2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID Complaints

WE WERE DRIVING CAR AT 25 MPH ON BUSY CITY ROAD IN GAS MODE (NOT ELECTRIC MODE) WHEN THE POWER STEERING AND ACCELERATOR STOPPED WORKING. THE CHECK ENGINE AND BATTERY INDICATOR LIGHTS LIT UP, AND A MESSAGE SAYING "CAR MUST BE IN PARK TO CONTINUE DRIVING" SHOWED UP ON THE DASHBOARD. THE BRAKES WORKED, AND WE COASTED TO A STOP AND WERE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION ON A BUSY ARTERY. WHEN WE PUT THE CAR IN PARK, IT WOULD NOT THEN GO BACK INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE; THE "D" AND "R" GEAR LIGHTS WERE FLASHING. THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OFF, IT WOULD STAY IN RUN MODE WHEN WE TRIED TO TURN IT OFF. BATTERY OPERATED FUNCTIONS, LIKE POWER SLIDING DOORS, STOPPED WORKING. EARLIER IN THE DAY, THE CAR HAD A ROUGH IDLE WHILE IN GAS MODE.

WITH JUST 200 MILES AND HAVING OWNED THE VEHICLE 3 WEEKS, VEHICLE LOST POWER ON FREEWAY AND MY WIFE COASTED OFF TO THE SIDE WITH CAR FULLY STALLING AND IGNITION LOCKING UP WITHIN 1/4 MILE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP BUT WORKED FINE NEXT DAY. 100 MILES LATER AND ABOUT 3 WEEKS ON DIFFERENT FREEWAY THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN AND VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO DEALERSHIP. THE CAR SEEMS TO STALL IN HYBRID OR GAS MODE. SERVICE STAFF CHANGED BATTERY AND TRIED VARIOUS THINGS BUT SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAD THE CAR STALL OUT AGAIN ON TEST DRIVE ON FREEWAY AND VAN WAS TOWED BACK. CHRYSLER SENT THEIR OWN SERVICE SPECIALIST AND AFTER MAIN COMPUTER WAS CHANGED AND CONTROLS SET, CAR WAS DRIVEN A COUPLE OF MILES ON CITY STREETS BY THE EXPERT BEFORE STALLING OUT. AFTER THREE MONTHS, AND LESS THAN 500 MILES, WE ARE ASKING FOR A REFUND AND THE CAR HAS YET TO BE FIXED. *TT

WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY WITH A SPEED LIMIT OF 70 MPH, A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THAT THE BATTERY WAS CONDITIONING. I WAS THEN LIMITED TO 45 MPH WITH VERY LITTLE ACCELERATION, AND THE A/C STOPPED WORKING. THIS WAS REPAIRED, BUT HAPPENED AGAIN THREE WEEKS LATER WHEN ABOUT TO MERGE ONTO ANOTHER HIGHWAY WITH A 55 MPH SPEED LIMIT.

I TOOK MY VAN IN FOR RECALL AND WAS FIXED ON 7/16/18 FOR CRUISE CONTROL PROBLEM. EVERYDAY SINCE THE FAN COMES ON WHILE PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND CHARGING (LEVEL 2) AT A VERY HIGH NOISE LEVEL. ROLLER COASTER TYPE NOISE. YOU CAN HEAR IT ALL OVER THE HOUSE. CAR SOUNDS LIKE IT IS GOING TO EXPLODE. NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE THE RECALL FIX FOR CRUISE CONTROL. VIDEOS OF SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM ARE ON THE FACEBOOK GROUP FOR THIS CAR. SEARCH FOR "CHRYSLER PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID". I ALSO VIDEOTAPED THE CAR MAKING THE NOISE BUT WON'T BE ABLE TO UPLOAD SUCH A LARGE FILE.

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55MPH, ON AN OVERPASS RAMP CONNECTING TWO DIFFERENT FREEWAYS, DRIVING UPHILL AROUND A BROAD TURN, THE CAR SUDDENLY BECAME NON-RESPONSIVE TO PUMPING THE GAS PEDAL OR APPLYING THE BREAKS. STEERING WAS STILL POSSIBLE. I TURNED ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND CONTINUED TO STEER THE CAR AROUND THE BEND AS IT DECELERATED (IT WAS 25MPH OR LESS BEFORE I GOT IT RESTARTED). CONCURRENTLY, I SHIFTED INTO REVERSE (I INTENDED TO TURN THE KNOB TO NEUTRAL BUT OVERSHOT DUE TO NERVES), THEN BACK INTO NEUTRAL, AND BACK INTO DRIVE. AT THAT POINT, THE GAS PEDAL BECAME RESPONSIVE AGAIN, AND THE CAR DROVE NORMALLY SUBSEQUENTLY. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE CAR WAS IN ELECTRIC MODE (ALTHOUGH GIVEN THAT THE CAR WAS GOING UP AN INCLINE ON THE FREEWAY, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE GAS ENGINE KICKED IN BRIEFLY AND I DIDN'T NOTICE), WITH APPROXIMATELY 50% BATTERY REMAINING. ADDITIONALLY, THE CAR WAS UNDER RECALL (U73/NHTSA 18V-332) FOR A CRUISE CONTROL PROBLEM AND HAD NOT YET HAD THE SOFTWARE UPDATE REQUIRED TO ADDRESS THE RECALL PROBLEM. HOWEVER, CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ENGAGED DURING THIS INCIDENT, AND THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME SUBSEQUENTLY THAT THE PROBLEM I REPORTED WAS NOT PART OF THE CRUISE CONTROL RECALL. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW SIX MONTHS PREVIOUSLY, AND ITS FIRST MAINTENANCE APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED THE DAY FOLLOWING THIS INCIDENT. NO ACCIDENT RESULTED FROM THE INCIDENT, AND THE POLICE WERE NOT INVOLVED. DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE OPTIMAL, WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC ON A SUNNY, DRY DAY.

I PURCHASED THE 2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA HYBRID IN DECEMBER 2018. IN FEBRUARY 2018 AT ABOUT 3500 MILES, THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND THE ENGINE SOUNDED LOUD. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT A PIN WAS MISSING FROM THE EXHAUST CAMSHAFT PHASER. THE PIN WAS NOT INSTALLED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO THE TECHNICIAN. THE EXHAUST CAMSHAFT WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH A CAMSHAFT PHASER, OIL CONTROL SOLENOID, AND CYLINDER HEAD COVER GASKET. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WAS REPLACED AT ABOUT 6500 MILES IN JUNE 2018. THE VEHICLE IS NOW IN THE REPAIR SHOP AWAITING DIAGNOSIS OF ANOTHER ISSUE. I AM NOT AN EXPERT IN ENGINES. I AM CONCERNED THAT MY VEHICLE MAY NOT BE THE ONLY VEHICLE MANUFACTURED WITHOUT THE CAMSHAFT PIN. AGAIN, I AM NOT AN EXPERT, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THE MISSING PIN MAY RESULT IN INOPPORTUNE ENGINE FAILURE THAT COULD RESULT IN ENDANGERMENT OF OCCUPANTS OF ANY FAULTILY MANUFACTURED VEHICLES.

WHILE CRUISE CONTROL IS ENGAGED IF A VEHICLE IS ALREADY STOPPED WHEN YOU COME UPON IT, LIKE AT TRAFFIC LIGHT, WHILE YOU ARE APPROACHING THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ENGAGE THE BRAKES AS APPOSED TO WHEN YOU ARE BOTH MOVING AND THE VEHICLE IN FRONT SLOWS TO A STOP. ALSO, THE SCREEN THAT SHOWS THE 360 CAMERA AND OTHER APPS FREEZES UP RANDOMLY, MOSTLY WHILE USING THE CAMERA WHILE NOT IN REVERSE, BOTH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOVING AND STOPPED. *TT

VEHICLE UCONNECT SCREEN LOCKS ONTO FORWARD IMAGE WHILE MOVING FORWARD DOWN THE ROAD OR GOES BLACK ELIMINATING THE ABILITY TO ACCESS ANY OF THE CLIMATE CONTROL OR SOS FEATURES. EXTREMELY DISTRACTING AND REQUIRES VEHICLE TO BE PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED TO CLEAR.

OUR THEATER SYSTEM HAS NOT WORKED PROPERLY SINCE WE PURCHASED THE NEW VEHICLE 4 MONTHS AGO. THE CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR, BUT THE SOFTWARE PATCHES HAVE NOT WORKED AND HAVE CORRUPTED THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. CHRYSLER DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM OR WHAT IS CAUSING THE ISSUE. MY BRAND NEW $50,000+ VEHICLE HAS BEEN SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP WITH NO EXPECTATION ON WHEN THE PROBLEM WILL BE FIXED.

I WAS PASSING A SLOW MOVING MOTOR HOME ON STATE ROAD 19 OCALA NATIONAL FOREST . IN THE MIDDLE OF MY PASS THE ENGINE CUT OFF. I HAD ENOUGH SPEED TO FINISH MY PASS SAFELY AND PULL TO THE SIDE OF ROAD. ALL THE PANEL LIGHTS WERE FLASHING AND THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE CHRYSLER AND AFTER FOUR HOURS THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST CHRYSLER DEALER. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT BECK PALATKA FLORIDA, CHRYSLER SINCE APRIL FIRST. THEY INFORMED AFTER FIVE DAYS THAT THEY WERE NOT EQUIPPED TO HANDLE REPAIRS BECAUSE OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGY ON THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE NOW BEEN INFORMED THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR TOWING FROM DEALER IN PALATKA TO THE ST. AUGUSTINE DEALER. I FEEL CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY DRIVING THIS NEW CHRYSLER HYBRID IF IT CAN BE REPAIRED. WE COULD HAVE HAD LOSS OF LIFE HAD ANOTHER VEHICLE STRUCK OUR VEHICLE APPROACHING HEAD ON. I HAD NO ACCELERATION IN THE MIDDLE OF MY PASSING, AND WITH MY WIFE AND GRANDCHILDREN IN THE CAR, THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN TRAGIC. MY CASE NUMBER IS 33839387 AND I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT IT IS GOING TO BE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER PERSON! PLEASE ADVISE AS TO MY NEXT STEP IN THIS PROCESS.