Is your defective Chrysler Pacifica actually a LEMON?

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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2021 Chrysler Pacifica Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #58

Jun 162024

Pacifica

  • miles

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

Traveling down [XXX] in Escondido at approximately 73mph. In the fast lane and moving left into the car pool lane the vehicle lost all motive power and the error "Service Charging System" came up on the dash then flashing back to "SHIFT TO P TO START". We were able to make it to a very small emergency lane on the left side of the interstate. Had to power vehicle off and restart twice before be regained motive power. There was a very good chance that we would have been stranded in the middle of the interstate with wife and 2 kids in the care on an 85 degree day. We were able to make it off freeway with "Check engine light showing" but no other errors on the dash. We were able to drive home 7 miles and will tow the Pacifica to the dealer tomorrow. This is the second time this has happened and could have had a horrible outcome. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Vista, CA, USA

problem #57

May 172024

Pacifica

  • miles
Vehicle has suddenly went into low power mode while driving three times. Was towed to shop each time to find no issues besides codes. Codes were cleared and vehicle was returned. Now vehicle is in the shop at chrysler due to a service charging system code for the hybrid system, causing the vehicle to not start or shift out of park gear. Vehicle has 58,000 miles and is not covered under the battery warranty with only 2 thousand miles remaining on the factory power train warranty.

- Jber, AK, USA

problem #56

May 132024

Pacifica

  • miles
High pressure fuel line leaking due to tube rubbing against hard plastic clip. Smelled gasoline fumes from outside the vehicle. Narrowed it down to the passenger side of the engine compartment but couldn't isolate it. Read some forums from similar cases and identified a high pressure fuel line that could wear a hole due to a design flaw. Sure enough I wigged it just slightly and upon starting the vehicle it started spraying gasoline all over the engine at an alarming rate. I drove my children to daycare the previous day, this could have started a fire or caused the engine area to explode. Crazy unsafe and glad I caught it quickly.

- Bartlett, IL, USA

problem #55

Mar 282024

Pacifica

  • miles

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

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 #54

Jun 202023

Pacifica

  • miles
I had purchased the vehicle three days beforehand. It was a lemon law buyback car. I had driven around 120 miles or so that day. The high that day was at least 90 degrees or so. It was past the halfway mark of driving that day, when I tested the Level 2 EVSE I had bought. It didn't work because the plug wasn't energized, but I did notice that the time to charge was reading 3 hours instead of the expected 2 hours. Once I got back to town, I plugged in to a Chargepoint charger, which was only charging at a Level 1 rate. I contacted the dealer to report the problem, and then went to my storage locker. On the way, the AC stopped working. When I tried to leave, the vehicle would not start. Suspecting an overheating problem, I left the hood open for a half hour or so, and after that, the vehicle started up. On my way home, the vehicle suffered a complete loss of motive power, displaying a message saying "Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon", leaving me stranded in a parking lot. This was followed by a message saying "Service Charging System". After another hour or so of sitting with the hood up, the vehicle worked again. This has happened multiple times since then. I have traced the problem to the battery pack reaching a temperature of 55 C, at which point the vehicle invariably shuts down. One time it did this, I was on stuck on the side of a road with no shoulder, after dark. The dealers I have taken it to could not reproduce the problem, as it takes hours of driving to trigger, and they are not willing to drive it enough to reproduce the problem. A case was raised with the manufacturer, but their protocols were insufficient to reproduce the problem. I have recently learned that the problem is apparently the same problem that the original owner had, and that the vehicle was bought back for originally. I have collected extensive CSV logs documenting the defect. The vehicle is obviously still unfixed, as they will not fix it until they duplicate the problem.

- Novi, MI, USA

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problem #53

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 #52

Jan 302024

Pacifica

  • miles

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

Vehicle shut down unexpectedly multiple times even AFTER recall update was applied. Allows for minimal time to pull to safe location. Potential for serious incident if safe shoulder is not immediately available such as on a bridge.

- Edwardsville, IL, USA

problem #51

Dec 132023

Pacifica

  • miles
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 #50

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 #49

Jun 082023

Pacifica

  • miles
The charging system is shutting down my vehicle while driving in high speed heavy traffic. I was traveling with my grandchildren and my dog and my vehicle stopped in 90+ degree weather in the middle of no where. Once it ran again I got it to a charging station so I could continue my travels. The check engine light went away and we were traveling home when the charging system shut us down again doing 65 mph on the interstate about 30 miles from any town with no cell service. My vehicle had to be towed from the 30 miles to the closest town and then towed again from the closest town to the closest Chrysler dealership. They can't even get to my vehicle for over 3 weeks and I am out thousands of dollars in rental car fees. I even took my car to the Chrysler dealer before my trip because the check engine light came on and they ran a diagnostics that said my front camera wasn't working. No a single thing about the problems I was about to encounter for about the 5th time!! This happened last year also and I was without a working vehicle for almost 2 1/2 months. This has been an ongoing problem that started about 5 months after I purchased my vehicle. I don't feel safe on the roads because the vehicle just STOPS!! This a such a lemon of a car and the Chrysler dealer knew about these problems before they sold me my vehicle.

- Grand Junction, CO, USA

problem #48

Mar 082022

Pacifica

  • miles

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

While driving above referenced vehicle, I was driving southbound on Hwy 515 when i noticed a vehicle driving northbound began to lose control, so i slowed down and then began to watch the vehicle cross the median and headed straight for me. I pushed the pedal to the floor to accelerate to get out of his way but the vehicle did not respond, i pushed the pedal again on several occasions and the vehicle just bucked and did not accelerate. Unfortunately the vehicle hit me right in the door at a high rate of speed. Unbeknownst to me this vehicle had been in the shop on several occasions for this exact problem: This can all be verified due to the fact i had a Chrysler service manager on the phone as this horrific experience unfolded

- Ellijay, GA, USA

problem #47

Apr 172023

Pacifica 6-cyl

  • miles
Between March 1, 2023 and April 6, 2023, the engine experienced unexpected shutdown on 4 different days. On April 7, 2023, a dealer in Madison, WI serviced the car under recall notice 03A. On April 17, 2023, the car's dash presented a warning message "Stop Safely: Vehicle will shut off soon." On all occasions I have waited 30 seconds and restarted the car successfully. This behavior of the car is unacceptable. It is likely that I will be driving in a situation where it will not be safe to shut down the car, come to a stop, and restart it while driving in traffic.

- Madison, WI, USA

problem #46

Mar 102023

Pacifica

  • miles
Chrysler issued a safety notice to me last week via mail, which informed me that my vehicle may stop at any time without warning. This is a serious safety and accessibility issue for me, as this is my family's sole vehicle. There is no ETA for when or if a repair will be available. I have ceased using the vehicle on any highway and keep speeds under 40 mph for safety reasons, but am incredibly scared to do so and have gotten no support from Chrysler. The dealership offered no assistance. The recall hotline informed me verbatim that "there is no plan nor expected plan to provide a loaner, rental, or other compensation to those affected by this recall" on a call on 3.10.23. Chrysler's corporate call center informed me of the same thing but informed me I could submit any costs for transportation or a rental vehicle and they would "consider" reimbursement. I am currently paying on a vehicle that is not safe to use. Chrysler is offering me no remedies at all.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #45

Mar 072023

Pacifica

  • miles
when slowing to make a turn the vehicle turned off and engaged the parking brake on its own. I had to disengage the parking brake before starting the vehicle again. I did not have a problem after that but I worry about it happening again. There was no warning to indicate anything was wrong beforehand and no indication of an issue after restarting the car.

- Dickinson, TX, USA

problem #44

Feb 182023

Pacifica

  • miles
Traveling at 60mph up a large hill/mtn in passing lane and car went into limp mode or lost power from engine. Was unable to push gas for power and had to maneuver through 60mph traffic to shoulder by the time I was able to make it to the shoulder I was not able to get all the way off of road because of no more momentum. I was unable to turn off vehicle for quite some time until I used key fob and remote state option on key fob which then allowed me to turn off vehicle. Losing all power at 60 mph while passing was terrifying and could have caused serious bodily harm.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #43

Feb 132023

Pacifica

  • miles
I have a 2021 hybrid Pacifica purchased in May 2021. I have been experiencing loss of engine power for months. I brought it to service in January, they said they fixed a recall and changed the oil, said I was good to go. The problem started happening more frequently after that, and on 2/7 my vehicle lost power 7 times while driving roughly 20 miles. These instances occurred at highway speeds with immediate loss of drivability requiring me to coast to the shoulder. I brought it to service on 2/8. On my drive to the dealership the car shut off 5 times. After the tech assessed my vehicle, they replaced the electric coolant heater and said although there is no fix available for the recall yet, the battery is affected by the coolant heater and so it should be 100% good to go now. I made it safely home on 2/9. While I was driving to work the next day (2/10) the car shutoff 3 times on a busy interstate during rush hour before I was able to find a place to safely abandon it.

- Round Hill, VA, USA

problem #42

Dec 062022

Pacifica

  • miles
On December 7, 2022 I brought my Pacifica into the dealership because the day prior, my vehicle just shut off unexpectedly while driving. I was unable to get it to turn back on it just gave me a -??service charging system-?? message on the dash. I had my vehicle towed home and it wasn-??t until the following day 12/7/22 that I was able to finally start it back up. I drove straight to my local dealer and dropped it off. After a few weeks they told me they were going to replace the hybrid battery as that was the issue. On 1/20/23 I received a message from the dealer stating they had my vehicle back together and running and we-??re going to fix a recall issue. On 1/26/23 I received another message stating my vehicle would no longer start and they didn-??t know why. It has been 2 months now that they-??ve had my Pacifica and as of Monday 2/6/23 they are unable to diagnose the issue

- Santa Clarita, CA, USA

problem #41

Nov 142022

Pacifica 6-cyl

  • miles
11/14/2022: WHILE DRIVING at 75mph, a battery icon appeared in the hybrid info system on left of dash. Immediately after the engine icon appeared, a message that said "shift to P to Start" appeared in the the dash info. The letter "D" along with a red icon of a charging cord also appeared to the bottom left of the electric range readout. ALL POWER TO THE VEHICLE CUT OUT WHILE MOVING AT 75mph simultaneous to these images/messages appearing. Following the above, an image of a Pacifica hybrid appeared in the middle of the dash info system. The Pacifica image included a red plugged in charging cord and the message "service charging system". Vehicle was pulled to the shoulder and put in park. Attempted to restart vehicle unsuccessfully for 15 minutes. After vehicle started, it was driven to the closest dealership that had a qualified PHEV tech, Frontier Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Lubbock TX. The error codes wouldn't repeat at the dealer. Dealer informed that, in speaking with Chrysler a part remedy had been determined but would require lead time to obtain part. On 12-08-22, the dealership informed us the repair had been made and vehicle was ready for pickup. The code found and repaired was POE15 and electric heater lock up. At pickup, the vehicle had not been fully charged. When driven out of service, the echarge was 24% and it wasn't depleting during operation. This was abnormal. Drove the vehicle from Lubbock to our residence in Taos, NM. Part of the drive includes a canyon, with two lanes, blind curves and zero shoulder. If the vehicle were to lose power in the canyon due to this issue, there is a HIGH PROBABILITY OF CRASH, INJURY, and/or DEATH. The vehicle repeated the issue on 12/12/22, 12/30/22 & at least two more times that are undocumented. Vehicle was towed from Taos to Larry H Miller CJDR in Albuquerque on 1/11/23. We were notified of recall while at dealership. My family's and my lives are at risk due to this recall issue.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #40

Jan 202023

Pacifica

  • miles
While driving down a 4 lane major highway where the posted speed limit is 70 mph, the vehicle suddenly flashed "Service Charging System" with the check engine icon came on and the propulsion on the vehicle ceased funtioning. The D for drive was flashing as well. As a hybrid vehicle, the car should transition to gas without incident, but it doesn't. Instead it cut power to the engine leaving me, the driver, scrambling to find a safe location to get off the road, which is not always feasible or safe, endangering everyone in the vehicle and on the road if others are not paying attention to the sudden loss of power and propulsion of the vehicle in front of them. Thankfully, I was able to safely get off the road as a result of some helpful semi's, but not everyone may be in such a situation. Should this happen to someone else who regularly drives across a bridge, for instance, could possibly cause an accident by being unable to pull off at a designated area. I was able to engage the gas engine by turning it off and back on after stopping, but it did not store the "service charging system" error. This was determined when dropping it off at the Chrysler dealership. There are a few stored error codes including a "low voltage differential signal" which also occurred last year when they said they replaced a part in relation to the heating/cooling battery fault on the high-voltage batteries (less than 6 months old at the time) and similar to the recall on the older models. Making this the second time in the shop for a battery issue. Should a connection between the battery faults and the Body Control Module or PCM (not sure what that one stands for), they were parts also replaced within the first month of the vehicle. The vehicle is currently at the dealership for review. There were no other warnings or messages prior to the failure. Pictures of the error as I saw them after safely stopping are provided. Never have I had a car just stop functioning and this is entremely unsafe.

- Inwood, WV, USA

problem #39

Jan 132023

Pacifica

  • miles
I have a 2021 Pacifica Hybrid in (Vin: 2C4RC1S70MR51943) that has encountered the dreaded "Service Charging System" message 5 times now in the past year, with the past 3 occurrences all happening in the last 3 weeks. Each time the car will not start, and the gear shifter will flash, the red charging light will illuminate on the dash, and the check engine light is on. On one occurrence, I turned the car off, then on again and was able to drive, however the check engine light was illuminated. I ran an OBD scan and the code was P1A21. On another instance, I was driving and lost all propulsion, the screen indicated "Service Charging System" message. Luckily I was on a local road and not a freeway and I was able to pull into the bike lane, still obstructing 1/2 of the right lane. After 5 minutes of trying to restart the car, I was able to move the car and I drove it to Earnhardt CJDR in Gilbert Arizona. When I got there, the check engine light had disappeared. I dropped off the car and to my disbelief the dealership told me there is nothing they can do if they can not replicate the issue. I am not stuck with a van my wife is afraid to drive due to the imminent threat of the car turning off while driving. I have 2 young children and I do not feel the van is safe in its current condition. Yet, the dealer is unable to resolve/replicate the issue. I have videos displaying the issue along with a screenshot of the OBD error code. It appears the dealership does not care about the safety of my wife and children by not being able to fix this issue. I have done a significant amount of research online and have found this to be a relatively common issue. In my opinion this vehicle is not safe to drive due to the risk of a complete shutdown and I commute on the freeway to and from work and the last thing I need is to have the van disabled on a busy interstate.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

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