10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
7,606 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.

2018 Chrysler Pacifica drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2018 Chrysler Pacifica Owner Comments (Page 5 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #40

Mar 022019

Pacifica

  • 17,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and shifting from second to third gear, without warning, the vehicle jerked backward then forward while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to three separate Chrysler dealers; orlando Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram (4101 w colonial dr, orlando, fl 32808), airport Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (5751 Eagle vail drive, orlando, fl 32822) and central Florida Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (8675 commodity cir, orlando, fl 32819) however, the mechanics were unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the referred the contact back to the dealers. No additional assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.

- Windermere, FL, USA

problem #39

May 222020

Pacifica 6-cyl

  • 26,000 miles
When in slow or bumper to bumper traffic slowing down at a traffic light or to make a right or left turn. When you go to accelerate my transmission throws a hard shift like something just hit the back of the van and pushed it forward.I took the van to the dealership twice between February and May 2020 they keep telling me they cant find the problem.

- Lehighacres, FL, USA

problem #38

Mar 042020

Pacifica

  • 15,000 miles
While driving on a freeway, the engine started losing power and would not react to the gas pedal. In addition, the gear shift would not change when I tried to change it from drive to neutral. The car would purposely be slowed down by the engine as it was stuck in drive position. The created a dangerous situation as it was difficult to control car to move it into the emergency lane. After pulling over, smoke started coming out of the engine and vents. I was then unable to turn off the engine as the power button would not react when pressed. Per the dealership, the catalytic converters was clogged and overheated so needed to be replaced as well as the oxygen sensor. This should not have needed to be repaired in a car that is only 1.5 years old and created a very dangerous situation on the freeway.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #37

Jan 182020

Pacifica

  • 25,700 miles

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

Vehicle was in reverse (R), changed to drive (D) in "prndl" selector and vehicle moved backwards instead of forward when accelerating causing a collision. Police incident report was filled, and Chrysler corporation contacted. Vehicle is at Chrysler dealership for transmission malfunction investigation.

- Columbus, IN, USA

problem #36

Nov 282019

Pacifica

  • 38,900 miles
Vehicle exhibited "unintended acceleration"; the engine and vehicle suddenly accelerated on it's own while making a slow (10 mph) left hand turn. Vehicle lurched forward and accelerated. Acceleration lasted for a few seconds after I applied the brakes but did stop accelerating at that point. I was able to stop just short of a parked car I was trying to park behind. This is the only time this has happened before or since the incident. Note: I am an ex powertrain calibration engineer so I know unintended acceleration from my previous employment. Also, my foot was not on the gas pedal when the incident happened. And there was no floor mat interference (pedal physically can't reach the floor).

- Plymouth, MI, USA

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problem #35

Jan 192020

Pacifica

  • 17,780 miles
Came to full stop at a light on a 2 lane highway. There was no one in front of me and one care behind. Almost immediately after stopping for the light, the engine stopped, the transmission indicator light flashed the light under "D" and the gauge cluster flashed multiple lights. I can only remember seeing fwc or fcw flashing but there were other lights. Auto start/stop was not disabled so I was initially not surprised by the engine stopping at a light. To restart, I had to place transmission back in "P", hold the brake and push the ignition. I then, despite having our seat belts on, had to disengage the parking brake by pushing the button. This usually happens automatically when the vehicle is placed in "D". once we returned home, the driver's side power sliding door would not operate. We had to open it manually to get my son out. The passenger's side worked like it should. Both these things have happened to my wife (the primary driver) several times and reported to the dealership. They have been unable to replicate the problem or fix it.

- Shiloh, IL, USA

problem #34

Nov 012018

Pacifica

  • 200 miles

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

1. in motion on city streets vehicle has harsh shifting, jerks like its shifting into a different gear while driving under 40 mph. This started happening two weeks or so after purchasing this vehicle brand new and does this once to twice a week. 2.) in motion on streets and freeway the stereo goes black randomly and will not turn back on, radio also will randomly jump from multiple stations including am/fm, carplay, etc. While driving. 3). in motion driving on city streets the vehicle antilock brake system kicked in while pulling out of driveway and stopped vehicle dead in its tracks with 3 children in the vehicle. I made multiple attempts and was unable to release antilock brake system for one hour until it automatically shut off and then was able to drive back into driveway.

- East Troy, WI, USA

problem #33

Jan 042019

Pacifica

  • miles
Van will jerk or jolt when it's shifting between gears going 10- 50 mph on a flat straight away city road. Dangerous on the road because its unpredictable and uncontrollable. The jolt feels as though you have been rear ended. This has happened on multiple occasions. My car is a little over a year old. I've been having this problem immediately after I bought this brand new van with less than 10,000 miles.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #32

Sep 012019

Pacifica 6-cyl

  • miles
2018 Chrysler Pacifica. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle stalling. The consumer stated the battery was dead upon purchase. The dealer replaced it. A week after purchasing the vehicle it would not start. It had power, but the key fob could not be detected. The sliding doors reopened after being closed. The vehicle applies the brakes when reversing or going forward as if to stop a crash. The vehicle jolts/lunges and rolls a little when shifting gears. The engine rattles for a few seconds after the vehicle was shut off. The vehicle stalled/idled and shut down while at a stop sign and in traffic. The dash displayed engine stop start system malfunction.

- Vista, CA, USA

problem #31

Nov 072019

Pacifica

  • 22,000 miles
When driving at low speeds (30 mph or less) the transmission kicks going from first gear into second and now it is kicking from second gear to third gear. It is a hard bang that feels like I am being rear ended by another vehicle.

- Montgomery, NY, USA

problem #30

Jun 202018

Pacifica

  • 10 miles

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

Since the car was bought new back in June 2018, the transmission when shift from P to D, it would engage for a second and when you hit the accelerator it wound slip for about 2 seconds and then it engages back with a bang. I found this to be very dangerous especially when I'm pulling out of the street or parking lot. I've tried to resolve it at the dealership a few times but it was hard to duplicate and instead the dealer just updated the software which did nothing to resolve the slipping problem.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #29

Oct 092019

Pacifica

  • 800 miles
While in motion, at low speed around the intersection, the car stalled and lost all power, the brake pedals become harder to push, and the power steering was gone. This happened 5-6 times over the course of 3 miles that we had to travel home.

- Sunnyvale, CA, USA

problem #28

Aug 212019

Pacifica

  • 13,000 miles
There are two issues: 1) on city streets when turning the vehicle will not accelerate when putting pressure on the accelerator. There is no revving of the motor, no resistance on the accelerator. Feels like the van is shutting off (but it isn't). I can push the accelerator all the way down with no increase of speed. This lasts about 4 seconds. It has happened 3 times 2) the vehicle will violently shift at low speeds. 10-15mph. The vehicle acts like it is searching for the gear (slowing) and then shifts hard! feels like you are being hit from behind. This happens on all streets and at all times (turning, going straight) star case is open with Fiat.

- Bristow, VA, USA

problem #27

Aug 072019

Pacifica

  • 4,500 miles
On August 7, while I was driving on a state highway, around 30 mph, my van suddenly stopped and would not start again. I was stuck in the middle of the road for about 5 minutes while the car made noises and the check engine lights and other dashboard warnings flashed. After a few minutes I was able to restart my car to move it to a safe location. My "micromechanic" engine light reader gave me codes U0401 and U0100, lost communication with ECM/PCM and invalid data received from ECM/PCM- and said the car was unsafe to drive. I had it towed to the dealership. After about a week, the dealership said they rebooted the computer and test drove the car about 15 miles and it was working again. They said it was safe for me to drive and had me pick it up. I had the car back for 10 days. On August 22, I was attempting to leave work. The car was stationary in the parking garage. When I started my car, the same thing happened - it began flashing and beeping. I was unable to turn the car off or move the car. When I pushed the ignition button instead of turning the car off it would re-cycle and begin beeping again. I ran the micromechanic and it gave me the same codes U0100 and U0401 dealing with ECM and PCM. I had to stay with the car 2.5 hours to wait for the tow truck and the entire time it beeped and flashed - I was unable to turn it off. I had it towed back to the same dealership, where it still is currently. Both times this occurred the car was not charged electrically but had gasoline fuel.

- Decatur, GA, USA

problem #26

Aug 162019

Pacifica

  • 34,750 miles
When I am accelerating, the vehicle is slipping 30-40 mph, almost like a violent jolt. (at times seems like someone is rear ending us) I have brought it 2 dealerships, 1 said it couldn't duplicate the issue, the other dealership said it's a normal feature of the car. This makes me extremely concerned for the safety of my family. This has happened numerous time (like every day) I have brought the vehicle in twice now, last on 8/16

- Volo, IL, USA

problem #25

Jul 182019

Pacifica

  • 2,500 miles
When driving forward speed around 10-20 miles an hour or 1500 -1750 RPM, the transmission will shift extremely hard (it feels like someone is hitting the car from behind-it is a violent shift). I have taken this vehicle in several times since purchasing new in February 2018. Theis occurs two to three times a day or even more during the week. I have experienced this issue pulling forward from my drive way to getting on the highway and accelerating. I have taken it to the dealership and they have done flash resets several times with no success. I think having a brandnew vehicle doing this is unacceptable and very dangerous with the violent shifting. I was told the new 9 speed transmissions all are having this type of issue.

- Ofallon, IL, USA

problem #24

Sep 212018

Pacifica

  • miles
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. While driving 15 mph, the vehicle jerked back and forth without warning. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to autonation Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram pembroke pines (954-446-8775, located at 13601 pines boulevard, pembroke pines, fl 33027), but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer. The dealer could not duplicate the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

problem #23

Sep 262018

Pacifica

  • 9,000 miles
Sept 2018 at approximately 9000 miles: Complete loss of power while driving. All systems relayed error messages such as "power steering not available." Lost power steering and power brakes. Car could not be put in neutral or park or restarted. The vehicle was towed to the shop where they replaced the transmission. In December the car began having issues with the auto start/stop causing the car to lose power while stopped at a light. It was worked on 3 times for this over the next several months, to date there have not been any issue of this reoccurring. In May 2019 at 18000 miles it was returned to the shop for a whining sound in the transmission and they replaced the transmission again.

- Littleton, NH, USA

problem #22

Apr 022019

Pacifica

  • 15,000 miles
Takara recall. While taking off from a stop my transmission shifts into a gear very hard. It makes a load bang and you can feel it. It feels like you got hit. It seems to be getting worse.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #21

Feb 102019

Pacifica 6-cyl

  • 9,605 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. While driving 25 mph, the contact heard a loud abnormal noise. The contact was able to park the vehicle on the side of the road. While she was exiting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the front driver's side wheel was turned completely to the left. The vehicle was towed to orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (located at 64600 van dyke, Washington, mi 48095, (586) 430-5086) where it was diagnosed that the tie rod and axles needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 9,605. Consumer stated after the accident, there was a recall on the right side tie rod. Consumer wants to know if the left side is defective.

- St Clair Shore, MI, USA

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