2017 Chrysler Pacifica: steering wheel locks up

Filed Jul 14, 2026 · Steering · MD

While driving my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica at highway speeds the steering wheel locks or sticks in a curve and is extremely scary! This happened to me back in 2022 and took several trips to the dealer to determine the problem as they could not recreate the occurrence. After several attempts they found recall V53/the federal safety agency 19V‑348, they followed the recall and returned the vehicle to me in August of 2022. Everything working great until Now AGAIN in 2026 4 yrs later while driving at highway speeds the vehicle is doing the EXACT same thing, I returned to dealership that fixed recall V53 to perform the same recall, they stated the recall only has a 2 yr warranty and that I must pay a $250 diagnostic, I refused and called Chrysler Recall and they stated the same thing, this is ABSOLUTLEY RIDICULOUS! This is a major safety issue that could cause an accident and should be a lifetime warranty recall, the fact that the safety of their costumers and all others on the road is not their top priority is baffling! I'm extremely disappointed in the dealership and Chrysler and am now reconsidering buying a Chrysler when I get a new car next year.

Filed Jun 30, 2026 · Steering · 24,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving and turning the steering wheel to the right, the steering wheel locked up and failed to return to center. The contact grabbed the steering wheel aggressively and turned it to return to center. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.

Filed Jun 2, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · GA

The vehicle has an unresolved electrical/propulsion failure involving sudden shutdowns while driving and CAN C bus/lost-communication faults. Since the high-voltage battery was replaced through a recall-related repair, the vehicle has had repeated shutdown/loss-of-communication events, occurring dozens of times. In the most serious incidents, while driving at speed, the dash flickered, windshield wipers activated unexpectedly, headlights turned off, turn signals would not work, and steering locked or became difficult to control. The vehicle then completely shut off while still moving. After shutdown, the hazard lights would not work. One documented incident occurred on the interstate at about 70 mph. This puts occupants and others at risk because the vehicle can suddenly lose motive power and critical electrical/control functions at the same time, including lighting, signals, hazards, instrument display, and steering/control assistance. The vehicle has been inspected multiple times by a Chrysler dealership. Dealer records documented multiple modules losing communication on the CAN C bus. The dealer replaced the shifter module as a possible contributor, but the problem continued. The dealer later corrected loose pin tension at a communication/star connector, but the vehicle continued to shut down and later scan reports still showed widespread active/stored CAN and lost-communication faults across powertrain, hybrid control, body control, braking/ABS, steering, and shifter-related systems. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The problem has been confirmed by dealer scan reports and repair records, but the root cause remains unresolved. The manufacturer has been contacted through customer care and repair/scan documentation was submitted. The exact root cause is UNKNOWN, but dealer findings indicate an unresolved major electrical/CAN communication problem possibly involving the harness, connector network, or communication system.

Filed May 15, 2026 · Steering · 110,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with no warning. warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an unrelated failure, and during the inspection, the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a failed rack and pinion steering assembly that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Nov 19, 2025 · Steering · TX

We are experiencing steering wheel locking on right or left gradual turns. The steering wheel locks and it has to be jerked back into a straight position. We've experienced this for over a year now. We understand it may be a chronic problem.

Filed Oct 2, 2025 · GA

While driving, the vehicle suddenly shut down completely. All systems lost power: No lights Steering wheel locked/stuck Hazard lights were non-functional After approximately 2 minutes, the vehicle was able to restart, but an error message appeared: "ECU needs service" I then drove for about 2 minutes and parked. After stopping the engine and waiting for about 5 minutes, I restarted the vehicle. On restart, there were no error messages and the vehicle operated normally.

Filed Sep 24, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 128,000 miles · WA

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the steering wheel seized. The message “No Letter D” or “P for Park”, was displayed and flashing on the instrument panel. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. After several minutes, the contact was able to restart the vehicle to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

Filed May 12, 2024 · Steering · IA

Vehicle steering gear is binding internally (confirmed by local service department). The safety concern with this is when steering at highway speeds the steering wheel locks and requires excessive force to move, which has not yet but almost caused an accident. There are no signs of outside force influencing this issue (ex. front end damage front collision or wheel mis-alignment). I have read online in an owners forum of several other cases where this is happening and that they recommend filling out a report with the federal safety agency as to make you aware of this in case of it being a larger issue. Vehicle has not been repaired yet as the part required is around $2,800 plus labor on top of that. I'm not filling this out to complain, but rather to make you aware of a potential safety issue of this particular model vehicle. Thank you for your time.

Filed Nov 13, 2023 · Steering · OH

while driving down the highway the steering wheel locked up while making a slight turn on the highway.

Filed Nov 18, 2022 · Suspension · FL

Greetings, have a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica that at 43k miles started making a front end noise. The steering wheel now sometimes locks into place for a second or two while turning. Dealership states it needs a needs rack and pinion. Contacted Chrysler as this was a CPO vehicle that supposedly was checked out drastically to be able to receive the CPO warranty. Issue started less than 1k miles after purchase. Chrysler states they will do nothing except warranty the new part which is 1800 alone. I’ve read a lot of people are having this issue. How can a car that the steering wheel locks into place not be considered for a recall?

Filed Sep 6, 2022 · Acceleration, Electrical · WI

My Pacifica suddenly will not start. I ended up jump-starting the van. Then whenever I stopped, it needed a jump start. This whole ordeal is from a single day. Driving back on the high-way, suddenly van acted weird, all electronics going haywire, various instrument "unavailable" messages started coming, and on the highway Van all systems failed, power steering locked, I pulled over and battery icon (red) came on as well. Car died. I re-jump started it and then drove again with seeing the battery fluctuating between 10.2 v to 16v. Then when we exited the highway, this time, the van stalled right in the middle of the road. No warning, nothing. I feel this is a single point of failure that if the battery is having an issue, (though it seems alternator) was charging it, it could have caused two crashes. I am really concerned. I have had dead batteries in my other cars but nothing like that where all instruments start acting weird. Also few other weird things happening during this time: passenger windows will come down automatically again and again and again while driving. All different security features sporadically say unavailable, airbag, esc, ACC, FCW etc.. This needs to be looked at as a "Single Point of Failure" issue.

Filed Jul 9, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 74,000 miles · DE

This vehicle has stalled out and completely shut off while driving. No warning or anything just driving around 50mph and everything shuts off and steering locks up you cannot control the vehicle.then the screen pops up telling you to place in park while your still traveling 50mph. This has now happend 3 times. It happens the first time in may 2019 around 48,000 miles and now 2 time on july 8 2020 at 74,000 miles. I have read several articles online that this is happening to alot of these vehicles and there has been over 50 complaints but nothing has been done yet. This is a highly dangerous vehicle to drive in. Something must be done to project families for getting injury's. Luckily this has happened to me on smaller roads and not a highway yet! This can be deadly!