2017 CHRYSLER PACIFICA Complaints

Head Gasket has failed on the engine which resulted in radiator blowing out in the middle of traffic stranding my wife and four kids on the side of the road for hours. Seems to be a common issue with the Chrysler 3.6 engine in 2017 models and possibly 2018 models.

Head gasket failed, causing the engine to overheat and damage to occur. Luckily, my wife was able to move safely off of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to LaFontaine CDJR in Walled Lake, Michigan, for repair. They confirmed that it was indeed a head gasket failure and the repair total would be around $6000. Research shows that this is a frequent problem with these vehicles, with numerous reports online.

The car's lithium batteries caught fire to the point of smoldering. This happened at the end of the charge cycle. The car was parked in our garage and if the fire department did not come to help, the fire could have intensified and burned down our whole house. We are very thankful we caught it so quickly. No warnings or issues were apparent with the vehicle when it was parked and put on the charger.

Check Engine light came on in October 2023. Code indicated misfire cylinder #5. Dealer could not reproduce problem in shop. Returned vehicle with instructions to drive until check engine light came back on. 800 miles later light came back on. Dealer reported code was misfire cylinder #5 again on Nov. 22, 2023. Also found coolant in cylinder indicating blown head gasket. Recommended repair was engine replacement as Chrysler did not recommend head gasket repair. Cost $11,500. Engine has 56,000 miles on it. Power train warranty was 5 years/60,000 miles, so just out of warranty for time but not mileage. Problem could result in total engine failure while driving, putting driver and passengers at risk of injury or worse. Problem was confirmed by dealer on November 22, 2023 and vehicle is currently at dealer service center awaiting repair decision. My research shows that there have been many reported failures of this vehicles' engines with the identical symptoms and repair recommendations. Many Owners who opted for head gasket repair often ended up having to have engines replaced anyway. My vehicle has been dealer-maintained on schedule since I purchased it, as I had an oil change and basic maintenance contract on it that expired September 2023. It gave no indication of any problems before the initial check engine light in October. Never overheated or any other warnings that it had a failing engine. A properly maintained engine should not fail at 56,000 miles.

Electrical problems since purchase (new). Warranty repairs by 2 dealers. The rear lift warning buzzer went out causing me to be hit in the head and getting black eye. The buzzer is out again, but not repaired as the part has been on back order for months. Dealer said over 100 of the same part by various dealers on the back order. This is a major problem as car purchased for use with my dogs and w/o buzzer they also are not warned when ‘door’ coming down. For the part to not be available for so long is unacceptable and since covered under paid warranty I think Chrysler is neglecting the warranty owners. Also, since the part has failed before, they are aware it’s a faulty part but have not done anything to keep the part stocked,

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started to sway from left to right, and a message displayed reading "Stability Control System Fault". No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the rear passenger’s side cradle was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.

Our driver side sliding door can only be opened with the fob and overhead button located in the front of the vehicle. If the driver becomes unconscious or the vehicle is on fire the back passengers have no way to get out of the van. It cannot be manually opened from the outside or the inside. It is a very serious safety issue!!

While driving 70 mph on freeway passing a semi the engine shut off. Had steering and braking but no power. Managed to pull over without getting hit. Dash message "put in park, press brake and press start. Major panic attack as we were 200 miles from major town in the desert. Started car drove about 5 miles and it did it again. Dealer claims to never heard of that problem. Since getting home I've not taken vehicle on freeway. Utterly terrifying.

while driving down the highway the steering wheel locked up while making a slight turn on the highway.

It got a check engine light for a cylinder 3 miss fire. It has been found to be caused by a faulty head and gasket by Jamie’s Auto Service in Noblesville IN. This issue is also on many forums with tons of people suffering from this.