Is your defective Chrysler Pacifica actually a LEMON?

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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
376 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

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2021 Chrysler Pacifica Owner Comments (Page 1 of 6)

problem #107

Jul 032024

Pacifica

  • miles

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

Driving the vehicle on the interstate, and the vehicle suddenly lost power and had a warning that said "Stop Safely, Vehicle will shut off soon". However, we were in a construction zone and unable to stop on the interstate causing many vehicles to nearly crash into us. I understand we had previously had a recall worked that simply added this warning, but did not fix the issue. This warning is not a safe solution. It is still very dangerous for your vehicle to suddenly drop to 15mph at highway speeds. We are in the process of having the dealer confirm the issue.

- Caddo Mills, TX, USA

problem #106

Jun 012024

Pacifica

  • miles
The engine stopped responding in a safe manner and we were not able to maintain safe speeds along a highway. While traveling on the highway in a busy, high-speed merge area at night, I received a warning "Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon." I was far from a safe pull off location along a highway with sound barriers on all sides and no way to walk away from the highway. I made my way to the shoulder. Seeing that I was not in a safe location for me and the other car passengers, I drove very slowly with my hazards on until I could exit the highway. There was not a safe shoulder available for much of the distance and the car was unable to go faster than about 30 miles per hour at its peak. This max speed dropped gradually to close to 10 mph. The engine barely responded and I struggled to make a turn onto a residential street without a collision with oncoming traffic. Once were in a safe location, I turned the car off and back on again and the same warning light appeared and the engine was similarly limited to moving the car at about 10 mph max. I have not had the car towed to a dealer yet for inspection.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #105

May 222024

Pacifica

  • miles
While driving at full speed on an interstate, I received the message, "Stop Safely, Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon." The van then lost power, and I was able to pull over safely (thankfully!). After about 15 minutes, the van restarted, and I made it about 10 miles until it happened again. After two more shut-downs, I was able to get the van to a dealership, where it has been sitting undiagnosed for over a week now.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

problem #104

May 012024

Pacifica

  • miles

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

On two separate occasions (on April 30 and May 1, 2024), my Chrysler Pacifica's engine suddenly lost power while driving on highways. I was served with an error "Stop Safely. Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon." After a few minutes on the side of the highway, the vehicle was able to start again and drive. After the first incident, I drove to a Chrysler dealership, who plugged in a portable computer to check for error codes. Despite the severity of the issue, the vehicle's onboard computer recorded no errors. Since then, I found that the NHTSA is aware of the problem (NHTSA Action Number RQ24004) related to a wiring harness short circuit. Chrysler's supposed "recall" only entails a feature to supposedly allow time to pull over safely. I enjoyed no such time. I lost power immediately and had to immediately traverse multiple lanes in busy traffic to pull off the road.

- Fairfax, VA, USA

problem #103

Mar 282024

Pacifica

  • miles
My fuel line was rubbing against a part of the engine and leaked. My mechanic said the fuel line was unsupported causing the rubbing and didn-??t have shielding/padding to protect it.

- Dallas, OR, USA

problem #102

Mar 022024

Pacifica

  • miles
Vehicle was having driving issues for months and dealership could not identify the issue. Van showed "check engine" light, stopped using electrical propulsion (while fully charged), and engine started making a lot of noise during driving. Vehicle was kept off the highway until it could be taken into the dealership for service. Dealership identified issue as battery pack coolant heater and replaced it.

- Mill Creek, WA, USA

problem #101

Mar 062024

Pacifica

  • miles

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

When at a red light or while driving car throws its self into park and then powers off immediately and this isn-??t safe with my children in the car while drive it-??s also happened while driving during traffic car just throws its self into park and powers off

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #100

Feb 272024

Pacifica

  • miles
I was traveling at highway speed. The hybrid was utilizing mostly the battery. I needed to accelerate to the speed of those around me. The van switched from just battery to utilizing battery and gas power. About a minute after it switched, the engine completely shut off. A warning flashed up on the dash display to -??Stop safely Vehicle will shut off soon-??. The engine shut off. I could no longer use the gas, the only thing I could do was coast to a stop. This was very terrifying because I was traveling at such a high speed on the interstate. I immediately put on my hazards and coasted to a stop. This was harmful to others on the interstate because they had to slow down behind me or get around me. Eventually when I was slow enough, I managed to coast onto the shoulder and come to a complete stop. I was able to reproduce the problem upon restarting the vehicle. I have taken the van to a dealership but they have not been able to look into it yet. The engine light is now on in the vehicle. This happens consistently at high speeds

- Des Moines, IA, USA

problem #99

Feb 032024

Pacifica

  • miles
The vehicle stalled on the freeway while traveling 75 mph in the HOV lane. After the engine shut off, I recalled an error message on the dash that stated, "Motive power will stop and pull over quickly.-?? I needed to take evasive action to bring the vehicle to the side of the 5 freeway. I could not restart the engine in Neutral while the car was in motion. The car showed a charging error on the first and second attempted restart on the side of the road with the transmission in Park. After letting the vehicle sit for a few minutes, I successfully restarted the engine, but the dash continued showing an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL). We were traveling at 75 mph in the HOV lane (lane #1) when the vehicle engine cut off without warning. Once the engine was off, I saw a warning on the instrument cluster that the vehicle would lose all motive power (it's a hybrid) and that I should immediately stop it. I needed to take emergency action, cross over 5 lanes of freeway traffic, and then stop on the side of the road. The vehicle did not allow an engine to restart while in Neutral, with the car moving. The vehicle was brought in for the recall of 03A/NHTSA 23V-010. From what I understand, this recall did not fix the problem (reported to be a faulty wiring harness in the transmission). I installed a software update to display the error message that instructed me that all motive power would be lost and that I should stop the vehicle.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #98

Jan 142024

Pacifica

  • miles
Without any prior warning or predisposing symptoms, my vehicle lost all power when I was driving in the carpool lane at 70 miles per hour. I had to "coast" across 5 lanes of freeway and come to stop in the emergency lane. When I applied the brakes I had no power to brakes which made the car skid violently. I could have lost control because I was not expecting that secondary issue. The traction conrtol may have been triggered causing the car to overreact. The dashboard lights and "d" on my gear shifter were all flashing. I turned the car off and allowed it to sit for a few moments. I turned the car on again and nothing happened. I turned it off a second time and it turned on, went into drive and I was able to drive the remaining 5 miles home without incicent. I have already completed the recall notice for this very issue back in Jan 2023. However, even though the dealer states they completed my recall work the upbove described incident happened on 1/14/24 nearly a year after their recall completion.

- Canyon Country, CA, USA

problem #97

Dec 132023

Pacifica

  • miles

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

While driving early in morning on local highway (70mph speed limit), car flashed "Service Charging System" shut off the engine and power to the vehicle including acceleration, and check engline light illuminated. Thankfully early hours made it possible to drift to side of road to put car in park. Engine light illuminated dash and dash flashed "shift to P to start." Car would not shut off after pressing the start button nor depressing the break either (hazards were engaged at this point). Hazards had to be shut off in order to completely shut off the vehicle to restart it. Dangerous on major highway with no lights or hazards on side of road. 25 degrees outside. This is the Second time this has occurred to this vehicle. The last time occurred on 1/20/2023 the exact same way shutting off power and engine of the car on the same local highway with similar cold temperature (always issues with this car in the cold, hybrid battery system fails in cold below 40 or temperatures higher than 90). Last time a grounding issue was found in the transmission and was replaced. I will be contacting the dealership for repair today will update if it is still grounding issues or something new causing same problem. As i made in my last nhtsa report in january on this vehicle, the fact this car shuts down while in motion and you have no control over the car is dangerous and can cost people their lives. As a hybrid system, the van should automatically switch to gas only and bypass the hybrid charging system to continue functioning as any car would. By shutting down the engine and everything you are jeopardizing the lives of everyone on the roads. Both incidents of mine occurred on a highway at high speeds. I am just thankful I was not on a bridge at the time it failed as it would have caused an accident. I heard nothing about or from my last nhtsa report. Please for the safety of everyone look into these hybrids. Look into this car history and you'll see the constant repairs it has had.

- Inwood, WV, USA

problem #96

Nov 292023

Pacifica

  • miles
My new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Minivan was repaired under the 03a recall on 3/2023. It had another loss of motive power, the same issue that was supposed to be fixed under the 03a recall. The car warned me that it would shutoff soon in the visual display and to move to a safe area. It did shut down immediately. I attempted to restart it several times. After many times it did start and the transmission light remained illuminated. I was driving on the highway at the time and blocking traffic. It's unsafe for the car to shut off randomly. This is unacceptable and unsafe. I paid for a brand new, safe, functioning car. This is a serious problem and is dangerous for my family. I feel unsafe driving a car that will shut off at random times. This has already been repaired once and remains a problem. I need a solution.

- Potomac, MD, USA

problem #95

Nov 132023

Pacifica

  • miles
Chrysler calls for the oil filter housing to be tightened to 18 ft/lbs. Google shows many people online claiming that this is too much; that hand tight or 11-12 ft/lbs is sufficient, and that the oil filter housing is likely to break if tightened to the factory specs. I figure the manufacturer knows best, and tightened the oil filter housing to 18 ft/lbs. The housing is under the intake manifold, and the trough in the V of the engine plus the shields under the car hid the resulting leak until I was on the highway. When I got on the highway, I found I was laying down a smokescreen that obscured every lane of eastbound I-44. The generator light came on as oil caused the belts to slip; I am very lucky that the car did not catch fire. I left a solid line of oil on the road to the nearest repair shop. The resulting repairs cost me $1,198.37. ***** Clearly Chrysler needs to develop a metal oil filter housing which will last the life of the engine. The plastic one they have now endangers the public through the risk of fires, and pollutes the environment through the loss of oil. Here's 3rd party confirmation of the problem affecting all Chrysler Pentastar engines: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Maplewood, MO, USA

problem #94

Nov 212023

Pacifica

  • miles
My vehicle stopped while driving. I was able to pull of the road and get towed to the dealer 11/1/23. They performed the recall, I left the dealer 11/21/23 and while driving my van back to the house, I had the same thing happen. The error message lit up and the car slowed down til it would no longer move. I do not feel safe in this vehicle, as this is the second time it has happened in a month, and the recall was taken care of the day I picked it up.

- Duncannon, PA, USA

problem #93

Nov 152023

Pacifica

  • miles
While driving 70 mph on the highway with my three children in the car, my engine suddenly and without warning, shut off. I had to coast over to the shoulder and wait for help. The dash displayed the warning "service charging system" and would not let me put the car in drive. I was VERY lucky that there weren't any cars around me when my acceleration suddenly stopped so I was able to get over on the highway. The car stalled in an unsafe place and left my children and me at risk of being hit from behind while waiting for help. I got the car to the dealer and they have informed me that this was caused by total transmission failure. This was a HIGHLY unsafe situation and it could have ended much worse for my family, and those in vehicles around us!

- Camp Hill, PA, USA

problem #92

Oct 162023

Pacifica

  • miles
Chrysler recall 03A is installed on my pacifica hybrid. Since then, the past two times the van has been driven at highway speed, it has suddenly notified me that vehicle shutdown is imminenent and put the vehicle into limp mode. In both cases, turning the car off and on again allowed normal operation, with the check engine light locked in. The first time the code was P0A43, to be determined what the code is for this most recent event.

- Quarryville, PA, USA

problem #91

Oct 142023

Pacifica

  • miles
My car was at the dealership for the 03A recall repair for a full month in April of 2023. Since the recall was supposedly fixed my car has shut down unexpectedly while driving 12 times. Each of those times I was driving with my two toddlers in the vehicle. I will be driving on the highway and the car will show a message that "the engine will shut off soon, pull over safely" but will immediately shut down to where I'm just coasting and have to pull over on the shoulder of the highway. Thankfully I've had access to a shoulder every time it's happened so far but it's extremely unsafe and dangerous. There doesn't seem to be a reason for it. I've stopped charging the battery and have only been using gas because of this issue but it still happens. It also occurs when the vehicle is stopped on an incline, like when I'm in the car pick up line at my children's schools. So I've blocked traffic because the car shuts down. When this happens the only way it will successfully restart is if I have the car and my emergency lights shut off. I'll wait five minutes and then try again. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts where I'm stranded for 15 minutes before I can drive again. Chrysler customer service has been abysmal as has my local dealership. I'm giving them one more chance to fix this before getting a lawyer involved. I'm amazed we haven't had a wreck yet. The recall"fix" has not taken care of the issue.

- Little Rock, AR, USA

problem #90

Oct 062023

Pacifica

  • miles
Was driving at 72-74mph on Dallas North Tollway on Oct 6th. Vehicle is a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid 2021 model - Limited Plug in Hybrid trim. Battery charge was 2% (less than 1 mile range) Fuel was 95% showing 395 miles of range left After the battery depletes, the vehicle is supposed to switch over into ICE mode (Gas engine kicks on) Car was running only on Electric power and when the battery hit 0%, the car stalled on the highway and showed multiple warning lights Service Hybrid Electric System Charge system not available EBD2 Engine Malfuction Transmission Temperature Automatic Transmission Fluid overheating Check Engine light Car still had power (power steering and brakes working) but lost all propulsion suddenly Luckily i was able to safely pull over on the shoulder Turned car off and on and still had same warning lights and car's engine would not start Finally waited 15 minutes, disconnected battery (12v) and tried it and now engine started Came home and charged battery to 100% (showed 32 miles of range) but now car will never run on Electric motors - Only via Gas engine This is a serious safety issue - I had the same exact problem on my 2018 Pacifica Plugin Hybrid which was diagnosed as a HCM (Hybrid Control Module) issue. It was the subject of a recall. This is the 2021 model with less than 25,000 miles and its still a major safety concern. Chrysler should immediately address the problem and issue a safety recall Car is currently at Frisco Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram for the last 7 days waiting to be diagnosed

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #89

Sep 212021

Pacifica

  • miles
While driving my 2021 Chrysler Pacifica the vehicle stalled while going through an intersection. There was no warning lights on the dashboard or any indication that the vehicle was about to stall. The van had to come to a complete stop put in park and then restarted before I can get out of the intersection. This was highly unsafe as I have small children in the car. I took the vehicle back to the dealership I bought it from and they cannot find anything wrong with the car. This is very frustrating and highly unsafe.

- Peekskill, NY, USA

problem #88

Aug 202023

Pacifica

  • miles
The most concerning and potentially dangerous issue I-??m continuing to have with this vehicle is a random, complete shutdown of all engine/battery power. So far this has only happened while driving at a consistent high-speed on a freeway. A warning comes on the center display that says -??Stop Safely. Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon.-?? There is still power steering and hazard lights, but ZERO motor power, neither gas nor electric. I am forced to glide to a stop. If I turn off the ignition, open the door to reset everything, close the door, let the vehicle sit for a minute, when I restart it (so far anyway) everything is back to normal - with the exception of a -??Check Engine-?? light on the display. This first occurred in April of 2023. I subsequently learned there was a recall on the vehicle for this exact problem. The vehicle was taken to LAX Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram where the recall was done, which required a software update. For the next two months there were no issues with this problem. It happened again on June 21st while driving from California to Minnesota. It shut down 5 times. After sitting overnight, it did not do it again and I was able to make it to MN. It was taken to Ryan Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Buffalo, MN where the service technician said they were unable to duplicate the problem. Nothing they could do. Sent it home with me. The vehicle shut down again on August 12th. Then 10 more times while driving across Kansas on August 20th. You can imagine how harrowing it trying to safely pull to side of the road with dozens of other cars and trucks speeding past, and in one case serving to avoid colliding with me at the last moment. No longer willing to risk an accident, I was forced to ditch the vehicle at a dealership in Denver where it currently resides and awaiting a fix. So far no one at any Chrysler dealership has acknowledged the seriousness of this problem. I have documented most shutdowns on video, but am unable to send.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

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