2018 Chrysler PACIFICA

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Chrysler PACIFICA has 1298 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 16.2x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (28% of all complaints), specifically: we were driving home at night and stopped on a red light in an intersection on a highway. when it was 'go' our pacifica 2018 (400 miles on it) did not run. light is on 'run', dial shift on drive and i did not turn off the car. i stepped on the accelerator again but it just would not run. other driv. ⚠️ 19 fire reports filed.

19 fire reports 35 crash reports 10 injuries

1298

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

16.2x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

357 complaints

28%

• WE WERE DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT AND STOPPED ON A RED LIGHT IN AN INTERSECTION ON A HIGHWAY. WHEN IT WAS 'GO' OUR PACIFICA 2018 (400 MILES ON IT) DID NOT RUN. LIGHT IS ON 'RUN', DIAL SHIFT ON DRIVE AND I DID NOT TURN OFF THE CAR. I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN BUT IT JUST WOULD NOT RUN. OTHER DRIV
• 2018 TOURING L PLUS TOWED. WAS DRIVING ALONG AND STARTED LOSING ALL POWER, SYSTEMS STARTED TO SHUT DOWN, VAN WAS LIMITED IN SPEED AND FUNCTION. BY THE END ALL WARNING SYSTEMS HAD FAILED, POWER STEERING WAS GONE, ABS WAS GONE, AFTER THE BATTERY HIT 8.9 VOLTS WE LOST CONTROL OF THE TRANSMISSION, THE "
• CAR SHUT OFF WITH THE "PUT CAR IN PARK AND RESTART" MESSAGE. IT TOOK 2 ATTEMPTS TO RESTART. CAR HAS ONLY 795 MILES ON IT. WHEN THE CAR SHUTS OFF THERE IS NO POWER STEERING CREATING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE CAR WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED WITH THE FUEL SAVER OPTION S

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 6 fire reports💥 5 crashes

“WE WERE DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT AND STOPPED ON A RED LIGHT IN AN INTERSECTION ON A HIGHWAY. WHEN IT WAS 'GO' OUR PACIFICA 2018 (400 MILES ON IT) DID NOT RUN. LIGHT IS ON 'RUN', DIAL SHIFT ON DRIVE AND I DID NOT TURN OFF THE CAR. I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN BUT IT JUST WOULD NOT RUN. OTHER DRIV”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

276 complaints

21%

• WE WERE DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT AND STOPPED ON A RED LIGHT IN AN INTERSECTION ON A HIGHWAY. WHEN IT WAS 'GO' OUR PACIFICA 2018 (400 MILES ON IT) DID NOT RUN. LIGHT IS ON 'RUN', DIAL SHIFT ON DRIVE AND I DID NOT TURN OFF THE CAR. I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN BUT IT JUST WOULD NOT RUN. OTHER DRIV
• 2018 TOURING L PLUS TOWED. WAS DRIVING ALONG AND STARTED LOSING ALL POWER, SYSTEMS STARTED TO SHUT DOWN, VAN WAS LIMITED IN SPEED AND FUNCTION. BY THE END ALL WARNING SYSTEMS HAD FAILED, POWER STEERING WAS GONE, ABS WAS GONE, AFTER THE BATTERY HIT 8.9 VOLTS WE LOST CONTROL OF THE TRANSMISSION, THE "
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART IT, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO TELEGRAPH

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 7 fire reports💥 10 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

149 complaints

11%

• 2018 TOURING L PLUS TOWED. WAS DRIVING ALONG AND STARTED LOSING ALL POWER, SYSTEMS STARTED TO SHUT DOWN, VAN WAS LIMITED IN SPEED AND FUNCTION. BY THE END ALL WARNING SYSTEMS HAD FAILED, POWER STEERING WAS GONE, ABS WAS GONE, AFTER THE BATTERY HIT 8.9 VOLTS WE LOST CONTROL OF THE TRANSMISSION, THE "
• I HAD JUST PURCHASED THIS CAR AND WAS DRIVING AWAY FROM THE DEALER. ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE ROAD I WAS SLOWING DOWN AND STARTED TO PUT ON THE BRAKES WHEN I HAD AN UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION EVENT. (IT FELT LIKE SOMEONE HAD JUST STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR). I HAD TO SLAM HARD ON THE BRAKES AND JUST A
• AFTER A STOP, THEN STEPPING ON THE GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENS. FINALLY TAKES THE GAS AND LURCHES FORWARD. ON 03/15/2018 THE DEALER UPDATED THE TCM SOFTWARE,SAID MINE WAS OUT OF DATE. SEEMED OK UNTIL 04/01/2018 WHEN IT DID THE SAME THING AGAIN. MILEAGE IS 3000.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 4 crashes

“2018 TOURING L PLUS TOWED. WAS DRIVING ALONG AND STARTED LOSING ALL POWER, SYSTEMS STARTED TO SHUT DOWN, VAN WAS LIMITED IN SPEED AND FUNCTION. BY THE END ALL WARNING SYSTEMS HAD FAILED, POWER STEERING WAS GONE, ABS WAS GONE, AFTER THE BATTERY HIT 8.9 VOLTS WE LOST CONTROL OF THE TRANSMISSION, THE "”

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

143 complaints

11%

• CAR SHUT OFF WITH THE "PUT CAR IN PARK AND RESTART" MESSAGE. IT TOOK 2 ATTEMPTS TO RESTART. CAR HAS ONLY 795 MILES ON IT. WHEN THE CAR SHUTS OFF THERE IS NO POWER STEERING CREATING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE CAR WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED WITH THE FUEL SAVER OPTION S
• THE CAR WAS PUT IN DRIVE AND WAS DRIVING AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. SUDDENLY THE POWER STEERING WAS LOST. THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN AND HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN AFTER 20 MINUTES. THE STEERING WAS STUCK AND TURNING THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN RESOLVED
• BOUGHT VEHICLE ON MARCH 5, 2018, ON THE 2 HR DRIVE HOME THE CARS MAIN FRONT CENTER CONSOLE STARTS REBOOTING AND RESETTING OVER AND OVER, THE CAR THEN YANKS US HARD TO THE RIGHT AND AS I FIGHT THE DRIVER ASSIST MODE TO ACTUALLY STAY ON THE ROAD, MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF WAS PLENTY SCARED. WE GOT THE DR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 8 crashes

“CAR SHUT OFF WITH THE "PUT CAR IN PARK AND RESTART" MESSAGE. IT TOOK 2 ATTEMPTS TO RESTART. CAR HAS ONLY 795 MILES ON IT. WHEN THE CAR SHUTS OFF THERE IS NO POWER STEERING CREATING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE CAR WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED WITH THE FUEL SAVER OPTION S”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

115 complaints

• I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE SINCE 12-2-2017 AND THE ENGINE HAS STALLED 3 TIMES WHILE WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT? WHAT CAN I DO THIS IS NOT NORMAL.
• THE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM HAS NEVER WORKED SINCE CAR WAS PURCHASED. CHRYSLER HAS TOLD US CAR MUST BE GOING 70 MPH FOR SYSTEM TO ACTIVATE. THE CHRYSLER VIDEO INDICATES SYSTEM SHOULD BE WORKING AT MUCH SLOWER SPEEDS (25 MPH). THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.
• FORWARD COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING.WENT BACK TO TO DEALERS AND IT STILL DOES NOT WORK.I CALLED CHRYSLER AND SPOKE TO TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND WAS TOLD THEY HAVE NO WAY TO CHECK IF' IT WORKING.I PAID 995.00 FOR THIS OPTION FOR SAFETY FOR MY FAMILY.I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS A LUXURY FEATUR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE SINCE 12-2-2017 AND THE ENGINE HAS STALLED 3 TIMES WHILE WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT? WHAT CAN I DO THIS IS NOT NORMAL.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 1298 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: WE WERE DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT AND STOPPED ON A RED LIGHT IN AN INTERSECTION ON A HIGHWAY. WHEN IT WAS 'GO' OUR PACIFICA 2018 (400 MILES ON IT) DID NOT RUN. LIGHT IS ON 'RUN', DIAL SHIFT ON DRIVE AND I DID NOT TURN OFF THE CAR. I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN BUT IT JUST WOULD NOT RUN. OTHER DRIV
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: WE WERE DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT AND STOPPED ON A RED LIGHT IN AN INTERSECTION ON A HIGHWAY. WHEN IT WAS 'GO' OUR PACIFICA 2018 (400 MILES ON IT) DID NOT RUN. LIGHT IS ON 'RUN', DIAL SHIFT ON DRIVE AND I DID NOT TURN OFF THE CAR. I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN BUT IT JUST WOULD NOT RUN. OTHER DRIV
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: 2018 TOURING L PLUS TOWED. WAS DRIVING ALONG AND STARTED LOSING ALL POWER, SYSTEMS STARTED TO SHUT DOWN, VAN WAS LIMITED IN SPEED AND FUNCTION. BY THE END ALL WARNING SYSTEMS HAD FAILED, POWER STEERING WAS GONE, ABS WAS GONE, AFTER THE BATTERY HIT 8.9 VOLTS WE LOST CONTROL OF THE TRANSMISSION, THE "
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
STEERING: CAR SHUT OFF WITH THE "PUT CAR IN PARK AND RESTART" MESSAGE. IT TOOK 2 ATTEMPTS TO RESTART. CAR HAS ONLY 795 MILES ON IT. WHEN THE CAR SHUTS OFF THERE IS NO POWER STEERING CREATING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE CAR WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED WITH THE FUEL SAVER OPTION S
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)