We are currently on a family vacation going from CA to Nebraska and our 2023 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid completely shut down on us while driving through Las Vegas. A warning came up on the dash stating “slow down, engine will be shutting down”. We were on a main freeway and almost got hit because of this. We had our two kids in the car and are so upset this happened especially because we just bought the vehicle in May 2024 and this is the second time this has happened to us. We had to pay for a rental vehicle out of pocket to continue our trip and get our van towed to a nearby dealership in Las Vegas. It is currently sitting at the dealership and we have no idea how long it’s going to take to get fixed or how we are going to get it back to CA.
2023 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid engine complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 18 of 18, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the message "Engine Will Shut Off - Please Stop Safely" message was displayed, and within 30 seconds the vehicle stalled. The contact observed a burning odor in the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted after several minutes each time. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was not able to be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 500.
This incident occurred twice in the past 7 days. Once while driving within feet of a train tracks crossing and another while driving 65 MPH on a crowded freeway in Los Angeles. Both times, the car flashed a warning to “Stop Safely, vehicle will shut off soon” and then within 20 seconds I lost all power to the vehicle and struggled to get to the side of the road. After approximately 20 minutes of sitting there, the vehicle started again and drove normally. I understand there was a recent recall for this issue and it appears this is a continuation of that. This vehicle put my family’s life in danger twice in the past 7 days. Something needs to be done
This is a new 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, it's only 1k miles and 1 month after the purchase, I experienced a sudden loss of power while driving in the afternoon on 6/20, there was a warning light that beeps and tells me I'm about to loss power. Fortunately I am still half mile away from freeway entrance, and I just stopped at a red light blocking vehicles behind me.... the car wouldn't start for a few minutes, and I finally get it to start after I open and close the door. The engine light has been on since the incident, and eventually went away the next day morning on 6/21, right before I dropped it off at dealership to get it checked. They read the code and confirmed it was transmission. The dealer told me they will know what to do by mid next week, and if a new transmission is needed it will be a few more weeks before it can be fixed. There was no loaner car, and Chrysler only gave me $40/day allowance for rental car which is not nearly enough to get any small car, let along a minivan.
We purchased a brand new car and we have driven just 778 miles. Below are the things happened suddenly while driving on highway on our long planned trip and it screwed up entire journey. 1. Instrument cluster suddenly shown the error “service charging system” in the middle of highway when I was driving in 70 mph speed and the vehicle started applying heavy breaks automatically and speed dropped down from 70MPH to 25MPH in 5-6 seconds. Engine light is on as well. I’m unable to accelerate. Somehow luckily I was able to pull the car to right shoulder. We were scared that we will be in an accident due to sudden brake. 2. I tried stopping the car and then starting. It shown the same error couple of times. 3. After couple of times, I tried to press brake and push on start button, the brake hit me back and I’m unable to press the brake at all. 4. Instrumentation cluster shown series of messages like below.. a) Keyfob not detected in the car - We are still in the car and key fob is with us in the car b) Hybrid system not working 5. After some time car wipers automatically started and wiping very slowly. It could be because the battery is low and we are shocked to see why the wipers are started though there is no rain and also the Wipers control is in Off position only. 6. We in the car are shell shocked and my pregnant wife is still in trauma even after a week thinking about the incident. After calling SOS, the vehicle has been towed to nearest Heritage CDJR Dealer of Harrisburg. But they are not ready to inspect the vehicle right away. We waited for 4 hours and then we had to take the rental vehicle to restart our journey. It's been a week and the car is still with the Dealer. I along with my pregnant wife and 5 year old kid spent almost stranded for 8 hours during this entire drama. I have raised case with Chrysler as well. No update from the dealer service department though. This is a defect piece I received and I never wanted to drive again keeping life at risk
I have had this van for just under a year. While driving on the freeway last year, it gave me a warning to pull over and that the van would shut down soon. When I took it to the dealership, the check engine light had turned off and I was told there was nothing they can do. On a recent 1000 mile family trip, we had the same thing happen 5 times. The van has currently been at the dealer for over two weeks and they are not able to tell us what is wrong with the van. This is a huge risk for safety as I was driving on the freeway at 70 mph with my family in the car and had no idea if I would be able to get out of traffic before the van shut down.
The power train system of our vehicle experienced a critical malfunction, as indicated by the "Service Charging System" error message and engine light on the dashboard, leading to a loss of power in the accelerator. We are willing to cooperate and make the vehicle available for inspection upon request. The abrupt loss of power in the accelerator at a high speed posed an immediate risk to the safety of my wife, two infants, and other road users, necessitating an emergency maneuver to coast to the side of the freeway. The dealer confirmed the error on Oct 30, 2023, and attempted to rectify the issue. Unfortunately, their efforts were not successful, as the problem recurred on Nov 11, 2023, after the vehicle was returned to us. The vehicle has undergone inspections four times. The first inspection occurred at the dealer on Oct 29, 2023. Subsequent inspections took place at the dealer on Oct 30, 2023, Nov 6, 2023, and are scheduled for Nov 14, 2023. Despite these thorough inspections, the recurring issue has not been successfully resolved. We remain open to facilitating any further inspections required for a comprehensive investigation. The vehicle was bought brand new with 12 miles on the odometer at the dealer with an illuminated engine light on Oct 29, 2023. Despite attempts to rectify the issue, the warning message persisted, and the incident on the freeway occurred on Nov 13, 2023. If you require any additional information or clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out. We expect urgent attention to this matter to ensure the safety of all Pacifica Hybrid owners. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was driving the van a day after I bought it with only 42 miles on it, was going to make a turn onto a busy road and the car made a horrible noise and suddenly stopped. After a minute the 03A "fix" came on warning me to pull over safely but the car had stopped on it's own and would not restart, it was dead. Had I been on the highway when it happened it could have ended very badly.
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