Equipment Problems of Chrysler Pacifica - part 2

[xxx] first “red turtle” breakdown on freeway after about an hour of freeway driving, car went into “red turtle mode” (“limp mode”) on the freeway, alerting us that the engine would shut down shortly and that we needed to get to a safe place to stop. The car wouldn’t accelerate fully, putting us in danger on the freeway, where cars were speeding all around us. June 2025: dealership’s first attempt to fix the dealership showed stored error codes p0a43 drive mode code a position sensor intermittent. But, the tech said they were unable to replicate the error. They kept it in the shop for a couple days, then sent the car home with us with no fix. They told us to restart the car a few times and it should go away. [xxx]: second breakdown on freeway on [xxx], with all three kids in the car, we drove the car from sacramento to san rafael. On the way there–the first long car trip with the van since the [xxx] incident, the red turtle alert appeared again. We were going uphill and unable to fully accelerate on the freeway, again putting our entire family in danger. We were luckily able to pull off of the freeway, restart the car several times, and continue driving–wondering the entire time whether the vehicle would again lose power, and sure enough it did. [xxx]: third breakdown on freeway later that same day, on our way home, the red turtle alert appeared again, the vehicle was unable to fully accelerate, and the message warned us that the car was about to shut itself down. This time, we were on the freeway with no exit available to us. We had to pull over onto an unprotected shoulder, with cars speeding by us on both sides. It would have been unsafe for any of us–but especially my toddlers–to exit the vehicle. We sat on the side of the freeway, restarting the car repeatedly, waiting to see if the alert would clear and the vehicle would become drivable again. Eventually, it did. We brought the car to the dealership again. Spent over a week there information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia).

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There was a battery safety recall (72b) letter sent to me for potential fire danger. On the letter, in bold, "a vehicle fire can result in increased risk of occupant injury and/or injury to persons outside the vehicle as well as property damage" 3/25 - 3/29 - 72b recall work at autonation dealership completed since the recall repair, my “service engine” light will intermittently turn on/off. 5/30 - mile high hybrid diagnostic code - u0412 “invalid data received from battery energy control module” 6/12 - 6/18 - at autonation dealership. U0412 - only software upgrade completed 7/1 - 7/8 at autonation dealership - p0d57. They suggested it's a charger issues and to only use mopar charger 7/24- o'malley diagnostic code - u0412 - have only been using mopar charger. (not a charger issue) waiting to hear back from Chrysler on path forward. I want answers to get this hybrid battery issue fixed. Days at the shop: 3/25 - 3/29 - 4 5/30 - 1 6/12 - 6/18 - 6 7/1 - 7/8 - 7 total - 18 days.

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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.

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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.

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Pacifica has been at hillsborough Chrysler Dodge Jeep ram for recall repair since April 28, 2025. We have called an emailed chrylser/stellantis and the dealership repeatedly and have only been told they are working on it. This is long past a "reasonable" time for this repair.

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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.

Vehicle incident summary – 2019 Chrysler Pacifica [xxx] is the orginal owner initial incident – [xxx] at 50,779 miles, my 2022 Chrysler Pacifica lost all power while driving on mound road in sterling heights, mi. Officer nathan sears from the sterling heights police department assisted, and the vehicle had to be towed. The diagnosis at the time was complete battery failure—both batteries were replaced. Current ongoing issue – [xxx] at 86,000 miles, the vehicle once again became completely inoperable. It was towed to jim riehl’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep ram in warren, mi. I was initially told the issue was the starter, and I paid $1,200 for the repair. However, the vehicle still does not start. I have now been told the issue may be a blown head gasket or engine failure. The dealership is requesting an additional $2,000–$3,000 just to disassemble the vehicle to determine the exact cause. If it is indeed an engine failure, I’ve been informed that repairs could cost up to $12,000. Concerns: I paid for a starter replacement and the car remains undrivable. There was no resolution or refund offered despite a misdiagnosis. Now I am being asked to pay thousands more just to identify the problem. If this is engine failure, it occurred at only 86,000 miles. I have since found many other Pacifica owners reporting similar failures—battery, engine, and complete loss of power—raising concerns of a potential manufacturing defect. Why I’m reporting this: this vehicle has experienced major, potentially dangerous failures twice—first a complete power loss while driving, and now possible engine failure without warning. If this had happened at higher speeds or on the highway, it could have been catastrophic. I am requesting this issue be investigated for possible safety defects and design flaws. VIN: [xxx] 3. 6 liter vg engine location: sterling heights/warren, mi dealership: jim riehl’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep ram information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Mid February 2025, while driving through a university campus 25 mph the vehicle died. All dash indicators went out, lost engine power, no warnings or indicators displayed on instrument panel. I held onto the steering wheel until stopped in the street without hitting college students or cars. Shifted to park. Turned off and tried to start but the dash remained out and no engine start. Turned engine off again. Removed key fob. Got out of vehicle and waved traffic to go around. Got back in and started with success. Days later dash displayed hybrid charging maintenance required. Took vehicle to dealer and reported problems. I reported the issue on Chrysler web page. Dealer told me that the problem is a failed hybrid battery. Waiting for under warranty hybrid battery repairs.

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.

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Numerous times over the last eighteen months, our 2023 Chrysler Pacifica phev enters 'turtle mode' where a red turtle illuminates on the dashboard, and the car loses all motive power. Sometimes this occurs on local streets, but most recently it occurred during interstate driving, requiring evasive maneuvers to exit the driving lanes and get to the shoulder before all forward momentum stopped. So far, turning off the vehicle, opening the driver's side door and re-starting the engine clears the problem temporarily, but yesterday - [xxx] - the vehicle entered 'turtle mode' eight times during the four-hour car-ride from northern west virginia to northern virginia. Several visits to Chrysler dealerships have resulted in zero fixes as they have been unable to replicate the conditions. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My wife was driving our 2022 pacific phev limited with 4 kids on board suddenly went into limp mode while driving northbound south of [xxx] on [xxx]. Turtle signal was on dash with just seconds to get off freeway on limp mode. Pacifica had to be towed to woodhouse Chrysler in sioux city where it remains to this day. Changed pcim and remains in limp mode. Chrysler approved hybrid transmission repair under hybrid warranty but dealer found not repairable and needs new transmission. Now Chrysler refusing to have transmission replaced under warranty. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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Hard shifts when accelerating. Constantly having issues where if I press on gas the vehicle hesitates and rpm jumps and jerks my children and I very bad. The vehicle constantly stalls out to were we can be killed one day! I would like this reported due to the scary situation I have been having on the road with accelerating the vehicle and the car starts smelling like it's going to catch fire one day! I keep smelling oil burning and no one acts like they know about the thousands of recalls about the transmission failure that is not covered for my VIN. This is a waste of money to be investigating my vehicle issue. This vehicle was poorly made to kill someone. No check engine lights have ever been displayed since I bought this vehicle.

Both of my sliding doors suddenly stop working. Electrical malfunction, locking mechanism not working, door not locking in place.

Letter sent to avis after the incident: the image included is an example and not associated with incident concern regarding recalled rental vehicle - avis rental agreement [xxx] dear mr. Tucker, I am writing to share a concerning experience my wife and I had with an avis rental. We rented a Chevrolet Pacifica hybrid for a drive from atlanta to chicago. About an hour into our trip, the vehicle displayed a warning message: "stop safely. Vehicle will shut down soon. " following the instructions, we immediately pulled over, activated our hazard lights, and called avis emergency roadside service while consulting the owner's manual. We then decided to move to a nearby gas station parking lot for safety. While still on hold, we researched the warning online (see link) and discovered it was a known recall for our vehicle. The recommended temporary fix—turning off the car, opening and closing the driver’s door, and restarting the engine—allowed us to continue. However, the warning appeared three more times during our trip, requiring us to stop and repeat the process. Though we managed the situation, it caused unnecessary stress and could pose a serious risk for other customers. After 15 minutes on hold, we disconnected from emergency road service as we no longer needed assistance. We called back later to inquire about switching vehicles, but chose to continue rather than delay our trip even further. This raises important questions: why does avis place vehicles with outstanding recalls into its rental fleet? what is avis’s general approach to managing manufacturer recalls? if such vehicles are rented, why not inform customers in advance and provide a workaround? while I have contacted avis/budget about customer service concerns in the past, this is a safety issue. I urge you to escalate this matter to your management team and clarify how avis plans to prevent similar situations. I would appreciate a formal response outlining your approach to recall management. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of inf.

When reverse is engaged the screen goes blue and says camera unavailable. . . This is a current recall for this year and radio . . . However it says 0 recalls.

I was traveling at south bound on toll 130 going 80mph (which is the speed limit on that road) when my Pacifica immediately slowed down and my accelerator gave out. In addition to my dash flashing that the cruise control was no longer available, but the van also said "service charging system" and "shift to p to start", the engine light and batter light both came on. I am sure that I almost died as I was in the middle lane and cars were whipping around me since I had slowed down so much, there was an 18 wheeler behind me and one of my righthand side, which is the shoulder I was trying to get to. I was finally able to coast to the shoulder and came to a stop, put the car in park and turned it off. I immediately started researching what the problem could be and I was alarmed to find out that this is an issue that others have had and that Chrysler has failed to issue a recall. . . I was able to start the car once more and get on to a little back road, after pushing through a barricade off the toll just for safety's sake, and my van broke down again, this time on a little 2 lane road, which thankfully had a little bit of a gravel shoulder. This time, my van took quite a bit longer to get started, but I was not safe where I was. I started it once more and was able to get to a wal-mart parking lot where my brother-in-law picked me up so that I could have a chance of making it to see my grandmother who was on her deathbed, I missed my window of opportunity to make it to see her, she died that afternoon. I had to pay an additional tow fee to get the vehicle moved from the parking lot to a Chrysler dealership since it was so far from where I usually go.

Shifter service keeps coming on. Won’t move out of park. Warning lights come on for service engine, fwc, have been brought to dealer 2 times already. They say multiple vans have been brought in for same issue and don’t know how to fix. They are saying they got it and next morning same issue. Photos attached. Plus a bill for $1500 and still not fixed.

On multiple occasions my warning lights come on and my van goes into limp mode. It says it’s my throttle body and gas paddle but I had those put on. Some days the car runs perfectly fine. When the problem happens. I have to cut the car off then restart it. Sometimes it’s ride just a little. Then go back into limp mode. And other times it’s just ride perfectly normal for days. It’s been doing this since I had around 65000 miles on my van.

We received multiple reminders for the recalls to be addressed, but each time we make an appointment at various service centers, they say that they cannot address the recall due to staff shortage and parts not being available. This has been persisting for over 4 years. Chrysler does not make a good faith effort to address these recalls. Most recently, we had an appointment and they (spring autonation in spring, TX) told us that they would have to hold the car for weeks before being able to get to it due to shortage of staff as they only have two service members who can address it. Helfman Dodge said they holding time would be 3-4 weeks before being able to get to it. Teh reminders for the three recalls are coming from the dealerships, and yet they are not able to address them.

While driving home with my children in the vehicle. When coming to a turn, the vehicle completely turned off without warning while I was doing about 35 mph.

I had my chrsyler Pacifica since Nov 2018 . Recently I heard a noise and dealer suggested change in transmission . Ever since I have problem with car stopping im middle of road , towed 5 times to dealer and dealer says he fixed it but still same problem with vehicle stalling happen. Yesterday (05/20), delaer informed that vehicle stalled in road while they did test drive after they fixed the problem. I am scared to drive this car anymore. Dealser did not want to loan their car as well anymore , I am without car for more than 30 days during this all 5 incidents .

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

Vehicle had been operating less than 5 minutes. When I was on an on-ramp for a left entrance to a highway, several warning lights illuminated in addition to messaging on my dash. The car entered "turtle mode" which extremely limited the speed of the vehicle. I immediately pressed the button for my hazard lights to come on, but they did not operate correctly. They flashed so rarely that they did not warn vehicles behind me that I was having an incident. During this incident, the vehicle speedometer was inoperable, displaying "-- --" instead of a speed. I was lucky to be able to pull to the shoulder, but with the narrow shoulder and my child in the car I felt safer limping off the highway using primarily the shoulder. I was terrified and had some cars nearly hit me/honk as I was going approximately 10 miles per hour on a 55mph roadway. I have seen similar reports on online forums for Chrysler Pacifica minivans, so I am not the only one to encounter the issue. The vehicle has also at times refused to go into gear while in park, which is a related problem but I don't deem it a safety issue. The problem is intermittent and the service center is able to see 'codes' when they examine the vehicle but as the issue is intermittent they have returned the car to me twice with no repairs performed since it didn't occur while they had it. The warning lights and turtle mode occurred simultaneously or within a few seconds. I have a video during the incident. I can see the fuel gauge needle rising and falling wildly, turtle mode, a picture of a wrench, check engine, parking brake, brake, collision avoidance, abs, and others. Each time the vehicle has gone in for service they have seen and cleared codes but they did not come back immediately, so no repairs were attempted. It is in the shop again currently and I have escalated to the manufacturer to hopefully get greater assistance.

Vehicle states "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" with a red turtle logo. I have restarted the vehicle, and the warning persists. I am bringing in the car to the dealer next.

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.

Error message appeared on screen stating “stop safely vehicle will shut off soon”, then I was no longer able to accelerate.

Car warning flashed while driving on on highway ‘stop safely’ and car powered down and went to limp mode.

Vehicle was driving 60 mph and turned off, told me to put car in park while driving on the highway. Car now stalls too often (within a mile of starting) to drive. At repair shop now and cannot find a fix. Common problem with this vehicle.

February 5 2024 my check engine light came on and started blinking as I was driving. I then noticed that my car was sputtering. I stopped my car immediately and had it towed to a dealership at that exact point I had just over 64,136 miles on my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The following is the work that they performed on my vehicle. Concern verified. Vehicle has an active misfire, check engine light is flashing. Scanned vehicle for codes and found misfire on cylinder 3. Removed coil and swapped to cylinder 1. Spark plug removed and swapped to cylinder 5. Retested. Misfire moved to cylinder 1. Replaced ignition coil and road tested vehicle. After vehicle was warm the misfire on cylinder 3 returned. Swapped fuel injector to cylinder 2. Misfire stayed on cylinder 3. Removed coil and spark plug from cylinder 3 and borescoped cylinder. Found coolant leaking into the cylinder. Recommend replacing cylinder head gasket and checking the cylinder head for warpage. Removed cylinder head and found cylinder head to be warped and needing to be replaced along with the gaskets. Replaced left and right valve cover gaskets, cylinder head, cylinder head gaskets, timing cover gaskets, exhaust manifold gasket, spark plugs, upper and lower intake gaskets. Completed oil change. Fast forward to December 14, 2024 vehicle mileage 74,955 my wife was leaving to go to the farmers market. She called me to inform me that the check engine light came on blinking and the car started sputtering again. The exact same issue happened again. I told her to stop the car immediately and we had it towed to the same car dealership today December 20, 2024 was the first call that I received from the dealership they informed me that cylinder six has failed the compression test and they recommend having the engine replaced. Currently waiting to speak to more people to see what can be done.

My car shut down on highway and the dealership said it was the terminals on the battery being dirty it happened agin so I had the battery changed then it did it again and the dealership changed one spark plug , one coil pack then it happened again changed all spark plugs and coil packs my car did it again and now I’m being told I’m probably going to need a new engine I notified Chrysler telling them this has happened several times and they said there was nothing they could do.

While driving on highway, message appeared on dashboard display "stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon". This has happened on 2 separate occasions without cause. First time was 3/11/2024 and most recent was 12/1/2024. Vehicle was leased new by me. No incidents since then.

I bought my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica limited about two years ago. It’s been the worst decision I’ve ever made. I have just about a 3% rate and with the amount of issues these things have I’m so far upside down it’s not even funny. This car with all of it's known issues is depreciating faster than I can pay for it. I currently have about 129,000 miles on it. I couldn’t get rid of this thing if I tried. The Chrysler dealership I service it with said they would give me 4000. 00 if they were willing to buy it back. The engine build company my mechanic uses says they won't even build these engines at all because of how many issues they have. So no option other than to buy the exact same engine is has now through Chrysler and know it will do it again. I’m having stalling/accelerating issues (shop can’t figure it out, kids cry when it stalls in traffic. . I've been in for it about 9 times to two different place) oil cooler housing unit replaced last year (taken it back in a few times for ongoing leak, now need a head gasket) head gasket batteries galore ongoing start stop issues my ac went out the month I bought it (leak in the lines near the rear) 3000k to fix the shop says it needs lifters, cam shafts and rockers (might as well do the engine if I had the extra money after paying off the rest of the repairs) my heated and cooled seats have stopped working numerous times dash comes on and off when it wants back up camera stays on the screen while I drive as much as it doesnt my rear washer fluid sprays inside the car onto my kids rear power seats stopped working multiple times now get in to head to work and it just won’t start…. Have to basically play a video game with the controls and key fob to miraculously start it up starting to rust already we have owned 2 durango’s, 2 Dodge rams, a Chrysler sebring and now this. Clearly we support Chrysler but after this my husband switched to a Ford truck and I will be going back as soon as I can if this isn't resolved.

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.

When driving downhill, at highway speeds, the following warning comes on and the car loses power: "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon". A red turtle symbol also comes on. I had to pull aside, shut off the vehicle, wait a few moments then start again. I brought the vehicle to the dealership on Nov 10, 2024.

[xxx] [xxx] [xxx] national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) office of defects investigation 1200 new jersey avenue se washington, DC 20590 subject: complaint regarding recurrent mechanical issues and potential safety concerns with 2018 Chrysler Pacifica dear NHTSA office of defects investigation, I am writing to formally report repeated mechanical issues with my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica (VIN [xxx] ), which have raised significant concerns regarding the vehicle’s reliability and safety. In 2023, my vehicle initially experienced a persistent ticking noise in the engine, leading to extensive repairs. These included replacing the tappets, rockers, and timing chain tensioner on the right bank of the engine. Following these repairs, the vehicle exhibited low oil pressure, ultimately requiring a complete long block replacement. These issues left the vehicle out of service for nearly two months, significantly disrupting our daily lives. Despite these major repairs, my Pacifica has recently developed overheating issues, necessitating the replacement of the radiator at an estimated cost of over $2,000. The vehicle has less than 60,000 miles, and I find it deeply concerning that such critical mechanical issues are occurring at such low mileage. These repeated failures suggest a potential underlying defect in the design or manufacturing of this vehicle, which could present a safety risk. An overheating engine, for instance, poses a potential hazard both to the occupants and to other road users. As a police officer and parent of three young children, I rely on this vehicle for my family’s safety and transportation. I respectfully request that the NHTSA investigate whether these issues are indicative of a broader defect in 2018 Chrysler Pacifica models. I believe an investigation could help identify potential safety risks to other owners and encourage Chrysler to address these problems proactively information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).