Independent · Not affiliated with NHTSA or any automaker MethodologyData sourcesData refreshed Oct 6, 2026

1998 Chrysler Town and Country: Problems, Recalls and MPG

What this means

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1998 Chrysler Town and Country, most recently filed October 2004. Owners have filed 296 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling.

Data summary generated from official records. Methodology Data: NHTSA, DOT, EPA · Refreshed Oct 6, 2026
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Recalls (5)

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1998 Chrysler Town and Country. Check whether yours was repaired with NHTSA's free VIN lookup ↗

Only NHTSA and your automaker know whether your specific car was repaired. PlainVIN shows every recall campaign listed for a model year, with the official text and how many cars have been fixed so far.

Check on NHTSA ↗
Listed for 1998 Chrysler Town and Country. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 04V480000 Filed Oct 6, 2004

DAIMLERCHRYSLER/AIR BAG CLOCKSPRING

Air bags
Official NHTSA text
Summary
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG MAY BECOME DISABLED DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE CLOCKSPRING, WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE HUB OF THE STEERING WHEEL.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION WILL MANIFEST ITSELF THROUGH ILLUMINATION OF THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP, AND COULD EVENTUALLY RESULT IN A DRIVER'S AIR BAG OPEN CIRCUIT, IF THE PART IS NOT REPLACED IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY ON ALL COVERED VEHICLES WITH 70,000 MILES OR LESS. FOR THOSE VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 70,000 MILES, DAIMLERCHRYSLER WILL OFFER AN EXTENDED LIFETIME WARRANTY UNDER WHICH IT WILL REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING AT NO CHARGE IF IT FAILS. DAIMLERCHRYSLER WILL ALSO REIMBURSE OWNERS WHO HAVE PAID TO HAVE THE CLOCKSPRING REPLACED ON THEIR VEHICLES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 12, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Repair progress not yet reported955,344 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 04V480000
Listed for 1998 Chrysler Town and Country. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 02V293000 Filed Nov 7, 2002

DAIMLERCHRYSLER/AIR BAG CLOCKSPRING

Air bags · frontal
Official NHTSA text
Summary
ON CERTAIN MINI VANS, THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY MAY HAVE BEEN WOUND INCORRECTLY DURING THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY PROCESS.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION WILL MANIFEST ITSELF THROUGH ILLUMINATION OF THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP, AND COULD EVENTUALLY RESULT IN A DRIVER'S AIR BAG OPEN CIRCUIT, IF THE PART IS NOT REPLACED IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY ON ALL VEHICLES WITH 70,000 MILES OR LESS. AN EXTENDED LIFETIME WARRANTY WILL ALSO BE PLACED ON THIS COMPONENT FOR ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES, REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE. DAIMLERCHRYSLER WILL ALSO REIMBURSE OWNERS WHO HAVE PAID TO HAVE THE CLOCKSPRING REPLACED ON THEIR VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 18, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Repair progress not yet reported1,500,521 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 02V293000
Listed for 1998 Chrysler Town and Country. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 02V076000 Filed Mar 8, 2002

DAIMLERCHRYSLER/SEAT BELT

Seat belts · rear/other
Official NHTSA text
Summary
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, SOME TRIM MATERIAL CAN LOOSEN AND DROP INTO THE REAR OUTBOARD SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO BECOME INOPERATIVE.
Consequence
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TRIM WITH FOAM BLOCKERS AND INSPECT AND REPLACE ALL 3RD ROW SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 3, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Repair progress not yet reported545,311 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 02V076000
Listed for 1998 Chrysler Town and Country. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 00V268000 Filed Sep 13, 2000

DAIMLERCHRYSLER/FUEL LEAKAGE

Fuel system, gasoline · fuel injection system
Official NHTSA text
Summary
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINI VANS BUILT WITH 3.3L AND 3.8L ENGINES HAVE FUEL RAILS WITH NITROLE RUBBER O-RING SEALS THAT CAN DEGRADE OVER TIME. FUEL LEAKAGE FROM THE UNDERHOOD FUEL INJECTION FUEL RAIL COULD RESULT, INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF A VEHICLE FIRE.
Consequence
FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SEAL ON THE VEHICLE FUEL RAILS TO PREVENT EXTERNAL LEAKAGE OF FUEL FROM THE FUEL RAIL CROSSOVER TUBE, SHOULD THE EXISTING O-RINGS CONTINUE TO DEGRADE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JANUARY 25, 2002. DUE TO THE LARGE QUANTITY OF VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS CAMPAIGN, THE OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE PHASED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. HOWEVER, IF A VEHICLE IS LEAKING FUEL FROM THE O-RINGS, THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO A DEALER TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Repair progress not yet reported1,163,000 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 00V268000
Listed for 1998 Chrysler Town and Country. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 97V231000 Filed Dec 15, 1997

CHRYSLER/INTEGRATED CHILD SEAT HARNESS

Child seat
Official NHTSA text
Summary
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER MINIVANS EQUIPPED WITH INTEGRATED CHILD SEATS. THE SHOULDER HARNESS RESTRAINT WEBBING WAS INCORRECTLY ROUTED AROUND THE METAL REINFORCEMENT BAR ON THESE SEATS.
Consequence
THE CHILD SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE ROUTING OF THE SHOULDER BELT WEBBING AND ANY FOUND INCORRECT WILL BE PROPERLY ROUTED.
Repair progress not yet reported900 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 97V231000

PlainVIN shows public government records for education. It isn't a vehicle inspection or legal advice. Check your own VIN with NHTSA or your dealer.

Owner complaints (296)

296 complaints filed with NHTSA (owner reports, not verified findings). The engine and engine cooling is mentioned most often.

12involved a crash
20involved a fire
11injuries reported
0deaths reported

As reported by owners in their complaints. These are reports, not NHTSA findings.

Most-reported components

Complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Chrysler Town and Country, by component (top 10). One complaint can list several components, so these add up to more than 296.Source: NHTSA ODI owner complaints · Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 · Report a data error

How 1998 compares with other Town and Country years

Best and worst Town and Country years →
1994199519961997199819992000200120022003
This year (1998)Other yearsStill collecting reports

Counts are owner reports, not failure rates. Higher sales years tend to draw more reports. Owners are still filing reports for recent model years, so these counts will grow. Source: NHTSA ODI, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Fuel economy: up to 18 mpg combined

18
mpg combined
16
city
22
highway
EPA annual fuel cost
$3,700
CO₂ tailpipe
494 g/mi
EPA class
Special Purpose Vehicle

What it costs you to run

$3,628per year
$302per month
833gallons a year

Miles ÷ 18 mpg × $4.354 (EIA US average regular, week of Oct 5, 2026, all taxes included). Source: EPA · EIA.

EPA label estimates from lab tests; your mileage will vary.

Specs by configuration

1998 Chrysler Town and Country configurations with EPA data
Engine · transmissionDriveCity / Hwy / CombEPA $/yrCO₂ g/mi
3.3 L 6-cyl · 4-speed automaticFront-Wheel Drive16 / 22 / 18$3,700494
3.3 L 6-cyl · 4-speed automaticFront-Wheel Drive16 / 22 / 18$3,700494
3.8 L 6-cyl · 4-speed automaticFront-Wheel Drive15 / 22 / 18$3,700494
3.8 L 6-cyl · 4-speed automatic4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive14 / 22 / 17$3,950523

Source: EPA fuel economy data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Configurations are listed when EPA and NHTSA records match.

Used blue SUV on a sunny dealer lot with its hood open and a clipboard on the fender

Looking at a 1998 Town and Country for sale?

Print a one-page buyer's checklist: each recall campaign with a box to tick when the seller shows proof of repair, the top complaint areas to inspect, crash stars, MPG, and a link back to this page.

All Town and Country years

Where to next

1998 Chrysler Town and Country FAQ

How many recalls does the 1998 Chrysler Town and Country have?

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns: 04V480000 (air bag), 02V293000 (air bag), 02V076000 (seat belt), 00V268000 (fuel system), 97V231000 (seat). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.

What are the most common 1998 Chrysler Town and Country problems?

Owners filed 296 complaints with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling (67), Electrical system (62), Air bags (45) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.

What mpg does the 1998 Chrysler Town and Country get?

EPA rates the 3.3 L 6-cyl · 4-speed automatic version at 16 city, 22 highway and 18 combined mpg. Other configurations are listed in the fuel economy section.

How does the 1998 Town and Country compare with other years?

Among the 1994–2003 Chrysler Town and Country model years at least five years old, the 1995 drew the fewest complaints (58) and the 1996 the most (938). The 1998 drew 296. Counts are owner reports, not failure rates.

How this page was madeSources, processing, limits, review and changes

Processing

  • Complaints are counted per component. One complaint can list several, so component totals add up to more than the total.
  • Fuel cost = miles per year ÷ EPA combined mpg × EIA weekly price for your region.

Limitations

  • Complaint counts are owner reports, not verified findings or failure rates. There is no sales denominator.
  • Recall campaigns are listed for the model year. Only NHTSA and the automaker know whether a specific car was repaired.
  • Recent model years are still collecting reports.

Review

Data compiled automatically from the official files listed here.

Changelog

  • 2026-10-06 Data refreshed from the official files.
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