2017 Chrysler Pacifica complaints

The Check Engine light indicated a misfire is cylinder 1 and the car was running roughly. After changing the injector, spark plug and coil wire, the problem continued. The mechanic finally determined there was radiator coolant in the exhaust indicating a failure of the head gasket. A leak in the engine block, and improper combustion can lead to a myriad of safety issues. A check online revealed this to be a common problem in this Chrysler engine in 2017 in the 1-3-5 cylinders with some contributors suggesting an improper casting of the engine block during manufacture. It commonly appears around 60,000-75,000 miles, generally after the power train warranty has expired. My van was at 75,729 miles. The cost to repair the vehicle was $3488.48. The repair was done by my trusted mechanic as I am sure that the Chrysler dealer would be far more expensive. This is due to a manufacturers defect, not normal wear and tear. This expense should not be borne by the consumer.

Our vehicle started to shudder when we started. We took it to the dealership, who initially was unable to identify an issue. They then, a day later, identified that the head gaskets needed replaced. This required a significant repair. Reviewing online, there appear to be hundreds, if not thousands, of similar issues when this type of vehicle reaches approximately 70,000 miles. Our vehicle is a little beyond 70,000 miles. We have also had some other issues, including about 1.5 years ago where the vehicle would randomly turn off while driving. We did take this in for a repair.

Engine Coolant leaks inside the engine Cylinder #5 without warning and cracked the engine block cylinder head #5. This has happened 2 times on this vehicle replacing the engine once. Vehicle has been maintained in accordance with manufacture recommendations.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica with 103,000 miles experienced a blown head gasket.

The vehicle is available for inspection. At an intersection the vehicle abruptly turned off, while the engine was running and in drive. Children were in the vehicle and I was very scared and in shock when it happened. My car just randomly turned off, while I was sitting in the middle of an intersection and the vehicle was in drive (obviously). I was able to turn it back on, but it was very dangerous and could have killed us if a car had come through the [XXX] intersection while we were stuck there. Safety of other drivers on the road at risk, my life and children’s lives were at risk. Could have caused death had our van been stuck in the middle of this busy intersection a few feet more forward. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

44,000 miles- engine shake and check engine light on. Dealership changed spark plugs as the issue. Spark plugs not even recommended to change till 100K miles Spring 2024- Active shutter grill replaced Fall 2024 92,000 miles- code Misfire Cyl 3 replaced spark plug and coil. Code came back a few days later. took to Dealership and head (Cyl 1,3,5) replaced. Dealership advised that they repair many engine heads

Numerous issues: 1. Multiple misfire codes, check engine 2. Loss of Coolant, no indication of leaks 3. Faulty thermostat. Loss of A/C and heat 4. Bottom of both sliding door panels corroded, with paint loss 5. Uconnect system malfunctioned, not working at all **Repairs have costs thousands already. And based on the other complaints, probably much, much more. Something is obviously wrong here, but Chrysler is NOT doing much about it unfortunately.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L with 3.6L engine. Odometer 78623 miles. Noted rough idling of engine for a few seconds when started. Later in day, at low speeds, check engine light came on solidly (no flashing) for a few seconds and then turned off. Early next morning took van to reputable local mechanic who has maintained the vehicle according to Chrysler recommendations. They pulled error code P0305 Cylinder misfire. They removed and inspected spark plug which showed minor deposits. Looked in cylinder with bore scope which showed orange-redish discoloration on piston. Put new spark plug on #5 and swapped coil #5 with coil #3. Coolant was low but no coolant leak was discovered. Van never had an overheating episode. All maintenance was performed according to Chrysler recommended schedule, first by local Chrysler dealership, and then by this same mechanic shop. Diagnosis, warped or fractured cylinder head resulting in coolant leak into cylinder. Pictures were taken by shop and available on request.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,854.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while children were attempting to exit the vehicle from the rear driver’s side sliding door, the door failed to open as needed. The contact attempted to manually open the door from outside the vehicle and was unable to open the door. The contact stated that while driving to the dealer to service the door, the door ajar message was displayed on the instrument panel, accompanied by a warning chime. The contact closed the door which corrected the failure. Once the vehicle was at the dealer, the failure was diagnosed, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. Upon investigation, the contact discovered Manufacturer Communication Number: 08-027-18(Electrical System) which was linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was an abnormal odor coming from the engine compartment. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a leak in the fuel rail and the fuel rail needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,200.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated the gear shift was in reverse however the vehicle went forward independently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

Engine light came on. Independent service operator noted leaking coolant and oil. Sent camera into cylinder from misfiring spark plug and discovered broken head gasket. The car is available for inspection on request.

I was driving, slowing down approaching stop sign and the car just shut off leaving me stranded in the middle of a road, blocking traffic. It is a start/stop push button so there was no way to get it in gear to move it. Everything was completely locked up. I had my child in my car with me. If we had been 10 minutes further into my trip, I would have been on the highway and we probably would have been killed as a result of the car just shutting off. I had to have it towed and am waiting to hear what the repair shop finds but they are expecting an electrical short. I see this is a problem with the hybrids of the same time period. I think you need to investigate the non-hybrid cars as well.

The vehicle presents almost all warning lights then acts very radically . The engine will stall, won’t go in gear . It will happen while vehicle is in motion. Super dangerous. I’ve had it to the dealer 3 times . They can’t seem to find a fix

We bought the van on 03/31/2022. On 08/31/2023 we went to get into the van, while it was parked outside of our home, and I tried to start it up but it wouldn't start. I had my mechanic look at it and he said it would need a new engine. I"m so glad that it happened in front of my house or else I would have been stranded somewhere with my kids- which would have been very dangerous. There were no symptoms or indicators of the problem before it happened. It happened out of nowhere. Our warranty on the vehicle expired 5 months prior to it breaking down so we haven't taken it to the dealer. We can't afford it. Before it broke down it went to every single service appointment and was up to date on every oil change/ service it needed.

Head gasket failure and warped cilinder @ 73K miles. Sounds like this is an extremly common problem and wanted to report it here. Vehicle is currently awaiting repairs at dealership. i was quoted $6,000 for repairs.

See attached document for complaint.

Blown Head Gasket Had vehicle less than 6 months

Shifter assembly. Turned on Pacifica engine. The battery was also reading 14.2 and normally it's at 13. The steering wheel button light was on, and it turned on by itself. The shifter assembly light was off and wouldn't allow to go into gear. The check engine light turned on and the service shifter was on the screen. When I pushed the button to turn off the steering wheel button the engine started to vigorously rattle and the rpms were jumping all around. Towed it to dealership and they said the shifter assembly is failing but hasn't completely failed. This issue has happened 3 times.

We have tried to figure out what is going on with our brakes for months now. We have changed our brakes to new brakes and took into two car repair shops. Both even after explaining to them couldn’t figure it out because it does not do it all the time. We thought it could be the brake booster or something but they don’t want to changed it if it’s not Our brakes become hard will not brake even to the point we can’t stop and slide through lights almost like we are on ice. This has happened many many times. We just recently have been reading forums to see if this is happening to anyone else and there are so many complaints! This is so scary to drive espically with teens and two little ones and winter drives. We expect a recall soon or someone will be sued asap

Intermittently my van will lose power, all dash lights will pop up, active parksense unavailable, service required , blind spot alert temporarily unavailable , service shifter, fcw unavailable service required, service electronic stability control will pop up on the dash and in the message center. Code p0420 has popped up on a reader. Several trips to the dealership purchased at, and they cannot figure out the issues. I have 2 kids, this is a major safety concern. I had it shutdown on a highway 3 weeks ago with my 9 month old in the van. Recall list says everything was repaired, but it seems there needs to be more recalls. These vans are not safe. Recall them all. Chrysler is going to end up with a lawsuit. I think this is a major defect on the electrical and computer systems. When driving the van it will show I'm doing 70 but really 35mph. The van will rough idle. Again these are all intermittent issues that happen all at once. It seems like the van will reset itself once it's sat overnight. We just bought the van in May 2024 and this started a few weeks later. Very frustrating. The dealership won't buy it back, they can't figure out what the issue is. I

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed through an intersection, the automatic braking system engaged independently, and the engine shut off. Despite the sudden failure, the contact's wife was able to restart the vehicle and resume normal driving. The contact then stated that while driving at slow speeds, the failure reoccurred with the Lane Departure Assist message flashing on the instrument panel. The manufacturer was notified after each failure had occurred; however, the contact was not offered any assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 67,950.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the backup camera had malfunctioned. The contact stated that while in reverse the backup camera display screen image was either a solid blue or a black screen, or the image was frozen, causing a visibility hazard to the driver. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,000.

Purchased 2017 Pacifica Limited in [XXX] from Carmax. 38K miles. Purchased Carmax 100K warranty. Within 90 day Carmax dealer repair warranty, Misfire cylinder 3 check engine light came on. Carmax replaced coil, injector etc. Cleared check engine light. June 24 Misfire cylinder 5 check engine light came on. Vehicle never over heated. Took the vehicle to independent repair shop that performs MaxCare warranty work. Diagnosis: Blown head gaskets. 950/? in coolant when tested. 3 week parts B/O. That would indicate many problems. Chrysler Pacifica Forums have hundreds of blown head gasket entries for years 2017-18. The blown head gaskets were causing rough starts, rough idling, and stalls. Additionally, I don't know why this has not been addressed as a safety issue. When this started occurring, my wife would have to hit the START button 2-3-4 times to get it to start and then it ran rough for a few minutes. Some times stall. The Start/Stop feature is affected when the engine does not rapidly start when the pedal is pushed. This is a big safety issue when on the road and in traffic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Minivan was performing normally, then at a signal light after 14 min of driving on the hwy, the car stalled at a major intersection. Multiple attempts were made to restart but gear selector was locked in drive. The knob would not turn (locked). Multiple Error messages were displayed on central gauges and tow truck had to be called, since car was blocking freeway lane crossing. The car did restart eventually but gear selector still locked and minivan is not operational.

I have researched this and it seems to be a problem that is very common to the Pacificas. Some examples can be found here, but there are hundreds of reports of this across the Internet. [XXX] The problem is twofold. 1. The plastic oil cooler that Chrysler uses on these vehicles is substandard and will fail. Typically this happens just outside of warranty. These parts were made to fail which induces a very expensive repair. 2. There is a very common issue with the head gaskets on these vans. So much so, that when I had one of them replaced on my van the service advisor suggested I do them both because he said the other one would fail soon. He said it happens all the time on these vans. I spent almost $4000 to have one replaced, there is no way I could afford to have more done. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Auto start/stop need service and then vehicle will mention stop safely vehicle will turn off. I then will lose power to my vehicle

The Brake Booster created unsafe vehicle handling/driving . Safety was at risk as the car would not remain stopped when the brake pedal was pushed. The pedal would resist pressure and the car would move forward into instersections, cars in front of this car, and it required that I place the car in Park to stop the car. The part has been replaced and the brakes work as they should. There was a recall of the 2018-20 Chrysler Pacificas for the same reason. I read that others have experienced this Brake Booster problem with other years, excluding 2018-20. Lives of the people in the car were at risk until this was fixed. Also, it was not noted on the Chrysler computer check as a problem. I had to insist that it was happening in order to get this repaired. There has been precedence for this malfunctioning part and I request that I am reimbursed what I paid for repair, along with a recall issued. Lives are at risk!

Head gasket failed, flooding #5 cylinder with engine coolant. A warning lamp came on just prior to the failure signaling the #5 plug was misfiring. The engine stopped running and could not start the vehicle. The engine is the Chrysler Pentastar V6 with 63,763 miles.

I was driving my car and approached at a stop sign. The car stopped and froze. The shifter knob lights were out and I was unable to move the car or shift the gears into neutral . ( The engine turned on ,but I could not move my car.) I had the car towed to my autodealership. Since then, the car has repeatedly started, but the shifter is frozen. My dealership has spent a month telling me they don't know how to fix the car. The dealership has been trying one thing after the other, they tell me, yet within a week my car is not functioning. The dealership installed new programming. a week ago.. A few days afterwards, while I was slowing down in city traffic, the dashboard filled with error messages and the car became extremely bumpy to drive. Today, I just had the car towed again to the dealership. The car started, but the shifter was not functioning with an error message "Service Shifter." The car shifter randomly worked once the tow truck arrived, but still had the engine light on. I await to see if the car can be fixed.

We continue to get errors with the Start/stop technology. Three times since 2018 the indicator light came on while driving stating start/stop errors. On one occasion we lost power on a freeway and had to quickly pull off the highway when the vehicle went into limp mode. That repair was covered by warranty. In other cases we have replaced batteries but they soon die and produce the same warnings before a normal life span of a battery. We have repair recipients to document.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality; however, the failure recurred while driving, and the vehicle independently shifted to park(P). The immobilizer warning light was illuminated. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System) and 18V049000 (Electrical System, Engine and Engine Cooling) that were previously performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

As I am driving down the street in the middle of traffic the van will cut off and all wheels will lock , I buy a new battery and wires and it continues to happen, not able to drive the expressway scared of causing an accident. The dash will start blinking and the electric will start flashing radio shuts down and the whole car is down for a few minutes like it need to reset.

Our 2017 Pacifica has been in for diagnostic review/repair several times. While traveling between speeds of 50-70 miles per hour after a period of anywhere between 35-90 minutes when making easy right corners the steering sticks in place between 11 & 1 positions. Has been noticed on shorter distances in hotter weather than and on longer trips farther into the drive. We recently had the electronic power steering computer replaced which did not fix the problem. Currently the dealership is advising that the rack and pinion need replacing but the warranty company will not pay as they are not able to replicate the error in the presence of the warranty company inspector. Since replacing the electronic power steering was unsuccessful in correcting the problem, the warranty company is requiring the dealership to provide proof of part failure before they pay. My son turned [XXX] on [XXX] and got his drivers license. At this time we do not have $4,000 to replace the rack and pinion and the warranty company won't cover it due to dealership errors. It is my understanding there are hundreds of reported cases of this same exact issue without any recalls. We refuse to allow our [XXX] son to drive a literal death trap with known and reported steering issues to the government and manufacturer but that may not be an option for everyone. May god or whomever forgive the souls of those who wait for the death of a child or other before taking action. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF

At 76,000 miles, the engine started to misfire and smoke while driving. Loud pop heard. Took it in and dealership said it was a known engine problem with this 3.6 liter engine on cylinder #5 due to the lack of heat dissipation in the rear of the engine compartment. Thank goodness we had just started the car when we heard the pop. The service engine light cam on immediately after the rough start and now if started, it smokes from the tailpipe. Likely head gasket, warped head due to lack of cooling. Car always serviced at dealership. This is a common and known problem at this mileage for this vehicle.

1. Engine power failure 2. Put in extreme danger-I lost all power going through a tunnel under water (MM Bridge Tunnel). I completely stalleddead center in the middle. Only by the grace of God did no one hit me. I also have severe neck issues. A couple of my neck discs need to be replaced. If I were hit I could have been paralyzed. This has created emotional and financial anxiety as well as poor sleep due to tense muscles and body aches. 3. It has almost cut off twice since then. A mechanic did a deep check of all electrical systems, they are fine. He said it was an engine power drain issue. He said according to research it was a known engine problem. 4. Dealer said my vin # is not on the list (even though it's a known problem) and stated I would have to pay for check and repairs. I saw there was a case settlement and am hoping that will cover the cost. The was no police report even though they pulled up to protect me. The van eventually started again and I moved to a safe location. Dodd's Auto shop did evaluation. 5. I noticed an engine light before stall. I'm not sure how long it had been on. My van has a security video but I'm not sure how to get it. My husband is out of town caring for his 96yr old father so he couldn't get it for me.

Check engine light on. P0303 Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected, My maintenance history : Coil is good, only been 27,000 mile since I replaced 6xspark plugs, replaced 1 fuel injector just a week a go, still got engine light on. I took my van to Chrysler Dealer found coolant leaking into cylinder head or gasket. I searched online seems pacifica has many cylinder manufacturers issue.

I purchased my 2017 in 2023. Within a few months, problems began. When we brought the van back to the Chrysler dealer to have it checked with their OBD2 code reader, multiple codes pulled up… First thing “needing” to be replaced was the hood sensor because the display said the hood was open (even though I was simply stopped at a red light). The auto start/stop light was also coming on and staying on. The dealer said that would go away after replacing the sensor. That repair was done (I believe) in April of 2024 at the Chrysler dealer (and the auto start/stop light came back on a week later, both batteries testing fine independently of one another). Next thing “needing” to be replaced was the accelerator pedal module because my van would start shaking, not accelerate, and go into (what I now know is) limp mode with all warning lights displaying on almost every right hand turn. This absolutely puts my safety and the safety of my four children at risk when it suddenly decides to not accelerate!! That repair was done in June 2024 at the Chrysler dealer. Next thing to happen is the check engine light illuminating. We checked the coolant and it was almost empty! This should NOT be happening! We filled with coolant, but have to do this every few days now. The check engine light has come back on and is still producing many codes, the worst of which is p0303. This code has pulled up every single time we’ve had the van scanned at the dealer. The dealer has had my vehicle on MULTIPLE oc

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while children were exiting the passenger’s side of the vehicle, the passenger’s side sliding door came off track. The sliding door collapsed and was hanging. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Before I purchased the vehicle the head gasket was replaced do to an misfire on cylinder 3 fault code. Misfire on cylinder 3 fault code consistently comes back on after replacing coil packs and spark plugs. Independant mechanic states he cannot solve the issue. Chrysler dealer states engine needs replacement as the block is cracked and leaking into cylinder 3. 120k miles on engine. Bought it with 112k.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the transmission position indicator started blinking while in drive(D), after which the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 40 MPH. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and turned off the vehicle however, the failed to restart. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not yet to diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

92,000 miles engine failed and had to replace with a new one. Started with a rough idle at start up and code said misfire on #6 ,had a tune up done with replacing plug and coil packs. Next code was #5 misfiring, and then it started blowing white smoke. Head gasket blown but wouldn't guarantee repairs so I went with a new motor with a warranty

2017 Pacifica, front bank (also referred to as left side of 3.6 Pentastar engine) multiple cylinder misfire, due to failed head; 110,000 miles. Issues progressed exactly or very similarly as described by multiple (hundreds of owners) on Pacifica forums), most fail between 80,000 to 120,000 miles, with distribution between 50k and 150k. Suspect excessive heat in engine bay coupled with defective head manufacturing (Mexican built engines suspected to have higher failure rate) and faulty components leading to head failures (cracked heads, warped heads, faulty head gaskets) on 2017+ Pacificas. Rear head known to fail due to lack of sufficient cooling in position at back of engine bay. Vehicle also goes through one aux start/stop battery every 1-1.5 years (suspect early failures due to excessive heat, not overcharging issue that Chrysler recalled for). Vehicle also has history of faulty roller rockers and lifters, already had replaced once while in warranty period. Issue began as faulty cam phase sensor. When repairs made mechanic also noted that oil cooler was cracked. This is a faulty design remedied by Chrysler for 2022 models. Heat coupled with bad o-rings and/or overtightening of oil filter cap leads to crack in assembly allowing for oil and/or coolant loss. Chrysler has made no attempt to fix known issue on pre-2022 models. Repaired both at cost of $1033. Few days later P0300 code and loss of engine power. Diagnosed as faulty roller rockers, one of which had even broken off.

Passenger sliding door fell off

Failed head gasket. Faulty manufacturing. All maintenance done as recommended by manufacturer by the dealership who sold the vehicle.

I was driving the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica on [XXX] when the engine warning light came on and indicated that the engine was running hot. When I got home we checked and added engine coolant since it was low. Two days later the van was running hot again. I pulled over the engine coolant was empty. We refilled the engine coolant. Two days later the engine light came on and I took the van to our mechanic and he completed a partial tune up on the van and refilled the engine coolant. A few days later it began hesitating, jerking, and bouncing and the check engine light came back on. The temperature was reading okay. At home and when we opened the hood there was a very hot smell. When we opened the coolant and it began to bubble up then sucked all the liquid back into the van...somewhere. We left the engine cool completely overnight but the smell of burning coolant was seeping into our house all evening. In the morning we added more coolant because the tank was empty again. A few days it started all over again., loosing engine coolant, jerking, hesitating and bouncing. (I only drive the van 12 miles a day to work then 12 miles back.) This time I took it to our mechanic and he ran a diagnostic test and it found a cylinder misfired. He checked the coolant level and it was empty again. At this time he also checked the oil to be sure the coolant was not going into the oil tank but the oil was clear. He also double checked for recalls on the van and also on the spark plugs he had just repl

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that soon after purchasing the vehicle, the check engine warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer; however, once the vehicle was in the dealer's possession, the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated. Upon return of the vehicle, the vehicle jerked and hesitated upon the depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The touch screen radio screen has blacked out in some sections making it difficult to use the backup camera.

Occasionally when we start the van the shifter lights don’t go on and while the he engine starts, the shifter won’t move so we are stuck. It can be a few minutes up to 30 minutes We tried to replace the batteries and the shifter. It was fine for a few weeks after but continues to be intermittent after that few weeks. Also sometimes only some of the shifter lights go one and several alarms go off on the consel including fcw unavailable and service shifter. I am concerned one day we will be stranded.