2018 Chrysler Pacifica Power Train

Chrysler Pacifica 2018 about 56000 miles. Transmission seal is leaking that’s manufacturing defect. Chrysler is denying the warranty as this vehicle in not in recall for repair. Please advice Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Head Gasket Blew at 102,000 Miles which caused windows to fog up on freeway.

This letter concerns repeated and life-threatening failures involving the transmission system in my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (CA License Plate: 8CEF638, VIN: 2C4RC1N79JR172609), covered under your lifetime transmission warranty for this model. Following two confirmed incidents resulting in unexpected engine shutdowns and critical transmission faults, I am formally demanding a full replacement of the faulty transmission assembly as required under California lemon laws and the issued lifetime warranty extension. Summary of Incidents & Reference to NHTSA Action NHTSA Action Number: RQ24004 pertains specifically to transmission wiring defects, resulting in short circuits and loss of motive power. The recall remedy under Campaign Number 23V-010 has proven inadequate for many 2017–2023 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles. NHTSA’s current recall query documents continued transmission failures after owner reports and software updates. Case Number: XXX was opened with Chrysler in response to my experiences, and reflects ongoing safety risks with this transmission. Incident 1 Date/Location: Sunday, September 1, 2025, 5:00 PM — Southbound I-5 near Downey, CA. Description: Sudden vehicle shutoff at highway speeds. Immediate hazard required emergency calls and intervention. Exhibit 1: Call log to Chrysler Downey at 5:07 PM included. Incident 2 Date/Location: Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 2:20 PM — Northbound I-5, Via De Lavalle exit off-ramp. Description: Dashboard warning ("Stop Safely, Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon") and loss of motive power. Towing, police, and emergency assistance required. Exhibit 2: Image of dashboard warning. Exhibit 3: Phone log of AAA towing, Delmar Police, and Sheriff calls, confirming duration and response. Warranty Information As a California owner of a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, your published material and user communications confirm a lifetime warranty for the transmission on this specific model, following NHSTA RQ24004

When beginning to move from a stop, the transmission occasionally does not engage for a few seconds and allows the vehicle to drift unexpectedly before it slips in gear and moves. Also, occasionally when shifting gears once moving, the transmission “pops” into gear, which feels as if I have been rear-ended. This has been happening for a few years and has been at the dealership 5 or so times with no resolution.

While attempting to accelerate experiencing a loss of power, an/or hard shifting. Pulling out from parking lot or street from a stop, there is a delay in getting the car to move. Moves slowly but then gradually builds up. Also at times there appears to be shifting issue, when attempting to accelerate the vehicle will do a hard jolt forward. In reviewing online this jolting is a common theme with the pacific but yet there has been no further action taken by Chrysler. Told my two different mechanics that Pacifica's are known to have issues with their transmissions and that I should not expect any type of recall for this due to the potential cost.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission shifted into gear very hard. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions, after the vehicle was stopped, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed with an abnormal clunking sound while the transmission shifted from 1st to 2nd gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on one occasion while stopped at a red light, the transmission failed to shift into 2nd gear from the 1st gear. The vehicle was pushed over to the side of the road for approximately 20 minutes. The contact then pressed the PUSH to START button twice, held the accelerator pedal for 10 seconds, turned the vehicle off for two minutes, and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an Auto Parts store where a handheld diagnostic tool retrieved DTC: P0732. The contact stated that the code was cleared. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

The car shifts really hard going into 2nd gear, it feels like I've been rear-ended. It is awful. Also sometimes it loses power then accelerates on its own. Both issues are safety issues. this happens several times a weeks for the last 3 years.

I left work one day and I stopped at Walmart once I was done there, I got into my car to leave when I attempted to start my car all of the dash board lights illuminated although my car turned over it would not engage into gear. I did notice that all the dashboard lights illuminated simultaneously, which was quite alarming. This happened not once, but twice both times when I went to start the car however the second time I immediately drove it to the dealer for service. This left me concerned about what might be causing the issue. Only for the dealer to tell me it is my transmission and it would cost me $10,000.00 to fix it as a blue collar worker I have absolutely know idea what I am going to do. I then began to research the car only to find out that this year, make & model has a recall on the transmission describing the exact symptoms I am having. Please help!!!!!! my lively hood depends on me being able to get to work!

At low speed 12-18 mph the transmission hard shifts. It slams so hard that you feel like someone rearended you.

While driving on the highway at 70 mph with children in the car, my screen system shut off quickly and then rebooted. Was concerned something worse could happen. Randomly, my car will start fine and will drive to my location, when leaving and trying to start my push/start button it will not start. I attempt many times to start the vehicle until the battery has no power. It doesn't take much to jump the battery. I've been stranded at grocery stores, work, or other places with my children. I was driving and stopped at a stop light, and my car shut off with no noticed. Had to get jumped at an intersection. When driving my car will stall when accelerating and continue driving Both batteries have recently been changed out. I believe when reading about this its the powertrain control module. This has not been confirmed by the dealership, no engine light is on, the van drives great but I am afraid that it will not start after I've turned it off or will lock up and shut off when I am driving with my children in the vehicle. The no starts were farther in between with issues but has recently become more frequent. There are no prior issues to the vehicle. My safety and my children's safety is put at risk , hot weather when car won't start having to wait, stopping at an intersection and the van shuts off with my kids in the car , driving on highway and electronics on vehicle shuts off, possibility of losing control of vehicle. Last occurance was at a grocery store tried to turn on vehicle and it wouldn't start. Acted like it wanted too but couldn't turn over. 7/14/24 7/7/24 Driving on the highway incident at 70 mph and computer system went out. Issues have been happening for about a year now , just lately has been progressing.

2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, 49,250 miles. Vehicle has had transmission replaced once under warranty a couple of years ago. Last week, dashboard lights lit up and message read "“Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon." I pulled off the road, shut it off, waited a few minutes, started it up and drove home. We were in-town going in-town speeds, so safety risk was minimal. Earlier that same day the day the HVAC fan was intermittently going higher and lower, like it couldn't decide if it should be at 5 or 2 (out of the 7 fan speeds). I don't know if that is related in any way. I made an appointment at the dealership several days later (driving it the whole time but only in town). They say it needs another transmission and have ordered one. Repair will be free.

My car jerks really hard when driving mostly at around 14 to 16 mph when it shifts into 2nd gear. It feels like I have been rear ended. Also occasionally it happens shifting into 3rd gear, but mostly into 2nd. Once in a while it loses power altogether and other times it accelerates on its own. I have had this to the dealer 3 times and they did a diagnostics on it but can't find anything wrong. This is not normal for the transmission to do this. When it loses power I'm afraid of somebody hitting me and when it speeds up on its own, I afraid I will hit somebody.

I am experiencing premature transmission failure. It is available for inspection upon request. The safety of myself and my 3 small children have been put at risk because of the likely potential of transmission failure during our frequent trips on the interstate, that could lead to a deadly accident. This problem as been confirmed by an independent licensed automotive mechanic. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by any other entity, but is available for inspection. The symptoms of the problem started around March of this year, as a sweet burning smell, that lead to a smell of burning rubber. The Chrysler dealership I brought it to would not check the transmission fluid itself due to the "forever system" design of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica, that does not allow for easy access to the transmission fluid, rather is designed to tell you if it is full or not. So the issue was missed during inspection, and was labeled as being in good condition. After I noticed the vehicle beginning to skip between 1st and 2nd gear recently (end of June), I brought it for inspection to an independent mechanic who was able to inspect the fluid which was extremely burned, as well has hook the vehicle up to their reader machine and access that it was in fact in the process of transmission failure. The transmission has not yet completely failed, because I have stopped driving the vehicle for fear of the safety of my children.

Sometimes when I am accelerating it feels like I am being rear-ended. The whole vehicle jumps as if it is being pushed. I have tried to reset the Transmission by watching YouTube videos that show the same problem. But it has not fixed it. It also happens when I am driving. I am worried that it may not shift gears at all. I use it for all my long distance trips and do not want to break down on Interstate 95 in the dark. I have had it back to Auto Lenders in EHT, NJ multiple times from 2019- 2021. I gave up bringing it back because it never got fixed. Now it is happening almost every week.

On [XXX] I brought my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica to Matt Bowers for some warranty work and to check a front end creaking noise that was most prominent and unstable feeling while in reverse with the wheel turned. They performed the warranty work and notified me that the noise I was hearing was from the cv axles and that they didn't need to be replaced immediately but would need replacement if they got worse and noted that it was very low mileage for this issue. (Around 40,000 miles) The noise continued but has gotten worse lately and has felt much more unsettling in reverse so I brought it to a local mechanic to confirm it was in fact the cv axles. He confirmed the axles need to be replaced and also told me he thought there was a recall relating to cv axles on the Pacifica. I looked it up and found Safety Recall U80 / NHTSA 18V-493 front halfshaft which covers Chrysler Pacificas manufactured between 2/22/2018 to 6/11/2018 with MDH of [XXX] My Pacifica's manufacture date is June of 2018 and has a MDH of [XXX] which falls within the scope of the recall. I called the FCA recall center on [XXX] at 1-800-853-1403 and was told I wasn't covered under the recall. I have no service lights on but have cv axles that are severely prematurely worn on my vehicle which only has about 60,000 miles affecting the overall safety and performance. My vehicle falls under the listed recall and Chrysler has failed to make this issue right. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The transmission gives out and loses power to the wheels. This is very unsafe!! Was taking a left turn and lost all power and was almost hit. This happens all the time but the other day was almost my last……

When driving slow or even coasting, between 5 to 20 MPH, the transmission SLAMS, KICKS, CLUNKS with speed up little bet . You don't even have to have your foot on the gas, it just does it. It's also happened when accelerating from a low speed, like from 10 Mph to 30 mph. And happen at the freeway when leaving the gas to lower the speed will kicks and Speed ​​up a little and one time in Crossroads my foot over the break the engine was off then i released my foot the engine start I couldn't take left because the light came red so i put it on reverse didn't move then forward same the transmission doesn't respond then i put it on parking and wait then put it reverse and moved that's i was blocking one line of my left to right side.(( Its look like with all Incident the transmission shut off and on or shift it self to N then return back D ))

Bought my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica used on December 8, 2022, with 70,649 miles on it. I have had issues with a hard shift in my power train. It doesn't do it when transmission is cold and it doesn't do it all the time. My engine light comes on, but it doesn't show any codes for the hard knock. It has been to 2 different dealers including Chrysler on several occasions without the issue being resolved.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on an incline, the vehicle briefly lost motive before jerking forward and then returning to normal functionality. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 42,000.

The check engine light came on after 2 weeks of owning the car. It threw a Code P0303. We replaced the coils on 1-3-5 and spark plugs on all cylinders and the check engine light came back on after 1 week. It finally would not start. Our mechanic has removed the head and gasket and discovered the cylinder 3 was full of water and water and oil in the oil pan creating a gooey sludge. This is apparently an ongoing problem with this engine to the point that gaskets to replace the head gasket are very hard to find.

Engine Misfire was reported and did all the normal maintenance to correct from a certified mechanic. Misfire was still happening so I took it to a dealership and they couldn't find the issue. They wanted 2400 just to break the engine down to find the issue. A local mechanic did a coolant test and read the engine code to see that it was a coolant leak in the oil. Blown head gasket is the culprit. He suggest while you have it apart you should actually do both sides.

Loss of power, multiple times, most serious @ 70mph freeway, baby on board, 500 miles away from home. No tow, no rental, no way to get home. Previously reported to dealerships, won’t fix issue, quotes for $7k of service, issue still persist.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started jerking. The contact stated that the air bags warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle to a second local dealer, Miami Lakes Chrysler (16600 NW 57th Ave, Miami Lakes, FL 33014: (305) 820-3814) where it was diagnosed with needing the radiator to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to Miami Lakes Chrysler and made them aware of the failure. The dealer serviced the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System). The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle hesitated to respond and then surged forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving however, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times where an unknown computer software was updated; however, the failure reoccurred intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated that while his wife was coming to a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact’s wife noticed that the gear shifter had moved from drive(D) position into park(P) inadvertently. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.