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1) Fuel Gauge: When the tank is between full and 3/4 full, the "out of fuel" bell rings and light comes on intermittently and the gauge drops a little momentarily. It happens at different rates but it can be as often as every few seconds. Very annoying!
Dealer wants $400 for the "module" plus labor including dropping the gas tank and is not sure that will fix the problem.
Has anyone experienced this same problem?
Is there any way to fix it cheaper?
*** Is there any way to disconnect the "out of fuel" bell? ***
2) Front-end "clunk": When I put the van in reverse and back out of a parking spot or my driveway, I hear several clunks or thunks coming from the front end. I have already has the bushings on the stabilizer bar replaced and the alignment done.
Has anyone experienced this problem?
If so, what else needs to be fixed?
-Adam
Unless you have plenty of money to spend - save it and buy something else. Those that have had no problems are few and just very lucky.
the new ones have a 7yr/100k powertrain warranty...now you can get that tranny fixed for a small deductible...
Meanwhile, I have a 2002 T&C eL AND a 2001 Ody EX in my driveway. The Odyssey was treated very well by the first owner and is in mint condition with only 11,507 miles on it. Each has nice features that I wish could be had on both minivans. I like the Magic Seat and clever seating arrangement of the Odd EX BUT I like the Triple Zone Temperature Control of T&C eL where driver, front passenger and rear passengers can each select the preferred comfort level. I also love the complete overhead console of the T&C eL with compass/outside temperature/Trip Computer.
It is fun to drive the T&C eL and then switch and drive the Ody EX. Each is quiet, smooth, comfortable, etc. I find it very difficult to notice any difference in the driving and handling of the 2 minivans....or with my prior 1999 GC SE. All 3 are great minivans. Our daughter purchased our 1999 GC SE from the Chrysler dealer at the time we traded it in with 37,240 miles.
I have also driven a 2002 Odyssey EX-Nav-Leather with added RES with MSRP $34,000. We do NOT buy a minivan with all the features offered by either DaimlerChrysler or Honda.
Here is the post repeated for convenience:
...."If the 4 speed automatic in our 2000 Town & Country went out tomorrow, I would still want to come back for another Chrysler van. They have too many useful features that the others just don't have. I guess that makes me a slave to Chrysler..."
It would REALLY be nice if Odyssey owners would stop trolling in all DC minivan forums to justify buying an Odyssey. My wife and I own a DC minivan and I drive a 2001 Odyssey EX quite frequently. Both are nice minivans. I do not have to trash the Odyssey to be satisfied with our DC minivan.
i doubt half those dc minivan trashers own anything other than a bicycle...
Last year I bought a Maxima with 65K miles on it, Do I worry about the transmission exploding ? No.
Why do minivan owners care so much about about size and not about repair bills ? The smallest minivan still has way more room than the average sedan. Why do they want them bigger ?
The DC trans issue does not appear a major concern anymore since DC replaced so many under warranty including mine, which by the way did not explode; the shift quality just slowly degraded.
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
we all buy vehicles that are gonna break, eventually, doesn't matter what brand it is. in late '99 or early '00 dc upgraded the differential on the 41te (minivan tranny). that was the last remaining weak link in the powertrain. this info from a dc tech friend of mine. i have no doubt that the dc minivan tranny is now fully competitive (performance/reliability) with any other likestyle tranny out there.
If you must have a vehicle that will go gazzilion miles without breaking you probably would have to buy a manual trans sedan with overhead cam engine like the Accord.
what evidence do you have to support your 50k mile theory?? my dad has a 96 t&c with 80k...no tranny work except for fluid/filter change. electronics tech at my office has a '92 gc that had it's original tranny til approx 120k...same van now has well over 200k with no other major parts replacements. and of course both vans have the 41te tranny.
i know some folks had early (low mileage) failures, both those have been mostly limited to the late 80s through early-mid 90s tranny. a blanket statement saying the current tranny is only good for 50k is utterly ridiculous...and shows that you have no idea about all the changes that have occurred to the 41te since 1995.
as for accord ohc engines...timing belt failures have zapped a number of those engines...!
When will Honda, Toyota, Ford, GM, Mazda, Nissan, and VW provide a warranty as good on their transmissions and engines?
my dad's t&c mini shifts exceptionally smooth, and has since day one. just a month ago me and a co-worker rented an '02 grand caravan (not our first choice) from thrifty while away at a conference. tranny in said van was supremely smooth...
as for dc publicizing tranny improvement...that would imply there were faults...therefore that ain't gonna happen. the only reason i know about the improvments is because of my chrysler tech buddy...
DC never admitted their was a problem even with its early 4 speed trans. They just rode out the bad publicity. Now they send me incentives to take a test drive and get $50 of gift certficates, debit cards,whatever. Keep 'em coming, baby.
i'm not really sure what your aim is other than to try and flame by making blanket statements that are based on very little fact or reality. tsbs are meant to help dealerships detect and diagnose customer problems. they make little or no reference to large scale model year changes such as the switch to a different type of internal seal or the beefing up of the spider gears in the differential...
btw, if you are of dutch ancestry, plug away...!
Hyundai and Kia have even more confidence in their transmissions than does DaimlerChrysler - after all, when will DaimlerChrysler step up and back theirs with a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty?
Apparently owners of DC vehicles find them very comfortable and fun to drive and a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty would be meaningless. I know very few people who drive 10,000 miles or less in each year when they have a nice vehicle.
Are Kia and Hyundai so uncomfortable and drive so poorly that it takes 10 years to accumulate 100,000 miles?
Seems to me carleton1 is pretty sensitive about anything said that counters his opinions on DaimlerChrysler vans - rakes people over the coals over it, questions their opinions, and when someone dares to point out the illogic of his own posts (i.e., that DaimlerChrysler has more confidence in its powertrains than other makers have in theirs) by using a reductio-ad-absurdum extension to an automaker that by his post, has more confidence than D-C does, that person gets flamed.
Seems to me the public ought to be able to hear from both sides - those who've had good experiences with D-C vans, and those who've had terrible experiences. Leave the personal commentary out of the discussion, or leave it to the hosts to deem acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
pluto5,
Minivans aren't fun to drive for the majority of the population - they're bought for their practicality, not their handling and dynamics; that goes for all of them. It's also one reason we're seeing a resurgence in station wagons again - people get tired of cumbersome minivans and want back into something that's more enjoyable to drive. There's no better evidence of that than the fact that the company that killed off all its station wagons in favor of vans, is coming out with a new station wagon again (the Chrysler Pacifica).
http://www.allpar.com/fix/trans.html
for eneth, a trouble-free chrysler van is a very rare occurance. however, i have know many people who have had great experiences with their dc vans as well as some who have had minor to serious problems with theirs (which is sadly a larger than should be minority). we have owned two chrysler vans and both have been excellent, trouble free vehicles. basicly, it does not matter what chrysler does to eneth. they could offer a 20 year 200,000 mile warranty and he would still say they dont have confidence in their powertrains and are still unsafe deathtraps. with eneth, chrysler can do no right.
i prefer to live in the present rather than the past and aknowledge the progress chrysler has made over the last few years in safety and reliability. the 41te 4-speed auto trany is now able to compete with the competition in terms of reliability and performance. even edmunds said their 2001 town & country limited's 3.8 engine and 4-speed transmission worked better together than that of the 2001 odyssey. i have driven two 2001 DC minivans and their transmissions shifted much smoother than the one in our 2000 town & country does.
oh and lets not forget, a disc cd changer with the infinity sound system to pump out the jams during all those fun trips to the soccer tournament and grochery store!
As many of my friends and relatives have found out with large SUVs, they're cumbersome to live with after a while - and tastes shift. The minivan has already peaked in popularity and is on the decline overall - unfortunately for DaimlerChrysler, which is still very dependent on them.
Even DaimlerChrysler sees the handwriting on the wall - witness the production testing of the Citadel, and the next-generation of Mercedes wagons. There'll still be a role for minivans, but I suspect a lot of people have figured out that for day to day use, a wagon works as well or better - and that they can rent a minivan when they need one, rather than having to drive the beast everywhere.
It'll also be interesting to see how things shake out as demand falls - remember that some automakers are capable of shifting production from vans to cars on the same assembly line, with no lost production. Others end up forced to discount products so they can keep the lines running.
As for Chrysler Group's progress in minivan safety, well - given all the past problems, it wouldn't take much to improve (and it should be noted that the new vans still trail those from Ford, Toyota and Honda in crash safety, despite DaimlerChrysler's longer experience building them).