Electrical System Problems of Chrysler Pacifica - part 2

On Thursday, July 3, we were on our way out of town and had just gotten on a highway when I smelled something burning, saw smoke (we thought was steam at the time) coming from the hood and heard the engine making a grinding, or rattling noise so we pulled over immediately. My husband got out of the car to start to take a look when another vehicle who had just passed us backed up and motioned frantically saying “your car is on fire!” so we got out and looked under the front of the car and sure enough, there was liquid spilling onto the ground and fire coming from underneath. So we quickly got away from the car and called 911. Another gentleman who had been going west also stopped to make sure everyone was okay and was also calling 911. Within 10-14 minutes the front of the car was totally engulfed in flames.

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When driving into a left curve the Chrysler Pacifica minivan at roughly 10:00 on the steering wheel, the steering wheel locks and is very hard to get out of the locked state. In order to clear the locked state I have to jerk the wheel hard back to the right to get it free. I feel that it will eventually either stay locked in that position and cause a head on collision or if overcorrected will cause the vehicle to swerve to the right and cause a crash. I feel this is a very unsafe situation and have talked to many people with this problem and they have also said the same thing. Also I have read several forums on the internet about others across the country having the same issue. Secondly the backup camera has started to not work recently. It started around the same time that the locked steering situation occurred. Also some of the buttons on the steering wheel are not functioning properly. Volume up when pressed causes the volume to go down and vice versa. I believe that there is an electrical issue in this vehicle and it is affecting the steering along with other items. Please initiate the recall for the steering because I do not feel safe with this happening and especially if it is raining. Thank you.

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Unexpected engine shut down electrical system, short circuit and the internal transmission failure loss of motor power while driving, losing control of all drive power breaking on its own increasing the risk of crash. Electrical system went haywire.

See all problems of the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

The side back doors do not work all of a sudden when you push the button on the vehicle frame inside of the van. This is on both sides of the van. They will only shut by pushing buttons on the outside door handles. Also, the windshield wipers will only work on high. There is no intermittent, low, or medium speed working.

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Vehicle posted message to; pull over and park safely as vehicle would be shutting down.

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I own a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid that is currently under active recall and within the 8-year federal hybrid warranty. My vehicle is covered under recall 20v334 (w46). The high-voltage (hv) battery has failed, rendering the vehicle undriveable. The dealership confirmed the battery needs to be replaced and opened a warranty claim, but they do not have parts available. Despite this, Chrysler has refused to provide me with a rental or loaner vehicle while the car is awaiting repair — citing that my vehicle is “not a 2019 or newer. ” I was also denied escalation to a supervisor by Chrysler’s customer care team, even after I requested further review. This leaves me and my family without safe, reliable transportation. Chrysler’s refusal to provide a rental violates the intent of the recall process, which is to protect drivers and passengers from unsafe conditions. The car cannot be driven, and there is no known repair date. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate Chrysler’s refusal to support owners affected by this recall — especially those with vehicles built before 2019 who are still within the hybrid warranty period. I am concerned that Chrysler is selectively denying recall support to 2017 and 2018 model years despite the recall applying to 2017–2020 Pacifica hybrids.

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6/21/25 , a Saturday, I stopped at a traffic light when gas saver function kicked in and shut car off. The car went into park mode by itself and parking brake engaged. The car would not start and had to be towed. It sat until Monday when I was able to start it and drive it to my mechanic's business a mile from my location and shut it off. Immediately after shutting it off it would not start again. My mechanic was able to start it a few days later and when he drove it about 5 miles it just shut off and wouldn't start again. Today he is replacing the starter and believes the gas saver function may have contributed to the increased wear on the starter leading to failure, as well as the heat from the catalytic converter located near the starter. I am very nervous about driving this car again and worry it may happen again when I am in traffic. This is a major safety problem if not resolved.

While stopped at a red light my van alerted me that the start/stop feature was not working, turned itself off and put the van in park causing much confusion and my almost getting reended as I was unsure what to do.

Vehicle displayed "stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon" followed by a complete lack of power. We managed to get to the side of the highway safely. Vehicle would not turn back on until about 45 minutes later. Before we turned off the vehicle it said service charge port. Check engine light is on, even after we managed to get it started. Currently at the shop, waiting for information on why.

Vehicle engine shuts off while driving down the road. Will start up after a few minutes. Traction control light and auto start stop light will come on. Random right wheel noise will come and go. Have had multiple mechanic shops check vehicle with no findings. Vehicle loses all power when shuts down.

This is a phev and upon returning to my vehicle after being plugged into a rivian public ev charge station I found that the charger handle overheated and smoking. When I left the vehicle 45 minutes earlier it was charging with no issues whatsoever. When I removed that handle, a large piece of the charge terminal came out of the handle a remained attached to my charge port. It was one of the connecting sleeves that melted out of the charger and somehow arc welded itself to the male end of my charge port. I still cannot remove it and so now I am unable to charge my vehicle. I notified the property officials and also notified rivian, but neither is claiming any responsibility to the damage to my charge port. I took my car my local Chrysler dealer and explained what happened but they denied any fault as well. My vehicle has less than 13k miles and still covered by new car warranty so I thought they might know why that happened. In my judgment what had happened is the charge cable itself had a weak wire or a bad, loose connection to the copper terminal inside the handle that caused high resistance and heat to build, then broke away and bound itself to my charge port once I removed the charge handle. When I try to followup with rivian, best I can do is communicate with their front line phone customer service (they never allow me to speak with anyone authorized to make decisions about the matter), however rivian did fix their public charger after the incident, but they're seem uninterested in assisting a fix to my vehicle, which I feel they are at fault so have claimed Chrysler had had charge port issues but they are denying assistance. I have an estimate of around $980. 00 to repair my charge port, but neither rivian nor Chrysler warranty are willing to make repair. I feel victim here, used equipment as advertised but being denied product liability claims by both parties, rivian and Chrysler.

After driving, I can to a stop to park the van. The van would not shift to park and instead would go to neutral. I then could not turn the van off. It would only stay in accessory mode. Upon looking at this issue online, many Chrysler Pacifica owners have the same issue. Some people are able to fix the issue easily, while others needed to replace the transmission valve body. This is an incredibly expensive repair. There were no warning lights ahead of this problem happening, it happened out of the blue. No codes are shown when reading for codes in the van. The message that pops up when the van would not shift to park was “service trans press brake when stopped key off engine to engage park”. But the van will not turn off completely. To get the van to shut off, the battery needs to be disconnected. Safety is put at risk as I am not able to park the van or turn it off completely which would result in a dead battery.

An electrical component failed while driving dangerously stranding us on the side of the road. The car has 20k miles on it and is 13 months old.

- digital display not working when in reverse; yes it is available upon request - unable to see behind the vehicle properly impacting safety of everyone in vehicle. - dealership confirmed there is a recall for this issue but our VIN is not included yet. - no inspection yet. - no; 6/6/2025.

On Thursday may 30th was the first incident of the vehicle shutting down we were able to start it back up almost immediately within seconds on the 2nd occasion I was on a street with cars behind me going down to make a turn the stop start did not engage but we were still a ways away from the stoplight and suddenly the engine stopped no signs other than just stopping I could not start it back up I look down there was no indication of any issue other than a stalling so put it in part turned it off turn it back on no start try it again didn't work could not turn it over to neutral to get off the road police came while I had somebody disconnect battery and reconnect it to try to get it started again there was no less battery power on the engine it took 15 minutes or more to get it started once able to get started we brought it back home it was Sunday the 1st of June 2025 so there were no mechanics available still unknown as to what caused the malfunction no indicator lights other than during the issue with a lightning bolt and during the outage the check engine light was on no lights currently on. The danger was to myself and two children in the vehicle and too many other vehicles behind me that could have crashed into me or cause incident being in the road working on the vehicle having to go around us waiting for green lights or a miss trying to get around us and avoid other traffic.

While driving 70mph on the expressway the dash randomly sent a message saying “pull over vehicle shutting off” and then it put itself into limp mode. Thankfully we were able to coast to the small shoulder and put on our hazards. This happened at 2am with 4 kids in the car. Nothing in the car would work, it wouldn’t turn on, shift, nothing. We had to sit on the side of the expressway for hours waiting for a tow. While waiting it had the check engine light on, limp mode light, and messages to service hybrid system & plug in battery for reconditioning. It is waiting to be serviced, but there is a very limited amount of techs that will service it due to being a hybrid.

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.

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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).

1. This vehicle was recalled for a software update due to the rear camera failing to operate at times. The software was updated by the dealer. However, this did not completely fix the problem. While the camera fails less frequently, it still does not energize at times. I took the vehicle back to the dealer. I was then informed that there is water intrusion into the rear lift gate, which causes the electrical to short out. I was told that I would have to replace the wiring harness which energizes the camera as well as the rear vehicle lights. I have not noticed any problem with the lighting as of yet. However, I have been told that this is a problem with the Pacifica in general, as well as the durango. I was told that replacing the harness would not guarantee that the problem would be solved as there would still be water intrusion, which could cause the problem again, even with replacing the harness. This is obviously a safety issue, as the camera fails to operate at times, and there is a potential of losing lighting on the back of the vehicle. This is also a known defect by Chrysler. 2. When using the adaptive cruise control on streets and highways with multiple lanes traveling the same direction, the vehicle will brake suddenly and hard when the vehicle in front of me changes lanes. This occurs after the vehicle in front of me has completely changed lanes and is not impeding my forward progress whatsoever. My vehicle speeds up to the set speed and then violently brakes as if it is about to crash into the vehicle ahead of me, even thought the lane is completely clear. The vehicle has been inspected for this scenario. I was told that it didn't perform as described above when the technician drove it. This is a safety issue as the vehicle suddenly and violently brakes at highway speeds, with traffic behind me.

The emergency brake came on while I was driving.

On three separate days, 2021 Pacifica lost power at 70 mph. After second incident transmission was replaced. The third loss of power occurred after the new transmission was installed. All of these incidents occurred on freeways with heavy semi-truck traffic.

Hello: my 2018 Pacifica hybrid was just recalled, and serviced, yet the hybrid battery only last a few miles before needing to be recharged. Also, when in reverse the back up camera doesn’t always come on and doesn’t beep when approaching an obstacle. It will also stay on while driving forward.

Power steering module malfunctioned when taking kids to school. Auto repair shop confirmed.

I have completed recall 66b/NHTSA 24v-436 on my Chrysler Pacifica. I'm continuing to have issues where the uconnect system locks up and restarts, the rear view camera freezes or turns on when driving forward. Once the system locks up you can't operate certain vehicle controls such as hvac as they are controlled through the system and the buttons do not respond. I tried contacting uconnect but their phone system says "error" after multiple steps to get to a representative. I've read many other people having these issues online also. This is a serious safety issue if the controls for your vehicle lock up while driving and the rearview camera doesn't work. I've updated the system per the recall and the issues persist.

Hi! this vehicle stopped twice in the middle of a road on its own. Vehicle was driving fine and the next second it slowed down and wouldn’t accelerate as I would push the gas pedal. It’s as if the engine shut down due to the car signals not transmitting correctly. The screen started blinking on and off giving me warnings and one of them said “service shifter!” my safety and my children’s safety was put at risk because anyone could’ve hit us from behind as the car started decelerating on the road with oncoming traffic. I towed the car to a mechanic as the car does not run properly while being driven, and the mechanic said it has multiple electrical issues and multiple leaks. The vehicle was inspected by my own mechanic, as the dealer also inspected it and they tried to connect the scanner to turn off the engine light and get me to drive off. They have refused help and I truly believe they knew this car was a safety hazard. After leaving the dealer, 4 minutes into driving the car started slowing down and I was able to make it into the parking lot, but got stranded in the middle of the street where opposite traffic comes into. I bought the car 03/01/2025. The check engine light turned on 2 weeks in. The battery seemed to be drained 2 weeks in but it did not need cables or recharge, it’s as if the battery loses connection. Then at the one month mark it started having those issues, no warning until it completely stopped on the road. When it stopped on the road, that’s when the screen started going off with multiple warnings.

Driving on freeway at 70 mph clear conditions 65degree weather. Warning light said to stop safely engine would shut down soon. Pulled over safely, waited, restarted. Drove another 10 miles, same error message, car lost power.

The vehicle, without warning, flashed the message “stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon” and suddenly went totally unresponsive. It had shut down within 60 seconds. This was on day 4 of ownership and less than 1000 miles on the vehicle. We were unable to restart, shift, or get the vehicle to respond in any way. Upon reading further, this is the exact issue that over 67,000 of these models were recalled for in years 2017-2023 with transmission replacement as the required repair.

See all problems of the 2024 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

I received a warning to park safely, engine will shut down soon. This is the third time it has happened. One time coming down a mountain with no place to pull over safely with a van full of family members. Second time at high speed on an interstate, this time on a high speed local road, but had enough time to pull over before losing power. The van has been in the shop and/or waiting for repairs for over 10 weeks during my 53 weeks of ownership. Chrysler has delayed accepting the recommended repairs that their dealer states is necessary. I have spoken to other Pacifica owners that has experienced the same issue. Is Chrysler waiting for folks to get killed before accepting responsibility?.

I bought a 2022 Pacifica hybrid in October 2022. About 2 months ago(Feb 2025), while I was driving on the 360 highways, my car suddenly showed "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" and a turtle symbol. At this time, I was driving 70 mph and the car started to slowly stop. Then, I tried to drive into a nearby starbucks to check it out. I turned off the car. Everything was ok such as oil, coolant, a/c, windshield. Then I restarted the car and the "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" and the turtle symbol were gone. I thought it was okay, so I continued driving. 5 days ago (April 11-13, 2025), I had a trip to san antonio. When I was driving close to austin. My car showed "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" and the turtle symbol again. At this time, I stopped on I-35. I feel very dangerous for me, my wife and my 2 children. I feel very scared and confused when I am driving on I-35 and the car stops like that. I feel like our lives are in danger while driving. Then "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" and the turtle symbol appear more frequently. My car has appeared "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" and the turtle symbol 6 times in 3 days. Yesterday was April 14, 2025. When I parked in my driveway, "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" and the turtle symbol also appeared. Every day, I must take my 2 children to school in my 2022 Pacifica hybrid. Now, I feel very scared when driving. I do not know when "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" and the turtle symbol will appear again and will cause an accident for my family. We sincerely hope that you will consider and request Chrysler to help us check and fix this as soon as possible. Thank you very much.

The infotainment system keeps resetting with screen going black and restarting. This is distracting and I lose data such as directions if I am using navigation. This could lead to driver distraction and risk of accidents. I think that this is a firmware issue and uconnect should provide a fix.

See attached document for complaint.

Grille shudder broke.

When driving on hybrid mode with battery charged up suddenly warning message showing “transmission failure” and message saying “stop safely vehicle is going to shut off soon”. Breaks don’t work as normal when this happens and vehicle wouldn’t stop immediately. Feels unsafe to drive. Engine warning lights turn on and stay for a day after this happens. Checked with dealership and they mentioned recall is still being worked upon and not yet available. Tried reaching mopar directly but no response yet.

We rented a '23 Pacifica from enterprise. While driving 70mph on an interstate in houston, a safety warning popped up "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon". On the interstate, I wasn't able to keep my speed. Speed dropped quickly and dramatically. Luckily, I was able to get to the side but could have been hit in the process. My 2 daughters were in the car. It was terrifying. According to my research Pacifica did a recall of 67k hybrids and their solution?? add software that gives a warning. That was the solution. Not to fix the deadly issue but to add a warning. [xxx] . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Traveling at 70mph, the car displayed a message to "stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon". Code p0a43 drive motor a position sensor circuit intermittent" was pulled. The van can not be driven safely on the road without the car alerting the driver that it will shut off soon.