general problems of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica - part 2

Problem: steering wheel sticking in turns. I own a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The issue am facing with my car is that the steering wheel is sticking while trying to turn. This issue seems to be happening to so many Chrysler Pacifica owners.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed low speeds, the electric power steering stopped functioning properly after the contact heard an abnormal crunching sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly jerked and jolted during acceleration as if the transmission was slamming into gear. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for regular maintenance service, and the contact was informed that the motor mounts needed to be replaced. The vehicle failures were not diagnosed during regular maintenance service. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 121,000.

Report is related to the probe into a sticking sensation on gradual turns. Particularly when at the 1 and 11 o clock position.

The steering sticks when when turning in curve left and right turns causing me to sometimes over correct.

Often when making a gradual turn such as exiting an interstate onto the off ramp, the steering wheel will stick/lock at the 3 o clock position. This requires considerable force to return the wheel to the 12 o clock and straight position. I took it into the dealership and they found nothing wrong but it seems like an issue with the steering rack. I've heard numerous reports of others encountering this as well and I want it to be known this is a common issue. There is no grinding, scraping or noise indicating something is broken but seems to be a manufacturing defect. It is extremely dangerous and can sometimes be rather difficult to correct the wheel.

Steering experiences sticking during gradual curves in the road. It requires some effort to return the steering wheel from the stuck position and I’m worried that it won’t someday and cause a collision.

The steering periodicall locks up. This doesn't happen offten and only lasts a second or two but at high speeds does give a scare to the driver. Also when turning the steering in a tight turn like in a parking lot, the steering jerks/wabbles.

When negotiating some turns the steering wheel "sticks" and resists turning back out of the turn a little. It makes slight corrections jerky.

I am experiencing the issue that was widely reported in the news on 9/8/2025. The steering starts to stick when the wheels are turned on gentle curved. This happens after about 1 hour of driving, and it most likely to happen between 45mph-65mph. Car has approximately 58,0000 miles on the odometer. This is a massive safety issue, a driver should not have to fight the steering wheel to maintain control of the car. Problem has not bee reproduced by mechanic or dealer. No warning lights come on during the event.

While slowing to a stop at a traffic light, the engine stalled unexpectedly. The start/stop system did not restart the engine when I released the brake pedal. Accessories (radio, lights, etc. ) remained powered, but I could not shift the vehicle into neutral. After approximately 20 minutes, I was able to restart the engine; however, the transmission remained unresponsive and the engine could not be shut off using the ignition button. I was unable to shift to neutral or turn the steering wheel. Message on dash indicated shifter module required service, and indicated that the vehicle was not in park when attempting to turn off vehicle. The vehicle was only turned off by disconnecting the 12-volt battery. The vehicle was towed to a Chrysler dealership and diagnostics completed, showing error codes with the shift module. They were unable to recreate the problem and advised replacing the shift module. When inquiring about recall v53, the dealership service department indicated that this recall had been repaired on the vehicle in 2020. These symptoms match those described in Chrysler recall v53 (NHTSA campaign 19v-348) for 2017–2019 Chrysler Pacifica vehicles equipped with start/stop systems, which involves a loose battery ground connection. My VIN is not currently listed in the recall as it was reportedly corrected in 2020, but the issue created a hazardous situation by stalling in traffic, disabling shifting, and preventing engine shutdown. This could have resulted in a crash if traffic conditions were different. Please investigate whether additional 2018 Chrysler Pacifica vehicles not currently included in recall v53 should be covered or if this is a recurring safety issue with the engine start-stop (ess) on 2017-2019 Chrysler Pacifica vehicles.

The steering wheel sticks forcing you to almost have to jerk the wheel to stay in your lane. Seems to be highway only. Very dangerous this was not a one time occurrence. Happens every time the car is driven on the highway.

We experience a sticking between 11 and 1 when driving at slow (parking lot) speeds and at highway speeds. It makes it more difficult to drive on the high around long turns, because if it's a gentle turn, holding the right angle of turn is difficult if it's sticking around that area. This can lead to unintentional swerving. This is an ongoing issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to turn the steering wheel slightly to the left or the right, the steering wheel was sticking, causing the contact to use added force to straighten the steering wheel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the electronic steering system had failed. The contact was informed that the steering system needed to be repaired, and the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,500.

While driving on i40 east of ashville, the power steering became sluggish. Like turning in molasses. I had to manhandle the steering wheel to complete the turns (at 70 mpg). My wife also drove on i40 and felt the same thing I was feeling. The next 3 days it did not do it again, I was driving in town. Later I felt it while going on a curve at about 62 mph. This also happened to be going up an incline. Earlier on i40 it did not mapper if going up hill or down hill.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at speeds above 30 mph, after making a slight turn to the right, the steering wheel became sticky, and added force was required to turn the steering wheel back to center. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed of the NHTSA action number: pe25009 (steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the investigation. The failure mileage was 114,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and turning, the steering wheel was sticky and failed to return to center automatically. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA action number: pe25009 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

Component/system failed: electric power steering (eps). The system intermittently fails during normal driving, showing a "service power steering" warning. Diagnostic codes include u113e (lost comm w/ eps), c2217 (sas not calibrated), c2210 (eps internal fault), p058c (low voltage), and p1009 (hybrid module mil request). The issue began immediately after a Chrysler recall service where the main charging unit was replaced. Vehicle is available for inspection. Safety risk: loss of steering assist creates a serious hazard, especially during turns or at low speeds. The steering becomes extremely heavy without warning, increasing the risk of collision or inability to maneuver safely in traffic or parking situations. Dealer confirmation: yes. A Chrysler dealer confirmed the eps fault and quoted $5,500 to replace the entire steering rack. No electrical diagnostics were completed, despite the issue starting after recent electrical recall work. Inspections by others: the dealer has inspected the vehicle. Chrysler corporate has been contacted but has not yet resolved the issue. No inspections by police or insurance. Warning signs: the issue started right after the dealership performed recall work. “service power steering” message appears, and diagnostic trouble codes are present. The error is intermittent and can clear after restarting, only to return later.

While driving at a steady 65 mph, I suddenly lost power steering, which severely reduced my ability to steer the vehicle. I was able to safely brake and pull over. After turning the car off for a few minutes, steering function returned to normal. A few hours later, during a second drive at approximately 35 mph, I experienced the same issue again while turning onto my street. The steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn and required significant effort with both hands to maneuver the vehicle into the driveway. This sudden loss of steering control posed a serious safety risk-not only to myself, but also to other drivers on the road-and could have easily resulted in an accident. No warning lights or dashboard alerts were displayed at any point. The vehicle was towed from my home to the dealership. Upon inspection, the issue was reproduced, and it was confirmed that the power steering system had failed and required repair, along with related components. All necessary repairs were completed and paid for out of pocket.

As I drive down the road above 45 mph my steering wheel feels like it gets stuck, I have to get it pulled back out of the stick. It’s a terrible feeling and is uncontrollable. All systems are off that may cause any issues and it still does this. This is a common problem that I have been researching with this year model can we get a recall on this. It’s been doing. It over 6 months.

The contact’s employer owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at undisclosed speeds and making a turn, the steering wheel became stiff and required extra effort to return the steering wheel to the center. There were no warning lights or messages available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 204,000.

Recurrent intermittent power steering failure and intermittent engine stall. Steering wheel gets stuck when turning right while driving at speed on highway. Steering wheel gets very heavy and requires some force to get it back to center. If I let go of the steering wheel, it would stay in the same position until I move it back. When driving at slower speeds, usually when navigating around turns or roundabouts, the engine will stall and then drastically jolt into gear. Two different mechanics have not been able to identify the root cause. They have checked alignment, electrical codes, and other potential issues without any answers. After research, I believe I am experiencing similar issues as detailed in the safety recall v53 / NHTSA 19v-348 power steering assist. My VIN was not included in the recall , but I believe my car is showing similar concerns. I have requested a local Chrysler dealer look into this issue specifically and I have an upcoming appointment.

The steering occasionally makes noises and sticks while turning. I feel that if this happens at the wrong time it could potentially cause an accident.

Steering seems to catch at times, generally when the steering wheel is around 1 and 11 o'clock, steering wheel has to be turned harder to be straightened out which and lead to over correction and can possibly cause an accident, this has happened multiple times while driving.

The contact owns 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving and making a slight left turn on several occasions, the steering wheel became stuck and failed to return to the center. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel was forcefully returned to center to straighten the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. No further information was available. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

2018 Chrysler Pacifica exhibits severe 'sticky' and binding steering at highway speeds (70+ mph). When maintaining a straight line or slight left curve, the steering wheel notches and resists physical effort when trying to turn back to the right. Correcting the vehicle requires sudden, excessive force to break the electronic resistance, causing a jerky movement that risks overcorrection and loss of vehicle control. This is a severe, intermittent tracking and safety hazard under the ongoing NHTSA eps gear investigation.

The power steering stops working intermittently while driving. Today we were going about 40mph and the steering wheel locked up for about 2 minutes. We were driving straight forward . When we came to the stop light we turned the engine off and restarted the engine. We could have a major accident. It has been doing this for about 3 weeks. We are not going to drive it until it fixed.

Power steering went out and can’t back on.

Steering exhibits a sticking sensation during gradual turns, "particularly when the steering wheel is positioned near the 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock position. " also power steering service light comes on when car is started but then turns off when car is placed into drive on a semi regular basis, probably about 4 out of every 10 start ups.

Electronic power steering failure at around 40k miles driven. Was able to replace completely understand warranty.

Going around curves the vehicles steering seems to lock in the turn and then jerks out of the turns. The dealership says there's nothing wrong. . It's dangerous and scarey and this is a minivan the steering should not lock or get stuck going around curves off offramp anywhere between 30- 55 mph. It's scarey . The car turns out of the lane on several occasions at first that's how I thought the car operated and now I discovered I'm wrong as it is getting worse . I cant get the car dealership to fix it!.

When going into a turn, the steering wheel hangs and requires more force to straighten out.

In the dash bord power steering not aveleble warning also stop start not responding then servic charging. . . . . . . Not safe to drive this car at all. I had to go the dealership more than four times a year recently spending a lots of time and money. Again engen lights come up.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel locked up while attempting to make a left or right turn. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the steering column needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact there was no repair for the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.

Steering wheel feel like it’s get stuck.

The hybrid battery coolant heater (part 68443445ac) was confirmed a problem, however the dealership wont review any recalls on my vehicle until I pay $1700 to replace that part. However, there are multiple incidents online showing this is a problem with this vehicle and should be a recall as this is obviously defective within the first 150000 miles. My car has roughly 124k miles, making it just outside the warranty coverage. Shortly before this lamp warning (check engine) came on my steering wheel started "sticking" making it hard to steer in a curve, causing me to veer off the road. Within 7 days of this happening, is when my check engine light appeared, throwing code poe15. The heat now also takes much longer to warm up- like 30 minutes longer. The dealership said none of the issues are connected, however after online research I have determined that is not true.