2020 Chrysler Pacifica

Since performing the latest recall (03A/NHTSA 23V-010) this car has gone into a "limp home mode" a half dozen times -often with a car full of children and at least once in a long construction zone on the Washington DC beltway! The recall "fix" for the faulty transmission wiring was apparently to program the electronic control to recognize faulty wiring and put the car in "limp home mode" - supposedly this makes it safe! Really? on DC beltway at night in a construction zone! The dealership told me that Chrysler would replace the transmission - 5/25/23. I have been in contact with the dealer numerous times and also Chrysler customer care. No one can give me a delivery estimate for the transmission and in the meantime, we continue to experience the total loss of power in the most horrible of circumstances. Neither Chrysler nor the dealer has offered a rental car or a loaner vehicle. This recall was totally inadequate to address the wiring and safety issue due to the lack of response from Chrysler to fix the actual problem.

The seals on the oil filter housing and the valve covers go bad. I have been smiling a burning oil smell off an on for the last 8 months. I reported this to the dealership and was told that the seals on the PCV valve seep they all doit should be ok. As time rolled on the van went put of warranty and the smell got worse. I went back to the dealer and they finally looked the way they should have 8 months age and found the problems listed above.costing me 712.69 dollars. You look ant where on the web about this problem and find that Chrysler is fully aware and they are doing nothing about it . What happens when we are going down the road and enough oil leaks and runs down the manifold then starts a fire??? I contacted Chrysler and got no help at all.

Our car was fixed for a recall 5 months ago for engine failure on the highway because of an electrical issue. On Saturday morning driving on the highway, the car's dashboard gave a warning when we driving on the highway, 70 mph, and then immediately started breaking. This caused us to be slowing in the middle lane to 45 mph and cars swerving around us. We were very lucky to be able to maneuver around traffic and safely make it to the shoulder to catch our breath. This could of been a really bad accident involving 3-8 cars. We had the car towed to a dealership and after a diagnosis, the car needed a whole new transmission. The recall was an electrical update to control wiring in the transmission but then the transmission only after 32k miles completely shut down and needs to be replaced. We are hoping this gets looked into. After reading on forums, this issue has happened multiple times. We did have the recall fixed but it seems like the recall is 100% effective. Since this is a major issue and can cause fatality or serious body injury, FCA should have a more effective update to fix this issue with the transmisson.

The issue is the Pentastar V6 engine defect. It has caused engine misfires resulting in bucking and surging, decreased engine performance, hesitation, loss of power, premature wear on internal components. The potentially dangerous issues on the “defective design” of the engine’s needle bearings within the rocker arms, the use of sub-standard materials and procedures during manufacture, “defective or miscalibrated” ECM software, and poor quality controls.  The Defect causes unsafe driving conditions because the Class Vehicles, that includes 2020 chrysler pacifica, have a significant chance of failing while being driven. Further, even the lesser symptoms of the Defect affect vehicle performance and safety, making it harder for a driver to control the vehicle as it loses power, hesitates, or misfires. the vehicle has only been inspected by the mechanic at the dealership we leased the vehicle from.

Three times now while driving the car just turns its self off with no warning. One incident was car wouldn’t start after just driving 20 minutes before with no problems. Steering wheel and brake were stuck in place so unplugged the battery and waited a few minutes. Hooked back up started the car with some struggling and the security light stayed on. Second incident was while driving car just turned off with no warning. Was told battery was dead so replaced the battery. Same day after thinking the car was fine we went somewhere and when turning on the car the security light was on again. Drove and the car turned off again while driving. Was able to restart and drive when the car shut off again with no warning. Had the car jumped and had someone check alternater and batteries again and they are all fine. Diagnostics talks about power train and faulty wire when everything checks out fine. Very scary when your family is in the car and not knowing if the person behind you is paying attention so you can get over safely. Taking car to a dealership on 9/11/2023.

Vehicle shut off and locked up while driving. I was leaving my neighborhood and coming to a stop to turn right on to a major road. The vehicle powered down while in motion and the ignition locked. I could not restart it, I could not turn the wheel, I could not put it in neutral. The brake pedal was pushed down and would not release. I had children in the van. I turned hazards on and rolled the windows down but due to the sun shining, other motorists could not seem to see my hazards and we were nearly rear ended. I called 911 for assistance and AAA for a tow. At some point the entire vehicle was non operational and the windows would not roll back up and the hazard lights did not work. Police were there by that time. The vehicle was towed to Larry Miller Dodge where it now sits. I also independently had AAA battery service check the battery and have been told it needs replaced but that the vehicle should not just stop and lock up mid drive. We suspect an issue with the stop/start feature or multiple issues. Date of 8/4/2023. Vehicle has 3 months remaining on original warranty and approx 23k miles.

While driving at highway speeds a warning flashed on the dashboard "Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon". I was able to coast to safe stop off the highway and drive slowly on battery powered acceleration for a few miles until the vehicle completely died. The gas engine did not engage during this period. I shut the engine off with emergency lights on while on a two lane road. After restarting the engine, I drove for about 30 seconds before it completely failed again, and pulled off in a residential area. I waited about 5 minutes before restarting the engine and attempted to drive the vehicle again. The gas engine did not engage and the same warnings were displayed as we attempted to reach a charging station to get to safe place to stop. The vehicle lost all power again after about 20 seconds and we pulled over. I waiting about 10 minutes until restarting the vehicle and the gas engine engaged. We were able to drive the vehicle to a safe location to park and unload 2 kids and an infant. My family was absolutely at risk during this incident. I'm bringing the vehicle to a dealership immediately and considering a complete replacement. This is unacceptable. A family should not have to fear for their lives while driving a American made vehicle on American roads.

Problems with the entire dashboard electrical system going out and not coming back on for approx. 2 hrs. Until vehicle sits. Everything including the heat/AC, radio, nothing worked. Secondly the engine is and has been running rough even though oil changes performed every 4-5,000 miles full synthetic. Engine feels as if it needs an engine service or something. Vehicle has some jolting and stubborn acceleration at time as well.

While driving in normal conditions most, if not all, of the van's dash warning lights lit up, the van came to a stop on its own (without input from driver) in the middle of the street, put itself in park and would not shift into drive again. This happened in the middle of the street and before it could be moved onto the shoulder. The battery had to be disconnected to allow the computer/electrical system to reset, only then would it move. We are very lucky that this occurred within a 35 mph zone and not in interstate traffic. Even with this happening in a lower speed zone it is still very dangerous for the van to stop unpredictably in the middle of traffic. Again, had this been on interstate it could have been deadly. When attempting to put into reverse or drive, the shifter would shift itself back into park. If placed in neutral the van would engage the electronic parking brake and would not disengage until placed back in park. Given that the main purpose of these vehicles is to ferry children, it is especially concerning that the van is behaving the way it is.