2017 Chrysler Pacifica Power Train

Vehicle was purchased with 95,xxx miles. Within 10 days sporadic transmission jerks and stalls started. Taken to repair facility 3 times over next 2 months with no issues found. During long distance trip transmission felt rough and sluggish. Transmission was serviced. Engine light on. Repair facility replaced all spark plugs, coil packs and cleared codes. 2 weeks later light came back on. Transmission still not functioning properly. Repair facility called Chrysler specialist technician in and no issues found. Engine codes cleared. Engine light came on next day. Repeatedly faulting for cam response slow. Repair facility replaced lifters and rockers in cylinder 6. All cam sensors and solenoids replaced. Engine light stayed off for 3 weeks. A RECORD. Light back on but no issues found during 3 hour test scan. Transmission still shutters, jerks and stalls. Total “repairs” $68xx.xx and over 28 days out of service. Vehicle now has 128,xxx miles and is barely drivable.

This van has a factory defect of the engine. These engines have known issues with blowing head gaskets and Chrysler doesn't seem to care. There are hundreds and hundreds of reports of this issue and these are just the people online talking about it. I am sure there are thousands more. https://www.pacificaforums.com/threads/2017-pacifica-engine-failure-owners-list.52928/page-19?post_id723158&nested_view1#post-723158

The transmission in our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has had issues with slipping, or not engaging as well as violent, hard gear shifts for at least the last 40K miles. We have taken it to the dealership several times, but the dealership said they drove the van and could not replicate the issues. It is important to note that the issues are intermittent and there is no obvious reason why it happens sometimes and not others. There have been countless instances where the van starts rolling forward from a stop and effectively slips into a neutral position before hard shifting back into gear and moving forward. Sometimes when pressing the accelerator at a dead stop the engine revs up before the transmission engages and starts to move forward. Both of these issues create serious risk of being in the middle of an intersection when this happens as the slipping is most often when attempting to accelerate from a dead stop. The hard shifts are very abrupt and startling when they occur. There does not seem to be a certain speed or gear that is more or less likely to trigger the violent shifts but they are occurring more and more often as time goes by. There have been a handful of instances where the transmission shifted gears and initiated a shudder that went away upon the next upshift in gears.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while turning to the left or the right, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating, causing the vehicle to unexpectedly decelerate. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions while turning into a busy intersection. The contact was concerned that the failure might cause a crash. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000.

I took my vehicle to the Chrysler dealership to have it check out because I noticed a hard shift when taking off when accelerating in first gear but they told me they couldn’t duplicate the issues because their wasn’t a check engine light on I’ve explained to them what I was feeling so they had me drive the vehicle with one of their technician and he seen exactly what I was talking about but they did nothing they told me when the check engine light come on in there a code they can read then they can see about fixing it this was back in 2020 and 2021 now the vehicle is starting to feel like it slipping worse in first gear and it has this suction noise in when is does shift hard it throws you and the passengers forward and the van only has 42,000 miles on it

Transmission will have a very severe jerk when starting out, usually at low speeds, causing the driver to temporarily lose control and distract them from driving. This appears to be a very common issue on the recent model Pacifica that uses the ZF transmission. There is a serious disagreement about the servicing interval of the oil in the transmissions. Chrysler states that it is a "Lifetime" oil and does not require changing. The transmission manufacturer ZF, states on their website that it must be changed at 100,000 Km. Some Chrysler dealers say it needs periodic changing, while others say it never needs changing. The impact of this is that a significant number of transmissions are failing. When these are in warranty, they are replaced by the dealer, but those out of warranty result in a major expense to the owners, even though the owners are following the auto manufacturer's recommendations. Owners need clarification of this, and if the servicing recommendations for the ZF transmissions are in error and result in a transmission failure, the auto manufacturer should bear some responsibility. A quick scan of the Chrysler Pacifica online groups will show numerous cases such as this,

Although no active recalls are on the now. While driving the transmission changes hard. It makes a loud noise and jerks randomly. I’m concerned it wasn’t fixed during recall. I recently purchased this vehicle used. Do I have any recourse?

The transmission shifts very hard, it causes the vehicle to jump forward and feels like you have been hit by another car. There is not one specific incident it happens frequently

Misfire cylinder 3 caused by head gasket failure. Known issue in Chrysler Penstar engines and they are not taking responsibility. Could have been stranded in middle of highway if I didn't get off the road

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the transmission position indicator started blinking while in drive(D), after which the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 40 MPH. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and turned off the vehicle however, the failed to restart. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not yet to diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

Hard shifting when stopping or driving at speeds under 30 mph

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated the gear shift was in reverse however the vehicle went forward independently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

every time I drive my Crystler , the transmission slams while pulling hills or even on a straight stretch the transmission you can feel it almost wind up and then slam into position and it's getting more consistent as I own the vehicle.

Shifter assembly. Turned on Pacifica engine. The battery was also reading 14.2 and normally it's at 13. The steering wheel button light was on, and it turned on by itself. The shifter assembly light was off and wouldn't allow to go into gear. The check engine light turned on and the service shifter was on the screen. When I pushed the button to turn off the steering wheel button the engine started to vigorously rattle and the rpms were jumping all around. Towed it to dealership and they said the shifter assembly is failing but hasn't completely failed. This issue has happened 3 times.

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while accelerating from a stop sign the vehicle downshifted and idled abnormally high. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with a second gear ratio failure, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

Cylinder head damage at 101,000 miles. Valve guides and seals degraded to where it misfires. Problem confirmed via code scanner and leak-down test with a local mechanic.

Multiple events (over 5) have occured from December 2023 thru March 2024 involving the transmission clunk/jerk/bang with near total loss of speed when accelerating from a stop or low speed. Also several events with loss of acceleration (no reponse from the gas pedel). This happened with me turning left at a light and trying to clear an intersection. Van is available for inspection. Safety was put at risk by van stopping in moving traffic, and with being nearly rear ended several times. Also nearly being hit head on by not being able to complete the left hand turn thru the interesction timely. Vehicle has not been inspected by any dealer or law enforcement. There have never been any warning light given during these events. Dealer said by phone that without warning lights they would have nothing to trace the problem with. I have listed only the last event time below in Additional Details.

Engine loose power because coolant is entering the cylinders due to a defective head gasket. Failed at 110,000 miles . Need engine replacement $6000 for a used engine

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted and lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who advised the contact that the failure was known to the manufacturer and that an update was required for the transmission control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provide no assistance. The failure mileage was 181,000.

It got a check engine light for a cylinder 3 miss fire. It has been found to be caused by a faulty head and gasket by Jamie’s Auto Service in Noblesville IN. This issue is also on many forums with tons of people suffering from this.

Lost transmission momentarily when accelerating. Engine reved, but no response.from transmission. Then transmission re-engaged with a jerk strong enough to set me back in my seat. This has happened numerous times but there is no pattern as to when it will happen. The dealership says they can't duplicate the complaint so I'm stuck with a problem that will one day leave me stranded on the side of the road. Transmission issues have plagued the 2017 -2023 Pacificas yet no action from Chrysler.

Diagnosed by certified dealership as having a warped cylinder head causing coolant to leak into the combustion chamber. Occurred at about 73,000 miles. Based on research I've done, this seems to be very common, yet Chrysler has neglected to do anything about it. It the problem seems to occur just after the standard warranty expires, leaving customers on the hook. It puts safety at risk because it burns coolant and releases that exhaust into the air and ruins engines.

When moving forward after being parked, the jerks and bangs into second gear. It feels as if the car has been hit. This happens pulling away from stop lights, leaving parking lots and pulling out of my driveway.

Transmission has been problematic for the past two years. We have had it checked twice but nothing can be found during the inspection. It shifts very roughly by jolting you forward when you are accelerating from a slow speed or at times when you are coasting as well with no foot on gas or break. You feel jolted as if you were rear ended by another vehicle. I was driving with my family, to include 3 young kids, on interstate I95 on 8/19/23 when the vehicle suddenly jolted 3 times and then the check engine light came on. I was not able to pull over right away, and when I tried to press the gas the engine revved high but the vehicle barely moved. After putting my hazard lights on I was eventually able to pull over and turn the engine off. After a few minutes I restarted the car, the check engine light was on. I got off the next exit and had a mechanic take a look and the P0732 code “Gear 2 Incorrect Ratio.” showed. The interstate is highly traveled and we were in very real danger. I was scared for my family's life, as well as those around us because we had NO CONTROL over how the vehicle was behaving and could not accelerate to a proper highway speed. The vehicle has now been towed to a local transmission shop. Other Pacifica's have been recalled with this error code, there is even a TSB # 21-008-21 from Mopar regarding this exact issue dated 3/12/21. Their lack of action put my family's lives at risk as we could have been hit by a tractor trailer on the 70 mph highway due to this transmission failure. I would like Chrysler to fix this!

The head gasket failed and coolant leaked into the cylinder. Safety wasn't necessarily put at risk because the check engine light came on before anything happened. Vehicle has been inspected and confirmed failed by independent service center.