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2020 Chrysler Pacifica

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2020 Chrysler Pacifica do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 189.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 28 of 170 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 64 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

7 crash reports3 fire reports6 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

18 reports
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Mileage unknown · Aug 5, 2023
EngineSteeringUnknown Or Other

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 rele…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11536656

Mileage unknown · Apr 16, 2023
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

I own a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica limited. This happened on04/15/2023 when I was sitting at a traffic light, an alarm went off. The message came up that read “Auto/start stop not available”, “Hood latch open”, “parking brake went on automatically vehicle went from drive into Park on its own”, the emergency brake came on and a warni…

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I own a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica limited. This happened on04/15/2023 when I was sitting at a traffic light, an alarm went off. The message came up that read “Auto/start stop not available”, “Hood latch open”, “parking brake went on automatically vehicle went from drive into Park on its own”, the emergency brake came on and a warning light came on. I had to turn off the car and restart it. The main and auxiliary battery was replaced on November 2022 .The similar issue also happened on 04/07/2023.

NHTSA ODI #11517272

Mileage unknown · Apr 11, 2023
Unknown Or Other

During the afternoon on April 10, 2023, I was merging onto I-12 in Baptist, LA. I was traveling on the roadway for no more than 20 seconds when a loud explosion happened. I nearly crashed my car as I had no idea what had just happened other than glass was everywhere. So I pulled to the shoulder of the road only to find that my s…

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During the afternoon on April 10, 2023, I was merging onto I-12 in Baptist, LA. I was traveling on the roadway for no more than 20 seconds when a loud explosion happened. I nearly crashed my car as I had no idea what had just happened other than glass was everywhere. So I pulled to the shoulder of the road only to find that my sunroof had exploded. The metal piece that is part of the sliding part was hanging on my rubber clearly showing it had not been properly secured. I had my 3 young children in the vehicle and again glass everywhere. There was no indication that something was wrong with my sunroof. I called the dealership where I purchased this vehicle and they stated they have heard this is happening and I need to file a complaint. Chrysler this is absolutely uncalled for and needs to be rectified! My sunroof was closed, the temperature outside was 61, and no severe weather.

NHTSA ODI #11516434

Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 2023
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

When driving at high speeds the van doors will unlock. You cannot lock them. When you hit lock the unlock again. Then on Saturday driving down the road the doors the door flew open.

NHTSA ODI #11513928

Mileage unknown · Feb 19, 2023
Unknown Or Other

Auto stop and start failed while driving causing the vehicle to not start back up at a stop light when the light turned green. It took shutting the ignition off and restarting the vehicle to get going again. This created an unsafe situation in traffic that very well could have resulted in an accident due to the brakes being rele…

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Auto stop and start failed while driving causing the vehicle to not start back up at a stop light when the light turned green. It took shutting the ignition off and restarting the vehicle to get going again. This created an unsafe situation in traffic that very well could have resulted in an accident due to the brakes being released and tail lights going out and the vehicle stalling instead of taking off. Had the driver behind me not been paying attention I would have been rear ended. Message currently displayed on dash shows auto start,stop disabled and needs serviced.

NHTSA ODI #11508070

Mileage unknown · Jun 27, 2022
Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

While driving at freeway speed a check engine light came on follows by “service electrical system “ then limp mode which limits the vehicle to 40mph. Very dangerous on the freeway. Luckily we made it off the freeway but the vehicle locked itself in park gear and began to make loud grinding noises with wipers going on randomly. …

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While driving at freeway speed a check engine light came on follows by “service electrical system “ then limp mode which limits the vehicle to 40mph. Very dangerous on the freeway. Luckily we made it off the freeway but the vehicle locked itself in park gear and began to make loud grinding noises with wipers going on randomly. This happened in a busy intersection. Car was inoperable had to be towed. Would not roll so flat bed tow was not possible. Dealer says the 12v battery was bad and it also needs a new transmission. If a 12v battery caused this to happen, this is a serious problem that could lead to a bad accident. Many more accounts of this online and YouTube.

NHTSA ODI #11471082

Mileage unknown · Mar 3, 2022
Unknown Or Other

Driving on a highway (55mph), ‘service charging station’ message popped up and I was unable to accelerate. I was able to pull over to the side of the road. Message said to put the car in park. Unable to go back to drive. Heat/radio remained working. Turned car off and on, car appeared to run but the service charging station erro…

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Driving on a highway (55mph), ‘service charging station’ message popped up and I was unable to accelerate. I was able to pull over to the side of the road. Message said to put the car in park. Unable to go back to drive. Heat/radio remained working. Turned car off and on, car appeared to run but the service charging station error popped up. Repeated many times, but the wheel would lock and error message came back any time I was in drive and took my foot off the brake/tried to accelerate. I had 90% battery and 7/8th tank of gas when this happened. Presume the car was running on electric power at the time. Temp outside was about 25 deg (have driven in much colder recently), I had been driving for about 10 min (about 7 miles. I started with a full charge and didn’t do anything different than any other time I’ve driven or charged the car. The car had to be towed to the dealer. Error came up before once when car was parked in the garage. It had been plugged in, but I could not start the car because the hybrid battery completely drained while plugged in. Reset the charger and let it charge and it ran normally after that (about 3 months ago). There are about 13000 miles on the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11454973

2,800 miles · Aug 26, 2020
Unknown Or Other

WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN AND ALMOST COMPLETELY STOPPED THE ENGINE REVVED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ENTER THE INTERSECTION BEFORE I COULD STOP IT. THE ENGINE RETURNED TO IDLE A FEW SECONDS LATER. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO OTHER TRAFFIC AT THIS TIME. THE SECOND TIME THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED I WAS STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT AND ALMOS…

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WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN AND ALMOST COMPLETELY STOPPED THE ENGINE REVVED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ENTER THE INTERSECTION BEFORE I COULD STOP IT. THE ENGINE RETURNED TO IDLE A FEW SECONDS LATER. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO OTHER TRAFFIC AT THIS TIME. THE SECOND TIME THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED I WAS STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT AND ALMOST COMPLETELY STOPPED WHEN THE ENGINE REVVED. I HAD TO APPLY CONSIDERABLE BRAKE PRESSURE TO AVOID REAR ENDING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I OBSERVED THE TACHOMETER READ ABOUT 2500 RPM AND IT RETURNED TO IDLE AFTER ABOUT FIVE SECONDS. NO ERRORS OR OTHER INDICATORS OF A FAILURE WERE NOTICED. THIS VEHICLE HAD ALSO BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE START/STOP FEATURE QUITE FREQUENTLY BUT NOT AT THIS TIME. I TOOK THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THE BATTERY WAS LOW CAUSING THE START/STOP ISSUES BUT HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THE ENGINE REVVING AND COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THIS VEHICLE IS BASICALLY NEW WITH APPROXIMATELY 2800 HIGHWAY MILES AND HAS ONLY BEEN ON THE ROAD SINCE THE END OF JUNE.

NHTSA ODI #11351382

Official recalls

5

26V362000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery

Jun 4, 2026

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) vehicles. The battery pack may cause a vehicle fire, even when the vehicle is parked with the ignition in the "Off" position.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to charge their vehicles, and to park outside and away from structures, until their vehicle is repaired. Dealers will update the high voltage battery pack control module software. In addition, dealers will inspect and replace the battery pack assembly, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning June 23, 2026. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is 52D. The Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 11, 2026.

25V876000 · Equipment Adaptive/mobility:wheelchair Restraints/securement:latch/anchor:

Dec 17, 2025

Rollx Vans (Rollx) is recalling certain GMC Yukon, Sierra, Chevrolet Express 2500, Ford Transit, E-250, Toyota Sienna, Sienna Hybrid, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town and Country, Voyager, Pacifica, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Ram Promaster vehicles equipped with QRT-Deluxe and QRT-Max wheelchair restraints. Please refer to Rollx's recall report for specific model year information. The retractors may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An unsecured wheelchair can move during transit, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Rollx will work with Q'Straint to inspect and replace the retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 5, 2026. Owners may contact Rollx's customer service at 1-800-956-6668.

24V793000 · Air Bags:side/window:curtain

Oct 24, 2024

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Pacifica and 2020-2021, 2023 Voyager vehicles. An improperly secured connector for the side curtain air bags may prevent the air bags from deploying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 214, "Side Impact Protection" and 226, "Ejection Mitigation."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will secure the connector, free of charge. All vehicles have been remedied. Owner notification letters were mailed October 22, 2024. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is A8B.

23V010000 · Electrical System:wiring:connectors/plugs/receptacles; Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter

Jan 17, 2023

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Electric vehicles (PHEVs). An internal transmission wiring connector may short circuit, resulting in an unexpected engine shutdown.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An unexpected engine shutdown can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the Power Inverter Module (PIM) software and, if necessary, update the instrument panel cluster (IPC) and the electronic control module (ECM) software, free of charge. FCA US will notify dealers and begin notifying owners on or about: 03/21/2023 for 2021 model year vehicles, 05/02/2023 for 2019-2020 model year vehicles, and 06/15/2023 for 2017-2018 model year vehicles. FCA began notifying owners on February 23, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 03A.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:wiring:connectors/plugs/receptacles

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Electric vehicles (PHEVs). An internal transmission wiring connector may short circuit, resulting in an unexpected engine shutdown.

Consequence: An unexpected engine shutdown can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the Power Inverter Module (PIM) software and, if necessary, update the instrument panel cluster (IPC) and the electronic control module (ECM) software, free of charge. FCA US will notify dealers and begin notifying owners on or about: 03/21/2023 for 2021 model year vehicles, 05/02/2023 for 2019-2020 model year vehicles, and 06/15/2023 for 2017-2018 model year vehicles. FCA began notifying owners on February 23, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 03A.

Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Electric vehicles (PHEVs). An internal transmission wiring connector may short circuit, resulting in an unexpected engine shutdown.

Consequence: An unexpected engine shutdown can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the Power Inverter Module (PIM) software and, if necessary, update the instrument panel cluster (IPC) and the electronic control module (ECM) software, free of charge. FCA US will notify dealers and begin notifying owners on or about: 03/21/2023 for 2021 model year vehicles, 05/02/2023 for 2019-2020 model year vehicles, and 06/15/2023 for 2017-2018 model year vehicles. FCA began notifying owners on February 23, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 03A.

20V191000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Sep 10, 2020

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2020 Jeep Gladiator and Jeep Cherokee, 2019-2020 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Renegade and 2019 Dodge Challenger vehicles equipped with 8.4" or 12" radio displays. A software error can cause the rearview camera image to remain displayed after the vehicle has been shifted out of reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The lingering rearview image can distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will update the radio display software, free of charge. Optionally, owners can choose to remotely update their software via an Over-The-Air (OTA) update available as of May 1, 2020. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W30-W37.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

2

RQ24004 · Loss Of Motive Power Due To An Internal Wiring Connector Short.

Opened Feb 27, 2024 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:wiring

On July 22, 2022, the 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).  On January 17, 2023, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) issued safety recall (NHTSA Recall 23V-010) involving 2017-2023 Model Years (MY) Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) produced between August 12, 2016, through January 9, 2023. The recall states that the loss of motive power condition in these vehicles is caused by an internal transmission wiring connector that may short circuit, resulting in an unexpected engine shutdown.  An unexpected engine shutdown can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.  In discussions with FCA on Recall 23V-010, ODI confirmed the recall was related to investigation PE22-008.  The remedy for 23V-010 is to update the Power Inverter module (PIM) and/or Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) software to provide drivers a message stating “Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon” followed by a chime and MIL, PRNDL blinking (on cluster and shifter knob), low SOC (State of Charge) warning and reduced power mode.  The recall remedy does not replace the defective hardware that was described in Recall 23V-010, and the wiring connector short still exists on these vehicles. To date, ODI has received 132 reports for the population of vehicles subject to recall 23V-010.  These reports allege a loss of motive power condition that reduces the vehicles speed, followed by dashboard warning lamps displaying messages associated with recall 23V-010.  The presence of these warning lamps and messages indicates the vehicle likely had the recall remedy applied. Follow up discussions with FCA confirm their remedy does not prevent a loss of motive power, but instead limits torque to the engine and after an unspecified number of miles or period of time, the engine will shut down.  When this occurs, FCA relies on the owner to transport the vehicle to a dealership after they experience a loss of motive power condition, at which time the defective hardware is replaced.  Furthermore, the dashboard messages introduced in the recall remedy may cause the driver to pull over in an unsafe location. Pulling over in an unsafe location may expose the occupants to undue harm. The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this Recall Query (RQ) to assess the adequacy, frequency, and safety consequence of the remedy for recall 23V-010.  To review the ODI reports cited in the opening resume ODI report identification number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

PE22008 · Transmission Fault Leading To Loss Of Motive Power

Opened Jul 22, 2022 · Closed Mar 27, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train

On July 22, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE22008 to investigate allegation of loss of motive power, potentially due to transmission malfunction, in certain Chrysler Pacifica vehicles. In a January 17, 2023 letter to NHTSA, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) submitted recall notice 23V-010 involving a transmission motor wiring defect in 67,118 model year (MY) 2017-2023 Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) manufactured from August 12, 2016 through January 9, 2023. FCA determined that an internal transmission connector short could result in an unexpected engine shutdown under certain conditions. Follow up correspondence with FCA confirmed this defect results in an electric motor position trouble code that was the basis for opening PE22008, therefore NHTSA is closing this investigation. The 23V-010 recall remedy is a software update to address the hardware failure associated with PE22008. When a hardware failure is detected, the vehicle limits motive power while instructing the driver to pull over to a safe location. NHTSA is concerned that drivers will pull over to an unsafe location when the warning message associated with the recall remedy displays on the dashboard. Due to the nature of the recall remedy and related reports, NHTSA has opened Recall Query RQ24004 to assess the recall remedy. The reports and failure report summary values included with this closing action are related to allegations of Recall 23V-010 remedy inadequacy. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.