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.
I am experiencing premature transmission failure. It is available for inspection upon request. The safety of myself and my 3 small children have been put at risk because of the likely potential of transmission failure during our frequent trips on the interstate, that could lead to a deadly accident. This problem as been confirmed by an independent licensed automotive mechanic. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by any other entity, but is available for inspection. The symptoms of the problem started around March of this year, as a sweet burning smell, that lead to a smell of burning rubber. The Chrysler dealership I brought it to would not check the transmission fluid itself due to the "forever system" design of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica, that does not allow for easy access to the transmission fluid, rather is designed to tell you if it is full or not. So the issue was missed during inspection, and was labeled as being in good condition. After I noticed the vehicle beginning to skip between 1st and 2nd gear recently (end of June), I brought it for inspection to an independent mechanic who was able to inspect the fluid which was extremely burned, as well has hook the vehicle up to their reader machine and access that it was in fact in the process of transmission failure. The transmission has not yet completely failed, because I have stopped driving the vehicle for fear of the safety of my children.
2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, 49,250 miles. Vehicle has had transmission replaced once under warranty a couple of years ago. Last week, dashboard lights lit up and message read "-??Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon." I pulled off the road, shut it off, waited a few minutes, started it up and drove home. We were in-town going in-town speeds, so safety risk was minimal. Earlier that same day the day the HVAC fan was intermittently going higher and lower, like it couldn't decide if it should be at 5 or 2 (out of the 7 fan speeds). I don't know if that is related in any way. I made an appointment at the dealership several days later (driving it the whole time but only in town). They say it needs another transmission and have ordered one. Repair will be free.
Head gasket is leaking coolant into cylinder #5. According to the Chrysler forums, this seems to be a common problem. We are seeking to share this information so that the appropriate steps may be taken to commence a recall in order to service these vehicles. The safety of all drivers/passengers should be the pinnacle of this concern. We have 105, 000 miles on this vehicle and have experienced no other mechanical issues to this point.
My car jerks really hard when driving mostly at around 14 to 16 mph when it shifts into 2nd gear. It feels like I have been rear ended. Also occasionally it happens shifting into 3rd gear, but mostly into 2nd. Once in a while it loses power altogether and other times it accelerates on its own. I have had this to the dealer 3 times and they did a diagnostics on it but can't find anything wrong. This is not normal for the transmission to do this. When it loses power I'm afraid of somebody hitting me and when it speeds up on its own, I afraid I will hit somebody.
- Erie, PA, USA
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While driving 45+ MPH, a warning message shown stating "stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon", which is followed by loss of power and inability to control the vehicle. No error codes generated. There is an open investigation according to the NHTS website, NHTSA Action Number: RQ24004.
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on an incline, the vehicle briefly lost motive before jerking forward and then returning to normal functionality. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 42,000.
Piston Number 3 is misfiring which is the from an error code. Replaced the piston 3 twice and now coolant is leaking into the engine which cause the coolant to leak into the engine. This is a safety risk since the car does not give a warning until there is no more coolant in the car which can cause a fire while driving. The issue was shown twice and confirmed by 2 independent mechanics and the dealership. The vehicle has been inspected and checked out by 2 independent mechanics and the dealership. It first appeared Feb 16 2024 when the check engine light came on and the next Monday the car lost coolant. The car also shook violently when it was started.
The engine overheated and the vehicle became with three children inside on a major New Jersey highway. This vehicle was advertised for families with kids, and appears to have a safety defect. The first sign something was wrong was when the check engine light came on; shortly after the vehicle became inoperable on the highway. We took the vehicle to several different mechanic shops, including the dealership, and we were told the vehicle has a major engine defect, either a blown head gasket or a total engine failure. The vehicle is currently at a Chrysler dealership being examined.
When traveling at interstate speeds, the van suddenly went into limp mode going from 75 mph to less than 30 mph in seconds. It then told me I needed to get off the road and power down the vehicle or it would be done for me. I had to put in the flashers and take the van across 6 lanes of traffic. I had a letter from Chrysler from last summer stating was a possibility, but they just said to come in if it happened. There was no preventative measure offered. My van had to be towed to the dealer.
On [XXX] I brought my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica to Matt Bowers for some warranty work and to check a front end creaking noise that was most prominent and unstable feeling while in reverse with the wheel turned. They performed the warranty work and notified me that the noise I was hearing was from the cv axles and that they didn't need to be replaced immediately but would need replacement if they got worse and noted that it was very low mileage for this issue. (Around 40,000 miles) The noise continued but has gotten worse lately and has felt much more unsettling in reverse so I brought it to a local mechanic to confirm it was in fact the cv axles. He confirmed the axles need to be replaced and also told me he thought there was a recall relating to cv axles on the Pacifica. I looked it up and found Safety Recall U80 / NHTSA 18V-493 front halfshaft which covers Chrysler Pacificas manufactured between 2/22/2018 to 6/11/2018 with MDH of [XXX] My Pacifica's manufacture date is June of 2018 and has a MDH of [XXX] which falls within the scope of the recall. I called the FCA recall center on [XXX] at 1-800-853-1403 and was told I wasn't covered under the recall. I have no service lights on but have cv axles that are severely prematurely worn on my vehicle which only has about 60,000 miles affecting the overall safety and performance. My vehicle falls under the listed recall and Chrysler has failed to make this issue right. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The transmission gives out and loses power to the wheels. This is very unsafe!! Was taking a left turn and lost all power and was almost hit. This happens all the time but the other day was almost my last-??-??
When driving slow or even coasting, between 5 to 20 MPH, the transmission SLAMS, KICKS, CLUNKS with speed up little bet. You don't even have to have your foot on the gas, it just does it. It's also happened when accelerating from a low speed, like from 10 Mph to 30 mph. And happen at the freeway when leaving the gas to lower the speed will kicks and Speed -??-??up a little and one time in Crossroads my foot over the break the engine was off then i released my foot the engine start I couldn't take left because the light came red so i put it on reverse didn't move then forward same the transmission doesn't respond then i put it on parking and wait then put it reverse and moved that's i was blocking one line of my left to right side.(( Its look like with all Incident the transmission shut off and on or shift it self to N then return back D ))
Bought my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica used on December 8, 2022, with 70,649 miles on it. I have had issues with a hard shift in my power train. It doesn't do it when transmission is cold and it doesn't do it all the time. My engine light comes on, but it doesn't show any codes for the hard knock. It has been to 2 different dealers including Chrysler on several occasions without the issue being resolved.
The check engine light came on and the vehicle experienced a slight loss of power. Later the Start/Stop indicator light cam on with a message saying it has malfunctioned. Upon driving the van continues to have issues going up hills and accelerating from a stopped position. The check engine light remains steady without blinking.
Initial Symptoms: Auto-start/stop failed/tripped, plus excessive white exhaust smoke continuously exits (will not stop). Stopped driving vehicle ~26Nov2023. Problem 1: P0303 Solution 1: Ignition coil and spark plug replacements @ $905.17 (15Dec2023) Not Fixed: Error code is gone but white smoke persists. Problem 2: Chrysler tech found low coolant, traced to EGR cooler. Solution 2: Replaced EGR cooler @ $1,319 (05Jan2024) Not Fixed: Excessive white smoke still exits tailpipe and does not stop. Neither solution fixed the root cause. There is also an engine smoke smell in the cabin (we don't smoke). Potential Root Cause: Failed head gasket forcing coolant into the engine then burning out as white exhaust.
My vehicle lost the ability to accelerate when driving on a busy two-lane street. I was able to coast to the side of the road, but the vehicle would not move forward or backward even though the engine was running. This was the fifth time this condition has occurred, and I had the 03A Loss of Motive Power recall service performed during Summer 2023. The vehicle had to be towed - luckily nobody was directly behind us so an accident did not occur. The vehicle is currently being evaluated by the dealership for further repair. The check engine light is illuminated, but no other warning lights are illuminated at this time.
The check engine light came on after 2 weeks of owning the car. It threw a Code P0303. We replaced the coils on 1-3-5 and spark plugs on all cylinders and the check engine light came back on after 1 week. It finally would not start. Our mechanic has removed the head and gasket and discovered the cylinder 3 was full of water and water and oil in the oil pan creating a gooey sludge. This is apparently an ongoing problem with this engine to the point that gaskets to replace the head gasket are very hard to find.
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the main battery and the auxiliary battery had been replaced on multiple occasions. The dealer had not yet determined the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the frequent battery failures caused the vehicle to stall while driving at various speeds with the battery and check engine warning lights illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was diagnosed with a cylinder #3 misfire. Also, the contact mentioned that the vehicle would jerk forward upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
Failed cylinder head (misfire p0304). Need to have engine rebuilt or replaced. Also had oil cooler failure, losing coolant and oil. 71k miles, just over the 60k power train warranty. Need dealer to help fix but they are booked for next 3 months. Car initially cut out on the road in traffic after auto start stop, was scary and safety risk with family including kids onboard. Confirmed with independent mechanic, but also going to dealer as it is specialty work for that engine.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- White Lake, MI, USA