2023 CHRYSLER PACIFICA Complaints

I rented this car from Budget on Saturday, May 31, 2025. When I drove it on Sunday, June 1, 2025. The check engine light came on and the car gave a warning that it would shut off. The first time I saw this notification I was stopped at a stopped sign at a 4 way intersection. The car proceeded to shut off after some time (maybe 20 seconds or so, not sure). I was at a full stop and the car was in "Drive". When the car shut off it went into "Park" automatically. I turned the car back on and put it back in "Drive". The car would not move. I check to make sure the parking brake was not turned on and it was not. I put the car in "Park" and back into "Drive" and the car still did not move. I turned the car off a few more times before it switched back into gear normally. I was unable to return the car at that time. About an hour later as I was driving on the interstate in the left lane, the same warning light came on. I had to immediately move from the left lane of a 6 lane interstate all the way to the right shoulder. There was no exit or left shoulder. Once I got there the car idled for a moment and shut off; I am uncertain how long it was before it shut off. I waited a couple of minutes since I was also shaken up at having to move so many lanes on a busy interstate with so many lanes. I got to my destination after about 30 minutes. On the way home about an hour in to the drive, the same thing occurred. I moved onto to the right shoulder of a two lane interstate at this time. This time I shut the car off myself and waited a couple of minutes to turn the car back on. I then drove another 45 minutes home. Then this morning, same warning in my driveway before I left to return it. There were issues with the blind spot warning not working some of the time as well as the display screen would flicker on and off or just become disabled but still visible. I have reported this to the rental company but I want that car off the road.

Second row passenger seat headrest does not lock into place. After folding the seat down to put in car seats in the third row, the headrest will not lock. This would cause severe trauma if one of our many children were to be seated in the seat during a crash. The issue has not yet been evaluated at a service center, but I intend to contact them and see if the headrest can be replaced through warranty.

I received a warning to park safely, engine will shut down soon. This is the third time it has happened. One time coming down a mountain with no place to pull over safely with a van full of family members. Second time at high speed on an interstate, this time on a high speed local road, but had enough time to pull over before losing power. The van has been in the shop and/or waiting for repairs for over 10 weeks during my 53 weeks of ownership. Chrysler has delayed accepting the recommended repairs that their dealer states is necessary. I have spoken to other Pacifica owners that has experienced the same issue. Is Chrysler waiting for folks to get killed before accepting responsibility?

Letter sent to AVIS after the incident: The image included is an example and not associated with incident Concern Regarding Recalled Rental Vehicle - Avis Rental Agreement [XXX] Dear Mr. Tucker, I am writing to share a concerning experience my wife and I had with an Avis rental. We rented a Chevrolet Pacifica Hybrid for a drive from Atlanta to Chicago. About an hour into our trip, the vehicle displayed a warning message: "Stop Safely. Vehicle will shut down soon." Following the instructions, we immediately pulled over, activated our hazard lights, and called Avis emergency roadside service while consulting the owner's manual. We then decided to move to a nearby gas station parking lot for safety. While still on hold, we researched the warning online (see link) and discovered it was a known recall for our vehicle. The recommended temporary fix—turning off the car, opening and closing the driver’s door, and restarting the engine—allowed us to continue. However, the warning appeared three more times during our trip, requiring us to stop and repeat the process. Though we managed the situation, it caused unnecessary stress and could pose a serious risk for other customers. After 15 minutes on hold, we disconnected from emergency road service as we no longer needed assistance. We called back later to inquire about switching vehicles, but chose to continue rather than delay our trip even further. This raises important questions: Why does Avis place vehicles with outstanding recalls into its rental fleet? What is Avis’s general approach to managing manufacturer recalls? If such vehicles are rented, why not inform customers in advance and provide a workaround? While I have contacted Avis/Budget about customer service concerns in the past, this is a safety issue. I urge you to escalate this matter to your management team and clarify how Avis plans to prevent similar situations. I would appreciate a formal response outlining your approach to recall management. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INF

We were driving on the freeway, 80 MPH, 0% battery life. Warning came on the dashboard stating something like “ Pull over safely, engine will stop”. Engine had already stopped and we luckily avoided impending doom and pulled off to the side of the highway. Turned car off, waited a couple min, and started the car again. Car turned on with check engine light. Able to slowly get to the next exit. Next morning, took to dealer. Say there were not able to see any issues. Van is around 28,000 miles.

I have completed recall 66B/NHTSA 24V-436 on my Chrysler Pacifica. I'm continuing to have issues where the uconnect system locks up and restarts, the rear view camera freezes or turns on when driving forward. Once the system locks up you can't operate certain vehicle controls such as HVAC as they are controlled through the system and the buttons do not respond. I tried contacting Uconnect but their phone system says "error" after multiple steps to get to a representative. I've read many other people having these issues online also. This is a serious safety issue if the controls for your vehicle lock up while driving and the rearview camera doesn't work. I've updated the system per the recall and the issues persist.

A clicking sound was heard and the dealer determined that the front axle nuts that hold the wheel hubs to the axle loosened. Dealer re-torqued to 120 ft. Lbs. and added Locktite, however problem reoccurs. Chrysler issued a Technical Service Bulletin (03-008-24) to torque the axle nuts to 228 ft. lbs. After this was done at the dealer, clicking sound was heard again in just 3 weeks. Several attempts by the dealer to correct the problem at the 120 ft. lbs. spec. and once at the 228 ft. lbs. spec. have not worked following Chrysler's instructions. Risk of hub and wheel coming loose while driving. Dealer has attempted repair/correction six (6) times.

Numerous times over the last eighteen months, our 2023 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV enters 'Turtle Mode' where a red turtle illuminates on the dashboard, and the car loses all motive power. Sometimes this occurs on local streets, but most recently it occurred during interstate driving, requiring evasive maneuvers to exit the driving lanes and get to the shoulder before all forward momentum stopped. So far, turning off the vehicle, opening the driver's side door and re-starting the engine clears the problem temporarily, but yesterday - [XXX] - the vehicle entered 'Turtle Mode' eight times during the four-hour car-ride from northern West Virginia to Northern Virginia. Several visits to Chrysler dealerships have resulted in zero fixes as they have been unable to replicate the conditions. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The vehicle randomly went into limp mode. The check engine light came on with error code P0A3F. The vehicle was restarted and drove normally with the check engine light (CEL) still on. We immediately made an appointment with the dealership to get it looked at. As we were driving into the dealership parking lot the CEL cleared itself. There is an existing TSB for this exact scenario and symptoms. The dealership and Chrysler corporate (Stellantis) are refusing to fix this issue because there isn’t an “active code.” The code is in the history. Since then the CEL has come on multiple times but cleared itself too quickly to get it to the dealer in time. We took it a second dealership this time with an active code, but the code cleared itself upon restarting the car after leaving it there. This vehicle is not safe to drive since it randomly goes into limp mode with no power. This poses a very dangerous and unsafe situation that can endanger me, my family, and other drivers around me.

We rented a '23 Pacifica from Enterprise. While driving 70mph on an interstate in Houston, a safety warning popped up "Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon". On the interstate, I wasn't able to keep my speed. Speed dropped quickly and dramatically. Luckily, I was able to get to the side but could have been hit in the process. My 2 daughters were in the car. It was terrifying. According to my research Pacifica did a recall of 67K Hybrids and their solution?? Add software that gives a warning. That was the solution. NOT TO FIX THE DEADLY ISSUE but to add a warning. [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)