NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Auto start/stop need service and then vehicle will mention stop safely vehicle will turn off. I then will lose power to my vehicle
head gasket leak at 69k , crowley chrystler replaced head and now at 101 k leaking again
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, and turning the steering wheel to the right, the steering wheel became stiff, and the contact had to forcefully maneuver the steering wheel to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the power steering system needed to be replaced and reprogrammed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
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.
See attached document for complaint.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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)
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)
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.
Passenger sliding door fell off
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.
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.
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.
Failed head gasket. Faulty manufacturing. All maintenance done as recommended by manufacturer by the dealership who sold the vehicle.
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
Sticking steering in turns, shimmy/rattle in steering wheel when making hard slow speed turns. The steering wheel felt like it had slack in it when moving it back and forth while stationary with engine running. After driving on the highway the steering kept sticking to the right when rounding small curves. I had to physically pull the wheel back to straighten. This almost caused an accident a few times. There are some SERIOUS DEFECTS and safety issues with this make and model of car. Others have reported this problem on the Chrysler cares forum and found a defective steering rack and gear. I belive this is a broad problme with certain makes and models of the pacifica and extremly dangerous for a family car. I do not feel safe even driving this car on a highway anymore.
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. Roller rockers, lifters, and cam replaced on left side of engine at cost of $2700. Mechanic pressure tested head and found no leakage. Drove home and multiple cylinder misfire occurred again with loss of power. Returned to mechanic. Suspect crack between intake and exhaust valve guides which opens as head heats (seems to occur once engine reaches 195 degrees F, which is just below normal operating range). Head replacement suggested but not recommended as I'll be upside down in vehicle.
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 INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When driving at highway speeds while in a curve the steering will stick which causes u to possibly over correct and could cause an accident... and after doing some research this seems to be a very common complaint with these particular vehicles of the same year model and newer with no resolution ...
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
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
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!
Vehicle steering gear is binding internally (confirmed by local service department). The safety concern with this is when steering at highway speeds the steering wheel locks and requires excessive force to move, which has not yet but almost caused an accident. There are no signs of outside force influencing this issue (ex. front end damage front collision or wheel mis-alignment). I have read online in an owners forum of several other cases where this is happening and that they recommend filling out a report with NHTSA as to make you aware of this in case of it being a larger issue. Vehicle has not been repaired yet as the part required is around $2,800 plus labor on top of that. I'm not filling this out to complain, but rather to make you aware of a potential safety issue of this particular model vehicle. Thank you for your time.
2017 Chrysler Pacifica with roughly 134,000 miles recently started have idling issues. The vehicle has had regular maintenance and always taken into shop when issues arise. When vehicle started idling rough we found out the spark plugs (all 6) needed replaced and should fix the issue. Replaced all 6 plugs within the same week of finding out they needed replacement. Then within a week while driving the engine starts over heating. Heating to upwards of 270 degrees F. As soon as we were able to get off the road and to a safe location to view the engine it was apparent the coolant was empty. Please keep in mind this is checked on a regular basis as is the oil in the vehicle. We replaced the coolant and drove back home. All seemed well. Then the very next day the engine would not start or even turn over. We looked again and the coolant was almost non existent. Had the vehicle towed to repair shop. The coolant had been leaking into the engine causing it to burn up. In the process the engine was seized come to find out and also the head gasket needed replacement. Doing more research once the coolant starts burning in the engine the engine will more than likely need replacement. We are being told to be prepared for the whole engine to need replacement due to coolant issues. If this would have been recalled we would not be in the position to have to replace our entire engine. It would be greatly appreciated if this can be looked into further as we have missed the deadline for the class action lawsuit for this issue.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that on the second attempt to start the vehicle, the brake pedal was stuck on the floorboard and failed to return to its normal position. The contact stated that the vehicle could not be jumpstarted. An independent mechanic was contacted and advised the contact to depress the brake pedal harder to start the vehicle. The contact stated that a friend assisted in depressing the brake pedal harder, and the vehicle started; however, the windshield wipers engaged independently, Additionally, the steering wheel made an abnormal sound and became difficult to turn. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle on another occasion, the rotary gear shift dial lights failed to illuminate, and the message "Service Shifter" was displayed. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V348000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,270.
The screen stopped working I couldn’t see the backup camera and the radio wasn’t working and I haven’t been able to open the door or unlock the door. I went and replaced batteries in the remote at dealership and it still does it from time to time. And the screen has gone black several times. I haven’t touched anything to cause it. I had to turn the van off and back on again 2 times before I could get it to work again.
On two separate occasions I was driving, and then suddenly my check engine light starts flashing, and the car stalls in the middle of the road. I turn it off and restart it and it seems fine. No engine light flashing or anything. I’m concerned because it happened with my kids in the car and we almost caused an accident. The first time it happened I was on the interstate but thankfully got off the exit before it stalled.
While I am driving the vehicle will shut completely off without warning. I have to pull to the side of the road and restart the vehicle.
Cylinder head damage at 101,000 miles. Valve guides and seals degraded to where it misfires. Problem confirmed via code scanner and leak-down test with a local mechanic.
Engine head gasket failure requiring a complete engine replacement
Due to faulty plastic fuel neck hose . When pumping gas the gas tank piece broke off .which now I have hard time putting gas in , I can never get it filled up with gas because it keeps stopping as if it’s full , which in this case it’s not . And I have to hold the piece to get fuel in . This can be dangerous it could cause over fill gas to flow over or even on one’s skin or instance catch on fire . This part needs to be stronger as in metal not plastic fuel neck. Also without warning no lamp lights showed up .
Coolant leakage, engine misfire. Check engine light. only 72,000 miles
Engine light came on while driving. Had a 303 code for misfire In cylinder 5. Also smelled coolant but didn't see a leak. Brought I. to dealer where they inspected it and said it was a cracked head gasket. Which seems to be a common issue with this vehicle. The repair was done and I'll be bringing it back in tomorrow 2 days after repair for white smoke coming from engine. Also noticed coolant level was lower than when I got it back from shop.
The check engine light came on and we brought it to a mechanic to assess the issue. Codes indicated a misfire on Cylinder 3. The mechanic did not state that they observed any physical damage to the head gasket however the engine has coolant in it. The recommended repair is to replace the engine at a cost of $12k.
Car has had on going transmission issues with slipping and power loss that dealer was not able to diagnose. The car check engine light came on, and at the dealer the code was for cylinder failure and on inspection at the dealer the left 4th cylinder has failed and the car will need a new engine with only 80,000 miles and proper maintenance. This is available for inspection. Our safety was at risk that the car has had difficulty shifting and has lost power in traffic.
I was pulling into a parking lot and had my foot on the gas. The gas pedal suddenly stopped allowing me to accelerate. The dashboard read "place car in park" I lost power of the vehicle. I was able to pull safely into a parking space and then I put the van in park and turned it off. I started it up and it started without issue. This was a very scary situation as I almost hit a shopping cart where I was forced to pull in as I had no power and was coasting in a parking lot full of cars.
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 replaced and but found nothing. He reset the engine light and we added 1/2 can of BG-44k fuel cleaner, part 208. The van ran smoothly for about five days. Then it began all over again. We then took it to a Chrysler dealership and was told the head gaskets were leaking coolant into the cylinder and the van needed a completely new engine! at a cost of $13,750! This seems to have been an ongoing issue with this model of van and Chrysler is doing nothing to fix it! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Hotter than normal engine heat. Smells very hot even when driving in cabin like some liquid ( maybe Coolant) is burning. Code P0303. Misfire #3 cylinder. Reported issue to dealer several times. Very hot.. paint on hood bubbling. They repaired paint per 100,000 mile 7 year extended warranty. No diagnosis disclosed re known issue with head gaskets on these 3.6 ltr engines. No code until two months after warranty expired. Chrysler mechanic in Santa Barbara told me today that they have to replace gaskets and heads on these 3.6 engines all the time and likely a recall coming soon. Overheating is a safety issue. Leak down test verified bubbling in Coolant reservoir. Mechanic says this issue was highly likely occurring over 1-2 years until it actually triggered engine light and misfire code. Many complaints on Pacifica forums on this exact issue. Have service records re same concerns including from 2022. Thank you
Engine code P0303 (misfire cylinder 3 was triggered) car was found to be losing coolant through the cylinder. Chrysler dealer declared complete engine failure due to block damage. Stellantis indicated repair exceeded value of the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, she observed a humming sound coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the vehicle lost motive power and would not accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where DTC Code: P00B was retrieved; however, the contact was informed that the engine needed to be taken apart for the vehicle to be fully diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.
My car has been stalling while I drive and also it said power steering unavailable. Both happened while I was driving which almost caused an accident. Sometimes it stalls while I’m at the stop light and press on the gas to go. It says to shift to park and turn ignition on. It’s been happening for over a year for the stalling and for the power steering unavailable only 2x.
44110 miles. NO leaks, oil change every 2500 miles, all fluids are full and well maintained. Hard shift sometimes while in drive and accelerating. Engine light just came on yesterday with wife and 4 kids in vehicle, then engine light flashing. Pacifica felt sluggish and engine was rough. This happened driving on busy FREEWAY! Quickly pulled over at off ramp. Called tow and Mechanic neighbor pulled trouble code from ODB port using scanner P0306 which is engine misfire in cylinder 6. Car runs like crap and is unsafe to drive. Now need to tow to dealer for very expensive repair, just outside of 5 year warranty.
Blown head gasket at 64000 miles. Leaking coolant into the cylinders. Mechanic says the gasket has been repaired before.
of all the issues, I want to bring attention to 2 very serious ones. 1) Engine has transmission issue. Auto Shifting of gears give constant jerks and this was never resolved. Chrysler has always avoided this as it's a very expensive fix. Have taken to several different dealerships in 2 different states. (NJ & TX) 2) Coolant leaking. This ends up becoming an engine problem that they don't fix.