62TE Town And Country Common Problems and Fixes

The Chrysler Town and Country shares its 62TE six-speed with the Grand Caravan, but the vans that come in wearing the Chrysler badge tend to arrive with a different story. They are usually the higher-trim, one-owner vans, they often already have a reman or overhauled unit in them, and more of them come in with a shift-quality complaint and no codes at all. FCA bulletins identify the six-speed by sales code DG2, and from 2011 through the end of Town and Country production after the 2016 model year, the 3.6L Pentastar (sales code ERB) was paired with it [1]. Earlier 2008-2010 vans can have either a four-speed or the 62TE depending on the engine, so read the case label before you order anything. ATRA shows where the bar code label sits and how it encodes the transmission part number and build date [3].

Below are the problems I see most on Town and Country 62TEs, in the order I check them. Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the bottom.

Recommended 62TE parts

What fixes the common Town and Country 62TE failures: a master kit for compounder and clutch wear, the solenoid block pack for solenoid and pressure codes, and an ATF+4 service kit for the low-fluid cases.

62TE Transmission Master Rebuild Kit, Dodge/Chrysler 2007-Up

$297.99

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62TE Transmission Main Solenoid Block Pack, Chrysler/Dodge

$193.99

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62TE Transmission Service Kit with 6qt ATF and Filter

$166.99

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Problem 1: the ECON button that makes a good transmission feel bad

Start here because it costs nothing and it fools professionals. Transmission Digest's R&R Tech column documented a 2012 Town and Country with a 3.6L and a 62TE that "falls flat on its face" on the first shift. The van had no transmission or engine codes. Recorded scan data showed the PCM was not commanding second gear at all. It shifted 1-3, the shifts came early, and the converter clutch applied early. The shop had already swapped in a used PCM and updated its calibration, and nothing changed [5].

The cause was the ECON button with the green leaf on the dash. With it on, the van skipped second and short-shifted. With it off, the PCM commanded second, the TCC applied at the right time and the van drove normally. There is no matching indicator in the cluster, only the small light on the button itself, and the author says he has seen the same complaint many times since, including customers who refused to believe it until they rode along [5].

So on any Town and Country with a "sluggish, skips a gear, no codes" complaint, do this first:

• Look at the ECON button before the road test. Drive it once with ECON on and once with it off.
• On the scan tool, watch commanded gear against actual gear. A clean 1-3 with ECON on and a clean 1-2-3 with it off is normal behavior, not a failure.
• Only after that, start looking at speed sensors, TPS and load data.

Problem 2: harsh 1-3, 2-3 and 1-2 shifts on 2011-2013 vans - a software fix

The second no-code complaint is harsh shifting on the early Pentastar vans, and FCA already wrote the fix. Service bulletin 21-012-12 Rev. B (November 29, 2012, also released as rapid response transmittal 12-069) covers 2011-2013 RT Caravan and Town and Country vans with the 3.6L (ERB) and the 62TE (DG2) built before September 26, 2012 [1]. The listed symptoms are:

• A harsh 1-3 upshift while operating in Economy (ECO) mode.
• A harsh 2-3 upshift in normal mode.
• A 1-2 upshift clunk following a throttle back out (2012-2013 model year only).

The repair is a PCM flash. The same software also changes the shift schedule for the 1-2, 3-4, 4-5 and 5-6 upshifts and the 6-4P, 6-5 and 5-4 downshifts, and improves fifth gear converter lock-up and unlock [1]. Note the 6-4P: that is the "fourth prime" ratio. ATRA explains that the 62TE is a 41TE with an underdrive compounder added, so it really has seven forward ratios, and fourth prime is used on a 6-4 kickdown so the unit never has to do a double swap [3].

The bulletin's diagnosis step is short: verify no DTCs are set with the scan tool, repair any that are, then flash [1]. On a used van it is common to find this update was never done. Check the PCM calibration before you condemn a valve body for a harsh 2-3, and before you overhaul a unit that only clunks on a lift-throttle 1-2.

Problem 3: low fluid, because there is no dipstick

FCA has documented how little it takes. Service bulletin 21-046-15 (July 16, 2015, also RRT 15-075) covers 2015 Grand Caravan and Town and Country vans with the 62TE built June 19 through June 21, 2015. The complaint was harsh shifting under heavy acceleration in hot or cold weather, and the repair was to inspect and correct the fluid level [2]. If a few vans a little low from the factory shifted badly enough to need a bulletin, a ten-year-old van seeping from a cooler line or pan rail is a bigger problem.

The level check is a hot, temperature-referenced check, not a pour-and-guess. ATRA's 62TE fluid bulletin says to park on level ground, read the transmission temperature on a scan tool, and set the level with Miller tool 9336 (the wire stick) against the temperature chart. The marks on the gauge bar are 10 mm apart [4]. ATRA gives the fill as 5.5 quarts (5.2 L) for a service and 9.0 quarts (8.5 L) after an internal repair, and says the 62TE requires a fluid that meets the ATF+4 requirement [4]. Use those as starting points and finish on the stick at temperature.

Low fluid also drives Problem 6. A pump that sucks air on turns and hard stops drops pressure, and the TCM sees that as a ratio or pressure problem. Check the level hot before you read too much into a code.

Problem 4: P0732, P0735 and P0792 - the compounder

When a Town and Country 62TE slips on the 1-2 shift or sets ratio codes, look at the underdrive compounder. ATRA calls ring land wear on the compounder low clutch drum the most common 62TE failure. Their photos show lands worn to about .005 in. of clearance, they list a 100 percent failure rate for the original drum, and they note that aftermarket drums are available with a steel insert [3]. The codes that go with it are P0792 and P0735, along with no line rise and a 1-2 slip [3].

ATRA also flags a newer hotline failure in the compounder direct clutch housing: a worn snap ring groove [3]. When you have the compounder apart, check the drum, the ring lands, the snap ring grooves and the bonded pistons, not just the frictions.

A Town and Country with a lot of weight in it, a hitch on the back, and years of short-trip heat cycles is exactly the van that wears this drum out. The fix is a compounder overhaul with the updated drum, new pistons and a full set of frictions and steels.

Problem 5: limp mode right after an overhaul - the captured check balls

This one is specific to rebuilt units, and Town and Countrys see plenty of them. Transmission Digest reported a 2013 Town and Country with a 3.6L and a 62TE that went to limp mode immediately after an overhaul with P0732 (second gear ratio error), P0735 (fifth gear ratio error), P0792 (compounder speed error) and P1790 (fault after shift) [6]. The shop had replaced the direct drum and piston with aftermarket parts, assumed those were bad, replaced them again with OEM parts, and the codes stayed [6].

The real cause was in the valve body. The direct clutch's non-removable captured check balls had fallen out of the transfer plate. The factory uses these balls to test the clutch circuits: nozzles unseat the balls, pressure retention is checked, the nozzles retract, and the balls seal the circuit. With them gone, the direct clutch circuit leaked. The correction was to replace the valve body [6].

The lesson for the bench: before the valve body goes back on, confirm every non-removable check ball is present and able to seal. Do not chase compounder hard parts twice when P0792 and P0735 show up on a fresh rebuild.

Problem 6: stumble to a stop, TCC stuck on and solenoid pack codes

A van that stumbles or nearly stalls as it rolls to a stop usually has a converter clutch that is not releasing. ATRA named P2764 (TCC stuck on) as the most common code in its newer 62TE hotline calls and gave the fix: replace the TCC solenoid, part 5169313AA [3]. On the scan tool, graph input speed against engine rpm during the complaint. If input speed stays locked to engine rpm while the TCC is commanded off, the clutch is not releasing.

The solenoid block and line pressure side of the unit get their own attention. ATRA lists the line pressure transducer and the solenoid block among the parts it covers, and calls one seal the most common builder error: if the solenoid block seal is installed upside down it blocks the 2/4 clutch circuit, which costs you third in limp mode, fourth and sixth. The slot faces up [3]. If you get a Town and Country back with no 4th or 6th right after a solenoid pack job, that seal is the first thing to look at.

How I work a Town and Country 62TE complaint

1. No codes, sluggish or skipping second: check the ECON button and compare commanded and actual gear with it on and off [5].
2. No codes, harsh 1-3, 2-3 or lift-throttle 1-2 on a 2011-2013: check the PCM calibration against bulletin 21-012-12 and flash it [1].
3. Harsh under heavy throttle, any year: set the fluid level hot with tool 9336, ATF+4 only [2][4].
4. P0792, P0735 or P0732 with a 1-2 slip: compounder overhaul with the updated low clutch drum [3].
5. Same codes right after a rebuild: check the valve body captured check balls before you touch the compounder again [6].
6. Stumble to a stop or P2764: TCC solenoid [3].
7. Lost 4th and 6th after a solenoid pack job: check the block seal orientation [3].

Need parts for this job?

Our 62TE parts page has master rebuild kits, clutch drums, solenoid block packs, TCC solenoids, valve bodies and ATF+4 service kits for the Town and Country, all on our own checkout. The 62TE takes ATF+4 only; see the transmission fluid spec chart.

FAQ

What transmission is in a Chrysler Town and Country?

From 2011 until the Town and Country ended after the 2016 model year, the 3.6L Pentastar (sales code ERB) was paired with the 62TE six-speed automatic (sales code DG2). Earlier 2008-2010 vans can have either a four-speed or the 62TE depending on the engine, so check the bar code label on the transmission case before ordering parts.

Why does my Town and Country skip second gear and feel sluggish?

Check the ECON button with the green leaf first. Transmission Digest documented a 2012 Town and Country that shifted 1-3 with an early converter apply and no codes, and turning ECON off brought second gear back and made it drive normally. There is no cluster indicator for it, only the light on the button.

Is there a fix for harsh shifts on a 2011-2013 Town and Country?

Yes. FCA bulletin 21-012-12 Rev. B covers 2011-2013 vans with the 3.6L and 62TE built before September 26, 2012, for a harsh 1-3 upshift in ECO mode, a harsh 2-3 upshift and a 1-2 clunk after lifting off the throttle. The repair is a PCM flash that also revises the shift schedule and fifth gear lock-up.

How much fluid does a Town and Country 62TE take?

ATRA lists 5.5 quarts (5.2 L) for a service and 9.0 quarts (8.5 L) after an internal repair, using ATF+4 only. There is no dipstick, so the final level is set hot with Miller tool 9336 against the temperature chart, using the transmission temperature from a scan tool.

What causes P0792 and P0735 on a Town and Country?

On an original unit, the usual cause is ring land wear on the underdrive compounder low clutch drum, which ATRA calls the most common 62TE failure. If the codes show up right after an overhaul, check that the valve body's captured check balls for the direct clutch are present before replacing compounder parts again.