2017 Chrysler Pacifica Engine Problems

Check engine light came on at 87K miles, took to dealership and code was P0303. Dealer had to replace 6 spark plugs, warped head, head gasket and oil change. Dealership knew of this problem with faulty heads from the manufacturer and no recall has been started from Chrysler. Car has never overheated or shown any other symptoms. It has been 2 years, 3 months and less than 27K miles and I have another check engine light with the same code. Dealerships says I have another blown head gasket, and it needs to be replaced. Vehicle cannot be driven until it is replaced.

The check engine light is on my Chrysler Pacifica 2017 Limited with error codes P0302 and P0306, indicating misfires in the second and sixth cylinders. The vehicle was purchased brand new in 2017 from a Chrysler dealership in Olathe, Kansas and currently has approximately 97,000 miles. So far, the spark plugs and valve cover gasket have been replaced, but the same error codes persist. The mechanic is now recommending head gasket replacement, with an estimated repair cost of up to $5,000, which is extremely high. After researching this issue online, I found that thousands of Chrysler owners have experienced the same problem, yet no recall or corrective action has been issued by Chrysler. I contacted Chrysler customer support directly, but was informed that no assistance could be provided because the vehicle is out of warranty. We chose to purchase this vehicle based on the trust, reliability, and customer service reputation of Chrysler, but unfortunately, this experience has not reflected those values. An engine failure of this magnitude at this mileage is unacceptable, especially when it appears to be a known and widespread issue. I strongly believe Chrysler should take responsibility and provide assistance for this engine defect.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica at 70k miles, check engine light came on. After engine warm up, engine starts to rough idle. Diagnosis is misfire on cylinder 2 (code P0302). In addition, vehicle voltage fluctuates in gage cluster between 12-14 volts. No issue until engine is warm and no issue above idle or with load. Injectors were checked and fine, coils and leads were replaced. Fix did not work. Took to Chrysler dealership for addition diagnosis. Dealership diagnosis is cylinder head warpage due to overheating. Single owner of vehicle, regularly maintained and with no “low coolant” engine light.

Oil leak from oil filter housing

My 2017, Chrysler Pacifica van just stopped for no reason whatsoever scaring me to death, I was just driving with no issues then all of a sudden as, drove into a Restaurant parking lot my van just turned off on its own before I could get in parking spot. It would not restart so I had to get it tolled. Ended up spending over $3000 two different Mechanics, one being the Hawk Chrysler dealer, in Forest Park, Illinois, the other one a private mechanic Abes Auto Repair in both cases I had lots of work done it was one issue after another, First I was told it could be the starter, than the, battery, after returning (engine light back on within 24 hours or less of work completion) then injectors, spark plus, gasket, cylinder all replaced and still continues to have engine issues. Every time engine the Engine light turned back on shortly or a day after, the engine being serviced. Whats worst is each time the engine light comes on it is new issue. So far no resolution to date. This last time the Mechanic had my Pacifica for exactly a month and one day got it back light was off drove it 30 minutes light came back on new service issue. I have paid more into the Chrysler that I owe. At this point I have no choice but to park it and continue to pay my van payments for a van which seems to have several issues one after another. Now my engine light is blinking so I cant not even take it to a repair shoppe. There is something going on that service people are not able to fix.

I do all routine maintenance on my car and do my standard oil changes on time. I only have 80K miles on my car and may now have a head gasket issue. I have seen many online posts that there are many users that have experienced this issue and some looking to possibly do a class action law suit. Has this issue been looked into as a potential recall? When speaking with the dealership I advised that my check engine light had come on and I took it to my local repair shop and the code indicated it was either a coil or spark plug that needed to be replaced. My repair shop checked and it was the spark plug that needed replacing. The car was fine for 2 weeks then the engine light came on again. When speaking with the dealership they said that yes the code will usually first present as a coil or spark plug and the engine light stops blinking since it assigned a code. So that is why my engine light went off but now came back on. I am not sure why this should not be addressed by the manufacturer if so many people are having this issue with a head gasket issue with such low mileage. This repair is going to cost 1k-4k to fix which is ridiculous in an engine that is maintained and has only 80K miles.

Blown head gasket

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled with the message "Service Now” flashing on the instrument panel. After waiting for approximately 15-30 minutes, the vehicle was restarted and resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that the oil filter adapter was cracked, contributing to the failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V049000 (Electrical System, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The check engine would blink and the engine would shutter for a few minutes when the van would start. It would drive around normal. A few days later the van would not start at all. We checked both batteries and they were not the issue. We then towed the van to a Chrysler dealer who checked the starter and alternator, those were both good. They stated the engine was seized and quoted $15,000 for a new motor.. the van has 120,000 miles on it. The van is worth less than the quote we received.

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

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.

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.

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.

I noticed when I am driving the van would lose power and or the the transmission would shift very hard and stall the car engine would then take off very fast or slow. I reported the car to the dealership that I purchased the car from and to the customer service at the Chrysler Pacifica Corporation no one will help me I told them that the car was very dangerous while driving.

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.

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.

Blown head gasket and oil cooler leak

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.

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.