In july 2009, during the vehicle safety inspection, the first signs that the engine cradle was rusted and even perforated in some places were reported. Now, it is getting worse and worse,vibrations can be felt when driving and great concerns are made on this vehicle safety. Updated 12/08/14
2005 Chrysler Pacifica suspension complaints
Page 5 of 7: complaints 101 to 130 of 187, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have maintained this vehicle extremely well. No visible rust on body, vehicle appears to be in excellent condition. I took vehicle in for routine maintenance and the technician stated that the engine cradle and passenger side sub frame is nearly rusted in half. I was shocked because it is not my primary winter vehicle, and salt exposure is minimal. The technician explained that it is not safe to drive the vehicle because of the risk of drive train falling out when the engine cradle fails to support the engine and transmission. Also, the car could break in half if the sub frame fails. How can a vehicle that has been well maintained, looks and drives like new, be unsafe because it isn't structurally sound. The vehicle is driven only about 10000 miles per year. An online search revealed that this is a known issue on this make/model. I cannot understand how this vehicle is not recalled. I have been driving this vehicle, thinking it would keep my family and I safe. This is very dangerous, and millions of people are undoubtedly driving chrysler pacificas that are not structurally safe. I hope that the federal safety agency will investigate this.
I have maintained this vehicle extremely well. No visible rust on body, vehicle appears to be in excellent condition. I took vehicle in for routine maintenance and the technician stated that the engine cradle and passenger side sub frame is nearly rusted in half. I was shocked because it is not my primary winter vehicle, and salt exposure is minimal. The technician explained that it is not safe to drive the vehicle because of the risk of drive train falling out when the engine cradle fails to support the engine and transmission. Also, the car could break in half if the sub frame fails. How can a vehicle that has been well maintained, looks and drives like new, be unsafe because it isn't structurally sound. The vehicle is driven only about 10000 miles per year. An online search revealed that this is a known issue on this make/model. I cannot understand how this vehicle is not recalled. I have been driving this vehicle, thinking it would keep my family and I safe. This is very dangerous, and millions of people are undoubtedly driving chrysler pacificas that are not structurally safe. I hope that the federal safety agency will investigate this.
Numerous complaints from owners of chrysler pacifica (2004 - 2005). The sub -frame of the vehicle was not treated properly for rust or corrosion. The motor mounts to the sub-frame and if the sub-frame is compromised the engine could drop down and destroy all braking and steering capabilities; as well as, catastrophic issues including death. What does it take for chrysler to realize that this is a problem. How does chrysler issue an extended warranty and then rescind the letter. Corporate greed at its best. This is a "family vehicle" that we afraid to drive because you do not know when the sub-frame will "give-way" and possibly kill everyone in side or someone else. Can I get some help!! Please !!
Was told by my mechanic that the car would not pass inspection as the front sub-frame that holds up the engine has major corrosion and is a safety concern. Checking the internet confirms that my cars condition is not unique. Chrysler does have a recall out for this model and this condition but it is only for vehicles in a six week manufacturing window and my vehicle does not qualify. It should. Cost of repair I was told by the dealer is $4,100 plus. Part alone is $3,870. This needs to be investigated by your organization please. This sounds like the toyota tundra pick-up frame issue. Same problem.
I have just performed routine (10/03/20014) maintenance on my 2005 chrysler pacifica. The mechanic called to inform me of significant corrosion problem with the cross member (cradle) that supports the engine, transmission, front suspension and steering. His visual inspection, as well as mine, showed more then 75% of the passenger side cradle rusted away. An open case # 25736224 has been established by chrysler customer support. My pacifica was produced september 30, 2004 which is outside of the assembly dates established by chrysler for extended warranty coverage. Failure of the cross member (cradle) would cause loss of steering, engine and transmission failure, and severed brake lines. Because this is a major safety issue it should be repaired by chrysler corporation.
Chrysler 2005 pacifica has significant engine cradle and other undercarriage rust issues. Today at my auto repair shop I took several photographs of the rusted engine cradle, undercarriage and other suspension areas with heavy rusting. Called chrysler care 1‑800‑247‑9753 and they kindly told me there was nothing they can do to assist in the repair cost. Numerous reports online of repairs being selectively reimbursed by chrysler. How many complaints are required for a recall to be issued or is a class action developing for this issue. Thanks.
On 9/10/2014 my wife was in a minor fender bender and our 2005 chrysler pacifica had to be taken away on a flatbed tow truck. Upon inspection of damage to our front end from the accident the body shop informed they found that our vehicle was unsafe to drive. In addition to the damage and upon my shock and horror they found our passenger side subframe/engine cradle was almost completely rusted out!!! The cost to repair/replace the subframe and labor will be $1500!!! I am in the process of having them replace it because my wife and 2 small children are in this SUV daily. I'm thankful that this was found now before it was too late and something god awful would have happened. I'm in the process of talking with chrysler and am looking for assistance in this matter. Thank you for your help.
Rusted/rotted subframe/cradle.
While replacing a set of tires at a local shop, the service manager informed me of a rusted engine support frame. He also stated the danger of the engine falling out of the vehicle. The vehicle has been well maintained at the local chrysler dealership with maintenance and inspection reports every 3000 miles. Never once has this rusted frame been reported at the chrysler dealership! The last service report during an oil change stated, "checked over everything looked ok". The dealership has reported other maintenance and repair issues but never this one. Is chrysler trying to hide this potential safety problem? I've been a long term owner of chrysler products and never had a problem with a rusted-out engine support. The car currently sits in our garage with my wife refusing to drive the vehicle because of the potential safety issue.
Took my vehicle in to have a small radiator leak checked out and an oil change as I am planning a trip from sw michigan to chicago in a week. Much to my surprise, shock and dismay the mechanic told me that my cars frame and engine suspension is badly rusted and the engine can fall out of my car at any given time. As I drive my car for my job and also help take my grandchildren to and from school I am sickened by this news. Then to find out (I bought my car used) that chrysler did a recall but then rescinded the recall really made me angry. I am now stuck with a car I cannot/should not drive and there is no way I can afford to purchase another vehicle. I will never buy a chrysler product again. Shame on you chrysler to not stand behind your product.
There was a recall from chrysler made for 2004-2005 pacificas dealing with the engine cradle. They eroded and rusted through. Thousands upon thousand of cars were recalled. They than revoked it for a 2 month recall span. This problem has been deadly and fatal and has affected thousands of families. Chrysler refuses to fix the warranty that was organically wrote and sent out. They refuse to fix or acknowledge that the problem exist and is deadly for these people who drive the pacifica as their " family transportation". In the past month my 2005 pacifica has stalled out, died, had all roaders, breaks and control arms replaced. All new tires and now I find out my engine cradle has rusted out to where's its not drivable. Now the radio stopped working, the air wont turn on if blinkers are all, the entire electrical body has crapped out and chrysler refuses to fix the problems they set the original recall for. There are thousands of people driving these cars with kids, what will it take for someone to fix this issue? Death of thousands of kids? Multiple accidents?
I recently took my 2005 chrysler pacifica in to have the air conditioning system repaired and the mechanic called and told me that the engine cradle was rusted out and the car was not safe to drive. I did a quick google search and discovered that this is a known problem with pacifica's. According to the information that I found, chrysler originally distributed a letter indicating that it would cover 2004 and 2005 models only to send out a later letter drastically reducing the number of cars that would be covered on the extended warranty. It's apparent that this is a widespread issue. In 1998 ford recalled 2.6 million vehicles for a similar issue. Chrysler should follow suit and do the same thing.
I have a 2005 pacifica. The car was in for body work, when a mechanic noticed severe rusting on the frame. He stated that the engine, could fall through the body frame! I did a google search and found hundreds of complaints about the problem. There is a story from a tv station in florida covering this story. Http://www.nbcmiami.com/investigations/some-chrysler-pacifica-owners-say-they've-had-dangerous-corrosion-problems-with-the-popular-minivan-243624441.html. This is a engineering failure according to my mechanic, who stated they did not included enough drain plugs. My daughter drives this car and I contacted chrysler and they say it is past the warranty. This is unacceptable an engine should never be able to fall out of its mountings!!!!!!
After taking our 2005 pacifica to a chrysler dealership to be looked at for rattling and knocking noises in the front end and complaints of the car sounding like it was going to fall apart, especially when driving over bumpy roads; I was advised that the engine cradle, subframe, sway bar links and frame bushings needed to be replaced due to rust and corrosion. The cost would be between $3000.00 and $4500.00. We were advised the car was very unsafe to drive. We asked the dealership to take pictures of the front end when they put it up on the lift. When we received the pictures via email, we were horrified by what we saw. We were grateful that we were not involved in what could have been a tragic accident had we not taken the car in to be looked at. We wondered why this happened as we have 3 other cars older than this car. They have been inspected and do no have this problem. After some investigating we have found out this is a common problem with this vehicle, year and make and chrysler is well aware of it, they have no plans to do a recall or advise owners of the problem, or at least not until there is a fatality or some horrific accident due to this faulty product chrysler is putting in their vehicles. We have lost all faith in chrysler.they must think very little of human life.
I just received a call from my chrysler dealer telling me my engine cradle has rotted out and there was a recall on this but my vehicle is not included in the build dates covered by the recall. In exploring for more information on the web I have found this is a known safety problem with these vehicles and people are basically driving around in time bombs. Can you help me here and get chrysler to own up to this problem? The cost to me out-of-pocket will be $4500.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chrysler pacifica. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering and there was a loud clunky noise under the vehicle. The vehicle was merged to the side of the road where he noticed that the suspension cradle was hanging under the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician has not been able to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000.
I took my car into the local dealership and they told me my front subframe is rusted out and unsafe. They said there was a tsb 13-001-12 that may apply since this a common problem. However due to the mileage it was not covered. This is a safety item that is present in these vehicles which has been documented by the news and all over the internet. This condition can lead to crashes and possible death.I contacted chrysler and they told me there isn't anything they can do. When I was notified about the issue at around 145k miles, there was only a small pin hole in the center of the cradle. At 168k miles there is a hole you can put your fist in. This is a major suspension component, not something subjected to normal wear like a tie rod. I would fully expect to pay for a tie rod, rack and pinion or ball joints. This is different, a major structural component. My vehicle is in good shape and I plan to keep it for the next 5 years. But with the cost of the subframe and the miles it is worthless. This is an issue that needs to be looked into. Hopefully it doesn't lead to too many deaths before something is done.
Front engine cradle there was a letter sent by chrysler back in november of 2010 that "we are extending the warranty period on your front engine cradle because some vehicles operated in areas of high road salt usage, may experience engine cradle corrosion resulting in a driveability vibration and or shake. This engine cradle extended warranty coverage applies to chrysler pacifica model years 2004-2005." I have called chrysler twice and was told that my car is not in the serial number range and I just paid over $2450 to have my car repaired.
I took my newly purchased 2005 chrysler pacifica to my mechanic to get the brakes serviced, and was told that the engine cradle was completely rusted out and the engine was in danger of falling out! My mechanic was extremely concerned (he is a friend and an honest mechanic who runs a very reputable repair and body shop in ottawa, ks). I called chrysler before I purchased the car to see if their were any recalls on it, and was told their was not. The car is otherwise in perfect condition, no damage and very little wear inside and out. It was clear to my mechanic that this was due to some defect in the vehicle, and should not happen on a 10 year old car that is in as good of condition as mind is with only 110000 miles on it. To have a new engine cradle put it, it would cost over $4000. I cannot afford that, so we are putting in a reconditioned one, inspected to make sure it has no wear or rust on it, and we are painting and putting additional undercoating on it as to prevent any such recurrences. After looking online, I have since learned this is a widespread problem, and is effecting a large number of owners, and is much more widespread than chrysler is willing to admit. I called them, and my car is supposedly not one effected in their 3-4 week window of production, yet it was completely rusted to the point of possibly causing a serious and even fatal car accident.
Reference tsb 13.001-12, 2005 chrysler pacifica suspension service bulletin, and the federal safety agency action number 10044109. A letter was sent to some 2004-2005 chrysler pacifica owners that the front engine cradle and suspension mount frame was prone to corrosion problems. The warranty was extended to 15 years or 150,000 miles to owners in states that use road salt, cold weather states. We live in pennsylvania, which is considered a cold weather state. Our pacifica was inspected in april 2014. We informed the station that we were experiencing some vibration in the front end of the vehicle. We were informed that the cradle assembly and mount was rusted through and because of safety issues they had to be replaced before it would pass inspection. The cost was $2,702.08. The vehicle had 122,638 miles, under the warranty threshold of 150,000. When we learned of this situation we called chrysler. They informed me that only pacifica's manufactured between a certain time frame were covered. They could not tell me the time frame, but our vehicle was not covered. To make matters worse, the new cradle assembly is exactly the same as the original part. No corrective actions have been taken to prevent the rusting. There are other cases similar to mine on the internet. State dmv?s are failing these vehicles for safety issues, they are unsafe to drive. How can chrysler ignore these serious safety issues? I am requesting full reimbursement of $2,702.08, plus request action be taken against chrysler so that all 2004-2005 pacifica's are repaired before serious accidents occur, if they haven't already.
The 2005 chrysler pacifica is known for the sub frame rotting causing a un-safe condition where the engine could fall out. I took my car to a local shop and they said my frame is all rotted out. I took my car into chrysler and it turns out it is not covered under a recall or extended warranty. What worries me is how many others are on the road with the same condition.
While I have heard some sounds from the suspension (front) for over a year, it was only this month (may 2014) that the problem was diagnosed. The engine cradle on my vehicle is rusted and has holes in it. Per the mechanic, it is unsafe to drive until it is fixed (which he estimated as costing in excess of $1,000). After doing a little research, I contacted chrysler only to find out that they would not cover this defect since my vehicle was manufactured in may 2004 and they only cover it for 10 yrs/150k miles for vehicles manufactured up through march 2004 (if in the "salt belt"). So while they acknowledge this specific problem, they would not apply the warranty because my manufacture date is two months beyond their cutoff date. Talking to auto mechanics and searching online seems to reveal that this is a significant problem with older pacificas. Based on this information, I strongly believe that chrysler should cover a defect like this since it is likely widespread (if not issue an actual recall like toyota did on their tacomas for rusted frames a few years ago). I do have a case number with chrysler now in which they noted my problem. I won't include that number here because this is a public record.
I was driving on the highway going about 55 (MPH) when I went over a pothole. After that my car started making a rattling noise. My mechanic checked the car and said it was the rack and pinion but then he discovered that the whole engine cradle was rusted and corroded and told me it was very dangerous for me to drive the vehicle until I made the proper repaired which is replacing the entire engine cradle.
Violent shaking of 2005 chrysler pacifica. Took 2005 chrysler pacifica in for inspection and was told the engine cradle crossmember was rotted and the bolts that hold the power steering rack and engine up were missing. Mechanic told me he would not release the 2005 chrysler pacifica back to me because it was unsafe to drive. Called chrysler and they told me they would do nothing to repair it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chrysler pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at speeds over 50 MPH, a vibration was present. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered that the engine cradle and the sub frame had rusted. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000. Updated 06/27/14*lj the tie rods and lower control arms were replaced. Updated 07/08/14
Vehicle brought in for state safety inspection. During visual inspection of vehicle, obvious hole in frame found due to rust/corrosion. Vehicle is not covered under 6 week window chrysler corporation currently covers. Vehicle is unsafe, fails state safety inspection and at this time owner will bear cost.
We took our car in to locate a possible leak and while investigating the leak, our repair shop noticed a golf ball size hole and rust on the passenger cradle arm and reccommended us not to drive. After researching I have found we are not the only owners of the 2005 chrysler pacifica with this issue.
I wanted to bring to your attention a safety condition with certain years on the chrysler pacifica. Many of the pacificas engine cradles are severely rusted; to the point of if a break occurs the engine will fall out of the vehicle. This issue is mainly on years 2004-2005. (I own a 2005 model with severe rusted engine cradle.) the estimated cost of this repair is between $2,500 and $3,000. I have contacted chrysler several times about this safety issue, the 1st time was nov of 2013 with the most recent being 4/1/2014. Chrysler just says ?we?re looking into it?. (ref case# 24293830) I have contacted the minnesota attorney general who sent a letter to chrysler, but they declined coverage on my pacifica. I have also filed a complaint with the federal safety agency. Chrysler has acknowledged this issue by extending the warranty on certain build dates, (see letter below): checkout an nbc news report on this issue: www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/minivan-owners-want-chrysler-to-concede-rust-problems-241535881.html. My vehicle has been diagnosed by two mechanics, one of which is roseville chrysler-jeep. And both agree that the engine cradle must be replaced. My vehicle is in perfect condition. The rusted engine cradle would never be noticed by a common person. Someone could have this issue and not know it unless a mechanic would happen to notice it. Luckily mine did! In light of the recent gm issues with ignorance of the power steering issue I would think that chrysler would try and get ahead of this serious safety issue. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I took my 2005 chrysler pacifica in for a oil change and safety inspection and was informed that my subframe/ engine cradle has rusted through and is no longer safe to drive the car is less than 10 years old...this is very unsafe as I drive this car everyday with 2 kids any help would be appreciated. The service agent working on my car said we were lucky it has not fallen out yet and had a serious accident.
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