10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,577 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.

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #18

Jun 302021

Pacifica

  • miles
The car 12v battery drains completely, rendering the vehicle immobile and completely non functional. There has been an electrical burning smell once the car is jump started and driving. I fear there is some kind of short or electrical discharge somewhere that could render the vehicle inoperable or start a fire at my home or while the car is being used. This vehicle has been at the dealer for 7 weeks and they have not found the problem. I have been told that the car has been connected to a computer system that is being "looked into" remotely by Chrysler. They have replaced the battery and the charging management system at my expense. The problems started when the car had 38000 miles and began with the "radio" which controls many other functions of the car constantly rebooting and having corrupted firmware which I was told cannot be fixed, only replaced. I have since been told this unit cannot be ordered at this time.

- Mystic, CT, USA

problem #17

Jul 062021

Pacifica

  • miles
This is the third and fourth time we have had this issue with our van. The previous two times were on May 25, 2019 and June 4, 2021. In this incident, my wife was driving our van with our two kids and I down Northwest Highway in Arlington Heights, IL. We were going about 35 miles per hour when several alarms and warnings appeared on the driver-??s dashboard including 'SERVICE HYBRID SYSTEM', a red wrench with a red lightning bolt through it, the orange engine warning light, and red battery warning icon, and a message appeared saying 'SHIFT VEHICLE TO PARK'. (See attached photos.) When my wife pressed the accelerator pedal nothing happened. We were able to coast and turn down a side street. We put the vehicle in park, turned it off and we-??re able to restart it. We immediately notified the dealership and drove it there. On the way to the dealership, we made a stop. When in a parking lot, my wife pressed the accelerator to drive and the same issue happened with the same warning lights and alarms. Once again, we shifted to park, turned the vehicle off and we-??re able to restart it. We drove straight to the dealership, informed them of the repeated issue and left the van with them. The dealership indicated there were over twenty software updates. We were told the exact same thing on June 4th the last time this happened. They have not yet been able to tell us why this has happened or continues to happen. The problem has not been reproduced by the dealership but this is the third time this has happened. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer.

- Palatine, IL, USA

problem #16

Jun 042021

Pacifica

  • miles
This is the second time we have had this issue with our van. The first time was May 25, 2019. On June 4, 2021, my wife was driving down the highway with our two kids and as she began to exit toward the off ramp, several alarms and warning appeared on the driver-??s dashboard including 'SERVICE HYBRID SYSTEM', a red wrench with a lightning bolt through it, the orange engine warning light, and a message appeared saying 'SHIFT VEHICLE TO PARK'. The van stalled and when my wife pressed the accelerator, nothing happened. She was able to coast down the exit ramp and pull over to the shoulder. The van was out in park, shut off and we were able to restart it. The orange engine warning light remained on. We immediately drove to the dealership. They ran a diagnostic test and said no issues came up but there were twenty some software updates. The issue has not been reproduced by the dealer but we have had it happen two times. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer.

- Palatine, IL, USA

problem #15

Jul 032021

Pacifica

  • miles
We purchased the vehicle new from an out-of-state dealership (Ewald Chrysler Jeep Dodge LLC in Franklin, WI) in November 2019. Since that purchase, we have suffered four (4) failure events in which the vehicle completely loses power while driving, having experienced the first failure event just 10 months after purchase at approximately 15,000 miles. In each instance, the vehicle will, without warning and while in motion, power off and cease to move under its own power, illuminate a check engine light (CEL), and display a -??Shift to P to Start-?? message on the console. In every instance, the complete loss of driveability has required immediate and urgent action to move our vehicle out of lanes of travel and onto the shoulder. In all but one instance, the vehicle fails to restart without significant intervention (e.g., towing to the dealership) and has left our family stranded. To facilitate repairs, we have shared CEL event logging, a video, and photos with the below-listed dealerships. To date, the dealership states that they are unsure as to the cause of the failures and can not find any obvious issue requiring repair beyond the P0C0E code that is stored in the vehicle's ECM. Our vehicle has been in for repair on the following dates for this recurrent failure: August 3, 2020 (15,900 mi): died while driving, serviced at Larry Miller Chrysler Jeep Avondale August 7, 2020 (15,978 mi): died while driving, serviced at Chapman Dodge Chrysler Jeep June 30, 2021 (33,863): died while driving, serviced at Chapman Dodge Chrysler Jeep July 3, 2021 (34,300): died while driving, serviced at Chapman Dodge Chrysler Jeep

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #14

Feb 252021

Pacifica

  • 20,000 miles
Car looses power and then jolts from the backend. It feels like we have been rear ended. Car shut off at a stop. Had to restart. All these have have happened over 5 times and we have only owned the car for 3 months. Scared to drive the vehicle.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #13

Aug 042020

Pacifica

  • miles
Fuel pressure sensor bad, fuel leaking, fires

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #12

Jan 302020

Pacifica

  • 79,000 miles
My engine shuts off when it is idle. The start/stop battery was replaced 5 months ago.

- Charleston, SC, USA

problem #11

Nov 282019

Pacifica 6-cyl

  • 4,200 miles
Vehicle stalled out while driving. Emitted a burning smell. Made it to the side of the road and saw smoke. Opened the hood and saw the catalytic converter was glowing red. Huge risk of fire.

- Springfield, MO, USA

problem #10

May 312019

Pacifica

  • 11,000 miles
Was traveling at highway speeds until road construction slowed everything down to stop-and-go. After about 10 minutes of this, we were about to go again and the car just stopped. Nothing was working. Called Chrysler dealership in St louis where we leased the car. They told us there was a way to release the car so we could push it off the highway. Didn't work. Finally had car towed to Chrysler dealership in springfield, il. When we got back to St louis, found a safety recall letter: V53/nhtsa19V-348. Am enclosing repair sheets.

- Kirkwood, MO, USA

problem #9

Feb 252019

Pacifica

  • 5,500 miles
The vehicle during operation suddenly decelerated and would not move on two occasions. The first occasion happened less than 1000 miles on the od. The vehicle was traveling at 30mph on a city street when it lost power to the wheels and had to pull off the road. The engine was still running but the vehicle would not drive. Had to turn it off and on again for it to operate. The second occasion at 5500 miles it just stopped after pulling out from a stop sign in the middle of an intersection. The traction control light went on briefly as it was stopping. Again the engine was on but it would not move. Had to restart the vehicle for it to operate.

- Pennsburg, PA, USA

problem #8

Dec 082018

Pacifica 6-cyl

  • 100 miles
Car stalled and began smoking profusely when attempting to accelerate after being stopped at a red light. Car was repaired as per recall (which was known about at the time but we were told it should not have affected our car). Car continued to smell of smoke after transition from electric to gas mode. Dealer was unable to pinpoint why.

- Albany, CA, USA

problem #7

Jan 102019

Pacifica

  • 680 miles
This morning my 2018 hybrid limited was dead. I purchased it new three weeks ago. It had been plugged in overnight using the 110 charger that came with the van. It would not start, and briefly flashed some kind of service needed warning on the screen. Then the screen turned off and the vehicle repeatedly made a clicking sound. The van was completely unresponsive. I noticed the windshield wipers were ever so slowly in motion back and forth. I checked the switch but the wiper was set to the 'off' position. None of the wiper controls would change the setting. The dealership set me up with a number for Chrysler tow. I was on the phone about 20ft away when suddenly the van started rolling backward down the driveway and into the street! I ran over and checked it and still everything was unresponsive, the wipers no longer moving however the parking brake button, and shifter buttons, and overhead lights were flashing. We had the van towed to the dealership. They said the battery was bad and replaced it. Below is a post about my experience with more information and videos: Https://www.pacificaforums.com/forum/433-2017-Chrysler-Pacifica-phev-hybrid-general-discussion/41697-battery-dies-Pacifica-hybrid-rolls-out-driveway-into-street.html also here is video taken immediately after it rolled. Note the interior lights actively flashing including the parking brake indicator as well as the digital shifter knob lights. Https://youtu.be/6_ly7blnjns https://youtu.be/jfcp0idbfqi also, after researching online I found someone else who also had the brakes disengage with 12V battery issue.. her experience can be found here (see post #3): Https://www.pacificaforums.com/forum/433-2017-Chrysler-Pacifica-phev-hybrid-general-discussion/40261-brand-new-hybrid-completely-died.html Chrysler needs to address this serious and dangerous issue!

- Oakley, CA, USA

problem #6

Dec 302018

Pacifica

  • 10,500 miles
While driving straight at highway speeds, engine started hesitating, quickly followed by engine shutdown and total loss of acceleration. Within several seconds engine restarted, followed by a rapid increase in rpms. Then engine shut down again. After pulling off road, I waited several minutes and restarted the car. It would run for 30 seconds or so and then shut down, this pattern repeating until I could find a safe spot to park the car and arrange for tow. Dealership replaced fuel rail pressure sensor, fuel supply tube, and fuel pump. Car is 6 months old.

- Wilton Manors, FL, USA

problem #5

Jun 012018

Pacifica

  • 3,000 miles
The contact leases a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled numerous times when attempting to accelerate from a stop. The contact took the vehicle to sterling heights Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram (40111 van dyke avenue, sterling heights, mi 48313, (586)-939-3900) where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump control module and fuel pump relay failed. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the dealer replaced the start and stop engine battery. The failure was not remedied. The dealer also test drove the vehicle and was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 3,000.

- Warren, MI, USA

problem #4

Sep 252018

Pacifica

  • 100 miles
2 days after purchasing car, the check engine light came on. I asked service folks at dealership if I can bring it in. They said bring it in the next day. Later that day, my wife drove to store. She was in for 15 minutes. When she came back to car in parking lot and started the car the monitor said something about car being put in "park" and then had electric failure after a strange noise. Worried that power failure could happen while car is in motion. Dealer would not replace car unless we gave all 10S on survey, which we refuse to do. Dealership service said car had complete electric failure. Was told this was the first time they have encountered this problem. Service person also said they were aware of defects in Pacificas. I asked how come they sold cars with known defects dealership stated they have lots of cars and many have defects.

- Decatur, GA, USA

problem #3

Jul 142018

Pacifica

  • miles
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. While driving various speeds, the engine stalled without warning. The contact placed the gear in park and attempted to restart the vehicle. The contact cited that the automatic engine fuel saving device, a feature of the vehicle, may have caused the failure. A dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Mont Belvieu, TX, USA

problem #2

Apr 052018

Pacifica 6-cyl

  • 1,500 miles
Within 2 months of buying the vehicle, the minivan stalled and died on a highway (I-80). Luckily it was early morning (6 am) and there wasn't anyone behind me or next to me. So was able to maneuver to the right shoulder. Car was towed to local dealership. Problem was supposedly fixed, but not assurance from Chrysler. Did I get a lemon" are there others who have had similar issues with this minivan"

- Granite Bay, CA, USA

problem #1

Feb 152018

Pacifica

  • 360 miles
I had just purchased this car and was driving away from the dealer. About a mile down the road I was slowing down and started to put on the brakes when I had an uncontrolled acceleration event. (it felt like someone had just stepped on the accelerator). I had to slam hard on the brakes and just avoided hitting the car in front of me. I know this was caused probably by the computer but I know it wasn't me. My foot was only on the brake. I know this feeling well since I used to have a 2004 prius where this happened to me many times.

- Westminster, CA, USA