2018 Chrysler Pacifica Reliability Report

Power steering cuts out without warning, often with a "power steering unavailable" message, at speeds from idle to highway pace. Assist sometimes returns after seconds or after a restart. Other complaints describe steering that sticks or stiffens on gentle curves at 45 to 65 mph, usually after long drives. Loss-of-steering reports cluster from about 51,000 to 59,194 miles. Of 130 complaints, 8 involve crashes, including vans leaving the road and park assist backing into parked cars too fast. Mechanics often cannot reproduce the fault.

Reports here are mixed but serious. Some describe engine-compartment fires, including vans catching fire after minor front-end collisions. Others describe the van shutting down on the freeway, rolling backward at a stop with start/stop active, and hard jerking when pulling away. One filing describes the engine restarting and running for hours in a closed garage, setting off a carbon monoxide alarm. Catalytic converter failures, transmission valve body work, and coolant loss with misfires also appear. The 67 complaints include 3 fires and 2 crashes.

Almost none of these reports describe a failure on the road. Nearly all concern recall repairs on the plug-in hybrid that could not be done because parts were unavailable, with owners saying the wait had stretched for months and was unreasonable. Dealers and the manufacturer often confirmed the parts shortage. One owner describes the van failing to accelerate while waiting for the repair. None of the 57 complaints involve a crash or fire.

The brake pedal goes hard, pushes back against the driver's foot, and the van creeps forward at a stop, often with a hissing sound. Other reports describe the van surging or the engine revving while braking, the pedal sinking to the floor without stopping the van, and a sudden parking brake engagement after shifting to drive. Hybrid owners describe a surge as regenerative braking hands off. Of 17 complaints, 2 involve crashes and 1 involves a wiring fire at the brake booster.

Hybrid vans lose drive power at speed. Warnings such as "Service Hybrid System" and "Shift Vehicle to Park" appear, the accelerator stops responding, and the driver has to coast to the shoulder. Some owners report repeat episodes. Other complaints describe cruise control letting the van run 10 mph or more over the set speed on downhill grades, unreliable adaptive cruise, limp mode, and sudden power loss on expressways. One complaint describes a crash with injury after the van would not stop or shift into park.

Power sliding doors cause most of these reports. Doors close on hands, arms, and chests without reversing, reopen right after closing, or need many tries to latch. All 3 injuries involve doors closing on someone. Other complaints describe water collecting under the third-row seat with a moldy smell, front doors and the hood failing to latch, a hot third-row cupholder area, and a sliding door window shattering on the freeway.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious crashes, according to most of these few reports. Owners describe side curtains staying stowed in a spinning collision and no deployment in a side impact, with head, knee, and neck injuries. Another report describes the engine compartment catching fire right after a minor rear-end crash. One owner reports an airbag warning light that keeps coming on, which a shop could not diagnose after 5 visits. Of 5 complaints, 4 involve crashes and 3 involve injuries.