10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
13,052 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica engine problems

engine problem

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2017 Chrysler Pacifica Owner Comments (Page 1 of 24)

problem #477

Dec 262024

Pacifica

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The oil filter housing and oil cooler unit is made of plastic, mounted to the central engine (metal). It warped with heat and caused oil to leak into the valley of the engine and cause failure of bay 3 and 5 fuel injectors which caused multiple cylinder misfire. My engine experienced this problem for the first time in a busy intersection. With the engine heaving I had to pull over and tow the van to a shop. The faulty oil cooler unit was confirmed by dealership diagnostics and was not covered under warranty. I have the original part. This a recurring problem with many other drivers online and an aluminum aftermarket part has been made to solve this problem. The original part should be recalled and replaced by Chrysler. The EGR hosing is made of brittle plastic and split/cracked of its own accord. I have pictures and most of the original hose.

- Iowa City, IA, USA

problem #476

Dec 142024

Pacifica

  • miles
February 5 2024 my check engine light came on and started blinking as I was driving. I then noticed that my car was sputtering. I stopped my car immediately and had it towed to a dealership at that exact point I had just over 64,136 miles on my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The following is the work that they performed on my vehicle. CONCERN VERIFIED. VEHICLE HAS AN ACTIVE MISFIRE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS FLASHING. SCANNED VEHICLE FOR CODES AND FOUND MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3. REMOVED COIL AND SWAPPED TO CYLINDER 1. SPARK PLUG REMOVED AND SWAPPED TO CYLINDER 5. RETESTED. MISFIRE MOVED TO CYLINDER 1. REPLACED IGNITION COIL AND ROAD TESTED VEHICLE. AFTER VEHICLE WAS WARM THE MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3 RETURNED. SWAPPED FUEL INJECTOR TO CYLINDER 2. MISFIRE STAYED ON CYLINDER 3. REMOVED COIL AND SPARK PLUG FROM CYLINDER 3 AND BORESCOPED CYLINDER. FOUND COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE CYLINDER. RECOMMEND REPLACING CYLINDER HEAD GASKET AND CHECKING THE CYLINDER HEAD FOR WARPAGE. REMOVED CYLINDER HEAD AND FOUND CYLINDER HEAD TO BE WARPED AND NEEDING TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE GASKETS. REPLACED LEFT AND RIGHT VALVE COVER GASKETS, CYLINDER HEAD, CYLINDER HEAD GASKETS, TIMING COVER GASKETS, EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET, SPARK PLUGS, UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE GASKETS. COMPLETED OIL CHANGE. Fast forward to December 14, 2024 vehicle mileage 74,955 my wife was leaving to go to the farmers market. She called me to inform me that the check engine light came on blinking and the car started sputtering again. The exact same issue happened again. I told her to stop the car immediately and we had it towed to the same car dealership today December 20, 2024 was the first call that I received from the dealership they informed me that cylinder six has failed the compression test and they recommend having the engine replaced. Currently waiting to speak to more people to see what can be done.

- Aiken, SC, USA

problem #475

Dec 012024

Pacifica

  • miles
Blown head gasket and oil cooler leak

- Vista, CA, USA

problem #474

Dec 012024

Pacifica

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car shut down on highway and the dealership said it was the terminals on the battery being dirty it happened agin so I had the battery changed then it did it again and the dealership changed one spark plug, one coil pack then it happened again changed all spark plugs and coil packs my car did it again and now I-??m being told I-??m probably going to need a new engine I notified Chrysler telling them this has happened several times and they said there was nothing they could

- Vinegrove, KY, USA

problem #473

Aug 192024

Pacifica

  • miles
head gasket leak at 69k, crowley chrystler replaced head and now at 101 k leaking again

- Terryville , CT, USA

problem #472

Dec 072024

Pacifica

  • miles
My car will start, i will start to drive and when i am driving a -??electrical stability-?? label will pop up on the dash and then the battery icon and check engine icon will show up on dash. My radio screen will go blank and then the car will shut off completely. It will then pop up on the dash and say stop safely vehicle with shut pff soon

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #471

Oct 012024

Pacifica

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Check engine light. Cylinoid misfire reported, #3. Replaced. Check engine light reappeared. Coolant leak. Coolant checked with die solution to check combustion mixture. Tested positive. Head gasket leaks diagnosed. Possible head gasket crack. Vehicle was unsafe to family driving as failure could occur on highway. Family member had to pull over on side of road to prevent overheating.

- Monticello , GA, USA

problem #470

Nov 252024

Pacifica

  • miles
This vehicle has been totaled about a week ago. I meant to report this earlier but since we're moving (military) I never had the chance. Around april 2023, I noticed my pacifica had a misfire. I assumed it was plugs and wires so I replaced them - check engine for misfire went away. A few weeks later same thing happened. This time, I was loosing coolant. Took it to a chrysler dealer top have it properly diagnosed fearing the worst - they told me without even looking at it that this particular year of pentastar on the pacifica has blown head gaskets and that they change them all the time. I decided to repair the head gasket myself and I did so and drove the vehicle up until last week when it was totaled. There are many others experiencing this same issue with the pacifica and Chrysler needs to do something about it as it typically happens around 75-85K miles. Mine was no different.

- Almogordo , NM, USA

problem #469

Nov 172024

Pacifica

  • miles
2017 through 2024 Pacificas with the 3.6 Pentastar engines have problems that in case of coolant leaks in the system, it leads to a engine coolant reservoir low level which allows air to enter the system and causes unrepairable damage to the engine that needs it to be replaced. ROOT CAUSE is FAC / Stellantis / Chrysler FAILED to install a simple and cheap engine coolant reservoir low level warning sensor which would save the majority of the people with blown head gaskets all this grief and expense. The 3.6 Pentastar engine uses aluminum heads with an open skirt design which means that the cylinder heads are weak and prone to warping under ANY overheat condition.

- Lexington, MA, USA

problem #468

Nov 142024

Pacifica

  • miles
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact was informed that the engine was operating on five cylinders instead of six. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that previously the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic several times. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a plastic piece that was missing from the engine. The contact stated that the independent mechanic reset the vehicle and the check engine warning light was off. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #467

Nov 162024

Pacifica

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The incident first occurred in our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica while my wife was driving our Kindergartener to school. The vehicle stalled in high flow traffic almost causing her to get rear ended. Dash said to shift to park and turn van off. Was unable to get it restarted and had traffic blocked in the left lane for almost an hour waiting on a tow truck. Took it to the dealership and they told her it was a bad battery. Paid almost $400 to replace the battery, and today (11/16/2024) it just did it again while pulling into a gas station, still halfway in the road. Van said -??shift to park to start engine.-?? Shifted and engine shut off but was able to restart it this time. Was unable to move shifter dial and sudden loss of power almost caused 2 wrecks so far within 2 months of each incident. Each time we were told there-??s nothing wrong and that the recall that was causing this issue was already fixed. This needs to get dealt with before someone gets seriously injured.

- Brandon, MS, USA

problem #466

Oct 012024

Pacifica

  • miles
The Check Engine light indicated a misfire is cylinder 1 and the car was running roughly. After changing the injector, spark plug and coil wire, the problem continued. The mechanic finally determined there was radiator coolant in the exhaust indicating a failure of the head gasket. A leak in the engine block, and improper combustion can lead to a myriad of safety issues. A check online revealed this to be a common problem in this Chrysler engine in 2017 in the 1-3-5 cylinders with some contributors suggesting an improper casting of the engine block during manufacture. It commonly appears around 60,000-75,000 miles, generally after the power train warranty has expired. My van was at 75,729 miles. The cost to repair the vehicle was $3488.48. The repair was done by my trusted mechanic as I am sure that the Chrysler dealer would be far more expensive. This is due to a manufacturers defect, not normal wear and tear. This expense should not be borne by the consumer.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #465

Oct 232024

Pacifica

  • miles
Our vehicle started to shudder when we started. We took it to the dealership, who initially was unable to identify an issue. They then, a day later, identified that the head gaskets needed replaced. This required a significant repair. Reviewing online, there appear to be hundreds, if not thousands, of similar issues when this type of vehicle reaches approximately 70,000 miles. Our vehicle is a little beyond 70,000 miles. We have also had some other issues, including about 1.5 years ago where the vehicle would randomly turn off while driving. We did take this in for a repair.

- Council Bluffs, IA, USA

problem #464

Oct 142024

Pacifica

  • miles
Engine Coolant leaks inside the engine Cylinder #5 without warning and cracked the engine block cylinder head #5. This has happened 2 times on this vehicle replacing the engine once. Vehicle has been maintained in accordance with manufacture recommendations.

- Ashland, VA, USA

problem #463

Oct 012024

Pacifica

  • miles
The vehicle is available for inspection. At an intersection the vehicle abruptly turned off, while the engine was running and in drive. Children were in the vehicle and I was very scared and in shock when it happened. My car just randomly turned off, while I was sitting in the middle of an intersection and the vehicle was in drive (obviously). I was able to turn it back on, but it was very dangerous and could have killed us if a car had come through the [XXX] intersection while we were stuck there. Safety of other drivers on the road at risk, my life and children-??s lives were at risk. Could have caused death had our van been stuck in the middle of this busy intersection a few feet more forward. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Stillwater , MN, USA

problem #462

Oct 222024

Pacifica

  • miles
2017 Chrysler Pacifica with 103,000 miles experienced a blown head gasket.

- Andalusia, AL, USA

problem #461

Oct 222024

Pacifica

  • miles
Numerous issues: 1. Multiple misfire codes, check engine 2. Loss of Coolant, no indication of leaks 3. Faulty thermostat. Loss of A/C and heat 4. Bottom of both sliding door panels corroded, with paint loss 5. Uconnect system malfunctioned, not working at all **Repairs have costs thousands already. And based on the other complaints, probably much, much more. Something is obviously wrong here, but Chrysler is NOT doing much about it unfortunately.

- Erlanger, KY, USA

problem #460

Oct 012024

Pacifica

  • miles
44,000 miles- engine shake and check engine light on. Dealership changed spark plugs as the issue. Spark plugs not even recommended to change till 100K miles Spring 2024- Active shutter grill replaced Fall 2024 92,000 miles- code Misfire Cyl 3 replaced spark plug and coil. Code came back a few days later. took to Dealership and head (Cyl 1,3,5) replaced. Dealership advised that they repair many engine heads

- Hollis, NH, USA

problem #459

Oct 242024

Pacifica

  • miles
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L with 3.6L engine. Odometer 78623 miles. Noted rough idling of engine for a few seconds when started. Later in day, at low speeds, check engine light came on solidly (no flashing) for a few seconds and then turned off. Early next morning took van to reputable local mechanic who has maintained the vehicle according to Chrysler recommendations. They pulled error code P0305 Cylinder misfire. They removed and inspected spark plug which showed minor deposits. Looked in cylinder with bore scope which showed orange-redish discoloration on piston. Put new spark plug on #5 and swapped coil #5 with coil #3. Coolant was low but no coolant leak was discovered. Van never had an overheating episode. All maintenance was performed according to Chrysler recommended schedule, first by local Chrysler dealership, and then by this same mechanic shop. Diagnosis, warped or fractured cylinder head resulting in coolant leak into cylinder. Pictures were taken by shop and available on request.

- Bayport, MN, USA

problem #458

Oct 232024

Pacifica

  • 168,854 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,854.

- Jennings, MO, USA

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