11/28/2022 - Infotainment system glitches with random disconnects from Apple iPhone connected via CarPlay followed by vehicle "shutting down" at highway speeds. Red battery light, Red charge cord light and Image "Service Charging System" After repeated attempt was able to reboot vehicle and drive to nearest dealer. Dealer pulled codes and advised to return to selling/servicing dealer. 12/2/2022 - Drove to selling/servicing dealer. They read codes and attempted to recreate the power system failure. Indicated they could not. Exited dealer's lot only to have same incident occur as on 11/28/22. Unable to reboot/restart vehicle. Had it towed back to selling/servicing dealer. Photos of repair ticket and technician notes available for subsequent submission but not readily available to include with this initial complaint.
2021 Chrysler Pacifica electrical complaints
Page 5 of 6: complaints 101 to 130 of 156, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On Wed, 11/23/2022, I was driving on I-94 Eastbound headed from Wisconsin to Illinois at about 70 mph. The car suddenly stalled and I lost all ability to accelerate the vehicle. The brakes and steering wheel still worked fine. The dash was displaying a message: "Service charging system. Shift to P to start." Thankfully, I was in the right lane and the shoulder was clear. I was able to pull onto the shoulder and come to a controlled stop. I put the vehicle in PARK and shut off the vehicle. I tried to restart it but was unable to. I then unbuckled my seat belt and opened & closed the driver side door (without getting out). After about a minute I was able to restart the car and continue on my way to Chicago. This happened 2 more times that trip. It also happened 1 time on the way back to Wisconsin for a total of 4 incidents in 1 day trip. This has significant safety implications, esp. when one cannot get to the shoulder (or there is no shoulder) to restart the vehicle. I felt very scared and no longer trust my vehicle on the highway. This has happened to me once before earlier this year. I took it to a dealer after that incident. They said the updated all the software but are not certain if this fixed the root cause. Apparently, it did not. There was no warning light to indicate a problem may be happening. However, now that this has happened, the "check engine" indicator is on and, apparently, needs to be reset. I have not yet taken the vehicle to a dealer for this recent set of 4 incidents.
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated that the center console and the dashboard made a loud buzzing sound before the functions became inoperable. The contact stated that the display screen displayed service warnings and software updates erroneously before disappearing. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure persisted with the center console flickering before becoming inoperable. The failure recurred intermittently but more persistently. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer who flashed the software and replaced the hybrid water pump; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000.
Van stalled while driving at 45 mph, had to pull over to side of road and get a tow to dealer. No indication of a problem before the stall. Warning lamp showed engine light, charging system warning, shift to park to start but unable to restart van on side of road. High safety risk as this occurred while driving at night. Police eventually parked behind me for safety on the roadside. Van is currently at dealership after being towed there.
My 2021 Pacifica PHEV has 16,200 miles on it at time of incident on 10/31/2022. I had just pulled off the highway to get gas when the issue began. I received a “service electrical system” on the dash and a check engine light and I had to turn off and back on to get it to restart. The check engine light stayed on and upon continuing my drive home another warning light came on telling me that the emergency braking was no longer operating. The warning light stayed on for a few miles and then went off. I took snapshots I will include. I also noticed that the vehicle was recording erroneous data such as suddenly having an electrical charge of a large percent when I had zero electrical charge. I got the vehicle to the dealership for repair. On 11/1. No loaner or rental reimbursement was available from Chrysler so I was without a Vehicle during repair. I received the vehicle back on 11/3/22 and I was informed that the vehicle had error codes POE 15-50 Hybrid/EV battery pack coolant heater A control and P1649-00 (? Not sure I wrote the number correctly) HCP Int… code. The paper also showed POE 15-00 HVAC Blocker Power but he only mentioned the first 2. The service technician indicated that the vehicle had a Z76 recall (I was not aware of a recall) and that they had done a software update to fix it and the vehicle should note be fixed. Upon reading other online complaints I see multiple reports of the same thing happening repeatedly to other 2021 phev Pacifica’s with low mileage while driving at high speeds including within 10 miles of having the same repair done. I am now scared to drive this vehicle on the highway after reading of multiple other 2021 PHEVs no longer operating on multiple vehicles while at highway speeds, despite multiple attempts at repair. I am afraid for my safety and for anyone else in my vehicle and I I want Chrysler to pay off my note immediately and take back possession of the vehicle. I no longer feel safe driving it.
while driving the car down the high way at normal highway speeds (70mph) the car lost all propulsion. Shortly before the malfunction the electric motor started growling. A message on the screen appeared "service charging system" and " put car in Park". I was in the far left lane when this happened and traffic was low as it was early in the day (7 am ) I managed to move the car from the left lane through all the other lanes and stop on the side of the highway. I was not able to drive the car and called for tow. While waiting for the tow the car became responsive after about 15 min. I recalled the tow and drove to dealer. The dealer scanned for codes and found a code for "Motor A position error". This is the second time this has happened to this car - previous time the dealer "upgraded" firmware and said it should be fine. Hardware issues cannot be solved by software. I posted a video on youtube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDk6z6-snaA And on the Pacifica forum : https://www.pacificaforums.com/threads/2021-pacifica-hybrid-failure-while-driving-on-highway.52648/ Seems this has happened to others as well.
On Saturday 9.3.22, while driving at approximately 40mph, my Chrysler Pacifica lost all power and slowed to a stop (I turned on my hazards immediately and pulled over to the shoulder). Based on the light traffic around me I was able to safety move accross two lanes even without the aid of power steering. Within 60 seconds of me coming to a stop, the Check engine light came on the cluster and an error message saying “charging system fault”. After calling for Chrysler roadside assistance, I attempted to restart the vehicle dozens of times unsuccessfully. At approx 60min after the vehicle lost power, it restarted. On Tuesday, 9.5.22 I took the vehicle to the dealer to diagnose & repair. As of today (9.12.22) they have been unable to recreate the event. Even though the error threw a CIL code, the dealer stated the error is now gone and no codes were stored. They have filed a “STAR” case with the manufacturer to determine next steps. I have refused to accept the vehicle back until the problem itself has been diagnosed and a repair is made.
I was on the highway, and my car suddenly lost power. I was unable to accelerate, and I had to pull over on the shoulder. I received an alert that said “service charging system error.” It was extremely dangerous for myself and my family.
Was driving the vehicle when it completely died. The “service hybrid electric vehicle system” warning came on the dash and could not get it to go into drive again. Completely dead in the water and could not move. I can’t imagine if I was going down the freeway and this happened. Very lucky to have it on a quiet road. This is a known issue and there are many cases of this happening to others if you check YouTube out or google it. It’s very scary and someone is gonna end up hurt or killed.
While driving on the freeway on the morning of June 18th, 2022 from Southern California to Las Vegas at 70-75mph, the car suddenly lost power. It displayed the error "Service Charging System" and "Shift P to to Start". This was incredibly dangerous as acceleration no longer worked and the car was slowly coasting to a stop. I was able to pull over to the side, turn off the car, and restart, but the check engine light persisted. After returning from Vegas, I brought the van to my local Chrysler dealership. They ran some flash updates and returned the car to me. The same issue then re-occurred on July 4th while traveling 65-70mph on the freeway. I brought it back to the dealer the next day, and it has been there since. After a lot of back and forth with Chrysler hybrid technicians, the dealership was authorized to replace the onboard charging module 1-2 weeks ago. They said the car was still throwing a charging error after that, and they are now looking into what else could be the issue, which they suspect might be the PIM (power inverter module). They are currently working with Chrysler hybrid techs again to diagnose as they are not able to order any parts for replacement without that approval. As of yesterday, the car has been at the dealership for 2 months now, well beyond lemon law timelines per California guidelines.
I was driving down the road and the car just turned off. It will not start anymore.
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated that whenever hybrid battery power was low, the vehicle was supposed to shift to using fuel; however, the vehicle would stall. The contact would pull over to the side of the road and start the vehicle after several attempts. The failure was intermittent and occurred at various speeds. The service charging system and check engine warning lights would be illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure reoccurred several weeks later. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the manufacturer suggested that the transmission should be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000.
I was driving 70 miles an hour, in the left lane ,in heavy traffic on I -75 when I suddenly lost all power. A warning flashed on the screen saying to service charging system. I barely avoided a collision trying to get off the highway. I could has easily collided with another car since I had no power and I had to cross lanes of traffic in order to get off the road.
Driving on the interstate, the vehicle simply shut down and gave the following error message: "Service Charging System." I was able to pull to the shoulder and get the vehicle started again. There had been no prior warning messages or symptoms of the problem. I took the vehicle in for service, and the dealership ran a diagnostic check and found no issues. A couple weeks later, the same thing happened. I was again able to get to the shoulder without incident. Took the vehicle to a different dealership where they identified the issue as a bad Power Inverter Module. The vehicle is still at the dealership (it has been a full week). While I was able to navigate the situation without injury. This could have been a very dangerous situation in the instance where a shoulder was not available or traffic was significantly heavier. It appears this is a fairly common problem for some of the new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids, which brings to question why there has not been a recall issues.
Driving as usual and without warning, no check engine light, the van stalled. It lost all power in the middle of the road and would not start back up. Pushed out of the road & waited on a tow truck. 2021 with 14,000 miles. Dealership pulled the code poa43.
The vehicle is a PHEV. The system that malfunctioned is related to the vehicle charging system. The vehicle seems to think it is plugged into the wall when it is actually not plugged in. It is a safety issue because the vehicle will not move -- my family could have been stranded. Planning to tow the vehicle to a dealership to have diagnosed within one week or so. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone yet. There were no warnings prior to the failure. Currently there is a check engine light on as well as an image of a plug/cable indicating that the vehicle thinks it is plugged into an electrical outlet (which it is not).
While driving in the freeway this morning the check engine light and service charging system came on. Shortly thereafter the car lost all power and I was able to coast to a stop on the shoulder of the freeway. Fortunately I was in the carpool lane and near the shoulder and would not have been able to get over otherwise putting myself and others in a very dangerous situation on the freeway. Once stopped, the steering wheel locked as well as the wheels and the car lost all function. Although there are no formal recalls, there are forums dedicated to this problem: https://www.pacificaforums.com/threads/service-charging-system-error.41145/ The dealer is currently advising but the threads in those forums suggests FCA does not have a fix in place. The car becomes dangerous to drive as this happens out of nowhere with limited to no warning.
Driving around 40 MPH when car alert came on to Shift into P and lost all forward drive. Needed to pull onto a side street since car would not accelerate. Car said service charging system and would not recover. Could not turn car off but A/C system stopped working. The transmission light were flashing from P to R to D but would not engage. Had to be towed to dealer to await troubleshooting.
While driving on hybrid system (battery at 0%) and braking toward a stop sign , the car went into neutral and would not power the wheels. A message appeared to service hybrid charging system. all gauges wen to zero (start position) . The car was pulled over and it would not go back to to any gear. I was only 2 miles from my house and was able to get tools to disconnect the 12V battery in hopes for system recovery. After disconnecting the 12V battery the system recovered and I was able to get back home to setup a service appointment. The entertainment system did not recover correctly and required a software reboot with all settings reset. The previous week the battery charge indicator was behaving strangely as it would start with 36 miles of range and after 2 miles of very slow driving it wold drop to 26 miles. After a few more miles it would drop to 21 miles and stay at that for a long time.
The vehicle loses power while driving. I have to pull over shut it off and turn it back on. Most of the time it happens when I'm driving 75 mph. The service charging indicator pops up while also telling me to shift the car to park. Dealership diagnosed it to being a transmission issue. Drive motor A is failing in the transmission and is causing it to over heat. Which causes it to shut down. A quick restart and the van is going again.
Occurred at 1000,1500,and 16000 miles. Car would turn on but steering column is locked and it does not get in to gear. D and R just put car in neutral. Dealer is replacing hybrid battery. Car eventually got in to gear after several hard resets.
car stalled at high speed in HOV fast track in rush hour traffic - terrifying! was running on electric mode. Heart stopping emergency tow. First Chrysler dealer where car was purchased said they could not trouble shoot for 2 months. Found another dealer, had it towed there. Waiting to learn what the problem is. Only 14,000 miles and under warranty.
While driving on highway at approx. 75 mph using adaptive cruise control, the red power cord shaped warning indication appeared on the instrument panel. At the time the warning appeared, the vehicle was in battery powered mode. At the same time the warning showed, the electric motor stopped providing power. The vehicle did not transition to hybrid mode (gas powered), and depressing the accelerator did nothing. The vehicle began to slow from highway speeds, while other cars were in the vicinity. While all this was happening, the "D" on the gear selector was flashing. There was also a message saying to put the vehicle in park to restart, however, i did not want to attempt that at highway speeds. Other systems seemed to operate as normal, brakes worked, the electrical system seemed to be functional other than the described fault. I pulled over to the shoulder and stopped the vehicle completely. I turned the vehicle off, then on again, and was able to put the vehicle in drive without any faults occuring. Normal operation resumed after that.
Vehicle has completely lost power multiple times while driving on the freeway at 65 approximately MPH and displays "Service Charging System" message on dash. Accelerator pedal was completely non-responsive. Have had to quickly try to get to side of freeway and stop. Each time the van had remaining fuel. Each time we have been able to get the van started again by putting the vehicle in Park and pressing the start button 3 times in a row without pressing the brake pedal. It is very concerning and has happened to us several times this month with about 14.000 miles on the vehicle.
I was driving uphill at slow speed; then a garbage truck in front of me needed to do a 3 point turn so I switched to reverse to back up. At that point the vehicle started flashing an alarm, I think said "service hybrid system" or something like that and instantly began rolling down the hill for about a block, while I was completely unable to engage the break or gas, to switch to drive, to control the wheel, even the emergency brake failed. I was rolling backwards for about a block completely unable to control any component of the car when the emergency break finally engaged. I was able to turn on my hazards at that point, but the vehicle would not start, nor would it turn off. I could not make it reverse or drive or even turn off as I sat stuck in the middle of an intersection. After several minutes like that I was eventually able to restart the car and drive slowly home. This is MURDER by Chrysler waiting to happen. I was very lucky no child or vehicle was behind me as I rolled downhill into an intersection. I was very lucky to not be hit by oncoming traffic as I sat stuck after rolling a block downhill backwards-- THESE ARE MINIVANS FILLED WITH CHILDREN!! MY 4 children! Chrysler in Berkeley service said they haven't heard of this before and will see me only next week, and not sooner! However, There are numerous similar complaints registered. I am afraid to drive it at all at this point. This is a very new car with less than 10K miles on it. RECALL IMMEDIATELY PLEASE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.
Car stalled out while driving at 35 mph. Lost all propulsive power. Indicated “service hybrid system” and “shift to park” error on multi function display. Was able to safely coast to side shoulder and stop. Car would not move again after this reading the same errors even after shifting to part and attempting to restart car. If this had occurred on a multi lane highway it would have been extremely dangerous.
Driving on the freeway at speed (approximately 65 MPH), the vehicle suddenly lost power and displayed "Service Charging System" message on dashboard. Accelerator pedal was non-responsive. We had remaining battery charge and fuel in the vehicle (it is a PHEV). Pulled over to side of freeway as vehicle was decelerating and came to a stop in the safest place our momentum could carry us to. We were eventually able to get the vehicle restarted by putting the vehicle in Park and pressing the start button 3 times in a row without touching the brake. This issue has happened four (4) times in the last several months, and has occurred on the freeway each time, and each time with remaining battery charge and fuel in the vehicle. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer for this specific problem.
The vehicle accelerator fails while driving, with a message on dashboard '''service charging system''. If your car have enough momentum, you can pull to safe spot or shoulder, but tbis is a dangerous issue. I had this issue multiple times and many other owners has reported similar issue.
While driving, the vehicle flashes a warning that a charging fault has occurred and instructs the driver to stop and put the vehicle into park. Once stopped and in park, the vehicle will not shift or drive. This has happened at least 6 times and the dealer has not been able to fix it.
On freeway , running on gas - the vehicle gave an error “service charging system” and vehicle shutdown and de accelerated rapidly - forward momentum only We are on freeway and no shoulder and narrow escaped an collision trying to get a safe stop at speed of 20-25 miles and slowing down from initial of 70 mph This is serious safety concern and how was this released for sale is certified by NTSB is a surprise and shock Multiple owners have complained of this
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2021 Chrysler Pacifica?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history