2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID Complaints

Warning message stating "stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon", which is followed by loss of power and vehicle will only go about 30 MPH. There is an open investigation according to the NHTS website, NHTSA Action Number: RQ24004. Loss of motive power due to an internal wiring connector short. Dealer says that the fix is to replace the Power Inverter module (PIM), for which we are waiting for the part.

When traveling at interstate speeds, the van suddenly went into limp mode going from 75 mph to less than 30 mph in seconds. It then told me I needed to get off the road and power down the vehicle or it would be done for me. I had to put in the flashers and take the van across 6 lanes of traffic. I had a letter from Chrysler from last summer stating was a possibility, but they just said to come in if it happened. There was no preventative measure offered. My van had to be towed to the dealer.

Tried to start car. When start button was pressed the dash lit up like a Christmas tree. Multiple error messages. FCW unavailable, power steering unavailable, fuel door open, park brake unavailable, park sense unavailable, Service hybrid electric system, power steering unavailable. The gear indication, both on dash and by shifter was flashing. The car would not turn off. I had to open hood and disconnect 12v battery for the car to power off. Waited 10 seconds and connected 12v and it power on, but the check engine light is still active

In the past 6 months, we have noticed 2 seat belts with tears in them. One of the seat belts was not even being used as a car seat using the latch system had been in that seat. The first was noticed August 2023 and we just noticed another tear affecting a different seat belt January 2024. We replaced the first and are scheduling the 2nd for replacement.

While traveling for holidays, the CEL came on. We stopped at an auto shop to confirm the error code, before driving the car back home, to ensure safety. Error code P0E15-00 "Hybrid/EV Battery Pack Coolant Heater "A" Control Performance" was the issue. This will be the 3rd-4th time that we have had an issue with the Hybrid system on this vehicle. Thankfully, we purchased an extended warranty. However, we're sure that we are not the only ones experiencing so many problems with this and the Hybrid system should be recognized as being faulty.

On Sunday, November 5, 2023, our 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid caught fire in our garage. Please refer to the attached PDF which details the incident. I have pictures and videos of the incident as well as a report from the fire department is being prepared. We have placed home and auto claims with our insurance provider, and we are also working with a disaster recovery company who is compiling a report on the damages and losses. - What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? My educated guess from what I witnessed and discussions with the firefighters is it was the car’s electric battery. - How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Refer to PDF; further would this have happened at night and as discussed with the fire department, the toxic smoke, heat, and fire/explosion would very likely have caused the situation to have a much more catastrophic outcome. - Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I do not know specifically; however, please note PDF related to NHTSA Recall # 20V-334 we had completed in September 2023. - Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Refer to PDF; after the fire was extinguished and at the directive of the fire department, the car was taken to a local salvage yard for safety/risk of reigniting. - Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Refer to PDF; no, there were no warning signs other than the smell that morning and the service charging system notification after I unplugged the vehicle. We had driven the van the previous day with no issues, and when my wife left the house around 930 that morning through the garage, she did not notice a smell or anything unusual.

Pull into garage with <1% hybrid battery. Pressed the power button and the Pacifica threw an error about servicing the transmission and it would not disconnect the power to shut off the vehicle. Opened the hood and disconnected the 12v battery to complete remove electric from the system. The van completed a shutdown. Reconnected the 12v battery and closed the hood. Car returned to working conditions.

In March my van stalled as I was turning through a busy intersection with my child in the front seat. We narrowly avoided being t-boned. For a second the dash lit up with lights and then it said to shift to park to start vehicle but I couldn't shift. After finally getting it in neutral some good samaritans helped me push it out of the intersection and while I sat off to the side, after about 15 minutes of getting out and checking under the hood, the car started. We used our own code reader and it threw the PoA79 code. We brought it to Lewisville with an appointment, told them about the stall and they did the Z11 recall work for the fire risk with the battery but say there are no issues with the battery and no codes, but they have us ready for the recall work on Loss of Motive Power as soon as the recall work is available because loss of power is a known issue. They think my stall is related to the recall and needs a software update so hold off. Pick the van up after Easter. 3 months later it stalls again, this time with my child and husband on the freeway! After about 10 minutes of everything flashing, it starts again just as it did before, and the CEL clears. We call and are told that the Loss of Motive Power recall O3A process is now out for the 2018. We have never noticed an unexpected loss of charge. We were charging outside and far from our house, per the recall. No lobster popping up. Make an appointment for the O3A recall work and the van stalls on the way. This time it doesn't restart As I understand it, the transmission issue is that transmission case castings causes the high voltage wires to chafe and short out. We are told that we do not have a transmission or a battery issue, it is the On Board Charging Module has internal damage. They are unable to explain how a van that was at 95% charge and with a 12V that showed it wasn't depleted now has an internally damaged OBCM. And they don't know if that is the fundamental underlying problem with stalls.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - The dealer / manufacturer is unable to determine the root cause. The car shut down while I was driving on the highway. It does not start, meaning no engine turnover to operate / drive the vehicle. The only known issue was the recall for the electrical component failure. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Yes, both myself and others on the highway were at great risk. As my car shut down, I lost control of the vehicle - no power steering or ability to use the accelerator. My vehicle slowed to 40mph in the right lane, while other vehicles including trucks were still traveling at high speeds and quickly approached my vehicle. They did not see the hazard lights until they were only 20 feet away. This was very close to a fatal accident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - No. There is no solve to the issue. They claim, however, that they are replacing the *entire* transmission and think that this will fix the car. Yet, this seems to be an entirely separate, unrelated issue. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - Yes, I received an error message 1 day prior. See attachment photo of dashboard. I was instructed by the dealer to drive it into the dealership the very next day - the day the car shut down on the highway.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated that the dealer had completed the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System) on the vehicle; however, after the repair, the message "Service Hybrid Battery," was displayed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.