2017 CHRYSLER PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID Complaints

THE BRAKES ON MY VEHICLE RANDOMLY GO OUT. SOMETIMES THE BRAKES GO OUT LONG ENOUGH THE ENTIRE CAR STARTS SCREAMING AT YOU TO BREAK BECAUSE YOU GET TOO CLOSE TO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF YOU. IT'S UNPREDICTABLE. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN MOTION WHEN THIS HAPPENS.

WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH ON 4-LANE DIVIDED SURFACE STREET, A WARNING CHIME SOUNDED, ALL THE DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, AND THE ENGINE DIED. ONCE STOPPED, WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. ALL THE LIGHTS REMAINED ON, AS DID THE RADIO, ETC. WAS ABLE TO 'START' THE SYSTEM IN ORDER TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND GET PUSHED TO SIDE OF ROAD. ENGINE WOULD STILL NOT TURN OVER. ELECTRONICS REMAINED ON - WOULD NOT TURN OFF EVEN WHEN DOOR WAS OPENED. TOW TRUCK DRIVER PULLED A SWITCH TO ENABLE HIM TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE STARTED. APPARENTLY WHEN THAT HAPPENED, IT CLEARED THE CODES AND THE CHRYSLER GARAGE WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. AFTER FOUR DAYS OF TRYING TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM, THEY GAVE UP AND GAVE ME THE CAR BACK. I AM EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING IT NOW. HAD ONE PREVIOUS INCIDENT WHERE THE CHIME SOUNDED AND ALL THE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON, BUT DID NOT LOSE POWER, OR STEERING. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, BUT ONCE CAR WAS STOPPED AND THEN RESTARTED, LIGHT DID NOT COME BACK ON. BOTH TIMES THAT HAPPENED, THE ELECTRIC BATTERY WAS DEPLETED AND CAR WAS IN HYBRID MODE, USING THE GAS ENGINE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 (NA) CHRYSLER PACIFICA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. ONCE IT WAS RESTARTED, THE TEMPERATURE AND TRACTION CONTROL INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER (RY DELL CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM, 700 SAN FERNANDO ROAD, SAN FERNANDO, CA 91340) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A SHORT IN THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR AND A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 278.

I BOUGHT A NEW PLUG IN HYBRID CAR WITH AN ADVERTISED "AUTOMATED EMERGENCY BREAKING" AND 32 MPG GAS ONLY MILAGE, AND MPGE OF 84. IT DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTOMATIC BREAKING, AND GETS 24 MPG ONLY. I HAVE HAD 25 DOCUMENTED COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE DEALER, CHRYSLER CUSTOMER SERVICE (CASE 33518003) WHICH WAS "ESCALATED" TWO LEVELS - BUT NEVER ADDRESSED. THE DEALER PROPOSED I SELL IT BACK TO THEM AS A "USED CAR" AT A HUGE DISCOUNT - AND I WANT A FULL REFUND. NORTH CAROLINA LEMON LAW OFFICIALS (MR. DAVID FOX - 1-877-5-NO-SCAM) SAID I SHOULD TAKE CASE TO YOUR AGENCY.

THREE NOTABLE ISSUES. FIRST, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM RANDOMLY CRASHES AND I RECEIVE A HUGE GLARING 9-1-1 ERROR SCREEN THAT THE VEHICLE PHONE SYSTEM NEEDS SERVICE. SECOND, THE ONBOARD CHARGING SYSTEM DOES NOT CHARGE CORRECTLY LEADING ME TO BELIEVE FAILURE IS OCCURING. LASTLY, THE DRIVERS AUTOMATIC SIDE SLIDING DOOR OFTEN MALFUNCTIONS WHICH COULD CAUSE INJURY

WHEN BACKING UP IN A NEW POORLY LIGHTED PARKING DECK, THE SAFETY BRAKING SYSTEM AND BACK UP CAMERA WITH ASSOCIATED WARNING BEEPS DID NOT ENGAGE. THE RESULTING CRASH DAMAGED THE BUMPER, REAR LIFTGATE, REAR WINDOW, AND ME.*BF *TR

CAR WAS POWERED ON, PUT IN REVERSE AND WE BEGAN BACKING DOWN A STEEP DRIVEWAY. PART OF THE WAY DOWN THE MOTIVE POWER CUT OUT, WE LOST POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES AND COULD NOT OPERATE THE GEAR SHIFTER. WE COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE TO RESTART ON THE HILL BUT WERE ABLE TO ROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM. ONCE AT THE BOTTOM WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE NORMALLY.

THE CAR HAD BEEN OPERATING NORMALLY WHILE DRIVING FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES WHEN WE REALIZED WE MISSED A TURN AND DECIDED TO TURN AROUND USING A DRIVEWAY. THE CAR WAS NEVER SWITCHED OUT OF DRIVE. AFTER TURNING AROUND WE STARTED ACCELERATING TO CROSS THE TWO LANE ROAD AND THEN ALL MOTIVE POWER CUT OUT, WE LOST POWER STEERING AND COULD NOT OPERATE THE GEAR SHIFTER. THE VEHICLE STALLED, DANGEROUSLY BLOCKING BOTH LANES OF TRAFFIC WITH THREE CHILDREN AND TWO ADULTS INSIDE. WE GOT EVERYONE OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND OFF OF THE ROAD. A FEW MINUTES LATER AFTER REENTERING THE VEHICLE, IT STARTED NORMALLY.

VEHICLE LOST MOTIVE POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO EXCELERATE FROM A STOP ON A CITY STREET. VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED BUT LOUD CLUNKING NOISE AND VIOLENT SHAKING CAME FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT. VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND HAS BEEN AT THE LOCAL DEALER SINCE WITH LITTLE COMMUNICATION ABOUT A PROGNOSIS OR PERMANENT FIX.

THE REAR VIEW BACKUP CAMERA FAILS TO FUNCTION (GOES VIRTUALLY DARK) UNDER CERTAIN LIGHTING CONDITIONS, PRESENTING A CONDITION THAT IS FAVORABLE TO COLLISIONS WITH VEHICLES, OBJECT, OR PEDESTRIANS. THE WEB HAS PLENTY SUCH COMPLAINTS ON THIS VEHICLE, AND THE PROBLEM MAY NOT BE SPECIFIC TO THE HYBRID. TWO SPECIFIC SCENARIOS WHERE I EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM: 1) IN A PARKING GARAGE, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, WHEN BACKING OUT OF A SPACE, AND 2) WHEN BACKING OUT OF THE GARAGE IN MY HOUSE AT NIGHT. TO SPECULATE ON THE CAUSE: IN BOTH OF THESE SCENARIOS, LIGHT (EITHER FROM THE SUN OR A LAMP) WAS HITTING THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, WHILE THE AREA BEHIND THE VEHICLE WAS RELATIVELY DARK. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT LIGHT SENSORS ON THE VEHICLE MISCALCULATE THE AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE LIGHT AND SO FAIL TO ADJUST THE LIGHT LEVEL ON THE CAMERA. WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW ABOUT A MONTH AGO AND THERE ARE NO OPEN RECALLS ON IT.