2017 Chrysler Pacifica: windshield wiper failure

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 Nov 29, 2025 · Electrical, Steering · CA

My 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L has suffered repeated and dangerous electrical failures since purchase. Shortly after buying it from AutoNation Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM in Valencia, CA, I had to return it twice for electrical repairs that kept it in service several weeks under warranty. About two years later, while still under extended warranty, the engine underwent a complete rebuild for multiple-cylinder misfire codes that were likely caused by intermittent CAN-bus voltage loss rather than a mechanical defect. Over the past nine months, the vehicle has again developed severe electrical faults while driving: sudden loss of power steering assist, all dashboard lights illuminating, windshield wipers activating spontaneously, and the engine failing to shut off using the Start/Stop button. The vehicle has also stalled without warning while driving in traffic or idling at red lights, restarting only after 5–10 minutes and blocking traffic lanes, placing me and surrounding drivers at significant risk. Two major repairs in the last two weeks failed to resolve the defects: (1) repair of the CAN-bus system after the vehicle would not start and acted erratically while driving, and a week later (2) replacement of the brake-booster vacuum pump, which was shorted internally and caused CAN-bus shutdown, complete steering loss, sudden braking, and no engine power. The vehicle is currently at Dependable Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Canoga Park, CA, awaiting further diagnosis despite repeated repair attempts. These symptoms match Chrysler TSBs 08-007-17 and 08-033-21 concerning Body Control Module water intrusion and communication faults. This ongoing electrical defect has caused steering loss, random stalling, ignition failure, and unpredictable vehicle behavior—issues widely reported by Pacifica owners. It poses a serious safety hazard and warrants immediate investigation and recall.

Filed May 13, 2024 · Electrical, Steering · 81,270 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that on the second attempt to start the vehicle, the brake pedal was stuck on the floorboard and failed to return to its normal position. The contact stated that the vehicle could not be jumpstarted. An independent mechanic was contacted and advised the contact to depress the brake pedal harder to start the vehicle. The contact stated that a friend assisted in depressing the brake pedal harder, and the vehicle started; however, the windshield wipers engaged independently, Additionally, the steering wheel made an abnormal sound and became difficult to turn. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle on another occasion, the rotary gear shift dial lights failed to illuminate, and the message "Service Shifter" was displayed. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V348000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,270.

Filed Feb 15, 2024 · Brakes, Electrical · WA

UNKNOWN while driving, the electrical system seemed to malfunction causing the lights to flash on/off, the rear windshield wiper to activate, the horn was blaring (quick repeated beeps, with occasional blaring), the dash indicated that the parking brake could not be used, indicated that the airbag system was not working, indicated that the driver’s side seatbelt was not connected, amongst other warnings that I cannot recall. The ABS brakes were not working, nor was the power steering. The car indicated that it needed to be put into park, and allowed for the turning of the dial; however, the dash indicated that the vehicle was moving too quickly to shift into park. We were able to make a turn onto a street with an uphill incline from the road we were driving on; and the brakes stopped the car - using a lot of force as the ABS braking system was still malfunctioning. The vehicle was put into park and the parking brake indicated that it was active; but of course could not be trusted as the indicators on the dash had been so haywire just moments before. While the vehicle was “off” the horn was still blaring (both short beeps and intermittently long blares), the rear wiper was still active (while in the off position), and the interior lights were flickering. This continued until the red connector was disconnected from the battery. The black connector seemed to make no change, connected or not. When the red connector was reconnected, the electrical issues seemed to be replicated with the horn and rear wiper. The vehicle was towed and we have no current answers. This was extremely dangerous as we lost all power and control of the car. We were driving, on what is oftentimes, a very busy street.

Filed Jan 22, 2024 · Electrical, Steering · LA

The vehicle was diagnosed with a short in the electrical steering cable. It started off with just a minor glitch when steering which caused the car to simply caused the car to shift into neutral but was quickly resolved by shifting the gear into park and then into drive. This resulted in a really major glitching in system while steering to where the car was shifted into neutral in the middle of driving and will not turn off the van or allow you to shift the vehicle into park. It also caused the windshield wipers to stay on without the ability to turn them off as well. This is an extremely dangerous issue for a commonly used family vehicle especially one travels the highway everyday. I’m just grateful we’re in our neighborhood going at a low speed with little to no cars traveling. On the highway this could have caused serious vehicular damage due to accidents and injury or fatalities for the person who has to push the car out of the road and the family riding in the car from impact. This Negligence of the manufacturer will cost my family $4521, which is just simply unfair. Im requesting thorough investigation on this matter with the a recall on all vehicles who can possibly have this issue as well.

Filed Jan 16, 2024 · Engine, Steering · TX

The vehicle first malfunctioned 09/2022. All the signals on the dashboard came on including the wipers. Then the vehicle wouldn’t accelerate and stopped while driving in the middle of the road. I got it towed to a Chrysler dealership and they had it for 4 four months and couldn’t maintain power within the van. After 4 fours I received the van back and it was driving good. Recently, while out of town on 12/16/2023 the van began to run hot for the first time and I parked it. The next day it wouldn’t start and I got it towed to a nearby shop on 12/18/23 and I was told it was my starter. I replaced the starter and the shop said it was something with my engine due to white smoke coming out the exhaust pipes. I got it towed again to a nearby Chrysler dealership on 12/19/23 and they confirmed after doing the diagnostic, the service shop said I needed a new engine because the coolant leaked into the cylinder heads blowing the gaskets. I asked what caused this issue and they stated overheating. The vehicle has never shown signs of overheating such as smoking or the gauges going up until that night which was a brief 5 minutes because I parked the van. I have researched and seen multiple cases like mine in both circumstances with this same kind of vehicle and not1 recall has been placed. I maintenance the vehicle as required and believe this is a manufacturing issue.

Filed May 25, 2023 · Driver assistance, Electrical · AZ

The electrical interface components stopped working spontaneously; the speedometer and RPM gauge dropped to zero, the windshield wipers turned on, and all of the "check engine" type warning lights lit up on the dash (check engine, seatbelt, airbag, battery, etc). The warning messages started popping up one after another on the dash, for example, "Service Trans Stop Safely Shut Off Engine to Engage Park," "Stop/Start Not Ready Due to Outside Temperature," "Park Brake Temporarily Unavailable" etc. I tried to put the car in Park, but the round shift knob locked in Neutral. I could not turn off the engine with the ignition button (keyless ignition). There was no way to turn off the engine without opening the hood and disconnecting something manually. Everything spontaneously went back to normal for about 15 minutes, then it happened again and has not gone back to normal since. The photos I am attaching were taken during the first incident, during the second incident, and in between the two incidents when the electrical was working again.

Filed Feb 10, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · 30,390 miles · FL · fire

30,390while cruising on interstate, (2/6/21, 3:17 pm, drizzling, 55 degrees f, at 70 MPH in cruise control) instrument panel goes black, engine shuts off, power steering goes off, rt passenger window descends all the way, wipers go off, cruise goes off, gear indicator switches (on it's own from drive to neutral, to park. Coasting to side left of side of the (under construction) shoulder (rt shoulder is blocked by jersey barriers) instrument cluster comes back on. I shift from park to neutral, to drive, with no effect on drivability. I stopped off the roadway and shut off the ignition. Instrument cluster has battery and fcw warning lights on. There is a distinct smell of an electrical fire. I check under the hood to look for obvious fire sources. None are apparent. I checked the battery connection. This appears as normal for this vehicle, not tight ' but not loose either. I checked the fuse box. I did not have a fuse indicator tool with me and did not attempt to pull fuses. Seeing no obvious fire sources I shut the hood. Five minutes after stopping I tried the ignition again and the car started. The rt passenger window was to 3' short of closed, then it stopped. I pulled back on the highway and resumed the trip. The fcw warning light was still on. Cruise control was unavailable. The driver's side mirror warning indicator was on. On 2/7/21 I checked the car. All power devices on the rt front door were not active. I checked the fuses and determined that at least one had failed (f47). I attempted to replace the fuse. In doing so the rt passenger window immediately returned to the fully closed position, the fuse blew as I put it in, the smell of burning electrical wire was apparent inside the cab, but not under the hood.

Filed Jan 14, 2020 · Acceleration, Engine · 10,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 chrysler pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle experienced unintended vehicle acceleration. Additionally, while accelerating from a stop, the emergency parking brake independently activated which caused the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop. Additionally, while at a stop light, the economy fuel feature malfunctioned which the engine to not automatically restart when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle also had experienced electrical malfunctions which caused failures to the wind shield wipers and the door would not lock. The vehicle was taken to the local dealers cherry hill chrysler (1708 west nj ave cherry hill ny.) and rockwall chrysler (970 east interstate 30, rockwell tx) where software updates were performed however, the failures recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and the contact received case numbers: [xxx], [xxx], and [xxx]. The failure mileage was 10,000. *dt information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed May 15, 2019 · Electrical, Visibility · 24,300 miles · TX

As I was exiting the parking garage, the trunk opened up while the car was being driven. There was a loud noise from the liftgate and the rear windshield was shattered, plus the wiper system broke.

Filed Nov 21, 2017 · Electrical, Engine · 7,300 miles · FL

With only 7300 miles on the odometer, as of this writing 11-21-17, my pacifica has failed to start on 4 separate occassions. With each event, all the warning lights on the main and radio dash lit up and flashed on and off. Also, the wiper blades came on and stayed on, not being able to shut off with the designated switch. As well, numerous "warning windows" popped up on the center dash info screen...service electronic stability, park brake unavailable, blind spot alert unavailable service required, service tire pressure system, park sense unavailable, service air bag system, warning bells constantly chiming, entire dash goes completely dark and radio turns off and on by itself. The last attempt to start, 11-20-17, after numerous times in an hours time, the engine did start only to shut down almost immediately. The vehicle has been towed to my local chrysler dealership twice now and is still there as of this writing. On the first event when towed in, I was told that a service writer also could not attempt to start the vehicle, but when the service tech tried, it did start. I was told to come pick up my vehicle that there were no error codes found and my vehicle was operating normally. I really dread the day when my pacifica dies while driving, as that apparantly has happened to many dozens of other 2017 pacificas already, placing the occupants in extreme danger. I just read an article in the new york times with regards to this dangerous issue and I near the point of demanding that chrysler buy back my vehicle. I do have multiple videos taken on my cell phone but do not have the ability to upload them just yet.

Filed Sep 12, 2017 · Transmission, Visibility · 822 miles · IA

9/21/16 7 days after purchase 822 miles driven vehicle at rest in driveway displays service shifter and requires new shifter installed before driveable. 10/11/16 1717 miles driven vehicle will not start at rest. After 15 minutes it finally starts sounds like a lawnmower and vehicle shaking starts. 2/28/17 15428 miles driven vehicle in motion on I-80 traveling in heavy rain when windshield wipers freeze for several minutes. I had my children in the vehicle and we came 6 inches away from being hit by a semi as we tried to navigate to the side of the road with zero visibility. Car had to be restarted for wipers to engage. 3/1/17 15559 miles driven vehicle in motion crossing a street with 45 MPH speed limit and vehicle dies leaving me stalled in the middle of traffic. Chrysler tows to local dealer and replaces 1 spark plug, 1 ignition coil, 6 gaskets according to service report. Vehicle continues to shake at idle. 9/8/17 30000 miles driven when I press accelerator from stopped position, vehicle does not move. I press harder and vehicle makes a clunk then surges from 0 to 53 MPH and the brake is firm and I have trouble slowing down. Within 15 minutes while vehicle is in motion at 48 MPH engine dies and vehicle stops blocking traffic both ways in an intersection where traffic travels at 45-50 MPH. Message on dash says "shift to park" but brake is hard and shift knob will not turn to p. Using push button start I am able to restart the vehicle while in drive and proceed to dealer where the chrysler service team tells me that I will have to continue driving the vehicle until it happens again because they cannot fix it unless they see it happen. This is the third time my life has been risked and they aren't fixing the issue. I have had 5 warranty replacements, over 50 days out of service and dozens of other failures. Service records too big to upload. ..updated 10/26/17