2020 CHRYSLER PACIFICA Complaints

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

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.

Pacifica hybrid turned on but would not shift out of park or turn off. The radio was playing, air was blowing (though not cold), power doors were not functioning. The car was towed to a Chrysler service center while still running. They turned the car off and when they looked at it several days later there were no errors codes and the car was turning on/off and able to shift out of park and drive. They returned the car to me without any explanation for why this happened. The car was purchased 13 months ago and this is the second time this has happened. The car did the same thing in January 2024. The car ran for hours without being able to shift out of park or turn off. The car died by the time it was towed to the Chrysler service center. The service center recommended replacing the auxiliary battery at that time, which we did (Jan 2024). They said there were no mechanical error codes showing.

After driving a few minutes gas engine died and received "Stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" on cluster as well as a turtle icon.

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.

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.

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.

I was driving in a remote region of Washington in high heat (101 F) outside of Pasco, when my car alerted me that it was going to turn off and I needed to pull the car over and stop before it shut off. I had to rapidly decelerate and dodge other vehicles to make it to the shoulder of the highway. When I pulled over and shut it off, it reported that the charging system was broken and needed to be repaired. Once off, the car would not start back up. I called for a tow through my State Farm insurance but had trouble getting a vehicle to my location. After an hour of being stranded on the highway in high heat with small children, the car finally turned back on, with the check engine light on. I took it to the Chrysler service station in Walla Walla. They said that the car showed no errors and that it was safe to drive. The check engine light turned back off. I researched this and it’s related to recall 03A, which I am now having performed. The problem is that the fix they are doing for 03A does not fix the underlying problem — it just changed the text of the error message and adds potentially a few more seconds before the car turns off and I lose control of the vehicle. I don’t understand why this “fix” was accepted if the car is still unsafe to drive. I would expect Chrysler to have to replace the faulty components in the transmission. I often have to drive in remote, unpopulated areas in bad weather, icy conditions, etc. Even with the “fix”, the car will not be safe to drive in such conditions. What if my car turns off when I’m on a mountain pass on an icy road? If I survive the crash, I’ll still be stuck on the side of the road in freezing conditions. I am extremely disappointed that the NHTSA approved this “recall fix” that leaves these vehicles unsafe to drive. Because of the problems with this car, I can’t get very much for it in trade-in, and honestly it would be unethical to sell it to an unsuspecting family. Now I’m stuck with an expensive, unsafe vehicle.

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 -

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.