Is your defective Chrysler Pacifica actually a LEMON?

Find out in 30 SECONDS or less if it qualifies for a REFUND or a CASH SETTLEMENT.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
905 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.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica electrical problems

electrical problem

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2021 Chrysler Pacifica Owner Comments (Page 4 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #46

Jun 182022

Pacifica

  • miles

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

While driving on the freeway on the morning of June 18th, 2022 from Southern California to Las Vegas at 70-75mph, the car suddenly lost power. It displayed the error "Service Charging System" and "Shift P to to Start". This was incredibly dangerous as acceleration no longer worked and the car was slowly coasting to a stop. I was able to pull over to the side, turn off the car, and restart, but the check engine light persisted. After returning from Vegas, I brought the van to my local Chrysler dealership. They ran some flash updates and returned the car to me. The same issue then re-occurred on July 4th while traveling 65-70mph on the freeway. I brought it back to the dealer the next day, and it has been there since. After a lot of back and forth with Chrysler hybrid technicians, the dealership was authorized to replace the onboard charging module 1-2 weeks ago. They said the car was still throwing a charging error after that, and they are now looking into what else could be the issue, which they suspect might be the PIM (power inverter module). They are currently working with Chrysler hybrid techs again to diagnose as they are not able to order any parts for replacement without that approval. As of yesterday, the car has been at the dealership for 2 months now, well beyond lemon law timelines per California guidelines.

- Brea, CA, USA

problem #45

Aug 282022

Pacifica

  • miles
I was driving down the road and the car just turned off. It will not start anymore.

- Taylor, TX, USA

problem #44

Aug 272022

Pacifica

  • miles
I was driving 70 miles an hour, in the left lane, in heavy traffic on I -75 when I suddenly lost all power. A warning flashed on the screen saying to service charging system. I barely avoided a collision trying to get off the highway. I could has easily collided with another car since I had no power and I had to cross lanes of traffic in order to get off the road.

- Washington, MI, USA

problem #43

Aug 142022

Pacifica

  • miles

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

Driving on the interstate, the vehicle simply shut down and gave the following error message: "Service Charging System." I was able to pull to the shoulder and get the vehicle started again. There had been no prior warning messages or symptoms of the problem. I took the vehicle in for service, and the dealership ran a diagnostic check and found no issues. A couple weeks later, the same thing happened. I was again able to get to the shoulder without incident. Took the vehicle to a different dealership where they identified the issue as a bad Power Inverter Module. The vehicle is still at the dealership (it has been a full week). While I was able to navigate the situation without injury. This could have been a very dangerous situation in the instance where a shoulder was not available or traffic was significantly heavier. It appears this is a fairly common problem for some of the new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids, which brings to question why there has not been a recall issues.

- Worthington, OH, USA

problem #42

Dec 302021

Pacifica

  • miles
Driving as usual and without warning, no check engine light, the van stalled. It lost all power in the middle of the road and would not start back up. Pushed out of the road & waited on a tow truck. 2021 with 14,000 miles. Dealership pulled the code poa43.

- Pounding Mill, VA, USA

problem #41

Aug 042022

Pacifica

  • miles
The vehicle is a PHEV. The system that malfunctioned is related to the vehicle charging system. The vehicle seems to think it is plugged into the wall when it is actually not plugged in. It is a safety issue because the vehicle will not move -- my family could have been stranded. Planning to tow the vehicle to a dealership to have diagnosed within one week or so. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone yet. There were no warnings prior to the failure. Currently there is a check engine light on as well as an image of a plug/cable indicating that the vehicle thinks it is plugged into an electrical outlet (which it is not).

- Bloomfield, MI, USA

problem #40

Aug 022022

Pacifica

  • miles

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

While driving in the freeway this morning the check engine light and service charging system came on. Shortly thereafter the car lost all power and I was able to coast to a stop on the shoulder of the freeway. Fortunately I was in the carpool lane and near the shoulder and would not have been able to get over otherwise putting myself and others in a very dangerous situation on the freeway. Once stopped, the steering wheel locked as well as the wheels and the car lost all function. Although there are no formal recalls, there are forums dedicated to this problem: https://www.pacificaforums.com/threads/service-charging-system-error.41145/ The dealer is currently advising but the threads in those forums suggests FCA does not have a fix in place. The car becomes dangerous to drive as this happens out of nowhere with limited to no warning.

- El Segundo Ca, CA, USA

problem #39

Jul 212022

Pacifica

  • miles
Driving around 40 MPH when car alert came on to Shift into P and lost all forward drive. Needed to pull onto a side street since car would not accelerate. Car said service charging system and would not recover. Could not turn car off but A/C system stopped working. The transmission light were flashing from P to R to D but would not engage. Had to be towed to dealer to await troubleshooting.

- Glenmont, NY, USA

problem #38

Jul 302022

Pacifica

  • miles
While driving on hybrid system (battery at 0%) and braking toward a stop sign, the car went into neutral and would not power the wheels. A message appeared to service hybrid charging system. all gauges wen to zero (start position). The car was pulled over and it would not go back to to any gear. I was only 2 miles from my house and was able to get tools to disconnect the 12V battery in hopes for system recovery. After disconnecting the 12V battery the system recovered and I was able to get back home to setup a service appointment. The entertainment system did not recover correctly and required a software reboot with all settings reset. The previous week the battery charge indicator was behaving strangely as it would start with 36 miles of range and after 2 miles of very slow driving it wold drop to 26 miles. After a few more miles it would drop to 21 miles and stay at that for a long time.

- Middletown, OH, USA

problem #37

Jun 162022

Pacifica

  • miles
The vehicle loses power while driving. I have to pull over shut it off and turn it back on. Most of the time it happens when I'm driving 75 mph. The service charging indicator pops up while also telling me to shift the car to park. Dealership diagnosed it to being a transmission issue. Drive motor A is failing in the transmission and is causing it to over heat. Which causes it to shut down. A quick restart and the van is going again.

- Marengo, IL, USA

problem #36

Jul 012022

Pacifica

  • miles

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

Occurred at 1000,1500, and 16000 miles. Car would turn on but steering column is locked and it does not get in to gear. D and R just put car in neutral. Dealer is replacing hybrid battery. Car eventually got in to gear after several hard resets.

- Riverside, CT, USA

problem #35

Jul 262022

Pacifica

  • miles
car stalled at high speed in HOV fast track in rush hour traffic - terrifying! was running on electric mode. Heart stopping emergency tow. First Chrysler dealer where car was purchased said they could not trouble shoot for 2 months. Found another dealer, had it towed there. Waiting to learn what the problem is. Only 14,000 miles and under warranty.

- Escondido , CA, USA

problem #34

Jul 212022

Pacifica

  • miles
While driving on highway at approx. 75 mph using adaptive cruise control, the red power cord shaped warning indication appeared on the instrument panel. At the time the warning appeared, the vehicle was in battery powered mode. At the same time the warning showed, the electric motor stopped providing power. The vehicle did not transition to hybrid mode (gas powered), and depressing the accelerator did nothing. The vehicle began to slow from highway speeds, while other cars were in the vicinity. While all this was happening, the "D" on the gear selector was flashing. There was also a message saying to put the vehicle in park to restart, however, i did not want to attempt that at highway speeds. Other systems seemed to operate as normal, brakes worked, the electrical system seemed to be functional other than the described fault. I pulled over to the shoulder and stopped the vehicle completely. I turned the vehicle off, then on again, and was able to put the vehicle in drive without any faults occuring. Normal operation resumed after that.

- Champaign, IL, USA

problem #33

Jun 052022

Pacifica

  • miles
Vehicle has completely lost power multiple times while driving on the freeway at 65 approximately MPH and displays "Service Charging System" message on dash. Accelerator pedal was completely non-responsive. Have had to quickly try to get to side of freeway and stop. Each time the van had remaining fuel. Each time we have been able to get the van started again by putting the vehicle in Park and pressing the start button 3 times in a row without pressing the brake pedal. It is very concerning and has happened to us several times this month with about 14.000 miles on the vehicle.

- Solana Beach, CA, USA

problem #32

Jul 182022

Pacifica

  • miles
I was driving uphill at slow speed; then a garbage truck in front of me needed to do a 3 point turn so I switched to reverse to back up. At that point the vehicle started flashing an alarm, I think said "service hybrid system" or something like that and instantly began rolling down the hill for about a block, while I was completely unable to engage the break or gas, to switch to drive, to control the wheel, even the emergency brake failed. I was rolling backwards for about a block completely unable to control any component of the car when the emergency break finally engaged. I was able to turn on my hazards at that point, but the vehicle would not start, nor would it turn off. I could not make it reverse or drive or even turn off as I sat stuck in the middle of an intersection. After several minutes like that I was eventually able to restart the car and drive slowly home. This is MURDER by Chrysler waiting to happen. I was very lucky no child or vehicle was behind me as I rolled downhill into an intersection. I was very lucky to not be hit by oncoming traffic as I sat stuck after rolling a block downhill backwards-- THESE ARE MINIVANS FILLED WITH CHILDREN!! MY 4 children! Chrysler in Berkeley service said they haven't heard of this before and will see me only next week, and not sooner! However, There are numerous similar complaints registered. I am afraid to drive it at all at this point. This is a very new car with less than 10K miles on it. RECALL IMMEDIATELY PLEASE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.

- Piedmont, CA, USA

problem #31

Jul 132022

Pacifica

  • miles
Car stalled out while driving at 35 mph. Lost all propulsive power. Indicated -??service hybrid system-?? and -??shift to park-?? error on multi function display. Was able to safely coast to side shoulder and stop. Car would not move again after this reading the same errors even after shifting to part and attempting to restart car. If this had occurred on a multi lane highway it would have been extremely dangerous.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #30

Jun 292022

Pacifica

  • miles
Driving on the freeway at speed (approximately 65 MPH), the vehicle suddenly lost power and displayed "Service Charging System" message on dashboard. Accelerator pedal was non-responsive. We had remaining battery charge and fuel in the vehicle (it is a PHEV). Pulled over to side of freeway as vehicle was decelerating and came to a stop in the safest place our momentum could carry us to. We were eventually able to get the vehicle restarted by putting the vehicle in Park and pressing the start button 3 times in a row without touching the brake. This issue has happened four (4) times in the last several months, and has occurred on the freeway each time, and each time with remaining battery charge and fuel in the vehicle. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer for this specific problem.

- Laguna Hills, CA, USA

problem #29

Jun 242022

Pacifica

  • miles
The vehicle accelerator fails while driving, with a message on dashboard '''service charging system''. If your car have enough momentum, you can pull to safe spot or shoulder, but tbis is a dangerous issue. I had this issue multiple times and many other owners has reported similar issue.

- Eads, TN, USA

problem #28

Jun 242022

Pacifica

  • miles
While driving, the vehicle flashes a warning that a charging fault has occurred and instructs the driver to stop and put the vehicle into park. Once stopped and in park, the vehicle will not shift or drive. This has happened at least 6 times and the dealer has not been able to fix it.

- Albemarle, NC, USA

problem #27

May 292022

Pacifica

  • miles
On freeway, running on gas - the vehicle gave an error -??service charging system-?? and vehicle shutdown and de accelerated rapidly - forward momentum only We are on freeway and no shoulder and narrow escaped an collision trying to get a safe stop at speed of 20-25 miles and slowing down from initial of 70 mph This is serious safety concern and how was this released for sale is certified by NTSB is a surprise and shock Multiple owners have complained of this

- Austin, TX, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

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