evaporator housing, but nothing compared to the thouroghly soaked carpet of before."

    Give it a try.
  • 97xpresso97xpresso Member Posts: 249
    If your drivers side is also getting wet after rain, your drains in the wiper cowl area are probably clogged. If the passenger side only is getting wet after AC use, then the above mentioned post may be the solution. But I think 2003's already have that hose installed on the evaporator drain tube.
  • hayneldanhayneldan Member Posts: 657
    Check the electric control in the lower support bracket of the sliding door. Mine was loose and when unplugged and replugged the door worked again.
  • safecyclesafecycle Member Posts: 9
    My 2002 Town & Country has the power sliding doors. They can be opened fine by pressing the buttons on the overhead console and from the key remote. However, the buttons located near the 2nd row seats (on the B-pillars) stopped working, both left and right at the same time.

    This happened about the same time one of the headlights burned out. The minivan was also recently vacuumed, and also our two kids have played in it about the same day, but I don't see any loose wires.

    I checked the power door fuse and it was OK. I also disconnected and reconneted the negative battery terminal, but nothing changed. Did anybody have a similar problem?

    Thanks.
  • badgerfanbadgerfan Member Posts: 1,565
    I don't own one with power doors, but perhaps the child-safety interlock system got reset inadvertantly so that they cannot be opened with switches at the doors from inside the van?
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    We had the same problem on our '05 van. It ended up being that our kids were playing in the van and pushed the on/off button near the HomeLink buttons. I didn't even realize the van had this feature until I started to look at why the doors didn;t open.
  • safecyclesafecycle Member Posts: 9
    Thanks!!
    This was the exact problem. We had the kids playing in the minivan too. And that button is not very obvious.
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    Glad I saved you a trip to the dealer!!!
  • erucehteruceht Member Posts: 26
    My power sliding door will not open in cold weather. It will unlatch when I push the open button but will not open the rest of the way or close if already open. In warm weather it often works but not always. It is not difficult to open manually. Found a motor on ebay but the seller told me it was not a motor problem but a tape track wiring problem. Anyone else had experience with this?
  • alex2233alex2233 Member Posts: 1
    Have you found a fix to your problem? I have the same issue in my T&C and with the cold weather the sliding doors get "stuck". I have lubricated the latches today with WB40, thinking that the lubricant might help the metal parts to move when they are cold. Still don't know if this will be the fix.
  • coolgpscoolgps Member Posts: 3
    My 2001 T/C Lxi does the exact same thing. Poor design. I'm going to Toyota/Honda for my next vehicle. I'm doing some experimenting on this issue and will let you know if I find out a solution.
  • vtraudtvtraudt Member Posts: 52
    After 2 years of struggling with the issue, I finally had my garage guy look at it. The problem was caused by the motor/gear unit. I replaced the unit, and now the door opens/closes reliably, but even more important, it is much easier to open and close by hand.

    Unlike the first electric sliding doors (for example on my 1994 Olds Silhouette) the drive is disengaged when the door is operated by hand, making it very easy (just like a mechanical door).

    But the Chrysler smarties ten years later couldn't just copy what works well!
  • conejitaconejita Member Posts: 2
    I am having a problem with my 2005 Town and Country passenger side power sliding door.

    Both doors worked very well, although they were hard to open and close manually, at least for me. A friend tried to open the door manually one day from the outside and I don't know if she was too hard on it or what, but after that the door only opens about 8 inches and at that point also the warning lights stop working.

    After that if you push it manually for about 4 inches, the warning lights start working again and if you push any of the buttons it will open completely. When I try to close it, it closes up to the same point that gives me trouble when opening up, then everything stops working and I have to push it manually to close it completely and then it latches and the warning lights work again...

    Anybody has any idea if this is something we could fix easily?? It is as if the electronic part that makes the door move doesn't work in that spot... :confuse:
  • masterpaul1masterpaul1 Member Posts: 421
    It should still be under warranty. Take it back to the dealer to fix. :shades:
  • birdibirdi Member Posts: 2
    Vandals broke the glass of our left rear side window, the large vent window with the motorized opener. :( We hope to find a replacement at a pick apart yard. I would like to know the degree of difficulty this job is for a do it yourselfer. What tools am I going to be needing for removal and replacement?

    thanks, Robin
  • birdibirdi Member Posts: 2
    Pardon me for not saying so, but this is a 1994 Chrysler Town and Country. I am wondering if the rear/side windows are interchangable with Caravan or Voyager windows? Which years? Our van has motorized window openers, but I'm not sure about the Dodge and Plymouth models. If we can replace the window ourselves it will save us a lot of expense. I've seen dodge/plymouth/chrysler vans in the salvage yards, I just need to know if our project is do-able. thanks
  • zusanozusano Member Posts: 2
    2001 Town and Country. The sliding doors will operate using the keypad and also by using the overhead buttons, but the buttons actually at the doors in the middle seats will not operate the doors. This occurred on both sides simultaneously. Is there a fuse somewhere to replace? Thank you so much.
  • kayode65kayode65 Member Posts: 8
    I picked up my 01 T&C LXI from the dealer yesterday. Same problem. It was cold here in Tampa last week and I noticed that the p/s/doors will not work in the mornings, just only in the afternoons, when the weather warms up. I had other things wrong with the vehicle sway busings, transmission celunoid etc. So I got them to check the doors as well. Their findings was that it is the latch and they want close to 300 dollars to fix it. I had the latch on the left hand side done last year at Brandon dodge, and I checked my invoice again. I had the parts supplied and fitted for 90 dollars. The only drawback now is that since United Auto, my warranty company declined the door issue, Coutesy Chrysler still had me pay 85 dollars for the diagnostics. Interesting point now is that the door has been working since yesterday without any problems until the temp drops again.

    And, yes it is hard to manually shut the doors.

    On another not if anyone can answer this for me please, dealer says car backfires really badly, but to me it is fine as I listen by ear. I have 71k miles on it, some places tell me plugs are not due for changing until 90k miles and my dealer tells me it should have been changed at 60k miles.
  • masterpaul1masterpaul1 Member Posts: 421
    Make sure that the on/off switch on the overhead counsel is on. Also, make sure that the van is all the way in park. I had a problem like this once and found out that the gear shifter was not all the way in park, even though the P had the square around it. Another time, the overhead counsel power door switch was off, which didn't allow the doors to be opened by automatic from the 2nd row. :shades:
  • zusanozusano Member Posts: 2
    Thank you! That was it! How simple. The overhead switch was on off instead of on. Thanks so much.
  • ssbourkessbourke Member Posts: 2
    My power locks have gone out both with the inside switch and the remote key. I looked through the owner's manual and the fuse box and do not see anything that says "power locks" Any idea if it could be coded as something different?
  • ssbourkessbourke Member Posts: 2
    Dealership says there is a "bulletin" on the computer that says that this needs to be brought in and reset the body computer
  • tech_mastertech_master Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased a 2002 Chrysler Town & Country that needed a new battery, after replacing the battery the key alarm that locks/unlocks, sliding left and right and back doors will not work any more. Does anyone know that programming codes to reconfigure the key to the van...?

    Thanks for all the help
  • tejdhawantejdhawan Member Posts: 1
    Did anyone find the fix other than the dealer replacing the door latch for about $300? I have the exact same problem with my right side power sliding door and the liftgate.
  • ccarbaughccarbaugh Member Posts: 12
    I have a 2002 T&C Lxi and my driver side sliding door and liftgate do the same. It "pops" open but will not slide open. If the sliding door fails so will the liftgate. If the door opens automatically then the liftgate will open automatically. I think the fix is in that latch. There is a site that shows how to fix it yourself if you buy the latch. here is the site , link title

    I wish we could get a definite answer though from someone this this issue. Someone has to know, sounds pretty common.
  • tysons4tysons4 Member Posts: 5
    I also have this problem. There is a TSB which addresses these exact symptoms which only involves reprogramming the "obstacle detection" sensitivity. I am going to try this first as my dealer says it should be less than $100 to do. I'll let you know if it works.

    The TSB no. is 23-004-03.
  • kayode65kayode65 Member Posts: 8
    I have an 01 T&C as well and my right side power sliding doors does not open or close in close weather. Being here in Florida as soon as the weather warms up, it works fine.
    I have been to Chrysler dealer and engineer says it is a faulty mechanism. Since it works in warm weather, it is not worth spending $300 on in my opinion. Talking about TSB's does anyone know if this is related to any of the other problem discussed here.
  • flagalflagal Member Posts: 2
    I experienced something new with my van. I've read through the posts and none are exactly like this (although I've got a door that doesn't always work too).

    Anyway, driver side slider. Today it opened and now won't
    "latch". The van thinks it's closed since I'm not getting a 'door open' message.

    It will only open (electronically) a few inches, then stop. hit the button again, it moves a few more inches. hit the button again, etc.

    Closing, it moves the whole way, but when it gets to the stop, it 'hits' and doesn't totaly latch/close.

    I can move the door manually, but still it 'hits' and won't latch/close.

    Any ideas? where do I start!!
  • brad32378brad32378 Member Posts: 8
    Wow if you can get it fixed for 300...you are doing good I paid $1200. to get passenger slider and rear lift gate fixed
    from chrysler...and it works great in all weather now...
  • pvibbertpvibbert Member Posts: 1
    My driver's door power window isn't working. Is there any way that I can bypass the switch so I can get it to go up? Also, where is the fuse located? My manual says that the self-resetting fuse can only be serviced by a dealer.
    pvibbert
  • conejitaconejita Member Posts: 2
    That's almost exactly what happened to me a couple weeks ago. The door opened fine, then it wouldn't close electronically and it would close manually but wouldn't latch and there was no message that the door was open. I had to drive anyway and I thought it wouldn't open but the door opened up on its own when I was going about 40 mph. I had to stop in the middle of the road because my baby was inside the car and a guy came over to help me try and close it. He got it to close and told me that whenever that happened I should push down what he called "the arm" and he pointed to the black device that makes the door move along the rail to open or close the door. The whole piece that is on the lower part of the door. Since we were in the middle of the street I didn’t have a chance to really take a look at the specific part that he meant, plus he told me once the door was closed. Now that I have looked at it, I haven’t been able to find anything on that device that you can actually pull up and push down, but maybe you can check it up and figure it out. After that I haven’t had any problems with the doors even in the Minnesota extremely cold weather we had about a week ago (-35 oF). I hope that helps
  • flagalflagal Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the tip! I'll check that option out next time. My BIL took the door panel off, took the latch out, fiddle with it (I've no clue what he did to get it to release!), put it all back together, and got the door to latch.

    I inadvertenly hit the sliding door button when I was aiming to close the garage door and the door opened. (gasp) but it also closed and latched. I haven't tried it again for fear it will stick open again!
  • lance76lance76 Member Posts: 1
    I havea dodge 2005 grand caravan sxt. Bought it used in Jan 2007 with 26000 miles and discovered water leaking from the "A" post grab handle on the pass. side. Have taken in twice to dodge dealer and they resealed the windshield and replaced the roof trim and made sure the drains for the sunroof were clear. Any ideas? The dealer stated that they could not find where it was leaking from and had initally said it was definitely not the windshield but when I picked it up they said that that's what is was
  • kcrossleykcrossley Member Posts: 182
    I'm having the same problem with my 2001 T&C EX. A few weeks ago the driver's door power window started acting funny and getting stuck in either the up or down position. It wasn't a jam, but seemed more like a switch problem. Now the driver's door window is stuck in the up position and won't come down. When I engage the switch I can hear a click, but nothing happens. Any ideas?
  • dadto3dadto3 Member Posts: 17
    Is there any maintenance that should be performed on the chain device that opens/closes the power sliding doors? I have a 2005 T&C and there is a "gritty" sound when the doors open and close. Should that be lubed or cleaned somehow?
  • lyllyl Member Posts: 1
    Our power door no longer opens--when I press the overhead driver button or the passenger button, the door will unlatch but then not open. Same goes when the door is open--if we press the button the door will close but then stop about an inch from latching?

    Is this covered by a TSB? Is there some basic maintenance that will help this problem? Any ideas?

    Although our hatch has never opened or closed properly our sliding door has always worked--until now">!
  • minivanhellminivanhell Member Posts: 2
    My '01 T&C Limitted has issues w/ bothe sliding doors.

    Drivers side is itermittent. Passenger side shows no signs of life at all.

    When opening and closing manually, the driver side is much harder to move than the passenger side.

    The dealer wants $100 just to look at it. Last time I took it to the dealer they charged me $900 to reprogram the transmission CPU.

    I hate the dealer.... :mad: I'd like to fix it my self.

    How can I tell which parts I need for each door? :confuse:
  • jmoose3jmoose3 Member Posts: 2
    This problem seems to happen consistently. It happened to
    both my windows which are barely ever used. Chrysler should
    issue a recall since this is a severe and pervasive defect.

    Aside from the extrmely soft brushes in the motor (which
    you have to be careful of when working on the motor)
    the the problem is primarily with the bi-metalic overcurrent
    limiter inside the motor. Take this "fuse" out, and get
    a replacement and lube all parts in the window mechanism
    to limit stress on the motor. A really, really hard crank in a vice while heating with a blow torch will take care of
    the bi-metalic switch, but I don't necessarily recommend
    defeating the switch in this manner, since it really does
    serve a purpose.

    -The Moose
  • jmoose3jmoose3 Member Posts: 2
    Probelm: chrysler town and country minivan power windows
    are intermittent.

    Cause: There is an overcurrent limiter "fuse" inside the
    window motor which goes out of range, getting too sensitive,
    combined with increased demand from aging window hardware.

    Chrysler, issue a recall! This is a severe and consistent
    design defect which represents a potential safety hazard
    in situations where windows have to be opened or closed.

    The overcurrent protector is flawed and the motor brushes
    are too soft, nearly guaranteeing a window system failure
    even under extremely light use.

    The solution is replace the bad "fuse" and to lube the
    window hardware to decrease drag on the motor, and to
    replace the bogus motor brushes if they're too worn. A lot
    of people would have you purchase a completely new window
    hardware (regulator) system, but this is completely unnecessary.

    The fuse can be accessed by:
    1. First remove door cover (this is hard since door covers
    use cheap snap-mechanisms to attach which can break).
    2. Remove inner door guard to provide access to motor
    3. Loosen the 3 torque bolts holding motor to door enough
    to get access to screws holding motor cover.
    4. Remove the 2 screws holding motor cover, and remove
    cover.
    5. Remove armature taking care not to damage brushes.
    6. Fuse plugs in to motor top just above the brushes.
    Remove fuse and replace. (I crimped mine by clamping
    really, really hard in a vice, but I DON'T recommend
    this since the fuse serves a purpose.)

    Also, CAREFULLY notching out a groove in the brushes and laying the braided wire into this grove will allow the
    brushes to travel a little further, extending the life
    of the motor slightly beyond the normal 3-4 years of light use.
  • joanna1965joanna1965 Member Posts: 1
    WE JUST BOUGHT OUR 2001 T&C LXI , THE SLIDING DOOR WOULD NOT WORK AT FIRST SO I READ THROUGH THE MANUAL, THE CHILD SAFTY LOCKS WERE ON AND STOPING THE DOORS FROM WORKING, IT SAYS.. WELL I LOOKED AND YES THE CHILD SAFTY LOCK WAS ON, ON ONE SIDE. WELL, THAT DOOR CLOSED WHEN I PUSHED THE LITTLE BUTTON.I THOUHGT.. WOW I FIXED IT FOR MY HUSBAND! NOPE... IT IS STILL DOING THE SAME THING , MAKING NOISE BUT NOT OPENING, SAME WITH THE LIFTGATE. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE IT WILL WORK ON PASSENGER SIDE, NEVER ON DRIVERS.. HOW DO WE FIX THIS? PLEASE ...PLEASE...HELP ME! :cry: :confuse:
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles