Chrysler Pacifica Reliability by Year
Best & Worst Years, Problems & Recalls β NHTSA Data
Comparing used Chrysler Pacifica options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017β2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
Model-year trends show patterns. Run a VIN check for the exact Chrysler Pacifica you plan to buy.
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Chrysler Pacifica has 3,462 owner complaints and 87 safety recalls across model years 2017β2026. The most reported issue area is ENGINE. 2017 drew the most complaints; 2026 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Chrysler
- Model
- Pacifica
- Model years analyzed
- 2017β2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 3,462
- Safety recall campaigns
- 87
- Crash-related complaints
- 113
- Fire-related complaints
- 31
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2017 (1,458 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2026 (4 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ENGINE
- Reliability signal
- Poor
Chrysler Pacifica: Which Years to Avoid & Which to Buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used β lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record β lower risk starting points.
β NHTSA NCAP Crash Test Ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
What the Complaint Data Suggests
PoorThe CHRYSLER PACIFICA has 3,462 NHTSA complaints and 87 recalls on record. 113 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 3,462 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 87 federal recall campaigns
- 113 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
π NHTSA Safety Recalls
87 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
Safety Recall
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Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017β2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
π§ Most-Reported Problem Areas
Based on component keywords extracted from all 3,462 NHTSA complaints.
π NHTSA Complaint Reports
3,462 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
Driving down a busy section of highway on I-25 in Colorado, without warning car lost all power and shutoff. Was able to veer off highway to shoulder without getting hit. Car will not restart. This was incredibly unsettling as my family and kids were all in the car on the way home and was a very dangerous situation. For a brand new vehicle to shut off on the highway without warning is unacceptable.
We were stopped for fuel. Prior to fueling we turned off the engine and opened the fuel door, inserting the gas nozzle and then began to pump fuel. While the nozzle was running, a passenger opened the sliding door by pressing the auto open button - and the door slid into the hand of the individual holding the fuel nozzle, crushing his hand between the door and the nozzle - causing the nozzle to dislodge from the filling neck , releasing gasoline all over the driver and j hiring his hand. There is no interlock preventing the door from auto opening while the fuel tank is open - which is a critical design flaw, that can result in injury to the individual fueling and hazardous material spills/ hazardous conditions where the pump attendant is directly drenched in fuel. A simple sensor on the door with a software interlock would resolve this issue and prevent future instances. In this case the injury was minor/bruise and discomfort, but it could have been more severe had the driver not reacted quickly, or had the driver had underlying medical conditions such as brittle bones or was on blood thinners.
The contact owns a 2026 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving 5-10 MPH, the brakes locked up. The contact stated that the parking brake unexpectedly engaged and failed to release. The driverβs side rear wheel locked up. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving in the driveway, the brakes locked up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again, where the ABS module was replaced. Additionally, there was an engine malfunction, and the battery was recharged. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The contact requested a vehicle buyback. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
The contact's mother owns a 2026 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while his mother was driving 30-35 MPH on a well-maintained road, the front passenger's side of the vehicle suddenly lowered, and the driver lost control of the steering wheel, causing the rear passenger's side of the vehicle to strike a curb, and the vehicle was pushed towards the left, near oncoming traffic. The contact stated that the vehicle nearly rolled over prior to coming to a stop. The driver was able to exit the vehicle. A Police Officer arrived at the scene and redirected traffic away from the vehicle, but no Police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. The contact stated that upon meeting his mother at the scene, the contact inspected the vehicle. The contact noticed that the front passenger's side lower control arm ball joint had fractured sharply, separated, and had gone sideways. The vehicle was towed to an Auto Collision repair shop. The dealer was notified of the failure and reported the failure to a Chrysler regional manager. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,173.
We purchased a 2025 Chrysler Pacifica in September 2025. In October, 2025 we begin to receive Urgent Safety Recall notifications regaring Driver Side Curtain Air Bag. My husband went to the dealer where we purchased van and was told we would have to be on a waiting list and we were number 20 on her list. The dealer has never contacted us about scheduling a repair on the Driver Side Curtain Air Bag. We have made 3 trips to the dealer and have been told the same story...we are 20th on her list. The Recall clearly states that because of this defect, "occupant could be ejected during a crash." To us, that seems critical to have repaired. Chrysler evidently doesn't think so putting us at great risk in case we were in a accident. Stated in their Recall: "We are sincerely concerned about your safety and reiterating scheduling a repair". After two calls to the Customer Service at the company and 3 trips to the dealer, we are no closer to having this repair schedule. I thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide in helping us expedite this repair.
Adaptive cruise control stops working for no apparent reason flashes forward collision system not working. will start up again for no reason from 5 to 15 min. had this problem for some time starting with our 2021 2023 2025 Chrysler pacifies some times you have to stop and restart to get cruise to work . dealer cant fix
The contact owns a The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V189000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.Β
Auto stall at stop is not working safely on my vehicle there are two issues that can cause safety problems .A) when system restarts engine the vehicle has jumped forward several feet quickly causing very nearly hitting the car in front of me as a traffic light turned green . B) when I slow not quite to a stop making a left turn I have experience very low or no power and could be hit if a car is coming towards me . Both these issues do stop if I remember to turn off the auto stall system but I do not always remember ! I did make a compliant at a Chrysler Dealer they found no issues and did not reproduce the problem no warning lights come up when the problem happens . I have not had damage to the vehicle but have had two close calls one nearly rearending a vehicle at a intersection as my Pacicifca lurched forward and the other as an oncoming car needed to brake when I made a left turn in an intersection and had a loss of power .
Recall has been open for over 30 days with no remedy. Please escalate.
My van has been in the shop for 22 days. They have replaced the engine 1 time and I had the van back 2 more times for check engine light issues and now the engine is being replaced for a a second time, so this is the 3rd engine in my 2025 Chrysler Pacifica that has 9100 miles on it.
On two separate long trips (over 4,000 miles total in recent months), the adaptive cruise control system has failed while driving on the freeway. This is the most dangerous situation I have ever experienced while driving. When the failure occurs: All cruise control and lane-assist buttons become unresponsive. Dynamic cruise control remains engaged. When I press the brake, the vehicle slowsβbut as soon as I release the brake, it begins accelerating again. There is no way to turn the system off. The first time this happened, I attempted for several miles to reset the system while controlling speed using the brake. I exited the freeway. At a traffic light, when I began to release the brake after stopping, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly and nearly struck the truck in front of me. With the brake fully depressed, I shifted into neutral. The transmission made a loud clunk as the engine began revving. I then shifted into park, which caused another loud clunk. I turned the vehicle off while sitting in a turn lane, waited a moment, and restarted it. The system appeared to reset, and I was able to continue driving. Approximately two weeks later, while returning from California, I tested the cruise control system again during a long drive. After about three hours, the exact same failure occurred. This time, I recorded video of the incident and have documentation of the malfunction. This system is extremely dangerous in its current state. I paid a significant amount for this vehicle and its safety systems. A failure like this could easily result in a serious accident or loss of life. I do not believe I should be responsible for paying for a vehicle or system that is defective and poses a safety risk. I have video but could not upload it..
At 9,000 miles the check engine light came on. We took the van to the dealership and there was metal in the engine and the engine needs to be replaced.
While driving off from an intersection, the van abruptly stalled forcing other cars to honk at me as I rolled from 45 mph to a stop at a curb. 5 minutes of panic, the van restarted and I was on my way home with no further issues.
On 10-23-25 my son pushed the button at the bottom rear of the drivers seat that moves the seat forward when using the stow-n-go feature. I was in the seat at the time and had just seconds to react. I pushed the Driver 1 setting on the door and it reversed the action. If I hadn't, would I have been crushed into the steering wheel or would the air bag have gone off? What if I hadn't set up that feature? What if I had panicked? I took it to the dealership today. After inspecting it, they said there was no protocol for this problem. The only thing they could do was to disable the button, which they did upon my request. "5447 B Piller on left side has button for rear passengers to press to move seat forward. There is no setting to disengage function, only way to disengage would be to unplug button. Per customer request unplugged switch to disengage button from working." There were no warnings and just seconds to react. There is a button at the roof front center that disengages the side doors from opening. Perhaps this button should also include disengaging that feature, or eliminate it altogether. My 2015 Dodge Caravan also had stow-n-go. It was simple to move the seat forward to utilize this feature. Now, with the Driver presets, it is very convenient to move it back. This is an unnecessary and unsafe "convenience." Only someone in the driver seat should be able to move the seat forward.
My son was driving the vehicle down the interstate and attempted to exit. He hit the brakes and the car would not slow down. He had the pedal all the way to the floor and the vehicle still would not slow down. The vehicle went off the exit ramp, through a grassy hill area, across the entrance ramp, and finally stopped when the tire broke off. Even with the tire broke off and the vehicle not moving the engine was showing it was going 30-40 mph. No airbags were deployed. I received a Luckily the only injury was my daughter's sprained wrist. The entire front end of the vehicle has been replaced, including the frame, and yet no airbags were deployed. I did receive and ABS failure alert on my app but was told that was because of the tire breaking off and not what caused the accident. I have requested the vehicle be inspected since the accident occurred. Insurance stated it would need to be repaired before an inspection could occur. I have filed a case with Stellantis who now states they will not have anyone look at it because it has to be done before repairs are made and since insurance has paid for the repairs, they have to request an inspection. We had multiple issues with the TPM system not working properly and had it to a dealership for repairs, that was the only warnings we received. The vehicle is still sitting at the dealership/collision repair shop as they feel it warrants further investigation as well.
After not driving the car for a full day or so, when I drive down my street about 1/4 of a mile to a stop sign and stop the vehicle will not accelerate from the stop. I press on the gas but the car goes around 5 MPH for the next 50-100 feet or so and will not accelerate before finally kicking in and accelerating normally. This has happened over 20 times since purchasing the vehicle as new in late March of 2025.
When i put van in park ,shut off,it moves a little even on flat surface.When i back up in grass or out of a sloped driveway the van acts like something is preventing it from going backwards.The van,when going from the right lane to the left will act like it pulls to the right,hard to explain.Also when going down a road with slight bumps it makes a noise like something is loose,a rattle like.
The contact rented a 2025 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH with the adaptive cruise control mode activated, the message "Adaptive Cruise Control Off" was displayed, and the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration. The contact stated that the vehicle exceeded 100 MPH and failed to decelerate upon depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle speed continued to increase, nearly causing the vehicle to crash into a semi-truck. The contact was able to drive onto the shoulder of the road, where the contact shifted to neutral(N), and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was later towed to the rental car facility. The manufacturer and the local dealer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 23,000.
Passenger rear-sliding door will not open automatically/ will not properly re-latch despite multiple repair attempts (ie sensor and module replacement).
[XXX]- bought new 2025 Chrysler Pacifica w/ 29 mi at Troncalli Chrysler Dodge Jeep (TCDJ). [XXX]- 1st time -I was driving the car when it made a βclunkβ sound when turning left. All the lights on the dashboard came on and the ABS system turned off.The car safety features disabled and it did not recognize we were in the seats (seat belt lights came on).I was able to drive into a parking lot.Turned the car off and then restarted it after a few min and the lights on the dash were gone. Decided to cont driving, figured it was a computer error.Went 2 mi and had to turn left again. All dash lights came on including engine, ABS.Pulled over and lights turned off after car was turned off/on again. Tried to get the car home.Turned it on and no alerts.Drove <1mi and the car began to stutter and dash lit up.Lost the ability to accelerate, and the steering seemed stiff and hard to control.Lost ABS system.Pulled over into parking lot barely moving.Had to leave the car in the lot and have it towed to TCDJ 3/29- Towed to TCDJ service depart..Total miles on car:283. 3/31- TCDJ states it's the batteries that caused the malfxn. Explained I did't think the batteries were the issue.They replaced both batteries. [XXX]-Serious safety issue. Picked up car @ TCDJ.We did not make it home from TCDJ.Trip from TCDJ to home is ~27 mi. At mile 22, turned left and ~0.5 mi later, while driving ~ 15-20mph, the car shifted on its own, throwing itself into park at a major intersection.All of the dash lights came on.The Emergency VAS, ABS system and Shifter Disabled displayed on the dash.The windshield wipers turned on at high speed.The head and tail lights began to flash.The car shifted so abruptly w/o warning we were almost hit from behind.It did not slow to a stop or brake it just threw itself into park.Police were called. Car wouldn't turn off or move. Could not put in neutral manually. Still @ TCDJ now >30days. Alternator and ABS replaced. Continues to break and need a tow when TCDJ test drive it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Showing 20 of 3,462 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Before You Buy, Check the Exact Chrysler Pacifica
These pages show model-year patterns across 10years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
π Understanding This Data
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is β but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Chrysler Pacifica has 3,462 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Chrysler Pacifica has 87 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 113 of the Chrysler Pacifica's 3,462 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions β a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable β simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Chrysler Pacifica vehicles on the road β not any specific car. Two Chrysler Pacifica vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage β NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Chrysler Pacifica has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
Buyers Also Compare
How does the Chrysler Pacifica stack up? Compare complaint history with similar vehicles.
π Check a Chrysler Pacifica by State
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Chrysler Pacifica.
Chrysler Pacifica reliability β frequently asked questions
Is the Chrysler Pacifica reliable?
Poor. The Chrysler Pacifica has 3,462 NHTSA owner complaints and 87 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ENGINE. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Chrysler Pacifica years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2017 (1,458 complaints), 2018 (802 complaints), 2021 (341 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Chrysler Pacifica problems?
Top reported issues: ENGINE (1,266 complaints); ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (1,060 complaints); POWER TRAIN (951 complaints).
Does the Chrysler Pacifica have recalls?
Yes β 87 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Chrysler Pacifica. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.