Engine lost power and shut down and would not restart. Engine has had continued issues for close to a year.
2017 Chrysler Pacifica engine complaints
Page 3 of 19: complaints 41 to 70 of 538, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal clanking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the valve gasket covers, the intake manifold gasket kit, oil filter housing, front brake pad and rotors, all the motor mounts, and the front sway bar links needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. Additionally, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the engine seized. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle started. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road and the failure reoccurred. The contact's husband started the vehicle, and the vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated that while attempting to leave the independent mechanic, the vehicle failed to start. The dealer where the vehicle was purchased, was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to have the vehicle towed to the dealer and was provided a diagnostic fee. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
On Thursday May 30th was the first incident of the vehicle shutting down we were able to start it back up almost immediately within seconds on the 2nd occasion I was on a street with cars behind me going down to make a turn the stop start did not engage but we were still a ways away from the stoplight and suddenly the engine stopped no signs other than just stopping I could not start it back up I look down there was no indication of any issue other than a stalling so put it in part turned it off turn it back on no start try it again didn't work could not turn it over to neutral to get off the road police came while I had somebody disconnect battery and reconnect it to try to get it started again there was no less battery power on the engine it took 15 minutes or more to get it started once able to get started we brought it back home it was Sunday the 1st of June 2025 so there were no mechanics available still unknown as to what caused the malfunction no indicator lights other than during the issue with a lightning bolt and during the outage the check engine light was on no lights currently on. The Danger was to myself and two children in the vehicle and too many other vehicles behind me that could have crashed into me or cause incident being in the road working on the vehicle having to go around us waiting for green lights or a miss trying to get around us and avoid other traffic
The coolant leaked into the engine and blown the headgasket. This has been confirmed by Pepboys who work on my car. It has not been inspected by manufacturer or others. It started by causing the ignition coil to fail and the engine would start rough and check engine light would come on. started around 5/1/2025
The engine failed at 57,400 miles. My wife was driving with our kids and engine locked up. I took to the dealership and they said that the engine block and head is warped and cracked. The engine needed to be completely replaced. My warranty period was over and company did not want to stand behind the product and help with any repairs. They said the vehicle overheated but that never happened during this time.
-Stalled while driving -Loud clanking upon start -No diagnostic info was accessible -Replaced Cadillac converter, was glowing red -Once replaced still hot, 10,000-20,000 degrees -
We are the original owners of this vehicle, which has been consistently and properly maintained. Recently, the vehicle stalled unexpectedly in the middle of the highway and would not restart, creating a significant safety hazard. The check engine light illuminated, and the vehicle could not be shifted into neutral, preventing it from being safely moved out of traffic. After the vehicle was towed to the dealership, we were informed that the starter had failed due to coolant leakage from a compromised head gasket. This coolant intrusion damaged the starter, rendering it inoperable. The dealership advised that while the starter could be replaced, it would likely fail again unless the underlying head gasket issue is addressed. We have since learned that this is a known and recurring issue with certain Chrysler models. Unfortunately, Chrysler has not issued a recall, nor have they provided vehicle owners with any formal notification or long-term solution to this potentially dangerous defect.
P0302 code triggered the CEL. Spark plug showed signs of coolant spark plug, and leak down pressure test presented a leaking cylinder head gasket. Disassembly of the air intake manifold revealed the oil cooler was leaking oil and mixing oil with coolant.
Had to have PLASTIC oil filter housing and Oil cooler replaced due to warping from the engine heat and leaking into engine bay causing a burning oil smell throughout the entire vehicle. Was replaced by Meineke car care with an aftermarket Aluminum constructed part. Constantly having transmission issues since the vehicle hit 70,000 miles. Now at 139,000. Fluid flush and fill done and transmission fluid was ridiculously thin and dirty despite it being known as a SEALED transmission and being told by Chrysler that no fluid changes should ever need to be done for the transmission. Seems as though the transmission may be slipping, and is shifting very hard after having the fluid changed.
Cylinder 5 was misfiring causing driveability problems. If the engine were to fail completely, then the vehicle could become uncontrollable and cause an accident. The manufacturer knows about the problem but has not issued a recall. The vehicle was repaired by the local car dealer. The problem occured around 57000 miles on the odometer. A check engine light did come on.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle was undrivable. The dealer declined to release the vehicle without repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,600.
Engine has a blown head gasket at 80k miles. Number 3 cylinder keeps misfiring due to the engine coolant being injected into the cylinder due to the blown head gasket. Poor engineering with this engine and I’ve read several others have experienced this same issue. Please do a recall for this issue due to the warranty not wanting to cover this!
Unknown
The check engine light came on. Upon using a code reader, a code for a misfire in cylinder 3 populated. The ignition coil was replaced for cylinder 3. About a month later, the check engine light came back on and all 6 spark plugs were replaced. My vehicle had some rough starts periodically. As time went on, the rough starts turned into serious shaking. The check engine would come on and be gone in a day or so. Every time the code reader read cylinder 3. After months of trying to trouble shoot and do what we could, we took it to a mechanic where they informed us that my vehicle had a blown head gasket. They revealed to us that this is a very common problem with the particular engine, 3.6L Pentastar. This is a problem that they have seen for years in this particular engine. The mechanic had to send part of my engine out to a machine shop to be re-drilled properly in order to fix the issue which was very costly. The safety of my family was put at risk as the gasket blew while we were driving down the freeway unsure if we were going to make it home. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than ourselves, the mechanic and the machine shop.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft position sensor needed to be replaced, and the engine control software needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V049000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); and linked the failure to the recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,700.
2017 Chrysler Pacific diagnosed with leaking head gasket at ~65000 miles. Initially diagnosed from a check engine light code for a cylinder misfire. My private mechanic said that he has done 4 of these in the past month (Jan 2025). He said this is a costly repair that should not happen with this low of mileage. In exploring the problem, it appears that it is a known issue.
Unknown, engine light came on flashing while driving. Car has been repaired by the dealership a few weeks ago and replaced the fuel pump.
The oil filter housing and oil cooler unit is made of plastic, mounted to the central engine (metal). It warped with heat and caused oil to leak into the valley of the engine and cause failure of bay 3 and 5 fuel injectors which caused multiple cylinder misfire. My engine experienced this problem for the first time in a busy intersection. With the engine heaving I had to pull over and tow the van to a shop. The faulty oil cooler unit was confirmed by dealership diagnostics and was not covered under warranty. I have the original part. This a recurring problem with many other drivers online and an aluminum aftermarket part has been made to solve this problem. The original part should be recalled and replaced by Chrysler. The EGR hosing is made of brittle plastic and split/cracked of its own accord. I have pictures and most of the original hose.
[XXX] my check engine light came on and started blinking as I was driving. I then noticed that my car was sputtering. I stopped my car immediately and had it towed to a dealership at that exact point I had just over 64,136 miles on my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The following is the work that they performed on my vehicle. CONCERN VERIFIED. VEHICLE HAS AN ACTIVE MISFIRE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS FLASHING. SCANNED VEHICLE FOR CODES AND FOUND MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3. REMOVED COIL AND SWAPPED TO CYLINDER 1. SPARK PLUG REMOVED AND SWAPPED TO CYLINDER 5. RETESTED. MISFIRE MOVED TO CYLINDER 1. REPLACED IGNITION COIL AND ROAD TESTED VEHICLE. AFTER VEHICLE WAS WARM THE MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3 RETURNED. SWAPPED FUEL INJECTOR TO CYLINDER 2. MISFIRE STAYED ON CYLINDER 3. REMOVED COIL AND SPARK PLUG FROM CYLINDER 3 AND BORESCOPED CYLINDER. FOUND COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE CYLINDER. RECOMMEND REPLACING CYLINDER HEAD GASKET AND CHECKING THE CYLINDER HEAD FOR WARPAGE. REMOVED CYLINDER HEAD AND FOUND CYLINDER HEAD TO BE WARPED AND NEEDING TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE GASKETS. REPLACED LEFT AND RIGHT VALVE COVER GASKETS, CYLINDER HEAD, CYLINDER HEAD GASKETS, TIMING COVER GASKETS, EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET, SPARK PLUGS, UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE GASKETS. COMPLETED OIL CHANGE. Fast forward to [XXX] vehicle mileage 74,955 my wife was leaving to go to the farmers market. She called me to inform me that the check engine light came on blinking and the car started sputtering again. The exact same issue happened again. I told her to stop the car immediately and we had it towed to the same car dealership today [XXX] was the first call that I received from the dealership they informed me that cylinder six has failed the compression test and they recommend having the engine replaced. Currently waiting to speak to more people to see what can be done. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Blown head gasket and oil cooler leak
My car shut down on highway and the dealership said it was the terminals on the battery being dirty it happened agin so I had the battery changed then it did it again and the dealership changed one spark plug , one coil pack then it happened again changed all spark plugs and coil packs my car did it again and now I’m being told I’m probably going to need a new engine I notified Chrysler telling them this has happened several times and they said there was nothing they could do
head gasket leak at 69k , crowley chrystler replaced head and now at 101 k leaking again
My car will start, i will start to drive and when i am driving a “electrical stability” label will pop up on the dash and then the battery icon and check engine icon will show up on dash. My radio screen will go blank and then the car will shut off completely. It will then pop up on the dash and say stop safely vehicle with shut pff soon
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power and failed to accelerate above 5 MPH. During the failure, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the failure self-corrected and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V049000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Check engine light. Cylinoid misfire reported, #3. Replaced. Check engine light reappeared. Coolant leak. Coolant checked with die solution to check combustion mixture. Tested positive. Head gasket leaks diagnosed. Possible head gasket crack. Vehicle was unsafe to family driving as failure could occur on highway. Family member had to pull over on side of road to prevent overheating.
This vehicle has been totaled about a week ago. I meant to report this earlier but since we're moving (military) I never had the chance. Around april 2023, I noticed my pacifica had a misfire. I assumed it was plugs and wires so I replaced them - check engine for misfire went away. A few weeks later same thing happened. This time, I was loosing coolant. Took it to a chrysler dealer top have it properly diagnosed fearing the worst - they told me without even looking at it that this particular year of pentastar on the pacifica has blown head gaskets and that they change them all the time. I decided to repair the head gasket myself and I did so and drove the vehicle up until last week when it was totaled. There are many others experiencing this same issue with the pacifica and Chrysler needs to do something about it as it typically happens around 75-85K miles. Mine was no different.
2017 through 2024 Pacificas with the 3.6 Pentastar engines have problems that in case of coolant leaks in the system, it leads to a engine coolant reservoir low level which allows air to enter the system and causes unrepairable damage to the engine that needs it to be replaced. ROOT CAUSE is FAC / Stellantis / Chrysler FAILED to install a simple and cheap engine coolant reservoir low level warning sensor which would save the majority of the people with blown head gaskets all this grief and expense. The 3.6 Pentastar engine uses aluminum heads with an open skirt design which means that the cylinder heads are weak and prone to warping under ANY overheat condition.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact was informed that the engine was operating on five cylinders instead of six. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that previously the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic several times. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a plastic piece that was missing from the engine. The contact stated that the independent mechanic reset the vehicle and the check engine warning light was off. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The incident first occurred in our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica while my wife was driving our Kindergartener to school. The vehicle stalled in high flow traffic almost causing her to get rear ended. Dash said to shift to park and turn van off. Was unable to get it restarted and had traffic blocked in the left lane for almost an hour waiting on a tow truck. Took it to the dealership and they told her it was a bad battery. Paid almost $400 to replace the battery, and today (11/16/2024) it just did it again while pulling into a gas station, still halfway in the road. Van said “shift to park to start engine.” Shifted and engine shut off but was able to restart it this time. Was unable to move shifter dial and sudden loss of power almost caused 2 wrecks so far within 2 months of each incident. Each time we were told there’s nothing wrong and that the recall that was causing this issue was already fixed. This needs to get dealt with before someone gets seriously injured.
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