There are 14 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2020 Chrysler Pacificain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
While driving in suburban traffic vehicle engine began running rough and lost most power with about 58000 mi on the vehicle. Received check engine light and vehicle entered 'limp mode' with Turtle Icon displayed on screen. Brought to dealer and it was diagnosed with a P0304 Cylinder #4 Misfire and leaking head gasket causing coolant contamination to engine oil. Dealer repaired the head gasket under warranty. About 2 months after the head gasket was repair at 60,098 miles while drive on the Interstate the engine began running rough. Check Engine Light came on and then Oil Pressure Light came on. We were able to exit the highway, had the vehicle towed to the same dealer where the head gasket was repaired under warranty. This time the engine was diagnosed with a failed #4 Cylinder connecting rod. Chrysler and Dealer refused to repair or replace the engine even though both leak and failure occurred on same cylinder.
The head gasket failed. The check engine light came on and I took it to the dealer before the engine seized thankfully but it could have caused safety issues such as coolant leaks, engine breakdown potentially on the highway which could have caused an accident and risked people’s lives. If there was oil contamination, the engine could have locked up which def can cause an accident. Engine fire is even possible. The problem has been confirmed by an independent dealer. I know of many others who have experienced the same issue.
Unknown When driving on expressway the vehicle will intermittently shut off and not allow acceleration. After waiting 5-20 mins the vehicle can be started and driving can continue but there is no warning when malfunction will happen. It happens 7/10 times only when driving on expressway.
The car was running great, but then I had the check engine light on. When I checked the vehicle with an OBDD2, I got P0303 (misfired cylinder 3). A mechanic expert and I checked the vehicle for a possible blown head gasket, low compression, and defective spark plugs, and all was good. The car is a 2020 Chrysler pacifica and should have problems of this kind
Car started to rock and the engine light came on with a cylinder 3 misfire code (P0303). We replaced the spark plug and coil on cylinder 3 and the issue resolved temporarily. About 48 hours later the rocking and engine light came back on with the same error code. We swapped the spark plug and coil on cylinder 3 for those on cylinder 1. The check engine light turned off but we would still get the rocking intermittently. We also noticed the coolant level was low and there are water vapor coming from the exhaust in the morning when starting the engine. The engine temperature never got hot that we noticed. We refilled the coolant level but it would slowly drop, and we felt there may be a leak or, with the cylinder 3 misfire, there may be a blown head gasket. We tried a K-seal coolant leak repair. This stopped the coolant leak and rocking for a few weeks, but the leak and engine rocking started to return. We took it to an auto-body shop and, after flushing the line, they checked the engine head gasket which had a leak on cylinder 3 (and apparently cylinder 1 was also starting to go bad). This had to be replaced along with a bad radiator fan assembly. After looking online, there have been very similar issues with other Pacifica engine head gaskets, so we decided to file a report.
The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle experienced a rough start-up. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant had intruded into cylinder #3 and recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 88,000.
July 21, 2024 On June 1, 2024, while driving at normal speed under normal conditions, 2020 Chrysler Pacifica (with 14,600 miles) engine seized up, serpentine belt tore, power steering lost, and all lights went on within seconds. I immediately pulled to side of busy 495 Beltway. Dealership concludes that mounting bolts holding alternator in place simply sheared off, broke off causing alternator to drop into engine, tearing belt, breaking AC hose and chain of other breakages. As it turns out, this exact incident has been reported by others on the Chrysler Pacifica Forum online with pictures. Without obvious explanation, vehicle engine shuts down resulting in a very dangerous situation with loss of all control of the vehicle, including steering. One possible explanation is that the bolts are made from a mixed alloy and are very weak or that the bolts holding alternator as well as other engine components are over-torqued resulting in sudden snap breaking of multiple bolts. It is a very dangerous as well as helpless situation. Our vehicle has been at the dealership for over 6 weeks as they negotiate with Stellantis. The warranty expired in March 2024. Estimated cost of replacing alternator (the screws sheared off in such a clean manner that they cannot be extracted from the alternator), AC hose, serpentine belt, battery and more is at $6500 now. The mini-van has 14,600 miles and is used primarily for my 100% disabled veteran husband and his medical appointments. In summary, I am alerting the NHTSA as others hopefully have. This exact same experience of an engine seizing up due to over-torqued engine mounting bolts cleaning shearing off while driving at highway speed is extremely dangerous and cannot be due to normal owner driving/vehicle wear and tear. I recommend that the NHTSA do a further inquiry to this matter to ensure that responsibility is taken with Chrysler to prevent more serious accidents in the future. I will try to enclose photos. Thank you -
The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness that controlled the flaps for the coolant and the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a known issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
The seals on the oil filter housing and the valve covers go bad. I have been smiling a burning oil smell off an on for the last 8 months. I reported this to the dealership and was told that the seals on the PCV valve seep they all doit should be ok. As time rolled on the van went put of warranty and the smell got worse. I went back to the dealer and they finally looked the way they should have 8 months age and found the problems listed above.costing me 712.69 dollars. You look ant where on the web about this problem and find that Chrysler is fully aware and they are doing nothing about it . What happens when we are going down the road and enough oil leaks and runs down the manifold then starts a fire??? I contacted Chrysler and got no help at all.
The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled after coming to a stop. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer confirmed that the vehicle performed as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact parked on the side of the road and attempted several times before the vehicle restarted and was able to drive to his residence. The contact stated he continued to experience the failure while driving. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.
I was sitting at a traffic light when an alarm went off the message came up that read "Auto/start stop not available" my car automatically went into Park on its own, the emergency brake came on and a warning light came on. I had to turn off the car and restart it. I was in very busy traffic. The light remained on until I was able to get home. It was a holiday weekend so I could not take to service station and it is my only vehicle. I turned the car on the next day and every thing was fine. This happened 3 months ago as well. The engine has not been stopping I noticed at a traffic light now.
ENGINE HAS SHUT OFF ON ITS OWN 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS SINCE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE 4 MONTHS AGO. FIRST OCCASION I WAS COMING TO A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. SECOND TIME I WAS STARTING UP FROM A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. THIRD TIME I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. ALL INSTANCES WERE ON A CITY STREET. I HAD TO PRESS THE START/STOP BUTTON. THEN PRESS IT AGAIN WHILE PRESSING THE BRAKE TO TURN THE CAR BACK ON AFTER PUTTING THE VEHICLE BACK IN PARK. THIS ISSUE IS WIDELY DESCRIBED ON OLDER YEARS OF THE CHRYSLER PACIFICA.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 CHRYSLER PACIFICA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED AN CONTROL ACCELERATION FOR 20 SECOND, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS LOSING THE ABILITY TO HOLD THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE RAV UP TO 7000 RPM AND THERE WAS A TICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AFTER THE VEHICLE COOL DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND WAS DRIVING TO CHAMPAIGN CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM DEALER, (1906 MORELAND BLVD, CHAMPAIGN, IL 61822) BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 200. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026