2021 Chrysler Pacifica

These are unverified consumer reports filed with NHTSA, shown as submitted.

• 12/31/2024· STRUCTURE

  While driving the vehicle on a highway - a hard solid piece of the exterior literally separated from the vehicle and flew off. This incident gave rise to the risk of an accident or injury to those traveling behind or to others traveling on the highway. A flying projectile is an inherent safety risk. No external force or event caused this. Vehicle literally fell apart on its own. Some kind of defective attachment process or mechanism. Vehicle was purchased new.

• 12/30/2021· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION

  The infotainment system would crash and freeze, causing the backup camera not to be visible on the center screen when in reverse.

• 12/29/2022· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

  My 2021 Pacifica Hybrid with 19.2K miles threw a "Service Charging System" and Check Engine Light error while I was driving at 65mph on the highway on Christmas Eve in 8 degree weather. The minivan stopped accelerating and the transmission began flashing between P and D. We were forced to stop the vehicle on the highway shoulder, leaving us (2 parents, 2 kids 7 & 11) stranded on the highway. The vehicle then shut off and we were unable to turn on heating or accessories other than headlights and hazards. We were rescued by state troopers given that no tow trucks were available on Christmas Eve. The local dealer claims that the issue was related to the battery, but that doesn't make sense given the car was driving at highway speeds at the time and the alternator should keep the battery charged. I have seen a lot of owners with Service Charging System errors on this forum and believe Chrysler should have some knowledge as to a permanent solution. Without better understanding the root cause of the issue, it's hard for us to feel safe with a battery replacement, since that seems to be address symptom given that a car running highway speeds would keep the batteries charged through the belt and alternator system. My wife is fairly terrified of driving this car at highway speeds without some assurances it won't shut down and I get the sense that the dealer wants to wash its hands of this situation. I have a Chrysler warranty number for this repair, but have not received assistance yet. Would really appreciate some help!

• 12/29/2022· POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE

  The engine of our 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid suddenly lost power while driving on the freeway. The display indicated "Put car in park" or something similar--but we were driving 65 miles/hour in heavy traffic! I had to pull over, turn the car off completely for one minute, and restart. After restarting the "check engine" light was on. Later in the drive after we stopped again, the "Check engine" light turned off, so all evidence of the error is gone from the car. However, we received en email from Chrysler's automatic system saying the car had reported an error for "powertrain" and we should schedule our service. It was dangerous to lose power while driving at freeway speeds. I am also confused about why the car's error codes went away. The car is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My family of four was driving in heavy holiday traffic at 65 miles per hour when we lost power. It is dangerous to lose power at such speeds in the middle lanes of the interstate. I turned on the hazard lights and crossed three lanes to an exit. Thankfully we were going downhill and the heavy trucks in the slow lanes let us through. My life and the lives of my family were clearly endangered by this incident. This is the second time the car lost power on the freeway and the fourth time we have had the check engine light turn on. The car has about 26,500 miles. I have taken the car to dealer shops for the last three times the car indicated errors. Last time the car lost power the dealer said they could not replicate the issue. The car has been inspected by the dealer service department 4 times. I will take the car back to the dealer to get inspected again. There were no indications prior to the failure. The car lost power with no warning when we were driving at freeway speeds and we were about 300 miles into a 500 mile drive.

• 12/28/2022· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE

  There are series of incidents that happened with the vehicle on freeway and mostly all the time it was the same issue of engine failure . Me and my spouse - The engine failed in the middle of road [ freeway ] making me to pull on to the right lane showcasing the indicator "Engine failure " and Charger system malfunction. - Recovery : Stop the car , turn off all the engine and open the door and close, then turn on the engine - it works. but this is on freeway and i am worried of my family driving the car. - Once i took the vehicle to service center and they analyzed and said - nothing they could see which was wrong as the indicator goes away after some time surprisingly - Happened 4 times so far on free way , first time cop had to push the car out and later i realized the steps for recovery - There are warning lamps on the panel - " engine failure "

• 12/28/2021· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  Driving twice we have gotten a message "Pullover vehicle will shutoff" on the display, and the motor and engine shut off shortly after. After restart, the console says "Service Hybrid System" the van then has a top speed of 40-45 MPH, not safe to drive on interstate even to get to the next exit. The first time the dealer had the van for 10 days said the problem was in the hybrid system related to the charging cord (provided with the vehicle) The second time we were 2 miles from home and able to get the vehicle home safely with the hazard light on. The dealer is trying to tow it for the second time, the vehicle does not have enough power to drive up the ramps onto the roll-back tow truck.

• 12/27/2023· STEERING,WHEELS

  Car would make a grinding noise over 5mph. We looked under the vehicle to find a loose bolt to the left of the left tire.

• 12/24/2025· EXTERIOR LIGHTING

  Similar to the Ford recall, the LED Daytime Running Light Module is defective. This LED went out in under 3 years and Chrysler won’t fix it. This is a problem that many people are experiencing, and they want $2,000 to replace the entire head lamp system.

• 12/24/2022· VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

  I was driving in stop and go traffic about 4 hours into a road trip on I95. At around 60mph, an error popped up on the dash saying “Service Charging System” then it quickly went away and said “Shift to P to Start” at which point I lost all propulsion. I was in the left lane and had to make my way to the side of the road with my family of 6 in the car. This was extremely stressful and dangerous as I had no way to accelerate and was stuck to coast. I flipped on my hazard lights and was able to navigate to a safe place under an overpass. At this point, I completely cut off the car and restarted it. It worked fine again upon restart, but the check engine light remained there after. The incident happened again on a side road at around 40mph on the same day. I coasted to a stoplight and had to power cycle the car 3 times to get driving again. The following day, I went to a local Chrysler dealership and they are still in the progress of diagnosing, however they won’t have a response until after Christmas. So, I’m being directed to rent a vehicle until the van is deemed safe to drive again.

• 12/23/2021· UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  There has been a lot of talk about the possible distractions in Tesla vehicles. I happen to have a Tesla Model S and I have a Chrysler Pacifica Plugin Hybrid. The Chrysler, although overall is a great vehicle, poses a risk because they do not treat the drivers as adults. Let me explain. While using the navigation system, it will not let you interact with the vehicle while it's in motion. This literally assumes that no one else is in the vehicle that could co-pilot. So, when I was traveling with my family over Thanksgiving, with my wife in the front passenger seat and four kids in the back, I had to pull over to the side of the road to make any adjustments to the navigation system. I don't have to you tell you how dangerous pulling off to the side of a highway is whether at night or during the day. This is extremely frustrating and dangerous and I take it personally that adults are being treated like children when it comes to interacting with these machines. If we're truly concerned about distracted drivers, then we would ban even carrying a cell phone with us in a vehicle and even ban the radio and the ability to change the station while driving. This is of course impractical, and that's my point. Tesla treats its drivers with respect and allows for responsible interaction with the navigations system, radio, other vehicle functions, etc. I play "Caroke" in the car all the time for my kids in the rear seat. If I'm distracted by the lyrics on the screen constantly changing with the song, then that is my issue and I should shut it off. However, it is not an issue with me and I remain focused on the road. Manufacturers should treat drivers as adults and allow them to be responsible. Anything short of that, and any regulation barring the great functionality of a Tesla, will only hold us back technologically. Please ask Chrysler and other OEMs to stop barring interaction with the vehicle while it's in motion before a truck slams into a vehicle pulled over to the side.

• 12/22/2024· BACK OVER PREVENTION

  For the most recent recall, the rear view camera has not been working since August 2024. I’ve been to the dealership 3 times, once in August and twice in November and they cannot resolve the issue. They told me that they’ve sent information to Chrysler and they would contact me in a few days and I have not heard back. This is a huge safety issue as my rear view display is not visible, it’s either a blue screen or grey screen. I need help please

• 12/22/2022· POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE

  On Tue, 12/20/2022, I was driving on I-94 westbound between Moorland Road and WI Hwy 164 at about 60-70 mph. The car suddenly stalled and I lost all ability to accelerate the vehicle. The brakes and steering wheel still worked fine. The dash was displaying a message: "Service charging system. Shift to P to start." This has happened to my vehicle multiple times before. I was in the right lane and the shoulder was clear. I was able to pull onto the shoulder and come to a controlled stop. I put the vehicle in PARK and shut off the vehicle. After waiting a bit I restarted the car successfully. This happened 1 more time on the same trip (but on Hwy 16 as I was headed out to Waukesha County Technical College.) This is definitely safety issue as there was no way to restart the car in motion. Plus, pulling over to the shoulder on a busy highway, particularly with many trucks going by around 50 - 60 mph made me feel quite scared. I do NOT trust driving the vehicle at speeds above 60 mph anymore. This has happened to me last month. I took it to a dealer after that incident but they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. This is now the 6th time this has happened to me.

• 12/21/2024· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  On 12/20/2024 my wife was driving about 20mph on a road and with no warning lights or messages the vehicle completely shut down. Nothing would work on the vehicle. She could not even put my hazard lights on or put the vehicle in neutral to move out of the roadway. The vehicle blocked traffic for an hour. It was fortunate the car behind did not hit our vehicle and also that my children were not in the car with her. The police assisted in redirecting traffic around the vehicle but they also were unable to get anything working. A tow truck towed to the dealership to assess what's going on. There was absolutely no warnings or previous instances or issues which makes this extremely dangerous. At only 20mph the car still significantly jerked when it came to an abrupt halt.

• 12/21/2023· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION

  Front park sensor will intermittently go off like it is detecting an object when vehicle is at stopped, but there's no object, went to Chrysler Dealership for warranty 7 Times, Last time dealer service confirm and recreate the problem but can not replace because NO FAIL CODE as me open case with Chrysler. When park sensor fault read when I was at stop I need to get out of the car to inspect to make sure no object is in the front, this is very UNSAFE sometime I have get out of the car in the middle on the road.

• 12/20/2023· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  While driving early in morning on local highway (70mph speed limit), car flashed "Service Charging System" shut off the engine and power to the vehicle including acceleration, and check engline light illuminated. Thankfully early hours made it possible to drift to side of road to put car in park. Engine light illuminated dash and dash flashed "shift to P to start." Car would not shut off after pressing the start button nor depressing the break either (hazards were engaged at this point). Hazards had to be shut off in order to completely shut off the vehicle to restart it. Dangerous on major highway with no lights or hazards on side of road. 25 degrees outside. This is the Second time this has occurred to this vehicle. The last time occurred on 1/20/2023 the exact same way shutting off power and engine of the car on the same local highway with similar cold temperature (always issues with this car in the cold, hybrid battery system fails in cold below 40 or temperatures higher than 90). Last time a grounding issue was found in the transmission and was replaced. I will be contacting the dealership for repair today will update if it is still grounding issues or something new causing same problem. As i made in my last nhtsa report in january on this vehicle, the fact this car shuts down while in motion and you have no control over the car is dangerous and can cost people their lives. As a hybrid system, the van should automatically switch to gas only and bypass the hybrid charging system to continue functioning as any car would. By shutting down the engine and everything you are jeopardizing the lives of everyone on the roads. Both incidents of mine occurred on a highway at high speeds. I am just thankful I was not on a bridge at the time it failed as it would have caused an accident. I heard nothing about or from my last nhtsa report. Please for the safety of everyone look into these hybrids. Look into this car history and you'll see the constant repairs it has had.

• 12/19/2024· BACK OVER PREVENTION

  The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact attempted to back up and became aware that the rearview camera was inoperable. The contact stated the image from the rearview camera appeared blank. The contact stated that due to the failure with the rearview camera, the contact rear-ended an object which caused the rear-end of the vehicle to be fractured. The vehicle was able to restart. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V436000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the radio software failed which caused the rearview camera to fail. The contact was informed that a software update was needed. The dealer informed the contact that the update was not available, and the contact was also informed that the rear end of the vehicle needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 8,852. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 12/18/2025· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  Reversing onto roadway and shifted from reverse to drive via rotary dial and vehicle went into park and would not move causing me to block the roadway. In addition and even more concerning was that the vehicle could not be turned off and any and all actions to do so just left the car "on" and the hybrid system running. Eventually we pulled the battery cable on the main 12v in the trunk and the reset allowed us to move the vehicle again. I sat across a busy section for twenty minutes with no way to move, turn off, or overide the system with three kids with me in a busy traffic area. The vehicle has not reproduced the issue as of yet. The dash had multiple warnings for park system and service various items needed. this occurred 12/17/2025 with 70,000 miles.

• 12/18/2022· ENGINE

  Engine will turn off while driving without any notice And show check engine light and shift to park

• 12/16/2024· ENGINE

  The check engine light is on with and error code of P0E15 From what I am reading on the web a LOT of people are having/have had this problem. The error code came up during windshield repair and recalibration. The technician advised this has been an ongoing problem and this error keeps coming up even after being cleared.

• 12/14/2022· VISIBILITY/WIPER

  While driving down the interstate, the moonroof glass spontaneously shattered. There are three pieces of glass on the roof, and it was the center one that failed. The car was about 16 months old with just under 10,000 miles, almost all of which was low-speed, city driving. At the time of failure, we were about 650 miles into a cross-country road trip and traveling on roads with an 80 MPH speed limit. If we had not closed the sunshade the day prior, sharp glass would have fallen on our children seated in the middle row. A Chrysler dealer sold us the replacement part and verified that there were no signs of any external cause that led to the failure. Chrysler denied a warranty claim, stating that "sunroof is most probably an outside influence as it cannot break easily as per IRF (Independent repair facility)."

• 12/09/2022· POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  Driving on the freeway, all propulsion suddenly and without warning ceased and the dash declared "service charging system" and the check engine light came on.. My only choice was to coast off to the side of the freeway. My safety was definitely at risk, as I was stuck on the side of the freeway. After several minutes, I was able to turn the car all the way off and turn it back on again. The check engine light was still on. I drove it straight to the dealership, who has it in for service for this error. Prior to this, the van gave no indication that anything was wrong.

• 12/09/2022· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  While traveling on the highway (>70mph), my Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (~44k miles) suddenly lost power and the "service charging system" error appeared along with the instructions to "shift to park". The check engine light began to flash as well. Fortunately, I was able to cross three lanes of traffic in a van with an unresponsive accelerator to get to the shoulder. Once safely on the shoulder, I still could not shift to park and I could not turn the car off either. After sitting for 25 minutes or so, I was able to shift to park and turn the car off and then on again. I immediately took the car to the dealership (using surface roads). They kept the van for 10 days and diagnosed a software issue. I got the van back and for about 3 days it was fine. Then we were driving the same freeway (at speeds of 70mph or more) and the exact breakdown happened again. Chrysler has had the van for 4 weeks now and just informed me that the issues is metal shavings in the transmission; they will be replacing the transmission. This is related to the ODI investigation # PE 22-008

• 12/07/2022· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  Second occurrence of 2021 Pacifica Hybrid stalling while driving. Same error messages with check engine light, Service Charging System, battery light. The recommended software update was done a month ago at a dealership after the first incident. The van worked fine until today when I had to unexpectedly maneuver to the roadside again as it stalled out at 35 mph. I waited several minutes and the van started again but the yellow engine light stayed on. I took it to the dealer where I bought it and it's there now. Yes, my safety was at risk again.

• 12/07/2021· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  While driving vehicle went into full lock down. Vehicle remained running with all systems on except completely unable to engage drive, shut vehicle down or even power it off. Towed to dealer. Dealer stating codes stating hybrid error and transmission errors. Vehicle has 7021 miles and was purchased March 2021. My wife and 2 children were stranded on the road in a vehicle that would not move. Terrifying for me.

• 12/04/2022· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  On Sunday, 12/4/2022, I went on a few errands not intending to drive very far on the highway since most of my stops were local. I entered the I-94 west bound from Moorland Rd in Brookfield WI and drove about 1 mile reaching about 65 mph during the busy traffic hours. The car suddenly stalled and I lost all ability to accelerate the vehicle. The brakes and steering wheel still worked fine. The dash was displaying a message: "Service charging system. Shift to P to start." Thankfully, I was in the right lane and the shoulder was clear. I was able to pull onto the shoulder and come to a controlled stop. I put the vehicle in Stop but when I pressed the off button, it would not switch to off and remained in the "run" mode. I tried several times for a few minutes without any success. I waited a minute and then tried again. This time, the vehicle was able to switch to "OFF" mode. I was able to start the car normally without any "System charging system" error coming on. I decided to return home immediately using local roads only. I no longer trust my vehicle on the highway - even if it is only for a short distance on the highway.

• 12/03/2022· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  11/28/2022 - Infotainment system glitches with random disconnects from Apple iPhone connected via CarPlay followed by vehicle "shutting down" at highway speeds. Red battery light, Red charge cord light and Image "Service Charging System" After repeated attempt was able to reboot vehicle and drive to nearest dealer. Dealer pulled codes and advised to return to selling/servicing dealer. 12/2/2022 - Drove to selling/servicing dealer. They read codes and attempted to recreate the power system failure. Indicated they could not. Exited dealer's lot only to have same incident occur as on 11/28/22. Unable to reboot/restart vehicle. Had it towed back to selling/servicing dealer. Photos of repair ticket and technician notes available for subsequent submission but not readily available to include with this initial complaint.

• 11/29/2023· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  My new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Minivan was repaired under the 03a recall on 3/2023. It had another loss of motive power, the same issue that was supposed to be fixed under the 03a recall. The car warned me that it would shutoff soon in the visual display and to move to a safe area. It did shut down immediately. I attempted to restart it several times. After many times it did start and the transmission light remained illuminated. I was driving on the highway at the time and blocking traffic. It's unsafe for the car to shut off randomly. This is unacceptable and unsafe. I paid for a brand new, safe, functioning car. This is a serious problem and is dangerous for my family. I feel unsafe driving a car that will shut off at random times. This has already been repaired once and remains a problem. I need a solution.

• 11/27/2024· BACK OVER PREVENTION

  The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V436000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• 11/27/2023· ENGINE

  Chrysler calls for the oil filter housing to be tightened to 18 ft/lbs. Google shows many people online claiming that this is too much; that hand tight or 11-12 ft/lbs is sufficient, and that the oil filter housing is likely to break if tightened to the factory specs. I figure the manufacturer knows best, and tightened the oil filter housing to 18 ft/lbs. The housing is under the intake manifold, and the trough in the V of the engine plus the shields under the car hid the resulting leak until I was on the highway. When I got on the highway, I found I was laying down a smokescreen that obscured every lane of eastbound I-44. The generator light came on as oil caused the belts to slip; I am very lucky that the car did not catch fire. I left a solid line of oil on the road to the nearest repair shop. The resulting repairs cost me $1,198.37. ***** Clearly Chrysler needs to develop a metal oil filter housing which will last the life of the engine. The plastic one they have now endangers the public through the risk of fires, and pollutes the environment through the loss of oil. Here's 3rd party confirmation of the problem affecting all Chrysler Pentastar engines: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

• 11/26/2021· STRUCTURE

  The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated that the hatchback door would not close and lock securely. The contact stated that he attempted to close the hatchback door by using the key fob, by depressing the hatchback control panel inside the vehicle and the button on the hatchback door but it failed to close and latch securely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that he manually pushed the hatchback with the assistance of his wife, but the door would not lock. The contact stated that they were able to close the hatchback door using duct tape. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing however, the dealer advised the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact notified Goeckner Bros Inc (600 E Fayette Ave, Effingham, IL 62401) who sold him the vehicle and the dealer advised the contact to take the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 2,970.

• 11/25/2023· ENGINE

  My vehicle stopped while driving. I was able to pull of the road and get towed to the dealer 11/1/23. They performed the recall, I left the dealer 11/21/23 and while driving my van back to the house, I had the same thing happen. The error message lit up and the car slowed down til it would no longer move. I do not feel safe in this vehicle, as this is the second time it has happened in a month, and the recall was taken care of the day I picked it up.

• 11/25/2022· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  On Wed, 11/23/2022, I was driving on I-94 Eastbound headed from Wisconsin to Illinois at about 70 mph. The car suddenly stalled and I lost all ability to accelerate the vehicle. The brakes and steering wheel still worked fine. The dash was displaying a message: "Service charging system. Shift to P to start." Thankfully, I was in the right lane and the shoulder was clear. I was able to pull onto the shoulder and come to a controlled stop. I put the vehicle in PARK and shut off the vehicle. I tried to restart it but was unable to. I then unbuckled my seat belt and opened & closed the driver side door (without getting out). After about a minute I was able to restart the car and continue on my way to Chicago. This happened 2 more times that trip. It also happened 1 time on the way back to Wisconsin for a total of 4 incidents in 1 day trip. This has significant safety implications, esp. when one cannot get to the shoulder (or there is no shoulder) to restart the vehicle. I felt very scared and no longer trust my vehicle on the highway. This has happened to me once before earlier this year. I took it to a dealer after that incident. They said the updated all the software but are not certain if this fixed the root cause. Apparently, it did not. There was no warning light to indicate a problem may be happening. However, now that this has happened, the "check engine" indicator is on and, apparently, needs to be reset. I have not yet taken the vehicle to a dealer for this recent set of 4 incidents.

• 11/24/2021· POWER TRAIN

  Component: The Low gear does not function properly. When the car is in Low on a steep grade it allows the engine to rev up to 6,000 RPM before shifting into second gear. On a hill, the RPMs rev up quickly and the car’s momentum is not properly arrested. In practice, this car does not have a true Low gear. L1 acts more like an L4. Safety risk: We use this car in the mountains of Virginia. We have an AWD model, which performs great in the snow. However, with no hill descent feature and a malfunctioning Low gear it is dangerous to drive the car in the mountains. Driving down a snowy mountain with no low gear is a major risk. Service center: Yes, the problem has been confirmed by my local dealer, both in my car and in a brand new 2021 Pacifica. Inspected by others: No. It was confirmed by the service manager of my local dealer only. I emailed Chrysler but have not received a response. Warning lights: No. The vehicle is performing as it was designed, there are no malfunction lights. According to the dealer service manager it is a transmission problem. He thinks it is a problem with the computer system as well as the ratios for the transmission system. After confirming the problem in my car we tested a brand new 2021 Pacifica (9 miles driven). Our first time down a hill it worked perfectly, the RPMs held below 3,000 and the low gear slowed our descent. By our third attempt, the RPMs were revving to 6,000, and the low gear “grip” was gone. The service manager conjectured that there is something in the computer system telling the Low gear to act like that. Which doesn’t make any sense because revving the RPMs up to 6,000 is not healthy for the engine. I have a video of the problem but it doesn’t allow me to upload it below. Thank you!

• 11/23/2021· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  The car stopped 2 times on it's own, told me to shift to park immediately but was in essence shutting itself off. Once approaching a stop light going ~10 mph and the second time I was going 50 mph down the road. The first time 3 warnings flashed across my screen, Service Charging System Service Required, Front Parksense Unavailable Service Required, Active Parksense Unavailable Service Required, I shut the car completely off waited a couple minutes and turned it back on. The check engine light stayed on. During the 2nd event it was only Service Charging System, after i shut the car off and restarted the Uconnect started updating and I couldn't drive and the check engine light came on.

• 11/20/2021· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  We have now had two incidences where the vehicle is being driven both on the highway and in the city. The vehicle malfunctions without any indication or warning. While driving the vehicle beeps and the check engine light comes on, you lose all control or ability to accelerate. You still have steering. The screen on the dash in front of the driver flashes and continues to flash and says there is an issue, while saying to move the drive to park. The drive options (park, drive, reverse, etc) flashes on and off but will not move anyways. You are essentially forced to cruise to a stop hopefully in a safe place or emergently braking. The only way to get the vehicle to reset is once completely stopped. To push the ignition off button. Which does not fully turn it off. You then have to open the driver door hopefully safely. And allow the vehicle to completely shut off. Then get back in and it will usually start at this point with the check engine light still on. We have video and pictures of this happening to us both times and am have seen others experience this extremely dangerous situation. I am going to report to the dealer and the customer service for Chrysler as well. Then the news.

• 11/19/2025· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  While driving down the highway at 70 miles per hour ater driving 2.5 hours our 2021 Pacifica hybrid minivan flashed a warning on the vehicles display saying approximately "Warning Engine Shutting Down". The engine immediately shut down in the middle of the highway and we were forced to coast off the highway to the shoulder. The engine warning light came on. We turned the car off for a few minutes and proceeded to start the engine. The engine warning light was still on, but the other message was gone. We attempted to drive towards our destination and approximately 30 minutes later the same thing happened again. We tried one more time since we were several hours from home and within 30 minutes the vehicle had the same issue. At that point we decided to try to get home. We drove the vehicle 15-20 mins at a time and then exited the highway over and over giving the vehicle time turned off. After returning home with no additional events the engine warning light went off the next warning. This was on a Sunday so we were unable to get it to a dealer. The next day we dropped off the vehicle at Nappletom Chrysler dealership. The called us the next day and told us they could not cause the event to happen again. They could see a set of error codes showing the problem occurred, but told us there was nothing they could do and it was up to us to cause the problem and then return the vehicle. Now I have a minivan with 70k miles on it that my wife primarily uses my with to get my daughter from place to place and I have no idea when this vehicle will shut the engine down at any time potentially causing a dangerous accident. I believe Chrysler has the responsibility to determine what the issue is. Researching on the internet show this is a common problem for my vehicle and typically requires a new transmission or and engine wiring short.

• 11/18/2023· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  While driving 70 mph on the highway with my three children in the car, my engine suddenly and without warning, shut off. I had to coast over to the shoulder and wait for help. The dash displayed the warning "service charging system" and would not let me put the car in drive. I was VERY lucky that there weren't any cars around me when my acceleration suddenly stopped so I was able to get over on the highway. The car stalled in an unsafe place and left my children and me at risk of being hit from behind while waiting for help. I got the car to the dealer and they have informed me that this was caused by total transmission failure. This was a HIGHLY unsafe situation and it could have ended much worse for my family, and those in vehicles around us!

• 11/18/2022· FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  I was driving my kids to school this morning on the interstate, traveling at roughly 70 MPH when my Pacifica just died on me. I wasn't able to get the vehicle moving again and I coasted to a stop on the shoulder. The vehicle reported a "Service Charging System" fault and would not restart afterwards. I am waiting (2 weeks) for an opening at the dealership and will have the vehicle towed. I was lucky the interstate had a wide shoulder and traffic was light otherwise it could have been incredibly dangerous.

• 11/16/2024· VISIBILITY/WIPER

  On June 23, 2024 a NHTSA recall #24V-436 was posted indicating the rear visibility system defaults to the rearview image being visible. To date multiple dealerships and the Chrysler Corporation contacted trying to get this issue remedied. No one seems to have an answer ass to when the update will occur. I contract with a car rental service, TURO, to rent my personal vehicles. Because of this recall TURO will not allow my vehicle to be rented until this issue is resolved. I have to continue making car payments and pay insurance on this vehicle without any income coming in to offset my costs.

• 11/16/2021· POWER TRAIN

  This Chrysler Pacifica is only a few weeks old with around 1700 miles on it- I had only made our first car payment a few days prior. I tried to put my car in park in a long line of vehicles, and heard a clicking noise, followed by an immediate dinging with an error message. The vehicle told me "service trans." It would not allow me to park my vehicle. Shortly after this happened, the service engine light came on. There was absolutely no indication of anything being wrong with my BRAND NEW vehicle prior to this incident. I was able to drive the car home without error in the drive function, but shortly after arriving home, the car also starting dropping out of drive. Through all of this, I was not able to place my vehicle in park. I had no option but to drive my children in a vehicle that was consistently dropping out of drive and completely not able to park outside of using the parking brake. To me, this is the worst possible safety concern. This vehicle is BRAND NEW by all standards. We drove the vehicle straight to our dealership for servicing. The vehicle died on the lot before they were able to pull it into the service bay, as the car would not turn off until it was placed in park; which could not be achieved. The dealership claimed it was an alternator issue and has ordered a replacement part, which we are waiting on as I write this report. We were told that our dealership has seen similar issues in Chrysler Pacificas recently. It is absolutely a massive safety concern to me that this could affect the transmission in such a profound way, especially so soon after driving my vehicle off the lot.

• 11/14/2025· BACK OVER PREVENTION

  See attached document for complaint.

• 11/14/2022· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated that the center console and the dashboard made a loud buzzing sound before the functions became inoperable. The contact stated that the display screen displayed service warnings and software updates erroneously before disappearing. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure persisted with the center console flickering before becoming inoperable. The failure recurred intermittently but more persistently. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer who flashed the software and replaced the hybrid water pump; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000.

• 11/14/2021· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  I purchased a pre-owned 2021 Pacifica Hybrid on November 4th 2021. After driving it off the lot, the vehicle stalled (essentially loses power and gas pedal does not work) while driving at a high rate of speed on the highway. Symptom: While driving at a high rate of speed (65MPH, 60MPH, 50MPH, 70MPH), van loses power and gas pedal will not work. Van is on <1% battery and running off gasoline power. After coasting to a stop on the side of the road, a message pops up that says "Service Charging System" and the check engine light comes on. Then it says "Shift to P to Start". Check engine light is on. Frequency: Occurrences happened immediately after taking ownership of vehicle and were 11/4/21, 11/6/21, 11/7/21, 11/9/21. After that we stopped driving the vehicle and took it back to the dealer because of safety concerns. Workaround: Shifting to P to start (starting like you would normally start the car) does not start the vehicle. We have been able to figure out a workaround to get it to start however. If you push the start button without your foot on the brake so it is in the "accessory" power mode, then put your foot on the brake, then push the start button again, it starts. The check engine light stays on for a period of time (less than 24hrs) after each event, but then goes off. I see this has been reported by several people with at least 4 NHTSA IDs filed with the exact same issue. This is a serious safety concern and is not only reported with these IDs, but also is prevalent on other online forums such as pacificaforums.com and Facebook group "Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid 2017 and beyond." Symptoms match these NHTSA IDs. NHTSA ID Number: 11439920 NHTSA ID Number: 11432866 NHTSA ID Number: 11430933 NHTSA ID Number: 11418815

• 11/13/2021· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  While driving on the interstate at ~60MPH the vehicle suddenly shut off and flashed a "Service Charging System" Error. The gas pedal was unresponsive and we were forced to swerve through traffic as the vehicle was rapidly decelerating to make our way to the side of the interstate. This is a minivan, and as a minivan, we were using it for it's intended purpose of transporting our 4 small children to school and daycare. Because this event happened on the interstate, not only did we risk a high speed crash, but we had to move the kids from one vehicle to another as cars whizzed by at 60-70mph. We tried multiple attempts at restarting the vehicle and it would not restart. The vehicle is currently at the dealership and is being looked at under warranty.

• 11/12/2022· POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

  Van stalled while driving at 45 mph, had to pull over to side of road and get a tow to dealer. No indication of a problem before the stall. Warning lamp showed engine light, charging system warning, shift to park to start but unable to restart van on side of road. High safety risk as this occurred while driving at night. Police eventually parked behind me for safety on the roadside. Van is currently at dealership after being towed there.

• 11/10/2025· STEERING

  More often than not, the steering wheel column gets stuck at 10-11 o’clock positions and 1-2 o’clock positions. So it typically happens when making slight bends on my local roads and highways. This requires a hard jolt on the steering wheel to get it un-stuck. This is extremely unsafe to do at high rates of speed and/or with traffic on either side of me and it feels only a matter of time before it results in an accident. When I brought the car into the dealer for a different repair, they noted in their follow-up inspection a, “rep clunk from steering gear the wheel both ways” and quoted me $4800 for repair. I’m assuming that’s to replace the entire steering column, which is pretty outrageous considering the part is less than $900 OEM and would be about 2-3 hours of labor. I purchased the car 6 months ago as a certified pre-owned car from a dealership and the CarFax report came back completely clear, recall repairs weren’t even mentioned on it. I’ve seen some discussions on online forums describing a similar issue.

• 11/09/2021· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  I wanted to write to you and let you know about our recent and scary experience with our new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Limited. We purchased our van on Labor Day, September 6, 2021. Since then, we have had 2 out of town family funerals and a family vacation so we have right at 5k miles on the vehicle. On 11/5/2021, at approximately 1:15pm, I was driving our van on a 6-lane major thoroughfare with my two small children with me. We had 43% of our EV battery remaining and so we were driving on EV power (and had a half tank of fuel also). Suddenly, the engine power stopped, I had no acceleration, and a “Service Charging System” message popped up on the instrument info panel along with a check engine light, a red battery light near the compass, and a red plug symbol just below the fuel gauge. I was not able to get the van to do anything but roll with whatever forward momentum we had toward the side of the highway. In nothing short of a miracle, we avoided multiple collisions and safely made it to the shoulder. We had electric power to run the radio and climate fan only but the car engine was completely inoperable and could not start or shift into gear after multiple attempts to restart it. I contacted roadside assistance and waited for a tow while trying to keep my small children calm and safe sitting in a dangerous location on the side of a highway. After about 30 minutes, the car engine fan shut off and so I attempted to restart the car and it finally worked. I immediately headed toward the closest dealership by taking the side roads and hoping that we wouldn’t have another incident and be a sitting duck on the highway again. This vehicle malfunction could have, and realistically still could, cause a traumatic and horrific fatal motor vehicle collision. This is not just a routine and minor malfunction like a door sensor issue, or check engine light, etc. This issue can lead to a severe safety issue that will, and did, render the vehicle a target with no escape.

• 11/05/2022· POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  I was driving the van on interstate 85 in NC on my way to Charlotte from Raleigh. I was traveling at 70 mph when the van suddenly lost power. I could not accelerate and had to immediately pull over to the shoulder coasting on momentum only. I barely missed being hit by a semi truck as I attempted to get out of the way of traffic. The van remained stalled on the shoulder as I attempted to restart the van. It took 5 tries to get the van off the shoulder and onto an exit where I was able to park the van at a Waffle House parking lot to await a tow truck. Each attempt to restart the van would give me about 30 seconds of power before the van would stall out again. I was traveling with my wife and 4 small children and this was a very harrowing experience and could’ve have ended in disaster with that semi barreling down on us. The error code on the dash was “service charging system” Chrysler needs to fix the is issue before someone dies in a horrible accident.

• 11/04/2022· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

  My 2021 Pacifica PHEV has 16,200 miles on it at time of incident on 10/31/2022. I had just pulled off the highway to get gas when the issue began. I received a “service electrical system” on the dash and a check engine light and I had to turn off and back on to get it to restart. The check engine light stayed on and upon continuing my drive home another warning light came on telling me that the emergency braking was no longer operating. The warning light stayed on for a few miles and then went off. I took snapshots I will include. I also noticed that the vehicle was recording erroneous data such as suddenly having an electrical charge of a large percent when I had zero electrical charge. I got the vehicle to the dealership for repair. On 11/1. No loaner or rental reimbursement was available from Chrysler so I was without a Vehicle during repair. I received the vehicle back on 11/3/22 and I was informed that the vehicle had error codes POE 15-50 Hybrid/EV battery pack coolant heater A control and P1649-00 (? Not sure I wrote the number correctly) HCP Int… code. The paper also showed POE 15-00 HVAC Blocker Power but he only mentioned the first 2. The service technician indicated that the vehicle had a Z76 recall (I was not aware of a recall) and that they had done a software update to fix it and the vehicle should note be fixed. Upon reading other online complaints I see multiple reports of the same thing happening repeatedly to other 2021 phev Pacifica’s with low mileage while driving at high speeds including within 10 miles of having the same repair done. I am now scared to drive this vehicle on the highway after reading of multiple other 2021 PHEVs no longer operating on multiple vehicles while at highway speeds, despite multiple attempts at repair. I am afraid for my safety and for anyone else in my vehicle and I I want Chrysler to pay off my note immediately and take back possession of the vehicle. I no longer feel safe driving it.

• 10/31/2024· ENGINE

  The Start/Stop function ceased to function and illuminated a dash light indicating a malfunction. It started on October 3, 2024, when warm starting the vehicle in a store parking lot. The dash light illuminates every time the vehicle is started. Possible No Start while vehicle is waiting in the turn lane of an intersection.