The drivers side strut tower is rusting out, but not on the top like most of them do. 3/4 of the side of the tower is rusted and gone. The passenger side still looks good. I have gone to several shops but no one can help me. The vans 3.3L engine and trans are still in good shape so I need to find someone or something to fix this

- Machesney Park, IL, USA

The rear door was open. I heard a loud noise and I found out the passenger side bolt bad broken on the lift support. The door did not fall. I am having a very difficult time raising the rear door wait one support.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

Discovered severe rust-through of the front left-side strut tower while doing routine fluid level checking. The damage is under the hood of the vehicle, and initially appeared as dimpled metal without any holes or gaps. The metal crumbled in my hand, and revealed the rust through as I picked away the pieces. I researched the problem on the internet, and found many identical problems, as well as the tsb from Chrysler: 2304402 (NHTSA 10000317). Several of the references had pictures that looked just like our vehicle. As the tsb notes, there is a special repair kit created and supplied by the manufacturer just to correct this specific issue. Although out vehicle has not had any collapse or other catastrophic failure, several of the owners had experienced severe problems as a a result of this structural flaw. The defect was described many times as a result of a manufacturing detail, where two single pieces of metal were layered to build the strut tower. The seam between these two layers of metal was not properly sealed, and as a result, moisture was allowed to enter the seam and corrosion inside the plate sandwich began. With the problem inside the metal structure essentially hidden from view, the metal decay could continue to advance without easy discovery. The tsb is dated nearly 2 years after the last vehicle date, with warranty coverage already expired. This is a serious structural and safety problem, and Chrysler is not offering to recognize the defect and fix this except at our cost. This manufacturing defect, as demonstrated by the unusual damage pattern as well as the special repair kit needs a safety recall to support owners and correctly assign fault.

- Madison, WI, USA

Vehicle safety issue (Chrysler tsb 23-044-02), rust through of upper strut towers 1996-2000 Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth minivans. Collapse of strut tower would result one or more of the following: 1/ sudden change of steering geometry; total loss of steering; lockup of one of the front wheels, blowout of one of the front tires. This is a problem which Chrysler has known about for years. They only issued a tsb once most of the vehicles involved (96-98) were beyond the manufactures rust perforation warranty. This should not be merely a "service" recall, but a "safety" recall. This is due to a manufacturing defect which failed to seal between component panels allowing moisture to penetrate and cause hidden rust issue which reveals itself only when the structural damage is already done. The recommended repair is also questionable -- utilizing only epoxy to afix a cap to the top of the strut. The inner rust perforation is not cut out, only covered up. The treatment is primarily cosmetic. I am very concerned about this issue and feel it has not only endangered life, but devalued the vehicle. I have paid to have the problem repaired but feel that this should be Chrysler's responsibility. I would appreciate any follow up you can do on my behalf and that of other minivan owners. (I've no doubt that the vast majority are yet unaware of the condition of their vehicles.) sincerely kelvin ironside mesa AZ.

- Mesa, AZ, USA