— A Chrysler Pacifica engine stall lawsuit alleges the minivans can die on the highways at any speed, and Fiat Chrysler (FCA US) has no idea how to fix the problems.
The lawsuit includes all U.S. residents who purchased or leased 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica minivans equipped with 3.6-liter V6 engines and 9-speed 948TE automatic transmissions.
The Pacifica engine stall proposed class-action lawsuit was filed after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was petitioned by the Center for Auto Safety to investigate complaints about 2017 Chrysler Pacifica engines that stall while driving.
The petition says minivan owners report that dealers try different repairs to solve the stalling problems, including replacing the transmission and voltage control modules or updating the software. In addition, technicians try replacing the fuel tanks and modules, replacing the electrical power distribution boxes and making sure no loose battery connections exist.
However, owners report the repairs don't stop the engines from dying in the middle of the roads.
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is reportedly an updated version of the Chrysler Town & Country, with a 9-speed automatic transmission and a “gearbox lifted from the Chrysler 200 sedan.”
The Pacifica is also equipped with an automatic shutdown feature called the Engine STOP/START System (ESS) intended to reduce fuel consumption by stopping the engine “automatically during a vehicle stop if the required conditions are met.”
Plaintiffs Ryan and Sarah Wildin say they purchased a new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica in 2016 and since then experienced engine stall multiple times. One of those times occurred in December 2017 when the Pacifica engine stalled while driving on a highway, allegedly almost causing another vehicle to rear-end the minivan.
With about 44,300 miles on the Pacifica, the plaintiffs took their minivan to a dealership and complained that the engine died while driving about 45 mph. The repair order allegedly said the technician was unable to verify the complaint, and no repairs were performed.
The plaintiffs say they complained about the stalling problem to the dealer again a few days, telling technicians it felt like the clutch was going out.
In addition, the dealer was told the Pacifica was stalling while driving more than 65 mph, but technicians allegedly couldn't detect any trouble codes and couldn't duplicate the problem. However, "a TCM update was performed and the TCM memory reset."
According to the lawsuit, the dealer visits did nothing to stop the engine from stalling, and the automaker has been unable to do anything about it.
The lawsuit alleges FCA has confirmed similar symptoms in other vehicles, including the 2015 Chrysler 200, and must know about the problems because of customer complaints about engine stall.
Chrysler allegedly refuses to fix the minivans under warranty and tells customers their Pacifica minivans are working properly. The plaintiffs claim the most dealerships can do is make repairs that do nothing but mask the problems.
The Chrysler Pacifica engine stall lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California - Ryan and Sarah Wildin, et al., v. FCA US, LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by Capstone Law APC.
