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 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
341 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 engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica Owner Comments (Page 5 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #38

May 012022

Pacifica

  • 24,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated that whenever hybrid battery power was low, the vehicle was supposed to shift to using fuel; however, the vehicle would stall. The contact would pull over to the side of the road and start the vehicle after several attempts. The failure was intermittent and occurred at various speeds. The service charging system and check engine warning lights would be illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure reoccurred several weeks later. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the manufacturer suggested that the transmission should be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000.

- Stevenson Ranch, CA, USA

problem #37

Aug 282022

Pacifica

  • miles
The Pacifica has 4 times in the past 9 months has lost power while driving at a high speed on the Interstate. I am still able to steer and guide the car to the shoulder, then wait 2 minutes and the car starts back up and I am able to drive again. I then have the check engine light on, and the code I get is P0A3F. It has been to Chrysler Service 3 times, and they can't repeat the issue, and claim they don't have the man power or expertise to figure it out. Once the car loses power, the messages I get say to "return car to park", "Service Charge System", and the Chrysler Uconnect App says I have a "service fault". This has happened on 11/13/21, 5/8/22, 5/27/22, and this last time... 8/28/22.

- Longmont, CO, USA

problem #36

Aug 242022

Pacifica

  • miles
While driving on the highway our vehicle continues to lose power and stall without any warning. We have been forced to drift onto shoulders, with no ability to accelerate.

- Swansea, IL, USA

problem #35

Aug 202022

Pacifica

  • miles

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

My wife and I were driving on HWY 101 at 11pm at night while camping, were headed to the ER as I had just cut my hand with a hachet. While driving, all of a sudden an error light on the dash appeared reading "Service Charging System, " the accelerator no longer delivered power, and the car began quickly slowing down. Luckily, I was able to move to the shoulder and stop the van. The Pacifica remained on with all systems working (radio, lights, etc), but the car accelerator would not deliver power. The car would not fully turn off after pressing the ingintion button. Opening and closing the driver side door allowed for the van to be turned off and then back on, it started again and was driveable. We were able to drive the car to the ER and back to the campsite. The problem has not yet re-occurred. It has not been seen by the dealer center yet, but has an appointment scheduled. Driving at night in the mountains with a vehicle that loses all power while traveling at highway speeds is extremely dangerous and disturbing.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #34

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 #33

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 #32

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 #31

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 #30

Mar 292022

Pacifica

  • miles
I was driving in the fast lane of the freeway when the vehicle stalled, losing all engine power, and the following warnings lit up on my dash: - service charging system - shift to P to start - the shifter knob light was blinking Due to large amounts of fast-moving traffic and my rapidly decelerating speed, I was unable to safely cross 4 lanes of traffic to the right-hand side, so I was forced to pull over on the left shoulder of the freeway directly next to the fast lane and right after a blind curve. It was an incredibly dangerous place to be stalled. I could have been hit at any moment by cars going 65-80mph, which would have caused a massive multi-car accident due to the nature of the blind curve. I shifted the car into park and turned the vehicle completely off. Waited a couple minutes and turned it back on. The check engine light remained illuminated but my ability to accelerate resumed when I briefly tested it. I was able to pull back onto the freeway and continue my commute with no further issues. I initiated a STAR case with Chrysler and the van was brought to the dealership for troubleshooting. One incident prior to stall: engine began idling really rough when accelerating from a stop ~15mph, and the check engine light came on. I pulled over and shut off the van. I turned it back on and the engine sounded normal again. The check engine light went off after 24 hours and no other issues, so I didn-??t bring it in. This happened 2-4 weeks prior to the freeway stall. P0A43-00 Drive Motor "A" Position Sensor Circuit Intermittent was the error code. The dealership could not replicate the stalling problem and tried to give the van back. I refused due to safety concerns and got my Chrysler case manager involved. They tested the transmission fluid and found it to be contaminated (metal fragments?). The transmission was ultimately replaced which took about 1 month. I don-??t know if they kept the faulty part.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #29

Jul 012022

Pacifica

  • miles
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 #28

Jul 262022

Pacifica

  • miles

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

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 #27

Apr 302022

Pacifica

  • miles
Driving on the interstate at 70-75 mph and lost all forward drive. Car said service charging system and would not recover. Got towed to dealer and troubleshot and replaced the transmission

- Harrington, DE, USA

problem #26

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 #25

Apr 192022

Pacifica

  • miles
I was driving on the interstate in the middle of morning rush hour traffic at approx. 65 mph and approximately 1/4 mile before a tunnel my van completely shut off and I was not able to accelerate or maintain speed. I was in the far left lane when this happened and immediately crossed the 3 lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder on the right side. I then tried to turn off and restart the van 3 or 4 times after periods ranging from 5-20 minutes apart and the van would only allow me to go a foot and shut off again. After waiting for over an hour in the 30 degree weather with no heat, I was finally towed back to the dealership. Due to many fortunate circumstances (i.e. none of my 3 children [ages 4, 2, and 9 months] were in the van, I was not yet in the tunnel, no cars were immediately behind me, and I was able to get across all 3 lanes before I lost speed) nobody was injured. However if any of these variables were different, the situation could have been devastating. My van has now been in the shop for over 3 months waiting for a part (engine coolant heater pump) and I still do not have a working vehicle. The issue with the engine coolant heater pump is a known issue to Chrylser, resulting in vans shutting down in the middle of driving, yet Chrysler has not issued a recall or notified owners of these dangers. After waiting on the part for 2 months, I called Chrysler Customer Support and was assigned a case manager, however they have to this point, one month later, still not helped at all and within the last 10 days not returned any of my voicemails or emails. My car is available for inspection and this issue was inspected/documented at the service department of my dealership. The problem has been confirmed by the dealership as well as the tow truck driver. About 10 days prior to the incident, my check engine light went on. I immediately scheduled the next available service appointment at my dealership, but the problem occurred 2 days before my appointment.

- Sewickley, PA, USA

problem #24

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 #23

Jun 122022

Pacifica

  • miles
When driving on the highway after 1-2 hours, message pops up "Stop safely. Vehicle will shut off soon." Car engine immediately turns off and driver must navigate to shoulder with unresponsive vehicle. Once stopped, "Service charging system" message appears on screen. This has happened twice to my family, almost causing multiple crashes as we navigate across traffic with a rapidly decelerating car and children in the back seat, subsequently stranded on the side of a major highway. The only precursor to total shutdown is the air conditioning goes from cold to warm. Have had it at 2 dealerships 4 times and they say they cannot reproduce the issue because they do not have anyone who can drive it for 2 hours.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #22

Jun 012022

Pacifica

  • miles
Driving on the freeway without any noticeable trigger, the engine stalls. A message comes up saying shift to P to start. Pressing the accelerator doesn't do anything. Only think I can do is coast to the shoulder. After turning off the car and turning the car back on, the car worked fine. This has happened to me 3 times in the last month all going highway speeds.

- Menlo Park, CA, USA

problem #21

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

problem #20

Apr 112022

Pacifica

  • 14,800 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle started to stall. The accelerator pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The contact stated that the brake pedal was shaking while depressed. The check engine warning light and the warning "Service Charging Systems" and "Shift to Park to Start" was illuminated. Additionally, the contact noticed that the drive(D) warning light was flashing on the gear shifter knob. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 14,800.

- Laguna Hills, CA, USA

problem #19

Feb 212022

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 I think it's dangerous. I had this issue multiple times and many of other owners has reported similar issue. I made a video on the issue which you can checkout here https://youtu.be/xFFSJG6j3qM Date I entered below is the last time I had the issue on freeway.

- Hyattsville, MD, USA

Read the next 18 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?