2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA Complaints

As of late of September 2025, our vehicle had approximately 59,000 on the odometer. Around that time, the check engine light turned on. A few days later, white smoke began emitting from the exhaust. On September 27, 2025, the vehicle failed to start entirely. We had the car towed to Brooklyn Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (CDJR) for inspection and repair. The dealership performed a diagnostic check and provided the report on October 13, 2025, indicating that the issue was due to a failed head gasket. The repair's cost is $8,711.56.

In July of 2021 I bought a used 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L with about 21k miles on it from a massachusetts Cadillac dealer for ~$27k. in august of 2024 i took it to a massachusetts Chrysler dealer because my mechanic, while troubleshooting battery/start issues, noticed there was no coolant. The dealership told me there's a cylinder 6 misfire and coolant leaked into the engine. And that the car needs a new engine and that'll cost me ~$8k. and that their diagnostic fee was $150. The car has about 63k miles on it. In the two months before this issue, i put ~$1.5k into the car for two new tires, new back brakes, new sway bars and an oil change. in august of 2024 the car was no longer covered by any warranties. After talking to my mechanic and reading through a number of online car forums, it seemed likely that this was more than a chance event. there were known defects with the engine. and a relevant lawsuit: [XXX] [XXX] i reached out to Chrysler cares but they were not responsive. When i got people on the phone, i got the run-around and had my time wasted. i needed Chrysler to replace the engine on their dime in a timely fashion. i needed a working, reliable, safe car back immediately. Not in a couple weeks or if/when they decide to respond and resolve the issue. i needed it when i got the news the engine was toast. i had to spend money on car rentals. i had to pay $8k+ for a new engine. chrysler didn't pay a dime. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The steering sticks when when turning in curve left and right turns causing me to sometimes over correct.

PE25009 - My van has a fault in alignment with this investigation. On long turns with the wheel between 11 and 1 the steering feels heavy then it feels like the system overcorrects. It has done this intermittently for a few months now.

I was driving and the van suddenly lost all propulsion. Brakes and steering and dash lights functioned, but there was a red turtle icon and error message about a system failure. The accelerator pedal did nothing at all. I was able to coast off the side of the road to a place to pull over, but that could have been a terrible accident if I lost power like that on I-95 or any other major highway. My husband came and we switch cars (kids, car seats, etc) and he was able to get the van to start after half an hour. It had check engine lights on for things, but the dealer said to bring it in because it was drivable again. Despite brining it in as told, with check engine lights on that they saw, they said they could not reproduce it and couldn't find codes for the check engine light (even though I pulled them from my own OBD2 diagnostic plug tool and took photos of the codes) and eventually said I have to take the car back, despite no cause or resolution. These cars have known faulty battery issues and a large number have been replaced already, but Chrysler isn't authorizing dealers to do that unless they can reliably reproduce the failure. Very frustrating to see Chrysler not go the route of other manufacturers who sourced their batteries from the same plant and ended up proactively replacing them for consumers. While Chrysler's many recalls for the hybrid battery system software have probably made it detect faults earlier to try to prevent fires, they are still known to happen, but now in addition to a fire risk, we also have a car that has a much higher chance of just losing power while driving due to over sensitive battery monitoring, or a plain old faulty battery that just isn't faulty 'enough' for Chrysler to authorize a replacement. So frustrating and dangerous.

While driving, the Pacifica lost all engine power in the middle of an intersection while traveling at 34 mph. All the dash lights blinked and sounded alerts. The car then showed U1267 and U0416 diagnostic codes.

While driving at a steady 65 mph, I suddenly lost power steering, which severely reduced my ability to steer the vehicle. I was able to safely brake and pull over. After turning the car off for a few minutes, steering function returned to normal. A few hours later, during a second drive at approximately 35 mph, I experienced the same issue again while turning onto my street. The steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn and required significant effort with both hands to maneuver the vehicle into the driveway. This sudden loss of steering control posed a serious safety risk-not only to myself, but also to other drivers on the road-and could have easily resulted in an accident. No warning lights or dashboard alerts were displayed at any point. The vehicle was towed from my home to the dealership. Upon inspection, the issue was reproduced, and it was confirmed that the power steering system had failed and required repair, along with related components. All necessary repairs were completed and paid for out of pocket.

Vehicle lost all internal communications while driving. During this incident propulsion was lost, turn signals, hazards, power brakes, power steering, all electronics except speedometer failed. I was unable to put indicators on during this incident outting others at risk. It appears hazards and turn signals are CAN communication which is absolutely insane and a severe design flaw.

Absolutely, [XXX] — here’s a more natural, human-sounding version of your NHTSA report draft: --- Vehicle Issue Report: Chrysler Pacifica I’m reporting ongoing issues with my Chrysler Pacifica that I believe could be safety-related: Clunking Sound: The vehicle makes a clunking noise when shifting gears. Steering Stickiness: The steering doesn’t always respond smoothly — it occasionally sticks when turning. This makes the car go wider than intended during turns and lane changes, which feels unsafe. I’m concerned they may point to a larger mechanical issue and could affect driver control. I’d appreciate it if NHTSA could look into whether this is part of a known defect or something that needs further investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The engine failed at 104,000 miles despite proper maintenance. The vehicle is used by my wife and three children, and the engine unexpectedly experienced a head gasket failure while on the highway, with no prior warning except for a known issue acknowledged by Chrysler. I am now faced with the costly repair of replacing the engine. As a family relying on this vehicle for daily needs, including school and work commitments, I am disappointed that such issues persist in this model despite widespread reports of similar problems.