2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA Complaints

Vehicle starting having some issues on startup. Check engine light came on and immediately took it in to the local shop to have it inspected. The HEAD GASKET had gone bad--while not fully blown it was leaking coolant into the cylinder and would have left us stranded on the side of the road with our three little kids if it completely failed when we were out and about.

User bought 2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV in 2019. User had no issues with the vehicle, all recalls completed, until the completion of NHTSA Recall 22V-077 (Chrysler recall 73B). Recall 73B was completed on 13 Feb 2025 with approx. 103,000 miles on the vehicle. The recall included flashing the HV Battery Pack Control Module and a "soak" of the HV Battery to determine battery health; servicing dealer reported recall successful and battery health test found battery health was good. Approximately 1 week following the recall, the check engine light came on and stayed on for a couple of days and "self cleared". Several weeks later, the same sequence of events as above occurred once again. On 9 April, following a full charge overnight, I started the vehicle and the gas motor immediately started, check engine light illuminated, "turtle mode" icon appeared, and I was notified that "Vehicle Speed May Be Limited". After completing the short trip in "limp mode", I restarted the vehicle and only the check engine light was visible, van ran as normal. The following morning, no issues at all. Took the van to be diagnosed and was told an actuator in the dash needed replaced; actuator replaced. Five days later, once again, started the vehicle and the gas motor immediately started, check engine light illuminated, "turtle mode" icon appeared, and I was notified that "Vehicle Speed May Be Limited". Took the van to the dealership, at 106,163 miles, for diagnosis and have been told that the HV Battery is now dead and must be replaced. Dealership quotes $16,000.00 to replace HV battery and Stellantis (Chrysler parent company) would not deal with me as the battery warranty expired at 100,000 miles. Many other complaints like this following the 73B recall reported to NTHSA, this does not seem to be a coincidence. I had ZERO issues with this van until this recall was completed.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while reversing, the back-over prevention camera screen failed to function as intended. The back-over prevention screen displayed a black screen. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with computer and electrical system failure. The contact was informed that the back-over prevention assembly, instrument cluster, and electrical system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding a critical design flaw in my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica that resulted in a severe overheating incident on the highway. I have experienced a sudden and dangerous failure wherein my vehicle’s coolant drained rapidly, causing the engine to overheat within minutes of driving under normal conditions. Below, I address key questions related to the malfunction: Component/System Failure and Inspection Availability: The core issue appears to be a malfunction within the engine cooling system, directly linked to a problematic head gasket design. I have inspected the affected system and component by a qualified independent service center at your request. Safety Risk: Although my vehicle did not exhibit any warning lights or alerts prior to the incident, the rapid onset of overheating posed an immediate danger. This unexpected failure could have resulted in a catastrophic engine failure, thereby placing me, my passengers, and other road users at significant risk. Confirmation of the Issue: Despite strict adherence to routine maintenance, the problem has been confirmed by a independent service center. Their inspections indicate that this is not a result of neglect but likely a consequence of a fundamental design flaw which appears to be a common issue with this van and previous years with remediation. Third-Party Inspections: While the manufacturer has not yet conducted a formal inspection, independent service centers have reproducibly identified the problem. I am open to any further investigations by Mopar. Previous years have same issue with extended warranty and repair being paid for at no cost to the owner, as this is not new it needs fixed Warning Indicators: Prior to the overheating incident, there were no warning lamps, messages, or alerts to indicate any potential issue with the cooling system. The situation escalated unexpectedly from normal operating conditions to a significant problem within a few minutes on the highway.

The vehicle randomly stalls, goes dead and becomes unresponsive. This has happened numerous times at lights, stop signs and in the middle of the road.

While driving the engine light came on. I have had the van 5 months at this time. I took it to the dealership where they diagnosed it with a crack in the block. I have extended warranty, BUT the service advisor told them that this is a common issue with these vehicles and they see it all the time. NOW, my warranty denied the claim to do "MANUFACTURER DEFECT". Of course they back peddled and told warranty that it was due to a piston or detonation, TOO LATE, warranty will not cover it. Chrysler sent out an engineer who stated it was not a manufacture defect and that my warranty should cover it. Which they won't because all they heard was "MANUFACTURE DEFECT". My van has less than 100,00 miles on it and now I have no van. I can't afford the 12K for the motor and the 21K I still owe one it. Come on CHRYSLER do better for us!

At startup there has been a noticeable misfire, and a rough start condition. Check engine light came on shortly after buying it (used) with a P0305 code and low coolant was observed - Cylinder 5 misfire. Sparks plugs were replaced and coil was swapped and there was an immediate difference in it running better and less of a noticeable misfire. few weeks later check engine light comes back on and noticed there was a drop again in coolant levels. Topped off coolant and re-checked everything and P0305 code returned. Code has been intermittent but just got it into a shop for further investigation and found a new head was needed where this is a common problem in shops and Chrysler is now recommending to have the head replaced as part of this fix due to problems on their end. Shop it's at won't take the risk of a head replacement, and we'll likely have to go through the dealer. There was previously a class action lawsuit that closed in 2022 to cover this issue. This needs to be a recall or further action needs to be taken before this leaves someone stranded in a dangerous situation - likely when the auto start stop can't restart a vehicle at an intersection due to rough start.

I left the parking lot and started driving home at about 8:45pm on 3/31 and heard a really loud pop. It sounded like glass and I inspected the windows and panoramic sunroof. The panoramic sunroof glass has shattered on the 2nd row section and has a hole in it. The glass is still making noises like it's continuing to crack.

Going around curves the vehicles steering seems to lock in the turn and then jerks out of the turns. The dealership says there's nothing wrong. . It's dangerous and scarey and this is a minivan the steering should not lock or get stuck going around curves off offramp anywhere between 30- 55 mph. It's scarey . The car turns out of the lane on several occasions at first that's how I thought the car operated and now I discovered I'm wrong as it is getting worse . I cant get the car dealership to fix it!

My transmission went out at 108,000 miles. 6 out of 9 gears went bad. Had it replaced and it went out again 2 weeks later. The transmission dropped while I was driving but luckily I was pulling into a parking spot. Had to have another transmission installed. This scared me because my kid was in the car and was on the expressway a couple of minutes before it dropped. Also, the oil filter housing was cracked and I know this is a common problem because it is made of plastic.