10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
13,520 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #388

Sep 202023

Pacifica

  • miles
Bought the vehicle in 2020 (Second Owner) from a wholesale dealer and owned the vehicle for about 3 years. Bought with only 20K miles and currently has 55K on Odometer. Car one day wouldn't start. Had it towed to first Chrysler dealer and told it was a bad starter. Paid for starter and fuse replacement and told it filled the shop with smoke indicating a bad head gasket probably caused by a warped engine block. Had it towed to a second chrysler for addition opinion/look where they speculated it "dropped" exhaust/intake valve requiring a new engine/engine replacement. This vehicle is essentially a lemon and people are reporting many issues whith the 17-18 Chrysler Pacifica's. It has been in shops for over a month.

- Ariton, AL, USA

problem #387

Sep 012023

Pacifica

  • miles
Need new engine after rough idling.

- Saint Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #386

Jun 062023

Pacifica

  • miles
Powertrain Stalls randomly when moving from first to second gear and when changing in and out of park. Vehicle also has loss of power and freezing electronics. The entertainment system and navigation system may stay frozen until vehicle is restarted and in some cases may not turn off even while vehicle is not in a powered state.

- Schererville, IN, USA

problem #385

Sep 302023

Pacifica

  • miles
When driving, car completely shuts down. Usually happens when we are slowing down or stopping, but has also happened when accelerating. No lights come on and never happens when we take it to a mechanic. Happened 10x today alone but 5x over last seven days. We thought it was an issue with the auxiliary battery, but continues to happen. 130k on 2017 Pacifica

- Valley Center, KS, USA

problem #384

Sep 232023

Pacifica

  • miles
Recall fail Recall done in 2019 for EGR and car is continuing to fail again years later. While driving car stalls and shuts off

- New Richmond , WI, USA

problem #383

Jul 062023

Pacifica

  • miles
I received P258B warning and further diagnosis came to know that C0021-02 and C1252-92 warnings. While applying breaks i am getting hissing noise and break pedal pushes me back where i have to apply lot of pressure to stop the vehicle. This is happening only when i press the pedals hard. I did diagnosis and noticed that the break vaccum pump fuse gone and replaced the same again it blown. Then realized that that the Vaccum pump it self is not working and the same is ordered and replaced. Now the vaccum pump issue is fixed but still the break pedals are hard and getting hissing noise while applying breaks. Now i may need to change the break booster to get this fixed.

- Sanford, FL, USA

problem #382

Sep 282023

Pacifica

  • miles
Misfire of cylinder 3 as many have reported. Chrysler stating car needs a new engine. Prior owner had warranty work done at 43k miles. At 60k miles, Chrysler diagnoses engine failure and replacement necessary. Chrysler and dealer denying any goodwill despite of history of problems with this vehicle and the Pentastar engine in 2017 Chrysler Pacificas. Engine light and high temp warning bounced on and off while on a highway. Exited to find no coolant, 600 miles after a $2000 tune-up. Added coolant but was losing coolant too. engine light back on. I am out a car, the money I owe on it or a $12k repair.

- New London, CT, USA

problem #381

Feb 202023

Pacifica

  • miles
Continue issue with stop/start system failure that drains batteries to the point of total power loss, even at high rate of speed. An audible ticking sound, engine misfires resulting in bucking and surging, decreased engine performance, hesitation, loss of power. Start/stop system has been investigated by dealership multiple times. Power loss and engine misfire were reported as the result of the start/stop system failure. However it has been a reoccurring problem with continued worsening symptoms. The safety of myself, my passengers and other travelers is at risk due to the unexpected bucking, surging, hesitation and power loss that occurs during traveling. Problem has not been reproduced at service center as it has been -??solved-?? by replacing batteries and not investing further. Vehicle has been inspected by qualified mechanics. Warning lamps have recently alerted but the problem of engine bucking, power loss, surging, hesitancy have preceded the warning lamp. It has been at least 8 months of engine concerns and 2 years of power concerns that were reported to dealership and only 1 month of the warning light indicating a problem.

- Westminster , CO, USA

problem #380

Sep 242023

Pacifica

  • miles
I'm writing to report a serious incident involving my Chrysler Pacifica with less than 70,000 miles. Recently, the engine light came on with error code P0303, leading to violent vibrations and power loss while I was driving my children to school. This hazardous situation nearly caused a major accident. A diagnostic at the dealer revealed a blown head gasket, raising concerns about the safety and reliability of this vehicle model. I believe this issue might not be isolated and could pose a widespread danger. I'm reporting this incident to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to request an investigation into potential design or manufacturing flaws that could endanger drivers and passengers. Safety must always be the top priority. Therefore, I am taking the initiative to report this incident to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) because I believe that it is imperative to investigate the extent of this issue. It is my hope that through such an investigation, we can uncover any potential design or manufacturing flaws that could pose a significant danger to the driving public. Safety should always be the paramount concern when it comes to automobiles, and it is my fervent hope that by reporting this incident, we can prevent similar incidents from occurring and ensure the safety of all drivers and their passengers. I urge you to take this matter seriously and to conduct a thorough examination of the Chrysler Pacifica to determine whether this issue is more widespread than it appears. Lives may well depend on it.

- Heber City, UT, USA

problem #379

Sep 202023

Pacifica

  • miles
The check engine light came on, upon inspection at our mechanic we discovered our head gasket was blown. Searching for recalls online I found several other owners of Chrystler Pacifica that have the same issue of blown head gasket at relatively low mileage. Contacted Chrystler and there is no current recall for any of those components.

- Beachwood, NJ, USA

problem #378

Sep 102023

Pacifica

  • miles
While driving, the car malfunctions stating to have the shifter serviced. All of the alerts start going off and it feels like my car isnt shifting properly. Some times when I start it, the shifter will not respond. I have taken it to be serviced and it seems to be electrical.

- Gypsum, CO, USA

problem #377

Sep 152023

Pacifica

  • miles
I have a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica that keeps dying. I bought my Pacifica new from the dealer and now it has 100K on it. Since we bought it, I has a tendence to dye on us from time to time. The past 5 years we have owed it, we have been through 4 batteries. This past week, my Pacifica decided not to start. The battery was only 8 months old. We had it towed to the dealer, where they said there was a problem with the sensors in the shift knob that goes into the transmission. The mechanic said, he has see a few of the same problems with 2017-2022 Pacifica's. The dealer said I would have to take it to a transmission place to have the transmission looked at. Sees like many Pacifica have this problem with the shift knob sensors.

- Lake Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #376

Aug 272023

Pacifica

  • miles
The engine was having misfire on cylinder 5. This turned out to be a head gasket leak, the local Chrysler dealer confirmed the diagnosis and proceeded to replace the entire engine head. If this was not abruptly fixed, then the engine would overheat and lockup mid drive. There have been many other similar reports on this site indicating the same problem on either cylinder 3 or cylinder 5 -- these sit in the back of the engine bay (transverse engine) and get the hottest. There seems to be a general defect in the cooling causing very premature head gasket failure which can be a dangerous situation if not handled extremely promptly

- Lothian, MD, USA

problem #375

May 162023

Pacifica

  • miles
Engine temperature suddenly rose to the point where an alarm appeared on the display (no prior warning or prior instance of this). Allowed temperature to cool, drove vehicle home gently. Subsequent examination showed coolant level in reservoir below minimum with no physical evidence of leakage. Obtained correct manufacturer-specified coolant, topped up and continued to monitor. Pattern developed where the coolant level would be at minimum after approximately 200 miles of driving, vehicle appeared to be operating normally otherwise. Continued to top up coolant level as necessary, still no sign of any physical leak. Vehicle then began to produce error codes for misfire on either Cylinder 1 or Cylinder 3 - no discernible -??pattern-?? to the codes appearing or clearing. Vehicle was subsequently examined by an independent repair facility who determined that the cylinder head for cylinders 1, 3 and 5 is warped.

- Moorpark , CA, USA

problem #374

Sep 092023

Pacifica

  • miles
The van stopped while driving without warning in traffic, luckily I was able to coast to the side of the road and there was not a vehicle directly behind me or my family and myself would have been in an accident. Even now it does not have a check engine light on we had the battery checked and alternator and they are both good. I-??m not sure what else would cause the vehicle to stop while driving with out warning. It completely turns off just suddenly without any warning. This is dangerous and could cause an accident. We are having it towed to the dealership today to hopefully repair whatever caused the dangerous shut off. I will revisit and if able upload whatever I am told the problem is.

- New Bruanfels, TX, USA

problem #373

Sep 062023

Pacifica

  • miles
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring, twice in last 4 months got P0303 message (Cylinder misfire). Upon research turns out this is common issue, dealership confirmed that head gasket is leaking coolant into the 3rd cylinder and needs replacement.

- Cornelius, NC, USA

problem #372

Sep 042023

Pacifica

  • miles
Engine stalled while making a right turn with incoming traffic. It felt as if the vehicle had gone in Neutral position. The vehicle was unresponsive to the throttle until I manually put it in Low gear (L) and then back up to Dive gear. I was looking into the recall and it sounds similar to U01.

- Simpsonville, SC, USA

problem #371

Jun 282023

Pacifica

  • miles
At 83,000 miles the 2017 Pacifica needed new headgaskets, rocker arms, and camshafts. I am the first and only owner of the van and have been meticulous about maintenance. Apparently this is a known issue with the Pacifica. The dealership and an outside mechanic verified these issues with my Pacifica. Rough idle was the only warning something was wrong before the check engine light came on. I took it to the dealership immediately.

- Newnan, GA, USA

problem #370

Aug 102023

Pacifica

  • miles
I have 2017 Pacifica with just under 80,000 miles on it. I had a check engine light come on which was a 5th cylinder misfire. I had the plugs/coils replaced and oil/filter done. After 2 days the service engine light reappeared with the same diagnosis(5th cylinder misfire). I took it back to the shop and they discovered coolant leaking and the smell of it burning. They believe it was a blown head gasket. The car is now at a Chrysler dealership to confirm the bad news. Chrysler needs to step up and resolve this issue with a recall or some type of reimbursement.

- Methuen, MA, USA

problem #369

Jul 152023

Pacifica

  • miles
Check engine light continues to come on and it gives the code -??3rd cylinder misfire-?? even after multiple attempts to correct the problem. Has been determined there may be a crack in the engine block. Car only has 94,000 miles on it so this is too young for it to be happening. The engine runs rough continuously and I am afraid for the safety of myself and my 4 children that ride along with me daily.

- Albemarle, NC, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »