2023 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid transmission problems

Filed Mar 25, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · CA

Vehicle lost power with no prior warning at highway speeds. Vehicle then displayed "Stop Safely Vehicle will shut off soon" message. In order to attempt a reset, driver must turn off, leave vehicle with FOB and secure vehicle. Then return to vehcile and start up in an attempt to reboot. Check engine light remained, but functioned nromally for a day. Vehicle did the same on another freeway at 70 mph, and continued with the same events above several times, some producing immediate repeat message, or other times getting a half mile down the road. Depending on availability of a shoulder or center divide, this is extremly dangerous to fail unexpectedly on the highway. In California there are freeways with over 6 lanes, try getting across 6 lanes of traffic with no power, in limp mode. Vehicle is now at dealer awaiting diagnosis and repair. I continued with the vehicle when the tow truck service via Chrysler corporate stated 60 -90 min response. My saftey was more of a concern if I had to wait that long.

Filed Dec 23, 2024 · Brakes, Driver assistance · PA

Hello. Writing to you about a serious safety concern on my 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. Overnight, I had it parked in my driveway, and this morning, I found it had rolled down the driveway. In addition, because it was plugged in charging overnight, the movement of my van rolling, caused it to pull on the cord and ultimately snapping my charging port. Fortunately,no one was walking at that time as you could understand the concern this would be if this had been the case and my van would’ve harmed someone. I checked my cameras, and it shows the van beginning to slowly roll on its own around 9:40pm until it reaches the end of my driveway. I believe the only reason it did not go any further is because our sidewalk is a bit raised where it meets the end of the driveway, which stopped it from sliding even further than it did. I would like to see if this is a known issue and if not make it aware as this is a serious concern to the public. Also what steps can I take to Chrysler to fix this issue, I don’t feel comfortable now with the car sitting idle in the driveway with kids playing. Also corrected steps to repair the damage to my car. I contacted the dealer and have an appointment scheduled for Friday 12/27/2024. Please see images of damage and start and finish of where the car was and lastly ended up. Please feel free to contact me about this.

Filed Nov 18, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · NC

Driving on highway in hybrid mode, van lost engine power and coasts to a stop in traffic. Dashboard light says Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon. The engine is effectively off with no motive power available. This happened 4 times in a row over the course of 1.5 hrs on [XXX] from Virginia to North Carolina! We were nearly killed by traffic trying to clear the roadway with no power from the engine whatsoever. Completely unacceptable! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Nov 16, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · VA

While driving on the interstate, we heard a warning chime and a warning about the engine shutting off was displayed, along with the check engine light and a turtle icon, and the vehicle lost engine power. It was just coasting, which made it difficult to get to the shoulder in multiple lanes of heavy traffic. We called emergency roadside assistance who told us it was in limp mode and called for a tow truck. According to the dealership, a sensor in the transmission has malfunctioned and the entire transmission will need to be replaced. This appears to be the same issue for which these vehicles were recalled, so whatever repair Chrysler has done is clearly not effective. Our vehicle was purchased new, after the recall service had been done.

Filed Oct 15, 2024 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 30,600 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the vehicle would begin to roll away, when attempting to park on an incline. The contact also stated the gear shifter was placed in reverse, the vehicle continued to drive forward. In addition, when applying the brake pedal, the vehicle would take an extensive amount of time before coming to a stop. The contact stated it felt as if the hydraulic fluid was low despite there being no leak. The backover prevention camera failed to display the image from the rear of the vehicle due to there being an unexplained fracture. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired for the brakes and gear shifter. The back-over prevention camera had been replaced but the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the dealer however had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,600.

Filed Sep 9, 2024 · Transmission · PA

Fourth time! Car suddenly shut down on highway with message to stop safely soon. I retrieved codes which were PAO78. I do this every time since these codes will clear when power is removed from the vehicle. The dealer says there is nothing they can do since codes are no longer there when I bring it in. This car is UNSAFE when this happens on the highway.

Filed Aug 25, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · VA

I bought a new 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid in March 2024. In April 2024, mileage 2,301, while driving on neighborhood roads, this warning message appeared: "Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" and the Engine Check/Malfunction Indicator Warning light illuminated. I had about 15-30 seconds to pull over and then the vehicle lost all power. All warnings were gone the next morning so I hoped it had been a glitch. 3 days later it happened again (mileage 2,559). I didn't think it was a glitch anymore so I had the vehicle towed to an authorized Chrysler dealer. STAR (Chrysler) advised them to check PIM connectors and return the vehicle to me. I had been unable to drive the vehicle for 15 days. Less than a month later, mileage 3,933, it happened again. I had it towed again to the same dealer. This time STAR advised and approved replacing the transmission. This incident added 28 days of being unable to drive the vehicle, for a total of 43 days. 23 days later, while driving on an out-of-state highway, mileage 5,012, it happened again. This was extremely dangerous since we were driving at highway speed and did not have much time to pull over before the vehicle shut off. I had it towed to an authorized dealer near where I was staying out of state. That dealer performed repairs even though I didn't authorize any. I have no reason to believe that Chrysler can fix the problem.

Filed Aug 7, 2024 · Transmission · 8,500 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as indented. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. In addition, the check engine and low battery warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually shut off. The vehicle was started and driven to the nearest independent mechanic. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle had not yet been diagnosed. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced at the dealer due to the failure; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,500.

Filed Jul 5, 2024 · Electrical, Fuel system · MA

The check engine light came on suddenly and the vehicle stopped while driving down street. The dashboard read Park car safely. Engine is going to shut down. However, car stopped almost immediately leaving me stranded in the middle of a highly traveled state route. The Check engine code read Drive Motor A Inverter Performance. Mechanic stated it was an internal short in the transmission control module.

Filed Jun 26, 2024 · Electrical, Lights · IL

While driving in heavy traffic in a construction zone of a two lane highway my vehicle alerted me to get over and stop because my vehicle was shutting down. The vehicle then slowed down more and more without break lights, causing vehicles to come up to my vehicle closely and almost hit me. Due to the construction there was no immediate place for me to pull over. I had to drive 3/4 of a mile like this with my child in the car. I was finally able to get to an on ramp with shoulder and pull over. We are lucky we were not plowed into by another car while this all was happening, or while we were waiting by the road. This issue is directly related to an apparent known issue on these cars, but not known to us.