Owners have filed 6,288 complaints on the Chrysler Pacifica, covering 2004–2026. The system named most often is Power Train (975 reports). Worst years by volume: 2017, 2005, 2018; cleanest: 2026, 2025, 2024. 183 reports describe a crash, 90 a fire, 3 a death. On average the car was 5.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Chrysler Pacifica
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 6,288 Pacifica complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 975 Read
Driving down interstate when the cruise cut out and the engine skipped. Pulled over to check engine fluids and all were ok. No engine warning lights or any other indication of something being wrong. Continued at approx 70 mph when there seemed to be an internal explosion within the engine causing the engine to stop…
Subject: Urgent Safety Concern – Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ) Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report a serious safety issue with my 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ). The vehicle experiences sudden power loss due to the following error codes: P079A-00 (transmission issue), P0A43-00 (hybrid battery…
STOP SAFELY vehicle will shut off Soon sign came while I was driver in 3rd lane on [XXX] in Virginia it shut off before I could pull to safety. Vehicle behind me slightly hit me on back. I got checked for dealer its fault in transmission. But I don't feel safe driving again since it shuts off while doing 65 mph.…
Electrical System 759 Read
We purchased our vehicle on July 8, 2019 and it was 18,179 miles on August 9, 2021, is slightly over what would be considered eligible under the NY Lemon Law for new vehicles. We took our vehicle in to the Service Center for a routine inspection on August 9, 2021, because we realized our sticker expired only to learn…
While traveling in the left hand lane I was hit on the right side pushing me into a median. I applied the brakes and they didn’t stop the vehicle. When the van came into contact with the curb. The airbags deployed. I smelt smoke and told my 4 young children in the back seat we needed to get out now. Two of my children…
We were involved in a small fender bender accident, and the car caught on fire. It started with the dashboard, and it spread to the rest of the vehicle. The car ended up burnt to a crisp. Nothing salvageable
Engine 556 Read
2018 Pacifica Touring L Plus. Approximately 33,750 miles. Engine compartment fire. Cause UNKNOWN. Vehicle was parked with engine / ignition off and directly after a brief warm-up and approximate 5 mile drive. Returned to vehicle after approximately 10 minutes in store. Noticed odd, but faint smell and assumed was from…
The contact owns a 2017 chrysler pacifica. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact opened the hood and noticed smoke. The contact stated that the engine had fallen to the ground. The vehicle was towed to cass burch chrysler dodge jeep ram valdosta (4164 n valdosta rd, valdosta, ga 31602,…
While in motion on city street the engine caught on fire shortly after dealer service. *dt consumer's wife noticed smoke coming from the engine/hood and then flames. Consumer stated check engine light was on so consumer took the car in. Service report mentions replacing the fuel pressure sensor and steps taken
Steering 552 Read
Traveling down a country road on a clear afternoon, the vehicle traveled approximately 35 mph while cresting a small hill. On the other side of the hill was a "T" shaped intersection where another vehicle stopped in the intersection from a stop sign several feet behind. The other driver failed to complete the turn…
The contact owned a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, a very loud snapping noise had suddenly occurred, and the message "Stability System Activated" displayed before the steering wheel suddenly turned to the right, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle to…
Possible control arm failure, been reading online that this has been a known issue with these and nothing has been done about it. My wife was driving with our 3 small children when the vehicle went left on its own with no steering causing her to lose control jumping the west bound lanes of traffic. Luckily no traffic…
Service Brakes 118 Read
The contact rented a 2025 Chrysler Pacifica. While the contact's husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that several days later, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that while…
The contact owns a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving approximately 7 MPH and slowing to park his vehicle, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle kept moving forward. The contact stated he crashed into the front end of a vehicle parked in front of his vehicle. The contact…
The contact owns a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at 80 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The following day, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was vibrating and the brakes failed to immediately stop the vehicle. The contact…
Air Bags 110 Read
While driving our 2018 chrysler pacifica on I-95 south in nh, traffic came to an abrupt stop and we rear-ended a jeep wrangler at approximately 30-40 mph. I braked for about 20 ft and struck the jeep. Our airbags deployed and the engine compartment immediately burst into flames upon impact. The flames were so…
While driving 55 mph vehicle pulled over too far and sank into a ditch. Then, vehicle crashed into a couple of trees and caught on fire . Upon impact, air bags failed to deploy. Driver sustained a dislocated ancle. Vehicle was totaled
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…
Structure 102 Read
09/17/23 Was driving 65mph, car was slowing Down in front of me and turned cruise control off. Immediately car started stalling. Was in middle lane with cars on both sides. Turned on flashers and no power in gas pedal. At about 30mph, was struck from behind by Jeep! Third car behind struck Jeep and Jeep struck me…
I was on my way to my son's doctor appointment, pulled into the hospital/clinic parking lot, parked my vehicle and turned it off. I heard a pop after I turned it off and when I stepped outside, I smelled smoke. Dark smoke was coming up both sides of the hood so I got my son out of his car seat, ran away from the…
The van lost control on its own and would not allow me to break whatsoever, until I got into a very dangerous accident. I was told by fiat chrysler automobiles that there was nothing wrong with the car, but there certainly was something wrong with the breaks. There was no issue with my driving, nor was there any issue…
Vehicle Speed Control 82 Read
We were at a complete stop waiting for traffic to go, I had my foot on the brake pedal and the car lunge/revved up and hit the car in front of me. This is the 3rd time this has happened. The first time we were advised it was probably the front-end sensor that were probably covered with ice. We were advised they are…
Vehicle accelerator jammed while slowly backing vehicle (rear end first) into home garage at around 12:15 p.m. On december 17, 2019. Vehicle and passengers were thrown back into the garage wall at a high speed causing vehicle and property damage. On form below, I estimated 1 mph, but it may have been less as I was…
1. Brakes give way and cannot stop car until halfway into intersection. Brake is metal to metal. Hear clanking sound………. Also 2. When stepping on brake, car speeds up. I’ve had 2 accidents by rear ending car in front of me. This has happened 4-5 times this past year
Pacifica years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2025 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2024 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2023 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2022 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 11 | 1 | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 6 | 3 | |
| 2019 | Air Bags,forward Collision Avoidance | 11 | 3 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 26 | 14 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 42 | 9 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | — | 3 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 6 | 9 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 16 | 7 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 24 | 12 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 27 | 27 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 920 |
| Average complaints per series | 6.8 |
| Worst single series | 62 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.2 years |
A model average of 6.8 hides a worst series at 62. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Pacifica?
By complaint volume, 2017, 2005, 2018 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Pacifica years are the cleanest?
2026, 2025, 2024 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Chrysler Pacifica have?
6,288 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2004–2026. Of those, 183 describe a crash and 90 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.