What 162 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Awd

I have a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid that has had transmission issues since 2022. I have taken it to the dealer 8 times for repair for the same transmission issue. In August 2022, the vehicle shut down on the interstate while driving. It was determined that it needed a new transmission after just two years. The vehicle was with the dealer for over 30 days awaiting a new transmission. Once the transmission was replaced, there was a battery issue in February 2023. In January 2024, the vehicle went into limp mode again, for the first time after the transmission was replaced. Repairs were attempted at the dealer. I have continued to have issues throughout 2024. In July 2024, the transmission wiring harness was replaced. The vehicle has gone into limp mode three more times since then. On 14 September, the most recent time the vehicle went into limp mode on the interstate, I took it into the dealer, and it was determined a second transmission replacement was needed. Chrysler has now issued a lifetime warranty on the transmission. It's only a matter of time before significant injury or loss of life occurs because of the transmission issues, especially because they normally occur only at higher speeds on the highway. Clearly, installing a third (or fourth or fifth) transmission will not fix the issues in this faulty vehicle. When I contacted Chrysler Cares yesterday I was told that because the transmission will be replaced for only the second time, I do not qualify for a buyback. However, it has been to the dealer to be serviced 8 times and was there for over 30 days during the first transmission replacement.

NHTSA ODI 11615170

Vehicle sudden loss of power 3x in 3 months. Van has known recall for loss of power/possible transmission problem. Traveling 30-50mph for 20 minutes, start of morning temps 70 degrees, recall warranty (update was software to warn driver of power loss on screen) done and 1 month later began power loss. Screen reads "Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon", engine light on, red turtle light on. Loss of power would not warn drivers to rear of slow down since brakes are not pressed promoting rear end collision, highway speeds slow down causes traffic and collision with limited place to exit safely, loss of power would not allow driver to exit traffic thus causing danger , obstacle for other drivers to avoid. Vehicle at dealer for software update: May 2024 , 3x power losses after, 9/2024 returned to dealer, currently in service at dealer Data Source: Recall 23V010, Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened investigation PE22-008 regarding complaints alleging a loss of motive power condition potentially due to a transmission malfunction in Model Years 2019-2021 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV

NHTSA ODI 11614752

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.

NHTSA ODI 11614043

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the STOP/START system warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact believed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V348000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

NHTSA ODI 11612383

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where the relay sense circuit was replaced. The contact stated that one year after the repair, the failure returned with the check engine warning light illuminated. While driving to the dealer, the vehicle stalled; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the electrical wiring harness was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System). The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

NHTSA ODI 11611810

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11609449

While driving our van last Saturday afternoon, an error notification made a ding sound and the error message "STOP SAFELY. VEHICLE WILL SHUT OFF SOON" appeared on our dashboard. Thankfully we were driving through a small town at the time and were able to safely pull into a parking lot, turn the vehicle off and wait a few minutes, and start it up to find the error message gone, and we could resume driving. Upon researching this issue, I learned that there is an Open Investigation, NHTSA Action #RQ24004, as of 2-27-24, that correlates exactly with our issue and explains my exact concern - should this error message come on again at a time when I cannot pull into a safe area, or at night time in the dark, with my children along, this could be extremely unsafe. I now worry to take our vehicle on longer trips, as I fear that this will happen and leave us in need of help. This leaves drivers with an extremely uneasy feeling to drive with their family, unsure of if or when this will happen again and if the vehicle will start up again after stopping or if it would need to be towed. I feel this safety issue needs to be resolved before it leaves Chrysler's vehicle occupants in what could be a very unsafe situation.

NHTSA ODI 11607891

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 -

NHTSA ODI 11607445

My problem started about a year ago with the auto start/stop light coming on- said it needed serviced. They replaced my auxiliary battery. Mind you, my van was only about 2.5 years old at this point (bought it brand new). So then about a month ago, same warnings. Stop/start isn’t working. I get it inspected at the dealership, they say everything is fine. Well yesterday, my van stopped emergently in the middle of an intersection. The brake engaged, couldn’t use any pedals, steering or switch gears. I had to shut my vehicle off and restart. In the middle of a busy intersection at 4pm. The auto start/stop light keeps coming on. Take it to the dealership today and they said it’s a sensor issue with my hood switch. My hood thinks it’s open so my van freaks out and stops driving. It’s a $540 fix. This is a huge safety concern. From what I read, this van has had numerous start/stop issues and sensor problems. It’s a 2020 with 62k miles. I’m glad I wasn’t on the interstate or somewhere more dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11607355

The stop start system on my 2020 Chrysler. Pacifica has been malfunctioning since 2021, I’ve taken this car into the dealer multiple times, and replaced the batteries that should’ve been covered by Warranty but weren’t and my car recently died completely, and had to be jumped only have to replace the battery changed again. I have complained about noises in the dashboard that sounds like ticking, and dealer says that’s not covered by warranty even though my car only has 50,000 miles on it, and at 13,000 miles, when I told them about it, they didn’t do anything about it. The electrical system will completely shut off, lights and warnings will turn on, and after pulling fuses, the system will start The vintage seats on the driver side have not worked for three years, I have informed the dealer about that and was at 15,000 miles and they still did not fix it after complaining every time I went in they finally said “it wasn’t covered under warranty anymore” even though I had complained about it and all the above when we were covered by the warranty. We even purchased an extended warranty when purchasing the car and it’s like jumping through hoops for them to actually look up what is actually covered and every a fight every time for them to not charge me what we already paid for!

NHTSA ODI 11605924

While driving, received "service power steering" warning, followed by intermittent outage of the power steering. The power steering cuts in and out at uncertain times, so I will be taking a corner using a lot of force on the steering wheel because the power steering isn't working, when it will suddenly start working again, and cause me to oversteer. So far this hasn't caused an accident, but it most definitely could.

NHTSA ODI 11605157

Power steering has failed on 2 occasions while driving. Fault code was set and dealer confirmed fault codes using scan tool. Power steering returned after a few seconds of driving. This vehicle has an electric power steering pump. Fault code listed a communication failure between the power steering controller and body ecu. Dealer service department could not duplicate the problem and returned the vehicle to us saying there was nothing further they could accomplish. It is a dangerous situation losing power steering while driving. Warning icon did appear on our on screen driver display.

NHTSA ODI 11602889

The windshield fogs up when it is raining. I will drive for about 30 minutes before it fogs up. Usually the cabin air is blowing through the vents and when the windshield begins to fog I turn on the defroster. It will only work if the heat is turned way up, and the blower is set at the highest setting. When I stop at a traffic light the defroster sounds like it is still blowing but the windows fog up until I cannot see out. I have used my hand to clear a spot in front of my face and I have had to pull over to the side of the road and wait for the windshield to clear. yesterday all of the windows fogged up front and the sides. also. I took it to the dealership yesterday and after a quick look was told that I just had to turn the heat up. That is not a solution in the Summer. I have read about other Pacifica's having this same problem. It is terrifying and I don't want to drive when there is a chance of rain anymore. I did have this happen in the Winter when it was snowing a few years ago once or twice.

NHTSA ODI 11601265

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while making a sharp left turn at slow speeds, the vehicle shuddered. There was no warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle jerked forward upon releasing the brake pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact called JT’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Lexington (4838 Sunset Blvd, Lexington, SC 29072) and JT’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Columbia (190 Greystone Blvd, Columbia, SC 29210) and was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11600092

Rear passenger sliding door power lock failed. The door does not lock, leaving the door accessible even with the vehicle alarm armed.

NHTSA ODI 11597847

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and attempting to reverse, the rear-view camera image display screen was not working as intended, increasing the risk of crashing into an object behind the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11596467

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.

NHTSA ODI 11596509

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality intermittently. The power steering warning light and the power steering malfunction message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,690.

NHTSA ODI 11593850

While driving my kids to school I experienced my first loss of power on my vehicle, where an error message appeared in the instrument cluster stating "shift to P to start" with the P indicator on the shifter flashing. No check engine light was produced. I was on surface streets driving at 20mph, this could have been worse of I was on the freeway, especially with my kids in the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11590319

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power; however, the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that later, while driving at 40 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly hesitated and jerked before returning to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission control module and performed a software update as per Technical Service Bulletin: 21-043-20. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11590142

While my wife was driving the vehicle - the power steering catastrophically quit!!! The idiot light came on to get it serviced. Thankfully, it happened in a place that didn't cause an accident but this could have been deadly!!! The car is impossible to drive safely. I brought it to Maguire Chrysler in Watkins Glen, NY and they noticed that 2 of the bolts on the bell housing were not threaded in and things "didn't look right" (they provided a picture for me). The transmission had been replaced by Ferrario Chrysler in Elmira, NY at the end of January as a result of the recall on the loose transmission wires that could cause a loss of control. Apparently, they failed to do things right during that major operation. Maguire then refused to work on the vehicle since they didn't know what Ferrario did but that bolts actually sticking out from the bell housing were a bad sign! The car resides now with Ferrario and they don't know when they are going to get to it since there are other customers ahead of me. This failure of power steering can only be 3rd to loss of brakes or fire when it comes to safety. In all my years I never have experienced a less safe condition that this. I've included a picture of the bolts on bell housing that were never even threaded in all the way by Ferrario - Maguire felt that they probably pinched a wire or something that caused the power steering problem. All I know is that the car is unsafe.

NHTSA ODI 11587585

While driving the vehicle, we received a message on the dash stating, "Stop Safely, Vehicle will shut off soon". Then a few minutes later, it lost all power and turned off. We were not traveling at high speeds at this time but if we were and needed to exit the highway this could have caused an accident. There was no prior warning that this would happen and I drove it yesterday evening. We have not taken it to be serviced because it just happened an hour ago and now we are afraid to drive it to the dealership because we have to get on the interstate to do so.

NHTSA ODI 11583288

It’s the same issue that the hybrid pacificas were recalled for. It pops up the random stop safely on the dash & then you’re halting to a dead stop & the vehicle shuts off. This has happened several times.

NHTSA ODI 11577364

While driving down the road the vehicle will surge and drop power continuously. It will eventually just cut power to all electric and steering and the van will stop moving causing a safety issue as it is often in traffic. This has happened several time. We have replaced the auxiliary battery, the main battery and nothing is fixing the issue. The van did stop during a turn and resulted us being stopped in the middle of traffic in both directions during the most recent event.

NHTSA ODI 11577372

while driving at 55mph to lunch on the highway, my steering dash alarm reflected RED saying " SERVICE: POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY, then almost without any warning the car died, power steering didn't work and I could not steer my car to a safe stop . IT DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!!! I took a picture of the dash with my phone and would love to send it to you. I turned the car off, and after 30 seconds back on, no SERVICE WARNING initially, but then two minutes later the SERVICE POWER STEERING light came back on, but the car kept running and didn't die. Drove home, service warning went away, then as pulling into our driveway SERVICE WARNING came on again. Turned the car off, went and GOOGLED this issue and found out there was a RECALL NOTICE for all Pacifica Touring L models 2017 to 2019, for this EXACT ISSUE, but my car is a Chrysler Pacifica Touring L 2020!!!!!!!!!! This issue could have gotten me and my wife KILLED due to the dangerous nature of this defect in the steering for the STOP / START battery system that controls the steering. THIS PACIFICA 2020 MODEL NEEDS TO BE ADDED RIGHT THIS MINUTE TO THE EXISTING 2017-2019 RECALL THAT NTSHA PUT OUT.

NHTSA ODI 11576636