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.
Head gasket failed, flooding #5 cylinder with engine coolant. A warning lamp came on just prior to the failure signaling the #5 plug was misfiring. The engine stopped running and could not start the vehicle. The engine is the Chrysler Pentastar V6 with 63,763 miles.
As I am driving down the street in the middle of traffic the van will cut off and all wheels will lock, I buy a new battery and wires and it continues to happen, not able to drive the expressway scared of causing an accident. The dash will start blinking and the electric will start flashing radio shuts down and the whole car is down for a few minutes like it need to reset.
At 76,000 miles, the engine started to misfire and smoke while driving. Loud pop heard. Took it in and dealership said it was a known engine problem with this 3.6 liter engine on cylinder #5 due to the lack of heat dissipation in the rear of the engine compartment. Thank goodness we had just started the car when we heard the pop. The service engine light cam on immediately after the rough start and now if started, it smokes from the tailpipe. Likely head gasket, warped head due to lack of cooling. Car always serviced at dealership. This is a common and known problem at this mileage for this vehicle.
1. Engine power failure 2. Put in extreme danger-I lost all power going through a tunnel under water (MM Bridge Tunnel). I completely stalleddead center in the middle. Only by the grace of God did no one hit me. I also have severe neck issues. A couple of my neck discs need to be replaced. If I were hit I could have been paralyzed. This has created emotional and financial anxiety as well as poor sleep due to tense muscles and body aches. 3. It has almost cut off twice since then. A mechanic did a deep check of all electrical systems, they are fine. He said it was an engine power drain issue. He said according to research it was a known engine problem. 4. Dealer said my vin # is not on the list (even though it's a known problem) and stated I would have to pay for check and repairs. I saw there was a case settlement and am hoping that will cover the cost. The was no police report even though they pulled up to protect me. The van eventually started again and I moved to a safe location. Dodd's Auto shop did evaluation. 5. I noticed an engine light before stall. I'm not sure how long it had been on. My van has a security video but I'm not sure how to get it. My husband is out of town caring for his 96yr old father so he couldn't get it for me.
Check engine light on. P0303 Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected, My maintenance history : Coil is good, only been 27,000 mile since I replaced 6xspark plugs, replaced 1 fuel injector just a week a go, still got engine light on. I took my van to Chrysler Dealer found coolant leaking into cylinder head or gasket. I searched online seems pacifica has many cylinder manufacturers issue.
- Garland, TX, USA
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I purchased my 2017 in 2023. Within a few months, problems began. When we brought the van back to the Chrysler dealer to have it checked with their OBD2 code reader, multiple codes pulled up-?? First thing -??needing-?? to be replaced was the hood sensor because the display said the hood was open (even though I was simply stopped at a red light). The auto start/stop light was also coming on and staying on. The dealer said that would go away after replacing the sensor. That repair was done (I believe) in April of 2024 at the Chrysler dealer (and the auto start/stop light came back on a week later, both batteries testing fine independently of one another). Next thing -??needing-?? to be replaced was the accelerator pedal module because my van would start shaking, not accelerate, and go into (what I now know is) limp mode with all warning lights displaying on almost every right hand turn. This absolutely puts my safety and the safety of my four children at risk when it suddenly decides to not accelerate!! That repair was done in June 2024 at the Chrysler dealer. Next thing to happen is the check engine light illuminating. We checked the coolant and it was almost empty! This should NOT be happening! We filled with coolant, but have to do this every few days now. The check engine light has come back on and is still producing many codes, the worst of which is p0303. This code has pulled up every single time we-??ve had the van scanned at the dealer. The dealer has had my vehicle on MULTIPLE occasions for MULTIPLE days each time and NEVER ONCE told me the severity of this problem. Their words: We just go down the list, starting at the top. P0303 was not at the top, and now I have to pay the price for their incompetency! My van would not start and had to be towed to the dealer yesterday, 7.17.2024. I-??m waiting to hear from them, but I can guarantee this is a head gasket/engine failure issue. Who can afford to just replace an engine?! This is infuriating and beyond frustrating!!
Before I purchased the vehicle the head gasket was replaced do to an misfire on cylinder 3 fault code. Misfire on cylinder 3 fault code consistently comes back on after replacing coil packs and spark plugs. Independant mechanic states he cannot solve the issue. Chrysler dealer states engine needs replacement as the block is cracked and leaking into cylinder 3. 120k miles on engine. Bought it with 112k.
92,000 miles engine failed and had to replace with a new one. Started with a rough idle at start up and code said misfire on #6, had a tune up done with replacing plug and coil packs. Next code was #5 misfiring, and then it started blowing white smoke. Head gasket blown but wouldn't guarantee repairs so I went with a new motor with a warranty
2017 Pacifica, front bank (also referred to as left side of 3.6 Pentastar engine) multiple cylinder misfire, due to failed head; 110,000 miles. Issues progressed exactly or very similarly as described by multiple (hundreds of owners) on Pacifica forums), most fail between 80,000 to 120,000 miles, with distribution between 50k and 150k. Suspect excessive heat in engine bay coupled with defective head manufacturing (Mexican built engines suspected to have higher failure rate) and faulty components leading to head failures (cracked heads, warped heads, faulty head gaskets) on 2017+ Pacificas. Rear head known to fail due to lack of sufficient cooling in position at back of engine bay. Vehicle also goes through one aux start/stop battery every 1-1.5 years (suspect early failures due to excessive heat, not overcharging issue that Chrysler recalled for). Vehicle also has history of faulty roller rockers and lifters, already had replaced once while in warranty period. Issue began as faulty cam phase sensor. When repairs made mechanic also noted that oil cooler was cracked. This is a faulty design remedied by Chrysler for 2022 models. Heat coupled with bad o-rings and/or overtightening of oil filter cap leads to crack in assembly allowing for oil and/or coolant loss. Chrysler has made no attempt to fix known issue on pre-2022 models. Repaired both at cost of $1033. Few days later P0300 code and loss of engine power. Diagnosed as faulty roller rockers, one of which had even broken off. Roller rockers, lifters, and cam replaced on left side of engine at cost of $2700. Mechanic pressure tested head and found no leakage. Drove home and multiple cylinder misfire occurred again with loss of power. Returned to mechanic. Suspect crack between intake and exhaust valve guides which opens as head heats (seems to occur once engine reaches 195 degrees F, which is just below normal operating range). Head replacement suggested but not recommended as I'll be upside down in vehicle.
I was driving the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica on [XXX] when the engine warning light came on and indicated that the engine was running hot. When I got home we checked and added engine coolant since it was low. Two days later the van was running hot again. I pulled over the engine coolant was empty. We refilled the engine coolant. Two days later the engine light came on and I took the van to our mechanic and he completed a partial tune up on the van and refilled the engine coolant. A few days later it began hesitating, jerking, and bouncing and the check engine light came back on. The temperature was reading okay. At home and when we opened the hood there was a very hot smell. When we opened the coolant and it began to bubble up then sucked all the liquid back into the van...somewhere. We left the engine cool completely overnight but the smell of burning coolant was seeping into our house all evening. In the morning we added more coolant because the tank was empty again. A few days it started all over again., loosing engine coolant, jerking, hesitating and bouncing. (I only drive the van 12 miles a day to work then 12 miles back.) This time I took it to our mechanic and he ran a diagnostic test and it found a cylinder misfired. He checked the coolant level and it was empty again. At this time he also checked the oil to be sure the coolant was not going into the oil tank but the oil was clear. He also double checked for recalls on the van and also on the spark plugs he had just replaced and but found nothing. He reset the engine light and we added 1/2 can of BG-44k fuel cleaner, part 208. The van ran smoothly for about five days. Then it began all over again. We then took it to a Chrysler dealership and was told the head gaskets were leaking coolant into the cylinder and the van needed a completely new engine! at a cost of $13,750! This seems to have been an ongoing issue with this model of van and Chrysler is doing nothing to fix it! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that soon after purchasing the vehicle, the check engine warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer; however, once the vehicle was in the dealer's possession, the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated. Upon return of the vehicle, the vehicle jerked and hesitated upon the depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
After driving approx 400 miles at freeway speeds the engine shuts off. With semis honking as vehicle slowed while trying to pull over. No warning lights before or after stopping. Dash screen displayed "put car in park and press start". This happened twice in 2023. Took to dealer while car was under extended warranty. Was told 'could not duplicate' issue. They also informed me that this was something they never heard of before. We only do two highway trips per year. Took another trip couple of weeks age and vehicle shut off and we had to pull over 7 times going and returning. Dealer says I need a new transmission but can't guarantee that will fix the problem. I'm terrified to put this car on the freeway again. I thought we were going to be killed and possibly injure others on several of the occasions while trying to stop safely. I feel that Chrysler knows about this problem (from what I've recently read on the internet) and at least should know how to correct it. Also, it seems there was a class action suit that has been settled that we were unaware of. This vehicle has less than 60K miles and as we only drive 5-7000 miles per year didn't plan on having to junk it and buy another at this time. I've tried calling Chrysler Corp 800-992-1997. I was given a case # but they just seem to lie and never follow up with the dealer like they said. Now when I call and talk to someone, they put me on hold and kick me into the 'how did we do survey'. Realizing that sometimes you just don't always a ample time to safely get to the side of the road I'm at a loss as to how to proceed. The date listed below is the first time of incidence.
I bought this van about 2 years ago. In the last 6 -8 months. The anti-freeze in the coolant kept emptying, car never hot but disappeared. Turns out it's been going to the engine. I have a friend that is having same issue and should be a manufacturer defect.
Engine code P0303 (misfire cylinder 3 was triggered) car was found to be losing coolant through the cylinder. Chrysler dealer declared complete engine failure due to block damage. Stellantis indicated repair exceeded value of the vehicle.
I am writing to file a complaint regarding a safety issue with my Chrysler Pacifica 2017, which I purchased on November 21, 2023. Since acquiring the vehicle, I have encountered a persistent problem that poses significant safety concerns. 1. **Component/System Failure:** The vehicle experiences choking and emits a strong oil smell into the cabin. This odor is highly concerning as it leads to symptoms such as burning eyes, dry throat, red skin, coughing, nausea, and headaches. This indicates a potential failure or malfunction in the vehicle's ventilation or emissions system, possibly allowing oil or coolant fumes to enter the cabin. The component/system is available for inspection upon request. 2. **Risk to Safety:** The presence of these noxious fumes not only affects my health but also poses a serious safety risk to myself and passengers. The symptoms induced by the odor impair my ability to drive safely and could lead to accidents or injuries. Additionally, exposure to such fumes over time may have long-term health consequences. 3. **Confirmation:** While the problem was not confirmed by the dealer, multiple independent repair shops and the manufacturer have acknowledged the issue. Mechanics from these establishments have inspected the affected component/system and confirmed its malfunction. 4. **Inspections:** The component/system has been inspected by mechanics from various repair shops and by representatives from the manufacturer. Their assessments corroborate the presence of the malfunction and the associated safety risks. 5. **Warning Signs:** Prior to the failure, there were no warning lamps or messages indicating a problem. However, the symptoms, including the oil smell and associated health effects, manifested immediately upon driving the vehicle after purchase.
2017 Chrysler Pacifica with roughly 134,000 miles recently started have idling issues. The vehicle has had regular maintenance and always taken into shop when issues arise. When vehicle started idling rough we found out the spark plugs (all 6) needed replaced and should fix the issue. Replaced all 6 plugs within the same week of finding out they needed replacement. Then within a week while driving the engine starts over heating. Heating to upwards of 270 degrees F. As soon as we were able to get off the road and to a safe location to view the engine it was apparent the coolant was empty. Please keep in mind this is checked on a regular basis as is the oil in the vehicle. We replaced the coolant and drove back home. All seemed well. Then the very next day the engine would not start or even turn over. We looked again and the coolant was almost non existent. Had the vehicle towed to repair shop. The coolant had been leaking into the engine causing it to burn up. In the process the engine was seized come to find out and also the head gasket needed replacement. Doing more research once the coolant starts burning in the engine the engine will more than likely need replacement. We are being told to be prepared for the whole engine to need replacement due to coolant issues. If this would have been recalled we would not be in the position to have to replace our entire engine. It would be greatly appreciated if this can be looked into further as we have missed the deadline for the class action lawsuit for this issue.
On two separate occasions I was driving, and then suddenly my check engine light starts flashing, and the car stalls in the middle of the road. I turn it off and restart it and it seems fine. No engine light flashing or anything. I-??m concerned because it happened with my kids in the car and we almost caused an accident. The first time it happened I was on the interstate but thankfully got off the exit before it stalled.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Massillon, OH, USA