Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid fire or smoke problems

Filed Dec 2, 2023 · Electrical, Fuel system · IL · fire

The car's lithium batteries caught fire to the point of smoldering. This happened at the end of the charge cycle. The car was parked in our garage and if the fire department did not come to help, the fire could have intensified and burned down our whole house. We are very thankful we caught it so quickly. No warnings or issues were apparent with the vehicle when it was parked and put on the charger.

Filed Nov 14, 2023 · Electrical · MO · fire · 4 injuries

On Sunday, November 5, 2023, our 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid caught fire in our garage. Please refer to the attached PDF which details the incident. I have pictures and videos of the incident as well as a report from the fire department is being prepared. We have placed home and auto claims with our insurance provider, and we are also working with a disaster recovery company who is compiling a report on the damages and losses. - What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? My educated guess from what I witnessed and discussions with the firefighters is it was the car’s electric battery. - How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Refer to PDF; further would this have happened at night and as discussed with the fire department, the toxic smoke, heat, and fire/explosion would very likely have caused the situation to have a much more catastrophic outcome. - Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I do not know specifically; however, please note PDF related to the federal safety agency Recall # 20V‑334 we had completed in September 2023. - Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Refer to PDF; after the fire was extinguished and at the directive of the fire department, the car was taken to a local salvage yard for safety/risk of reigniting. - Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Refer to PDF; no, there were no warning signs other than the smell that morning and the service charging system notification after I unplugged the vehicle. We had driven the van the previous day with no issues, and when my wife left the house around 930 that morning through the garage, she did not notice a smell or anything unusual.

Filed Nov 2, 2023 · Electrical, Fuel system · CA · fire

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Internal charging system or vehicle battery pack malfunctioned & caught fire. Vehicle is available for inspection now, but not sure about when it is removed from our property. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - It was a big fire! Close to structures, vehicles & dry foliage – super lucky it didn't spread. Smoke was very noxious and affected our entire neighborhood. Neighbors have reported respiratory irritation since the fire. I now have a cough, burning throat and headaches. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - There's a burned out van at the end of my driveway... specific instance of this problem does not need confirmation Similar issues are reported on the internet. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - Not yet. Chrysler says it'll take 2-3 days for issue to be "escalated". Insurance is sending someone. Fire department HazMat crew verified that the battery pack is now "cold" but toxic chemicals are a public safety hazard. Oakland Fire incident #[XXX]. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - July 2022 the vehicle refused to charge & displayed a "turtle" icon. Took it to the dealer and told of the charging/fire recall. Stopped charging until all the recall parts were available which wasn't until August 2023. After repair, we were told the car was OK & it was safe to resume charging the car. Other details: - The vehicle caught fire while charging, engulfed in flames, had to be extinguished by Fire department, total loss. Car plugged in at ~4:30pm and we heard a "pop" at ~8:20pm. So the battery had reached 100%. Ran out and there was small fire dripping from middle underside of the car– quickly spread & consumed the entire car INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF I

Filed Jun 17, 2023 · Transmission · NY

Anohter issue on the same new 2022 minivan with 350 miles. on highway while driving at 68mph the CEL turns on and engine makes high revving sound, turtle light on above D, engine oil temp rises to 246 degrees, coolant rises to 220 deg, engine makes noises and sounds like revving high. Loss of power, vehicle slows to a dangerous speed and nearly hit by a pickup truck and trailer in the rear, pulled to side of road and limped to next rest stop. Went to a charging station at NY State rest stop and the electric charger does not have a plug for this veh. I shut car off and restarted, no tools to reset 12v system, restarted car and it ran but lights still on, felt like power was working so we chanced it and made it home with nearly normal power. This dangerous loss of power can cause someone else to mismatch speed and cause a rear end collision. This unsafe condition and defects need to be handled by Chrysler asap and recalled. This vehicle is a 12/2022 model purchased in June 2023. N HTSA need to recall - many comlpaints of same and similar issue. Also noticed a burning smell

Filed May 23, 2023 · Electrical · OH

The vehicle's high voltage battery was being charged using a Siemens VG2 EVSE when an arcing sound was noticed and burning smell and smoking was seen. Looking back at our home energy monitor, it appears to have been arcing for close to an hour without any warnings being thrown until shortly after being noticed. The car did eventually show a charging system error, but the charging didn't stop until I physically unplugged it. The L1 pin on the vehicle and the EVSE showed scorch marks and damage from the arcing, but thankfully it was caught before a fire happened.

Filed Dec 11, 2022 · Electrical, Fuel system · CA · fire · 2 injuries

We had the FCA Recall #Z11, the federal safety agency Recall #22V‑077 repaired on this vehicle. One week later, the plug-in hybrid Pacifica was parked in the garage, plugged in but done charging. In the middle of the night, the battery spontaneously combusted. We heard a loud boom sound and found the car smoldering and emitting significant amounts of smoke. The car then burst into flames. The fire department soaked the car with water but it continued to reignite for approximately two hours despite the fire department’s best efforts to extinguish the fire. The car was completely destroyed. It also caused significant chemical smoke damage to our garage and home. As soon as we found it smoking, we rolled it out of the garage, which saved our house from catching on fire. Luckily our children were not in or next to the car at the time the battery combusted. There were no warning signs in the car prior to this incident. The vehicle has been inspected by insurance and is available for further inspection. At least two members of the family experienced adverse health consequences following the smoke exposure.

Filed Nov 20, 2022 · Fuel system, Transmission · VA · fire

I was driving on the highway when the check engine light came on and it started running rough. I pulled off the highway and into a parking lot. When I slowed down, I heard a clanging that sounded like metal on metal. After parking, smoke started pouring out from under the hood and it erupted in flames. The vehicle was destroyed.

Filed Apr 27, 2022 · CA

I own a 2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA HYBRID. Re: RECALL #Z11/the federal safety agency 22V‑077 It may catch on fire while in my garage, in front of my house or a neighbors house. Chrysler offers no information on where to park it. They don't know what is wrong with the van and no timeline as to when it will be fixed. They won't buy it back as they should. We can't drive or charge our van. We are paying close to $6.00 in gasoline right now. It is just parked in front of our house. It is vitally important that we have our van. We want a buyback now. Stellantis just bought Chrysler Ram Fiat and are the 4th largest automobile manufacturer in the world. They can afford to make this right.

Filed Mar 3, 2022 · Electrical · OH · fire · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contacted stated the vehicle was parked in the garage when the battery caught on fire. The fire expanded all throughout the contacts home. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was not filed. The wife suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation since the fire reached her bedroom as she was sleeping. The wife was taken to the hospital for medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed as it was consumed by the fire. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

Filed Feb 28, 2022 · TX

This is in regard to the most recent recall on the 2018 Chrysler Pacific Hybrids. The entire reason that we purchased this vehicle, was so that we did not have to spend money on gas, as well as for the environment. It is unacceptable that we are expected to sit and wait with a major potential fire hazard. We live in a gated community where we cannot park the vehicle away from our home. We have a short driveway and my 67 year old Mother sleeps in the room RIGHT next to the driveway. We are not okay just accepting this as it is and think it is completely wrong that people just have to "hope it doesn't catch on fire." This is also already the second or third recall on the vehicle.