The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle experienced a total loss of motive power. The Check Engine warning light illuminated, and a warning message reading "Stop Safely Vehicle will shut off Soon" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where diagnosis confirmed a transmission failure requiring replacement. The vehicle was scheduled for repair. The failure mileage was 181,901.
2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid transmission problems
40 complaints (18% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 5,492. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 40
- of this car's complaints
- 18%
- typical mileage
- 5,492
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid transmission problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid transmission
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Transmission fault leading to loss of motive power
On July 22, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE22008 to investigate allegation of loss of motive power, potentially due to transmission malfunction, in certain Chrysler Pacifica vehicles. In a January 17, 2023 letter to the federal safety agency, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) submitted recall notice 23V‑010 involving a transmission motor wiring defect in 67,118 model year (MY) 2017-2023 Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) manufactured from August 12, 2016 through January 9, 2023. FCA determined that an internal transmission connector short could result in an unexpected engine shutdown under certain conditions. Follow up correspondence with FCA confirmed this defect results in an electric motor position trouble code that was the basis for opening PE22008, therefore the federal safety agency is closing this investigation. The 23V‑010 recall remedy is a software update to address the hardware failure associated with PE22008. When a hardware failure is detected, the vehicle limits motive power while instructing the driver to pull over to a safe location. the federal safety agency is concerned that drivers will pull over to an unsafe location when the warning message associated with the recall remedy displays on the dashboard. Due to the nature of the recall remedy and related reports, the federal safety agency has opened Recall Query RQ24004 to assess the recall remedy. The reports and failure report summary values included with this closing action are related to allegations of Recall 23V‑010 remedy inadequacy. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to
PE22008
What 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
On [XXX], my vehicle produced a large red wrench and a turtle warning on a busy highway and I was forced to pull to the side with my [XXX] son in the car, as the vehicle lost motive power. It was towed to the dealer and after several days, they told me the issue was due to normal wear and tear in the transmission. I had to escalate to a service manager to even get a diagnosis after 5 days in the shop. I believe my transmission issue is due to a failure of the fix implemented in the 03A/the federal safety agency 23V‑010 recall. It has been documented that the software update did not fix the issue. My vehicle experienced the exact series of failures described in the recall. Chrysler is refusing to fix my vehicle, even though they had extended the warranty on my Pacifica to unlimited miles/unlimited years because of all of the transmission issues the model has experienced. I would appreciate it if someone could look into this and Chrysler's unwillingness to stand behind their products and provide fixes for their recalls that work. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact received a notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V536000 (Hybrid Propulsion System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where unknown repairs were completed at the contact's expense. No further information was provided. 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. The failure mileage was unknown. Â VIN tool confirms parts not available.
After refueling on a recent road trip the check engine light came on. After driving for a little bit to get to a hotel for the night white smoke started coming out the back of the car. To me the incident seems similar to the recall for other 2018 Chrysler Pacifica's, noted below, but did not apply to my VIN so wasn't completed for my car. The mpg's kept going down because I believe too much fuel was being fed to the engine resulting in the white smoke. When taken to the dealer there was a pending error code to the catalyst. It is currently at the Riser Chrysler Dealership in Hot Springs, AR awaiting further diagnostic and repair. the federal safety agency Campaign ID: 18V740000
When traveling at interstate speeds, the van suddenly went into limp mode going from 75 mph to less than 30 mph in seconds. It then told me I needed to get off the road and power down the vehicle or it would be done for me. I had to put in the flashers and take the van across 6 lanes of traffic. I had a letter from Chrysler from last summer stating was a possibility, but they just said to come in if it happened. There was no preventative measure offered. My van had to be towed to the dealer.
Pull into garage with <1% hybrid battery. Pressed the power button and the Pacifica threw an error about servicing the transmission and it would not disconnect the power to shut off the vehicle. Opened the hood and disconnected the 12v battery to complete remove electric from the system. The van completed a shutdown. Reconnected the 12v battery and closed the hood. Car returned to working conditions.
In March my van stalled as I was turning through a busy intersection with my child in the front seat. We narrowly avoided being t-boned. For a second the dash lit up with lights and then it said to shift to park to start vehicle but I couldn't shift. After finally getting it in neutral some good samaritans helped me push it out of the intersection and while I sat off to the side, after about 15 minutes of getting out and checking under the hood, the car started. We used our own code reader and it threw the PoA79 code. We brought it to Lewisville with an appointment, told them about the stall and they did the Z11 recall work for the fire risk with the battery but say there are no issues with the battery and no codes, but they have us ready for the recall work on Loss of Motive Power as soon as the recall work is available because loss of power is a known issue. They think my stall is related to the recall and needs a software update so hold off. Pick the van up after Easter. 3 months later it stalls again, this time with my child and husband on the freeway! After about 10 minutes of everything flashing, it starts again just as it did before, and the CEL clears. We call and are told that the Loss of Motive Power recall O3A process is now out for the 2018. We have never noticed an unexpected loss of charge. We were charging outside and far from our house, per the recall. No lobster popping up. Make an appointment for the O3A recall work and the van stalls on the way. This time it doesn't restart As I understand it, the transmission issue is that transmission case castings causes the high voltage wires to chafe and short out. We are told that we do not have a transmission or a battery issue, it is the On Board Charging Module has internal damage. They are unable to explain how a van that was at 95% charge and with a 12V that showed it wasn't depleted now has an internally damaged OBCM. And they don't know if that is the fundamental underlying problem with stalls.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - The dealer / manufacturer is unable to determine the root cause. The car shut down while I was driving on the highway. It does not start, meaning no engine turnover to operate / drive the vehicle. The only known issue was the recall for the electrical component failure. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Yes, both myself and others on the highway were at great risk. As my car shut down, I lost control of the vehicle - no power steering or ability to use the accelerator. My vehicle slowed to 40mph in the right lane, while other vehicles including trucks were still traveling at high speeds and quickly approached my vehicle. They did not see the hazard lights until they were only 20 feet away. This was very close to a fatal accident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - No. There is no solve to the issue. They claim, however, that they are replacing the *entire* transmission and think that this will fix the car. Yet, this seems to be an entirely separate, unrelated issue. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - Yes, I received an error message 1 day prior. See attachment photo of dashboard. I was instructed by the dealer to drive it into the dealership the very next day - the day the car shut down on the highway.
My Pacifica Hybrid van has been at a Chrysler dealership (Castle Rock in Colorado) for over six weeks now to have the Z11 recall addressed. It is clear that neither Chrysler nor their dealers know how to properly fix this (potentially lethal) issue with their vehicle batteries. Chrysler have failed to provide a loaner vehicle, even though it is stated in their recall letter that they would, and their "Customer Care" hotline have been unable to assist in any way. No one will call me back or otherwise inform me of next steps.
Our car’s battery ran out and left our car blocking both lanes of our traffic. We tried to shift into neutral but weren’t able to. We found an online tutorial about a panel that contains a string to pull which would enable us to shift to neutral. When we opened the panel, we found the string was missing. Upon further research, I found this was a problem with other cars as well. When we brought it in to be serviced, they couldn’t fix it. The owner’s manual has no instructions for how to get the car into neutral.
Questions about the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid transmission
Does the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid have transmission problems?
Owners have filed 40 complaints about the transmission of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid, 18% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid transmission problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 5,492 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid transmission?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid have bad transmission?
The Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid model years with the most transmission complaints are 2022 (55 complaints), 2018 (40 complaints) and 2020 (17 complaints).
Other 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid problems
Fuel system 93Electrical 84Engine 64Acceleration 13Driver assistance 10Brakes 8Steering 7Suspension 6Body 5Lights 4Seats 3Seat belts 1Visibility 1
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