general problems of the 2020 Chrysler Pacifica - part 1

Vehicle steering locked up while driving causing driver to end up in oncoming traffic. Also, vehicles remote start turns on, but after a few seconds car shuts off.

The start/stop system fails while car is running. Power not delivered appropriately resulting in check engine light coming on and entire car shaking. Only 62k miles. Started at 58k.

While driving in suburban traffic vehicle engine began running rough and lost most power with about 58000 mi on the vehicle. Received check engine light and vehicle entered 'limp mode' with turtle icon displayed on screen. Brought to dealer and it was diagnosed with a p0304 cylinder #4 misfire and leaking head gasket causing coolant contamination to engine oil. Dealer repaired the head gasket under warranty. About 2 months after the head gasket was repair at 60,098 miles while drive on the interstate the engine began running rough. Check engine light came on and then oil pressure light came on. We were able to exit the highway, had the vehicle towed to the same dealer where the head gasket was repaired under warranty. This time the engine was diagnosed with a failed #4 cylinder connecting rod. Chrysler and dealer refused to repair or replace the engine even though both leak and failure occurred on same cylinder.

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized in the middle of the road. The contact stated that there was no power to the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure occurred close to the residence, and there was not a lot of traffic. The driver was able to exit the vehicle and get to a safe area. The contact's brother-in-law was contacted for assistance; however, the driver became impatient waiting for assistance. The driver attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle started. The help arrived, disconnected and reconnected the battery cables, and the vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer; however, the dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that a recall was issued, but for hybrid vehicles. In addition, the contact referenced an open investigation for the failure. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice within two weeks. Additionally, the warning light that the “auto start/stop unavailable” had remained illuminated since August 2025. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Engine shutdowns randomly while driving and it almost caused me to crash once on the highway and the other was while in my neighborhood to take my daughter to school.

I was driving and all of a sudden I got a warning to stop that the engine was going to shut off. I got off to the side of the road and it shut down. I had it towed to the garage. The next day they ran tests. The batteries were both new and they tested fine. Alternator tested fine. Since then it’s happened two more times and the dealer is telling me that all the tests are fine. That Chrysler won’t help me because they can’t prove anything is wrong. Even with the pictures of all the codes and alerts. I don’t feel safe driving my kids in this van at all now. But nobody will help me.

On multiple occasions while driving, we would get a fault/error message on the dash stating the start/stop system was malfunctioning and would be deactivated. We had the battery replaced at the dealer and had no issues for approximately 6 months. Not only does the car give a fault/error message when the fault occurs, but the car shuts off, while in motion (including at high speeds), causing us to have to coast through dangerous traffic to get to a safe place to put the car in park and then restart it. Once restarted, the car will run fine for an undetermined length of time before it shuts off again while driving for the same issue. Chrysler's only recommendation is to change the battery, which has been replaced and the current battery tested for proper operation.

The hybrid propulsion system on my 2020 Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid has repeatedly failed, resulting in sudden and complete loss of power while driving at highway speeds. The vehicle enters full limp mode, displays a red turtle warning light, and the motor cuts out entirely, creating a serious collision risk. The failure occurs without warning and has happened on multiple occasions. The root cause has been traced through escalating component failures: first the power inverter module (pim) was found to have an internal failure disabling regenerative braking and causing the motor to cut out; subsequently the battery charging module was found to be failing, causing the high-voltage battery to drain to 0% and stall the vehicle. Both components were replaced by an authorized stellantis dealership under warranty. Despite replacement of the pim, the charging module, and ultimately the transmission, the defect has not been resolved. The vehicle has been confirmed defective by the authorized dealer on each visit and has been subject to a star (engineering escalation) case with stellantis. Warning symptoms include the red turtle warning light, check engine light, and sudden power loss. The vehicle has been out of service for cumulative warranty repairs exceeding 130 days, including a continuous period exceeding 90 days. The vehicle remains unrepaired and in dealer custody as of the date of this filing. The dealer has confirmed the defect on each visit and has conducted multiple rounds of diagnostic testing and component replacement, none of which have restored safe and reliable operation. The component failures are available for inspection upon request.

On [xxx] in alabama at [xxx] on Saturday [xxx], going highway speed with cruise control on, the engine shut off unexpectedly. The driver put on the flashers, pulled over, and turned off the vehicle for 30 seconds. Then the vehicle was turned back on and was functioning normally. Approximately 10 minutes later the engine light is on. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The head gasket failed. The check engine light came on and I took it to the dealer before the engine seized thankfully but it could have caused safety issues such as coolant leaks, engine breakdown potentially on the highway which could have caused an accident and risked people’s lives. If there was oil contamination, the engine could have locked up which def can cause an accident. Engine fire is even possible. The problem has been confirmed by an independent dealer. I know of many others who have experienced the same issue.

Car start/stop system not operating properly; batteries are not able to keep charge after replacing several times; car unexpectedly stops and unexpectedly jerks. Back up camera and screen freezes unexpectedly . These are all ongoing and continue to be unresolved by local Chrysler dealership.

Electrical system issues. Had to replace both batteries in the Pacifica. The van jerks or grinds while trying to shift. Now the oil pan is warping which can cause the coolant to mix with the oil causing a safety hazard.

2020 Pacifica keeps stalling. From a stop light or stop sign the vehicle will lurch forward without warning. Recently, from a strip mall I stopped before pulling out into traffic and the vehicle lunged forward peeling rubber and shot onto the main road and I had to slam on the brakes to get the vehicle under control. At the next stop light, it stalled and I couldn't get it started. I'm handicapped and I had to exit the vehicle with my canes and advised the driver behind me of the problem. I've made 5 trips to the dealer with this problem. The dealer replaced a crankshaft postion on one trip and the fuel pump on another visit. If you leave the vehicle set for about an hour everything goes back to normal until the next time it stall, which is the next time I use the vehicle. More recently I picked up my vehicle from the dealer on February 14th, put 24 miles on it. I didn't use the vehicle on [xxx]. I then drove six miles on [xxx] for a total of 30 miles and it stalled again. The dealer south hills Chrysler Jeep keeps telling me they can't duplicate what I'm telling them are the problems with the vehicle. I don't know if it is a transmission or what. I called Chrysler customer service and spoke with a man named sahil. I explained the issues with the vehicle and he contacted the dealer and parroted what the dealer said to me, they can't duplicate what I am saying is wrong with the vehicle. This was on February 28th. My van has been setting at the dealer since February 18th and I haven't boo from the dealer since. Sahil is to call me tomorrow the 5th of March , but I don't expect any information from him that will resolve the issue. I am [xxx] and [xxx], I need this van for hauling [xxx} for doctor's appointments and other issues that surface. This problem of stalling started back on the middle of November, 2024, again the middle of December, 2024 and again the middle of January, 2025. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Unknown when driving on expressway the vehicle will intermittently shut off and not allow acceleration. After waiting 5-20 mins the vehicle can be started and driving can continue but there is no warning when malfunction will happen. It happens 7/10 times only when driving on expressway.

The car was running great, but then I had the check engine light on. When I checked the vehicle with an obdd2, I got p0303 (misfired cylinder 3). A mechanic expert and I checked the vehicle for a possible blown head gasket, low compression, and defective spark plugs, and all was good. The car is a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica and should have problems of this kind.

While driving down the highway car makes a pop sounds and shuts completely down. Would not start again for 4+ minutes. Upon a quick google search learned this happens a lot with this vehicle and was apparently recalled and fixed in the past and seeing how this vehicle has no open recalls that was supposedly fixed. However this is the 2nd time it has done it with us alone.

Came to a stop at a stop light & the emergency brake engage, the van went in park & shut off. It has done it twice in a week now.

Van randomly shut off at stop light.

I’m experiencing persistent issues with my 2020 Chrysler engine. While driving, the engine frequently shuts down unexpectedly, often resembling a start-stop feature. When I come to a stop, the engine and lights go out, and the vehicle won’t restart, which is particularly concerning while in traffic. Additionally, when accelerating, I notice a jolt in the engine followed by a loud knocking sound. These problems significantly affect the vehicle's performance and pose a serious safety risk. I would appreciate any guidance on diagnosing and resolving these issues.

See attached document for complaint.

Car started to rock and the engine light came on with a cylinder 3 misfire code (p0303). We replaced the spark plug and coil on cylinder 3 and the issue resolved temporarily. About 48 hours later the rocking and engine light came back on with the same error code. We swapped the spark plug and coil on cylinder 3 for those on cylinder 1. The check engine light turned off but we would still get the rocking intermittently. We also noticed the coolant level was low and there are water vapor coming from the exhaust in the morning when starting the engine. The engine temperature never got hot that we noticed. We refilled the coolant level but it would slowly drop, and we felt there may be a leak or, with the cylinder 3 misfire, there may be a blown head gasket. We tried a k-seal coolant leak repair. This stopped the coolant leak and rocking for a few weeks, but the leak and engine rocking started to return. We took it to an auto-body shop and, after flushing the line, they checked the engine head gasket which had a leak on cylinder 3 (and apparently cylinder 1 was also starting to go bad). This had to be replaced along with a bad radiator fan assembly. After looking online, there have been very similar issues with other Pacifica engine head gaskets, so we decided to file a report.

After driving a few minutes gas engine died and received "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" on cluster as well as a turtle icon.

A coolant leak in the engine led to contamination, misfiring spark plugs. Check engine light came on while driving, and very soon thereafter (~3 minutes) car began sputtering while accelerating and shaking while idle. Acceleration seemed particularly unreliable and dangerous, leading driver to immediately exit the highway and continue straight to dealership on back roads. Dealer found that coolant had leaked into the engine, causing the need to replace right side cylinder head, gasket and spark plug.

I was driving in a remote region of washington in high heat (101 f) outside of pasco, when my car alerted me that it was going to turn off and I needed to pull the car over and stop before it shut off. I had to rapidly decelerate and Dodge other vehicles to make it to the shoulder of the highway. When I pulled over and shut it off, it reported that the charging system was broken and needed to be repaired. Once off, the car would not start back up. I called for a tow through my state farm insurance but had trouble getting a vehicle to my location. After an hour of being stranded on the highway in high heat with small children, the car finally turned back on, with the check engine light on. I took it to the Chrysler service station in walla walla. They said that the car showed no errors and that it was safe to drive. The check engine light turned back off. I researched this and it’s related to recall 03a, which I am now having performed. The problem is that the fix they are doing for 03a does not fix the underlying problem — it just changed the text of the error message and adds potentially a few more seconds before the car turns off and I lose control of the vehicle. I don’t understand why this “fix” was accepted if the car is still unsafe to drive. I would expect Chrysler to have to replace the faulty components in the transmission. I often have to drive in remote, unpopulated areas in bad weather, icy conditions, etc. Even with the “fix”, the car will not be safe to drive in such conditions. What if my car turns off when I’m on a mountain pass on an icy road? if I survive the crash, I’ll still be stuck on the side of the road in freezing conditions. I am extremely disappointed that the NHTSA approved this “recall fix” that leaves these vehicles unsafe to drive. Because of the problems with this car, I can’t get very much for it in trade-in, and honestly it would be unethical to sell it to an unsuspecting family. Now I’m stuck with an expensive, unsafe vehicle.

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle experienced a rough start-up. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant had intruded into cylinder #3 and recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 88,000.

We were traveling 70 mph down a steep incline and suddenly the vehicle, a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid, displayed the warning "pull over - vehicle will shut off soon" and immediately the vehicle lost all motive power. I was able to pull over to the side of the road safely. This is the second time this has occurred. The first time a Chrysler dealership did not fix the problem. The code pulled was p0a43 related to the 03a recall.

Got the stop safely vehicle will shut off soon warning. My wife was upset and not sure what to do. Was able to start again but now we don't trust the van.

July 21, 2024 on June 1, 2024, while driving at normal speed under normal conditions, 2020 Chrysler Pacifica (with 14,600 miles) engine seized up, serpentine belt tore, power steering lost, and all lights went on within seconds. I immediately pulled to side of busy 495 beltway. Dealership concludes that mounting bolts holding alternator in place simply sheared off, broke off causing alternator to drop into engine, tearing belt, breaking ac hose and chain of other breakages. As it turns out, this exact incident has been reported by others on the Chrysler Pacifica forum online with pictures. Without obvious explanation, vehicle engine shuts down resulting in a very dangerous situation with loss of all control of the vehicle, including steering. One possible explanation is that the bolts are made from a mixed alloy and are very weak or that the bolts holding alternator as well as other engine components are over-torqued resulting in sudden snap breaking of multiple bolts. It is a very dangerous as well as helpless situation. Our vehicle has been at the dealership for over 6 weeks as they negotiate with stellantis. The warranty expired in March 2024. Estimated cost of replacing alternator (the screws sheared off in such a clean manner that they cannot be extracted from the alternator), ac hose, serpentine belt, battery and more is at $6500 now. The Mini-van has 14,600 miles and is used primarily for my 100% disabled veteran husband and his medical appointments. In summary, I am alerting the NHTSA as others hopefully have. This exact same experience of an engine seizing up due to over-torqued engine mounting bolts cleaning shearing off while driving at highway speed is extremely dangerous and cannot be due to normal owner driving/vehicle wear and tear. I recommend that the NHTSA do a further inquiry to this matter to ensure that responsibility is taken with Chrysler to prevent more serious accidents in the future. I will try to enclose photos. Thank you -.

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the shock absorbers, radiator, and brake discs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. On another occasion, the vehicle seized to function as needed. The contact took the vehicle to the independent mechanic and the vehicle was diagnosed with timing chain failure. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 161,500.

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness that controlled the flaps for the coolant and the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a known issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

Check engine light came on first in 12/2021 because of a failed coolant heater. Dealer repaired under warranty in 8/2022. Loud/rough idle started 2/23 dealer could not determine what was causing the sound. Started noticing empty coolant bottle once a month. 11/23 check engine light came back on indicating coolant heater failed again. Still noticing vehicle losing coolant. Vehicle begins rough idle again and misfiring code in #3 cylinder. Dealer requires diagnostics to determine reason for coolant heater failure since they replaced in 8/22. Soonest appointment avail for diagnostic is 12/7/23 misfire continues. On 11/15/23 goes in “limp mode” take it immediately to the dealer, service advisor clears codes sends me on my way. Take vehicle to scheduled diagnostic on 12/7/23 and they determine the cause of the rough idle is the valve cover seal leaked oil into spark plug tubes and coils were soaked in oil. Warranty has expired and the dealer cost is $2700. I take to my local mechanic on 12/13 and he replaced all recommendations for $1800. He recommends that coolant is being lost due to head casket issues, cracked block. I have read dozens of the same experiences with these vehicles on Pacifica forums and believe that there is a huge safety issue as they are advertised for families and can carry 6+ passengers and the cost for repairs is in the $6000-$15000 range and are occurring when the vehicle warranty has expired. Audra wright 916-281-4656 audrawright68@gmail. Com 2020 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge ram bend, oregon.

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.

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.

The vehicle was purchased 8/5/2023. 8/23/2023 the vehicle stalled while at the bus stop with kids. Would not start again. 10/26/2025 the vehicle again stalled but at a red light during rush hour. During this event I attempted to use the hazards so the traffic approaching was aware it was not working. The hazard lights would not work. The vehicle was not even allowing the neutral position to allow it to be pushed out of the way. I was on the side of the road waving down card watching about 20 cars (fairly assuming with no lights indicating otherwise that it was moving) I was flagging traffic on my way home from a night shift at a hospital in town. I had it towed home was able to charge the battery enough for taking it to the dealership. The axillary and main batteries both were replaced more than 3 times. I had the vehicle for three years and this was an ongoing issue the dealership never disclosed there was a battery cable recall and turned me away from discussing they also did not disclose this year make and model had a class action lawsuit and recalls for the stop/start system failure. They refused to help or report my VIN number. In March of this year it did it again. To allow this vehicle to be on the road is dangerous. I voluntarily surrendered it with that being said and the lender (flagship credit acceptance) is attempting to sell the vehicle and also refused to acknowledge any calls out of many calls I made to report the vehicle is dangerous. Both businesses did not disclose the recall and the vehicle is currently in storage I believe and I'm worried a family will end up very hurt if not multiple as that day where I witnessed about 15-20 cars come very close to ramming the back of it head on because it was not able to be moved.

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.