We have a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country Touring van 3.8L V6 - All of a sudden the headlights stopped working but the park lights are working and so are the tail lights. We took the van to the dealership and they said they have 5 tests they run but the first thing they did was raise the hook and do what they call a percussion test and hit the front control module I believe is what it is called (the silver metal area attached to the front of the fuse box) and the headlights started burning. They told me 90% of the time you need a new fuse box at a cost of $650. The dealership did not perform any more tests that day. Well, the lights stopped working again and we tapped this same area again and the lights came on but they have stopped once more and tapping does not work. Can we replace only the Front control module or do we have to replace the fuse box?

 

The USA is a mighty big place, I am in the North East(rust& corrosion)area. Have had a number of these vans over the years and never had the fuse panel/power control module go bad. Sounds like you do not do your own auto work, so may I suggest a good independant shop dismount the fuse panel from the body(simple 3 minute task) and check the connections and wires underneath the fuse panel. I have seen trouble from that on a few of my vans. There is also a plug in small relay onto the fuse panel for the headlights that can go bad also. SO basically what I am saying is that from your description, much better diagnosis needs to be done BEFORE shelling out the kind of dollars to replace the fuse panel/ power module.

 

Yes, you can replace just the Front Control Module (FCM), but before you do, bad connections on the FCM are a very common cause of your problem. It can often be repaired by removing the FCM and slightly twisting the contacts.

See post #2 by Raptor 07 here: https://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/...525/#post65805

Don't forget to remove the negative battery cable before attempting the fix.

Another possibility is the headlight switch, your 2005 may fall under the X45 Lifetime Warranty Extension for the headlight switch, as mentioned here: https://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/...812/#post74796, but if tapping the FCM brings the headlights to life, the FCM is most likely the problem.

 

Well thank you for your help with the headlight issue. We took the van and had them run some checks and said we needed a TIPM fuse box that has the front control module and new fuses, etc. It was installed and for some reason first thing in the morning the left turn signal does not work but after driving for 10 to 15 miles the turn signal starts to work. The van is weird - does it have to warm up? The TIPM was expensive. We do have headlights.

 

Funny thing. Our daughter called us at 11:45PM last night. She pulled over because the headlights stopped working. When I got there I pulled the switch (one of the clips is broken so I knew the panel would come out). The switch itself came apart in my hand. After putting it back together and fiddling for a minute I finally got the headlights to come on. Just ordered a new on for ~$40 online. Half the price of the hour they'll charge you to diagnose a known issue for a "free" switch. DIY!!