Equipment Problems of Chrysler Pacifica - part 2

We were driving on the interstate at 70mph and suddenly the dash displayed a "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" and slowed the vehicle suddenly. The check engine light also lit up. There were no indications prior to this that anything was wrong. Dramatic slowing like this is dangerous at highway speeds. We were in the left middle lane and couldn't get to the right because of oncoming traffic, so we went to the far left lane and pulled on a narrow shoulder the left, with four lanes of traffic to our right. It was not a safe situation, and I felt in immediate danger of being hit by oncoming traffic. We tried shutting the vehicle off and powering it back up but the message was still there and the car would only proceed slowly. Feeling like we were in immediate danger, we drove it on the shoulder with hazards on to get it to the next exit so we could pull off. It would not let us get enough speed to safely exit the interstate. We had to cross 4 lanes of 70+mph traffic at a slow pace with the hazards on. Once off the highway, we pulled into the nearest parking lot and tried to find answers. It was Sunday so dealers were closed. After about a half hour the car re-started without the warning on the display. We drove it home on back roads rather than the interstate and took it to a Chrysler dealership the next day, July 7, where they couldn't identify anything wrong with it, and there were no active check engine codes. Reddit and message boards are full of similar situations for Chrysler Pacificas and advised reporting the issue here. I resumed driving it after the dealer and it happened again yesterday (July 14). This time I was close to my home so I drove the vehicle directly there. I'm not using it now and I'm trying to get it in to the dealer again. I checked it this morning before I left for work. It did not have the stop warning but it did have a check engine light on. I don't feel safe driving my children in this vehicle.

See all problems of the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

My son was driving the vehicle down the interstate and attempted to exit. He hit the brakes and the car would not slow down. He had the pedal all the way to the floor and the vehicle still would not slow down. The vehicle went off the exit ramp, through a grassy hill area, across the entrance ramp, and finally stopped when the tire broke off. Even with the tire broke off and the vehicle not moving the engine was showing it was going 30-40 mph. No airbags were deployed. I received a luckily the only injury was my daughter's sprained wrist. The entire front end of the vehicle has been replaced, including the frame, and yet no airbags were deployed. I did receive and abs failure alert on my app but was told that was because of the tire breaking off and not what caused the accident. I have requested the vehicle be inspected since the accident occurred. Insurance stated it would need to be repaired before an inspection could occur. I have filed a case with stellantis who now states they will not have anyone look at it because it has to be done before repairs are made and since insurance has paid for the repairs, they have to request an inspection. We had multiple issues with the tpm system not working properly and had it to a dealership for repairs, that was the only warnings we received. The vehicle is still sitting at the dealership/collision repair shop as they feel it warrants further investigation as well.

See all problems of the 2025 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

Dash message "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" included a red exclamation mark in the middle with a red triangle and a turtle in the bottom right. A yellow reduced speed type indicator in the top right and a check engine light all at the same time. Also a chime sounded. This occured in town moving around 35 mph. Dealer stated this exact VIN had already received a rebuilt trans around 50k miles from another dealer. Took dealer 2+ months to repair, and had to call many many times to encourage them to push to get it completed. Manufacturer seemed to delay sending parts because they can - no good reason provided. First power inverter module (pim) was replaced, but that did not resolve the issue. Then dealer rebuilt entire transmission. Dealer lead tech stated that a roller bearing near the bottom of the trans appeared to have start failing, which then causes a short and or some kind of damage with the electrical "phasers". Multiple conversations with lead technician and Chrysler cares indicate clearly that Chrysler is not investigating the issue deeply (they did not want any of the failed components, nor did they ask for details from dealer - are they even trying to resolve root cause. . . . This has been occurring since the earliest models). Chrysler should have a financial incentive to fix to remediate warranty repairs. Why can't chat gpt find literally anything on the web about the root cause, why is it nothing other than reports of the issue can be found??? nobody has done a root cause analysis. Is Chrysler paying to minimize bad press??? if Chrysler replaced entire trans with rebuilt one at 50k and now it failed again at 80k - when can I expect it to fail a third time?.

See all problems of the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

While on the highway, received warning message to “stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon”. Luckily was able to get off the highway and then the vehicle stopped accelerating and I was able to coast into a church parking lot.

The battery went dead in the van. I opened the driver's door using the key from the key fob. However, because there was no power, I couldn't open any of the other doors or lift gate not even from the inside. There appears to be no manual override to open those doors. I couldn't get to portable charger because it was in the back. This could be a significant safety issue. If the battery is dead, the only way for passengers to exit the vehicle is through the driver's door.

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.

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.

See all problems of the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

- 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.

[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).

See all problems of the 2023 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

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.

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.

See all problems of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

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.

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.

See all problems of the 2024 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

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).

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.

Car will not start with push button and/or key fob push. Problem started 10 months ago with dead stop/start battery. Both batteries were replaced and then two months later stop/start system failed at stop lights. Car would stall once break was released to go. Had car serviced, starter replaced. Next day, car stalled and would not restart in parking lot, service department could not find any problems and no error lights found so the solution was to turn stop/start system off. A few months later car would not start on first try, took several pushes and sometimes a keyfob push. Sometimes "no key fob detection" light. Car was sent to service center again and they could not find any problems. At this time car only starts on 2nd push. Problem has worsened over the last 5 months, car takes at least 5 tries to start or doesn't start at all. Additional observations: brake gets very tight and pressurized after the first attempted start, steering wheel is locked.

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.