I have a 2007 Town and Country and the air conditioner doesn't work. the last 7 digits of my vin are R184313. Is this a recall issue?

 

nope there is not a recall

 

I received a letter in 2009 from Chrysler that "if" I had replaced my rear condensor that Chrysler would pay me for it if I sent in the invoice. I had not replaced it at that time. It wasn't a "recall", but they did offer to pay.

 

Its not a recall. It is a "Warranty Extension".

You will be responsible for any charges for diagnosis and repair, If the rear evaporator is NOT the reason for failure.

 

I had a 2007 T&C and had a problem with the A/C. The dealer told me that he had to inspect the rear unit and that if the lines were rusted and caused a leak of the refrigerant, it was covered under an extended warranty for the rear unit.

In my case, it was covered completely. If it had been something else, I would have been responsible for the repairs since it was out of the factory warranty.

I believe it's fairly common in areas that use a lot of salt on the roads in the winter.

 

Not entirely true....But close enough.....

There is an extension tube that runs up inside the rear HVAC housing, that was welded to far away from the joint where it meets the evaporator. Vibration could cause this joint to fracture, and damage the rear evaporator. The lines that were discussed, Or The "J" lines as we call them, are not replaced during this procedure. These J lines are NOT TO BE CONFUSED with the COOLANT /AC lines for the rear system....which are Not covered by ANY procedure or extension that I am aware of.

UNLESS............

They are so badly corroded that a CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN cannot perform the necessary warranty repair without inflicting damage to other components.......( I personally...Just order them when I ask for the evaporator, and I worry about justifying the replacement AFTER the vehicle is repaired)....

Now a few details.......

Ive seen quite a few of these "Broken Evaporators", so there is a good chance that it will be a warranty-able repair.....But just as easily, if the evaporator is intact...You WILL BE RESPONSIBLE for the DIAGNOSIS charge......and The evaporator will NOT be replaced unless it has been verified that it is leaking.....

Also....THe freon "BLOWS OUT" of a Leaking evaporator....It doesnt leak and "FIZZLE" out......if it has been progressively getting worse, until your A/C doesnt blow cold anymore, It is VERY unlikely that the evaporator is your issue....

 

The letter I got from Chrysler mentioned corrosion of the rear evaporator. I don't have it anymore, but I'm pretty sure that I remember it mentioning that the problem was caused by corrosion of the 'rear unit'.

When I brought it in, the dealer told me it was 'rust' caused by salt, but now that I think about it, the items he talked about were aluminum, (or they sure looked like it when they showed me the unit under my van), and aluminum doesn't actually 'rust' as easily as steel does, although it can oxidize under the right conditions. However the most likely reaction would be for the highly electronegative chloride ion from the salt and water mixture sprayed up there during driving to attack and corrode the aluminum alloy that the part appears to be made of. You can see this kind of corrosion on unprotected or old aluminum alloy wheels, especially in the northern parts of the country where salts, either sodium or potassium chloride are used to melt snow on the roads.

I agree that it's very likely that the refrigerant would leak out quite rapidly in most cases, but I have also seen very tiny, almost microscopic 'pinhole' leaks in aluminum tubing that can leak rather more slowly and slowly depressure a system over a longer period of time. (I build experimental petrochemical refinery units for a living.)

Anyway..., a much too long way of saying that you're correct, it's not actually rust caused by salt.

The following link shows a techincal service bulletin from Chrysler that seems to indicate that it can be a leak in the lines and not just in the evaporator section.

https://cda.extra.chrysler.com/icon/...es/2400509.pdf

 

It is possible....

Basically, I test these by normal A/c Evacuation...if the vacuum drops out, you have a leak......Then.....Open the tailgate ...... With a Lowside charge fitting, and a pressure regulator connected to "SHOP AIR" ..pressurize the system to 40 psi...which is well within the operating range of the system, and listen at the rear Box.... So far..EVERY ONE of these evaporator leaks Rushed out Immediately.

As for corrosion .... Yes, I should have been a bit more clear.... Where the welds are placed...Oxidation (The white Fuzzy stuff) builds around the joints, and weakens them. By design..the tubes are just in a bad spot, being continuously pounded by vibrations thru the rear suspension......and they fracture at the weakened aluminum.

Yep thats the service bulletin.......What we get is called the "X21 rr evaporator extension"......And it plainly states that the J lines are NOT TO BE REPLACED for Minor surface corrosion, unless it Prohibits completion of the X21 procedure.

It is fairly common , and if I'm doing the evap repair, It will be covered, so I just order them anyway...And fight with Internal later.....

My point I wanted to stress with you guys was this...

Just like any other recall...It is NOT A REPAIR.....It is a preventative measure taken from scenarios noted in field duty......If the A/c Doesnt work...it is possible that this Could be your issue, because it has been noted in a fair amount of cases......

It does not mean that Chrysler will fix your entire A/c system free of charge, or just give you a new evaporator for the Heck Of It....... So without trying to be rude....Dont go chasing the freebie EXPECTING it to cure all of your problems...because it likely wont work out in your favor.