2017 Chrysler Pacifica complaints

Although no active recalls are on the now. While driving the transmission changes hard. It makes a loud noise and jerks randomly. I’m concerned it wasn’t fixed during recall. I recently purchased this vehicle used. Do I have any recourse?

On Thursday May 30th was the first incident of the vehicle shutting down we were able to start it back up almost immediately within seconds on the 2nd occasion I was on a street with cars behind me going down to make a turn the stop start did not engage but we were still a ways away from the stoplight and suddenly the engine stopped no signs other than just stopping I could not start it back up I look down there was no indication of any issue other than a stalling so put it in part turned it off turn it back on no start try it again didn't work could not turn it over to neutral to get off the road police came while I had somebody disconnect battery and reconnect it to try to get it started again there was no less battery power on the engine it took 15 minutes or more to get it started once able to get started we brought it back home it was Sunday the 1st of June 2025 so there were no mechanics available still unknown as to what caused the malfunction no indicator lights other than during the issue with a lightning bolt and during the outage the check engine light was on no lights currently on. The Danger was to myself and two children in the vehicle and too many other vehicles behind me that could have crashed into me or cause incident being in the road working on the vehicle having to go around us waiting for green lights or a miss trying to get around us and avoid other traffic

The coolant leaked into the engine and blown the headgasket. This has been confirmed by Pepboys who work on my car. It has not been inspected by manufacturer or others. It started by causing the ignition coil to fail and the engine would start rough and check engine light would come on. started around 5/1/2025

My 2017 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid has been at the Chrysler dealership since December 5th of 2024 for recall 73b and dtc p0c78 The dealership attempted to perform recall 73B but unfortunately were not able to because the hybrid battery would not accept a charge.(During the recall you have to fully charge the battery and then discharge it to test the battery) The dealership has gone back and forth with the recall team and a Chrysler engineer they finally gave me the news today that they will not be covering the battery, even though the battery is to be replaced if the battery is seen to be faulty they want to charge me $24,000 to replace the battery, I truly feel like Chrysler is not wanting to honor the recall and do what they should by replacing the battery I have spent thousands of dollars on this vehicle with parts that Chrysler had said the vehicle needed and Bill Luke Chrysler dealership installed. The last contact I had with the bill Luke was they said that the regional rep will not approve a battery replacement, I feel the vehicle should get a hybrid battery replaced under the recall due to the circumstances. The vehicle does not run or drive or start. I have attached all the emails that I have and receipts are in the emails for the module that they told me I needed to replace before they could complete the recall.

Hi! This vehicle stopped twice in the middle of a road on its own. Vehicle was driving fine and the next second it slowed down and wouldn’t accelerate as I would push the gas pedal. It’s as if the engine shut down due to the car signals not transmitting correctly. The screen started blinking on and off giving me warnings and one of them said “Service Shifter!” My safety and my children’s safety was put at risk because anyone could’ve hit us from behind as the car started decelerating on the road with oncoming traffic. I towed the car to a mechanic as the car does not run properly while being driven, and the mechanic said it has multiple electrical issues and multiple leaks. The vehicle was inspected by my own mechanic, as the dealer also inspected it and they tried to connect the scanner to turn off the engine light and get me to drive off. They have refused help and I truly believe they knew this car was a safety hazard. After leaving the dealer, 4 minutes into driving the car started slowing down and I was able to make it into the parking lot, but got stranded in the middle of the street where opposite traffic comes into. I bought the car 03/01/2025. The check engine light turned on 2 weeks in. The battery seemed to be drained 2 weeks in but it did not need cables or recharge, it’s as if the battery loses connection. Then at the one month mark it started having those issues, no warning until it completely stopped on the road. When it stopped on the road, that’s when the scr

UNEXPECTED ENGINE SHUTDOWN ALL POWER STOPPED WHILE DRIVING.

Power steering module malfunctioned when taking kids to school. Auto repair shop confirmed.

The engine failed at 57,400 miles. My wife was driving with our kids and engine locked up. I took to the dealership and they said that the engine block and head is warped and cracked. The engine needed to be completely replaced. My warranty period was over and company did not want to stand behind the product and help with any repairs. They said the vehicle overheated but that never happened during this time.

We are the original owners of this vehicle, which has been consistently and properly maintained. Recently, the vehicle stalled unexpectedly in the middle of the highway and would not restart, creating a significant safety hazard. The check engine light illuminated, and the vehicle could not be shifted into neutral, preventing it from being safely moved out of traffic. After the vehicle was towed to the dealership, we were informed that the starter had failed due to coolant leakage from a compromised head gasket. This coolant intrusion damaged the starter, rendering it inoperable. The dealership advised that while the starter could be replaced, it would likely fail again unless the underlying head gasket issue is addressed. We have since learned that this is a known and recurring issue with certain Chrysler models. Unfortunately, Chrysler has not issued a recall, nor have they provided vehicle owners with any formal notification or long-term solution to this potentially dangerous defect.

-Stalled while driving -Loud clanking upon start -No diagnostic info was accessible -Replaced Cadillac converter, was glowing red -Once replaced still hot, 10,000-20,000 degrees -

The contact owned a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while attempting to enter the garage from a stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed and it traveled to the floorboard, causing the vehicle to violently accelerate 7 feet and crash into the garage. The vehicle crashed into the garage, through a wall, garden box, fence, and a mud ground where the vehicle came to a stop. No warning light illuminated prior to the failure. None of the air bags deployed. There was property damage to the garage and walls. No injuries were sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The insurance company deemed it a total loss. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,828.

Sliding doors open when you open either front door.

Clock spring in the steering column broke.

Grille shudder broke

P0302 code triggered the CEL. Spark plug showed signs of coolant spark plug, and leak down pressure test presented a leaking cylinder head gasket. Disassembly of the air intake manifold revealed the oil cooler was leaking oil and mixing oil with coolant.

I am writing to report another incident related to my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. Today, while driving on a major highway, my vehicle unexpectedly shut off and braked violently multiple times without warning, creating a serious safety hazard. Fortunately, there was no accident, but due to the sudden and forceful braking, I am now experiencing pain in my head, neck, upper back, and shoulders. I previously reported electrical issues with this vehicle on January 22, 2024. Given the recurring nature of these problems, I am extremely concerned about the ongoing safety risks. Please advise on the next steps to formally document this incident and any updates regarding similar reports or investigations into this issue. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

Driver side seat belt locks when I first put it on but as I'm driving down the road, sometimes it will come unlocked by itself

Hard shifts when accelerating. Constantly having issues where if I press on gas the vehicle hesitates and RPM jumps and jerks my children and I very bad.The vehicle Constantly stalls out to were we can be killed one day! I would like this reported due to the scary situation i have been having on the road with accelerating the vehicle and the car starts smelling like it's going to catch fire one day! I keep smelling oil burning and no one acts like they know about the thousands of recalls about the transmission failure that is not covered for my vin. This is a waste of money to be investigating my vehicle issue. This vehicle was poorly made to kill someone. No check engine lights have ever been displayed since I bought this vehicle

Had to have PLASTIC oil filter housing and Oil cooler replaced due to warping from the engine heat and leaking into engine bay causing a burning oil smell throughout the entire vehicle. Was replaced by Meineke car care with an aftermarket Aluminum constructed part. Constantly having transmission issues since the vehicle hit 70,000 miles. Now at 139,000. Fluid flush and fill done and transmission fluid was ridiculously thin and dirty despite it being known as a SEALED transmission and being told by Chrysler that no fluid changes should ever need to be done for the transmission. Seems as though the transmission may be slipping, and is shifting very hard after having the fluid changed.

Cylinder 5 was misfiring causing driveability problems. If the engine were to fail completely, then the vehicle could become uncontrollable and cause an accident. The manufacturer knows about the problem but has not issued a recall. The vehicle was repaired by the local car dealer. The problem occured around 57000 miles on the odometer. A check engine light did come on.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle was undrivable. The dealer declined to release the vehicle without repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,600.

Engine has a blown head gasket at 80k miles. Number 3 cylinder keeps misfiring due to the engine coolant being injected into the cylinder due to the blown head gasket. Poor engineering with this engine and I’ve read several others have experienced this same issue. Please do a recall for this issue due to the warranty not wanting to cover this!

Front right stabilizer broke while driving down street and caused loss of control of vehicle. Vehicle spun to right and crashed into parked vehicle.

In December 2018 a recall on the shifter was issued for Pacificas 2017 and 2018. The emergency brake would engage when ignition was turned on and van would not go forward or reverse. We purchased our 2017 Pacifica van on November 24, 2020. We started having this issue again last year in September 2024. The van’s emergency brake engaged when husband stopped at a red light and couldn’t start the van until after four light changes. Drivers behind us were not happy. He finally got the car to the Chrysler dealership. They had it for 6 weeks without much communication with us and what the problem was. They put a diagnostic device on it and it drove fine from December 2024 until yesterday, March 9, 2025, when the same brake issue came up again and we couldn’t get van started. We left it in the parking lot and our son came and gave us a ride home. Around 10pm last night our son and my husband went back to see if they could get it started to at least get it home. Many tries were unsuccessful until the last try when our son had the driver side door open and turned on the ignition. On the screen it said “Shifter needs service”. My husband had been unable to reach a service personnel to read the device on the van. In the meantime, I called another Chrysler dealer, told them what was going on with van, and asked about the recalls. The lady there was very nice and asked for the VIN on van. She looked it up and said the recall for shifter went out in December 2018, and the issue on our van

Unknown

The check engine light came on. Upon using a code reader, a code for a misfire in cylinder 3 populated. The ignition coil was replaced for cylinder 3. About a month later, the check engine light came back on and all 6 spark plugs were replaced. My vehicle had some rough starts periodically. As time went on, the rough starts turned into serious shaking. The check engine would come on and be gone in a day or so. Every time the code reader read cylinder 3. After months of trying to trouble shoot and do what we could, we took it to a mechanic where they informed us that my vehicle had a blown head gasket. They revealed to us that this is a very common problem with the particular engine, 3.6L Pentastar. This is a problem that they have seen for years in this particular engine. The mechanic had to send part of my engine out to a machine shop to be re-drilled properly in order to fix the issue which was very costly. The safety of my family was put at risk as the gasket blew while we were driving down the freeway unsure if we were going to make it home. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than ourselves, the mechanic and the machine shop.

Sometimes when the car starts, the lights on the gear shift won’t light up, and you cannot put the car into drive or any other gear. Seems to be related to the electrical box inside of the glove compartment. Have seen videos of other drivers that have noticed the same issue.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft position sensor needed to be replaced, and the engine control software needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V049000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); and linked the failure to the recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,700.

2017 Chrysler Pacific diagnosed with leaking head gasket at ~65000 miles. Initially diagnosed from a check engine light code for a cylinder misfire. My private mechanic said that he has done 4 of these in the past month (Jan 2025). He said this is a costly repair that should not happen with this low of mileage. In exploring the problem, it appears that it is a known issue.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to be restarted after 30 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an oil change and tune-up. The dealer determined that the failure could be related to the motor mounts. The dealer replaced the motor mounts; however, the failure recurred within an hour while the contact was driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wiring underneath the front passenger's seat had failed. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

Unknown, engine light came on flashing while driving. Car has been repaired by the dealership a few weeks ago and replaced the fuel pump.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow the vehicle, with the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard the vehicle failed to stop as intended. As a result, the contact had to go through a stop sign eventually coasting to a complete stop. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the brakes had seized. The contact was also informed that the front end struts needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 140,000.

The transmission shifts very hard, it causes the vehicle to jump forward and feels like you have been hit by another car. There is not one specific incident it happens frequently

We experienced a failure of the entire steering rack assembly and tie rod ends and also the control module for the steering system. The repair cost was just under $5,000.00. I question why the entire rack and pinion steering system needed to be replaced. I ask what component failed on on the steering rack and what specifically fail on the steering control assembly. No logical answer was provided. I told the dealer I brought the Van in for a diagnosis of concerning steering corrections taking place even with the steering adaptive function turned off. I explained replacing everything involving the steering of the car should correct the issue but it did not feel like a diagnoses and more like a shotgun approach that I would be forced to pay for. I explained by wife drive this vehicle and she had a trip planned to travel across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and I believed the erratic behavior of the steering was to dangerous to change driving. I rented a replacement van to ensure her safety. The problem was recreated by the Dealership and the estimate to replace everything involving the steering system was provided as the fix. I have the steering assembly at my home but no one has opened or inspected what components failed. This failure appeared around 81,000 miles on our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited. I have owned 5 Chrysler products and have never had a rack steering assembly fail even with most of our vehicles exceeding 200,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that upon attempting to open the rear passenger’s side sliding door, the door fell off the track. The door ajar warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 177,000.

The oil filter housing and oil cooler unit is made of plastic, mounted to the central engine (metal). It warped with heat and caused oil to leak into the valley of the engine and cause failure of bay 3 and 5 fuel injectors which caused multiple cylinder misfire. My engine experienced this problem for the first time in a busy intersection. With the engine heaving I had to pull over and tow the van to a shop. The faulty oil cooler unit was confirmed by dealership diagnostics and was not covered under warranty. I have the original part. This a recurring problem with many other drivers online and an aluminum aftermarket part has been made to solve this problem. The original part should be recalled and replaced by Chrysler. The EGR hosing is made of brittle plastic and split/cracked of its own accord. I have pictures and most of the original hose.

[XXX] my check engine light came on and started blinking as I was driving. I then noticed that my car was sputtering. I stopped my car immediately and had it towed to a dealership at that exact point I had just over 64,136 miles on my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The following is the work that they performed on my vehicle. CONCERN VERIFIED. VEHICLE HAS AN ACTIVE MISFIRE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS FLASHING. SCANNED VEHICLE FOR CODES AND FOUND MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3. REMOVED COIL AND SWAPPED TO CYLINDER 1. SPARK PLUG REMOVED AND SWAPPED TO CYLINDER 5. RETESTED. MISFIRE MOVED TO CYLINDER 1. REPLACED IGNITION COIL AND ROAD TESTED VEHICLE. AFTER VEHICLE WAS WARM THE MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3 RETURNED. SWAPPED FUEL INJECTOR TO CYLINDER 2. MISFIRE STAYED ON CYLINDER 3. REMOVED COIL AND SPARK PLUG FROM CYLINDER 3 AND BORESCOPED CYLINDER. FOUND COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE CYLINDER. RECOMMEND REPLACING CYLINDER HEAD GASKET AND CHECKING THE CYLINDER HEAD FOR WARPAGE. REMOVED CYLINDER HEAD AND FOUND CYLINDER HEAD TO BE WARPED AND NEEDING TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE GASKETS. REPLACED LEFT AND RIGHT VALVE COVER GASKETS, CYLINDER HEAD, CYLINDER HEAD GASKETS, TIMING COVER GASKETS, EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET, SPARK PLUGS, UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE GASKETS. COMPLETED OIL CHANGE. Fast forward to [XXX] vehicle mileage 74,955 my wife was leaving to go to the farmers market. She called me to inform me that the check engine light came on blinking and the car started sputtering again. The exact same issue happened again

Misfire cylinder 3 caused by head gasket failure. Known issue in Chrysler Penstar engines and they are not taking responsibility. Could have been stranded in middle of highway if I didn't get off the road

Blown head gasket and oil cooler leak

My car shut down on highway and the dealership said it was the terminals on the battery being dirty it happened agin so I had the battery changed then it did it again and the dealership changed one spark plug , one coil pack then it happened again changed all spark plugs and coil packs my car did it again and now I’m being told I’m probably going to need a new engine I notified Chrysler telling them this has happened several times and they said there was nothing they could do

My car will start, i will start to drive and when i am driving a “electrical stability” label will pop up on the dash and then the battery icon and check engine icon will show up on dash. My radio screen will go blank and then the car will shut off completely. It will then pop up on the dash and say stop safely vehicle with shut pff soon

Head gasket leak at 69k , crowley chrystler replaced head and now at 101 k leaking again

Check engine light. Cylinoid misfire reported, #3. Replaced. Check engine light reappeared. Coolant leak. Coolant checked with die solution to check combustion mixture. Tested positive. Head gasket leaks diagnosed. Possible head gasket crack. Vehicle was unsafe to family driving as failure could occur on highway. Family member had to pull over on side of road to prevent overheating.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power and failed to accelerate above 5 MPH. During the failure, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the failure self-corrected and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V049000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 90,000.

This vehicle has been totaled about a week ago. I meant to report this earlier but since we're moving (military) I never had the chance. Around april 2023, I noticed my pacifica had a misfire. I assumed it was plugs and wires so I replaced them - check engine for misfire went away. A few weeks later same thing happened. This time, I was loosing coolant. Took it to a chrysler dealer top have it properly diagnosed fearing the worst - they told me without even looking at it that this particular year of pentastar on the pacifica has blown head gaskets and that they change them all the time. I decided to repair the head gasket myself and I did so and drove the vehicle up until last week when it was totaled. There are many others experiencing this same issue with the pacifica and Chrysler needs to do something about it as it typically happens around 75-85K miles. Mine was no different.

On November the 17th of 2024 this problem occurred for the third time in the past 90 days. I purchased this vehicle approximately 90 days ago so that means that has happened three times within the past 90 days. As I step on the brake pedal to stop the car accelerates and lunges forward. The first time this happened I was involved in an incident. The third time it happened took me through an intersection but I was wanting to turn left but because of the excessive acceleration lunging forward scenario I could not slow down the vehicle enough to make the left turn but continued through the intersection. After pumping on the brakes it finally stopped accelerating and I felt that I was under control then of the vehicle.

2017 through 2024 Pacificas with the 3.6 Pentastar engines have problems that in case of coolant leaks in the system, it leads to a engine coolant reservoir low level which allows air to enter the system and causes unrepairable damage to the engine that needs it to be replaced. ROOT CAUSE is FAC / Stellantis / Chrysler FAILED to install a simple and cheap engine coolant reservoir low level warning sensor which would save the majority of the people with blown head gaskets all this grief and expense. The 3.6 Pentastar engine uses aluminum heads with an open skirt design which means that the cylinder heads are weak and prone to warping under ANY overheat condition.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact was informed that the engine was operating on five cylinders instead of six. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that previously the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic several times. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a plastic piece that was missing from the engine. The contact stated that the independent mechanic reset the vehicle and the check engine warning light was off. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The incident first occurred in our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica while my wife was driving our Kindergartener to school. The vehicle stalled in high flow traffic almost causing her to get rear ended. Dash said to shift to park and turn van off. Was unable to get it restarted and had traffic blocked in the left lane for almost an hour waiting on a tow truck. Took it to the dealership and they told her it was a bad battery. Paid almost $400 to replace the battery, and today (11/16/2024) it just did it again while pulling into a gas station, still halfway in the road. Van said “shift to park to start engine.” Shifted and engine shut off but was able to restart it this time. Was unable to move shifter dial and sudden loss of power almost caused 2 wrecks so far within 2 months of each incident. Each time we were told there’s nothing wrong and that the recall that was causing this issue was already fixed. This needs to get dealt with before someone gets seriously injured.

Problem 1. Service airbag light. We bought our brand new 2017 Pacifica the summer of 2017. Within a month, we took the van in to the dealership due to the service airbag light. They told us they couldn’t replicate the issue so they couldn’t fix the issue. The van has been having the same issue for the past 7 years, the service airbag light randomly popped on especially in the summer/winter when hitting a bumper or making a sharp turn. We took the van in numerous times but they couldn’t detect any issue or read any code due to it. Recently months, it has happened a lot more often, finally we are notified the issue was due to the faulty occupant restrain module which could cause the airbag not to deployed during an accident or to deploy during a normal driving. Problem 2. U0001 Can bus issue. The check engine light would randomly be on and gives a U0001 code. Sometimes it would affect the drivability of the car. The car stalled on us at a red light. The car couldn’t accelerate after pressing the brake and made loud noise when press the gas at a very busy traffic situation. The car’s rpm got stuck when driving. The mentioned above randomly happened numerous times in the past but more often during recently years. If you research on the website called Pacifica forum, you will see a lot of canbus issues with the 2017 Pacifica making this family van a hazard or death trap. My service airbag issue might or might not due to the can bus. After 7 years, thousands of dollars spent, so mu