2017 Chrysler Pacifica: jerking or lurching

Filed Oct 16, 2026 · Transmission · IN

When driving vehicle it would severely buck and not accelerate. Have almost had cars rear end me as a result. There are no warning lights regarding this. Car is at an auto repair shop and they are saying it has no transmission fault codes but it needs a new transmission. I have barely been able to drive this car since about a month after I purchased in november 2025. When purchasing the car it ran completely fine and had no issues until december of 2025 which was a coolant leak. I discontinued driving the vehicle until may of 2026 when I was able to pay a mechanic to replace water pump and radiator. with in a week of replacing the water pump and radiator the vehicle began severely jerking and bucking particularly when accelerating from a full stop. then while driving down the road it intermittently starts bucking. I attempted to contact a local dealer however they do not have any sufficient financing programs to cover the cost of repairs and diagnosis charge. I spend 8000 on a vehicle that has barely ran and showed no symptoms or warning lights of a catastrophic failure.

Filed Oct 12, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · PA

This occurred on [XXX]. I was driving with two passengers heading west bound on [XXX] in Ohio and starting to go off an exit ramp. The passenger side power window went down without anyone pressing a button. I pulled up on the driver-controlled passenger window switch to correct the window, and it went up. But, either immediately upon going up or shortly after (I don't remember), the van experienced a series of electrical faults. The CEL came on, I start hearing warning chimes, the infotainment screen rebooted. I heard a clicking noise from under the hood, which I later learned was the parking pawl trying to engage. Dash screen said something about "speed too high to shift to park." Momentarily the wheel jerked hard - I think I lost power steering (if the car fully shut off I think that's what happened). I gained control and directed the car to the side of the road. I don't know what state the car was in at this point - either fully off or electrically on but no engine power. In any case, I shifted to park, pressed the on/off button and the car fully shut down. After a couple of minutes I attempted to start the car again, and it started right up with no issues. The CEL was lit, but the car drove fine. When I got to my destination about 20 miles away, I checked the battery terminals. I found that the negative terminal could be turned about a quarter turn if I used some force, but it was not what I would consider 'loose'. I still tightened the connection as much as I could, to the point that the connection was now immovable. The CEL cleared after a few cycles of turning the car on and off. A scan later showed that code P1B14 was stored. I called multiple Chrysler dealerships and each told me that they could not diagnose the problem unless it was actively acting up. The car has not malfunctioned since the incident four days ago. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 27, 2026 · Steering · OH

The steering wheel has a catch when turning from the right back to center. It feels like the power steering is cutting out and then kicks back in when turning. It is possible to leave the steering wheel turned and when you take your hands off the wheel it will stay in that position. You have to hold the wheel with both hands when turning due to the jerky turning experience. No mechanic dealer or insurance reps have looked at the vehicle. There have been no warnings, lights or messages notifying a problem.

Filed Sep 15, 2026 · Steering · IA

Our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited has been having a sticky steering issue for the last several months. I really noticed it this summer when traveling through the mountains in [XXX]. The steering would stick when going around corners and I have to jerk it back to turn out of the corner. This happened multiple times on the trip. This is a very unsafe situation, especially in the mountains. My wife has been saying it has been getting more noticeable in her daily commute now. No warning lights or codes have been triggered. We have not taken the vehicle to the dealer at this point. From what I have read, this seems to be a common issue with these vans and is currently under investigation. This is to report another van with that problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jul 14, 2026 · Steering · PA

I’ve noticed within the last couple months that every once in a while the steering seems to stick. It will happen randomly, we will be driving and if turning the steering wheel to the 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock position it feels like it sticks. We really feel it sticking at random times when we are traveling at slower speeds and turning sharply, it will stick and then all of a sudden let lose and slightly jerk back to position.

Filed Jul 8, 2026 · Steering · 123,630 miles · OK

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the steering wheel would stick when turned approximately to the one o'clock position, requiring to be jerked to operate as intended. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, the auto start-stop warning light illuminated, and the check engine warning light would intermittently flash on and off. The dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. No further information was available. The failure mileage was approximately 123,630.

Filed Jun 20, 2026 · Steering · TN

Steering felt slightly stiff/stuck while driving on wide turns and straight on interstate. Going slower and making more frequent turns in town, steering felt normal but going fast there was a power steering concern. Not enough to make me jerk but I am worried that it will decline and force a hard jerk and possible swerving while going higher speeds. This is under investigation currently the federal safety agency CAMPAIGN NUMBER: PE25009. PLEASE PLEASE RECALL!! This was terrifying I have young children

Filed Jun 15, 2026 · Steering · PA

Since 2019 there has been an intermittent issue with the steering. No warning or safety lights are on that would signify an issue. The steering wheel sticks when going through gentle curves on the road. Specifically when the steering wheel is in the 11:00 or 1:00 position. You can feel the steering stick and pull the vehicle slightly. By swiftly jerking the steering wheel in the opposite direction it seems to fix the issue. This happens at low and high speeds (back roads or highways). It is quite alarming and scary. We've taken it to multiple mechanics but they have been unsuccessful in figuring out the issue. They have been able to reproduce the issue but are unclear of what causes it.

Filed Jun 12, 2026 · Steering · MI

I have a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan and I am experiencing intermittent steering wheel sticking issue. While driving at highway speeds, the electric power steering exhibits a distinct 'sticking' or 'catching' sensation when trying to make minor lane corrections. Extra physical effort is required to 'break' the wheel free from the center position, which causes the vehicle to over-correct and jerk into the lane. This creates an immediate risk of losing control or drifting out of the lane. The steering wheel catches and requires excessive manual force to unstick, leading to unsafe over-correction and lane drifting. This is a severe, recurring safety hazard.

Filed May 11, 2026 · Steering · CA

While driving at highway speeds, steering wheel sticks at 11 and 1 o'clock position requiring extra input from the driver to return to zero or 12 o'clock position. This causes a jerky motion when the wheel finally unsticks or an oversteer condition which is unsafe when driving in busy windy roads with opposing traffic.

Filed Apr 23, 2026 · Transmission · 89,090 miles · IN

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle intermittently started jerking. The vehicle shifted into another gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,090.

Filed Apr 22, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · TX

The power steering will intermittently go out when traveling down the roadway and when making right and left hand turns. Once the power steering goes out there is an alert triggered and the alerts the driver the power steering assist is malfunctioning and the steering wheel is very difficult to control or turn and jerks the steering wheel. Also, the power steering will re-engage and return to normal function without warning and then go back out again.