Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Several separate times when I have been braking then let up off the brakes, my car accelerated on its own, without me pushing the accelerator. It’s like the car hops or jumps. Very scary as I’m trying to slow down.
TWO WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE, IT STARTED HAVING NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL ISSUES. FINALLY ON A FRIDAY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CALLED TH DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID TO BRING IT IN THE NEXT WEEK. WENT TO WORK. (BATTERY HAS BEEN FULLY CHARGED) CAME OUT OF WORK AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THEN IT STARTED GOING CRAZY. WIPERS GOING. LIGHTS FLASHING. DOES WOULDN'T OPEN. ALL WITHOUT CAR BEING TURNED ON. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY GAVE ME A LOANER AND TOWED THE CAR TO THEIR LOT. THE NEXT MORNING I RECEIVED A CALL THAT THE VEHICLE HAD ROLLED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE OVERNIGHT AND CRASHED. ON ITS OWN. WITH NO KEYS IN IT DEALERAHIP IS LEWIS CHRYSLER IN FAYETTEVILLE AR AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM THEIR SECURITY CAMERAS. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO RETRACT MY CONTRACT FOR PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE AND BUY ANOTHER ONE. AND LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. THESE VEHICLES ARE NOT SAFE AND NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED. A WEEK BEFORE THIS HAPPENED, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A BUSY STREET GOING 45MPH AND THE CAR SHUT OFF. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO A PARKING LOT AND RESTART IT BUT IT COULD'VE BEEN MUCH WORSE. IF YOU GO ON PACIFICAFORUMS.COM THERE ARE SO MANY STORIES OF SIMILAR ISSUES. SOME MUCH SCARIER.
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 70 GOING HOME AFTER WORK THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ALL ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. I STILL HAD POWER, BUT THE DASH TOLD ME TO PRESS THE BREAK TO START THE CAR. I MANAGED TO COAST OFF THE BRIDGE I WAS ON THANKFULLY AND PULLED OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WAS STUCK IN PARK. I TRIED TURNING IT OFF BUT IT WOULD ONLY SHUT OFF FOR 2 SECONDS AND IMMEDIATELY TURN BACK ON WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS IMMOBILIZED IN PARK AND WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON THE WHOLE TIME. I HAD TO CALL A TOW TO GET HOME. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER WAS ABLE TURN THE CAR OFF AND THE CAR WAS DRIVABLE AGAIN BUT THE ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON. THE VEHICLE IS A 2018 WITH 5609 MILES ON IT AND HAVE ONLY OWNED IT FOR 3 MONTHS.
THIS MORNING MY 2018 HYBRID LIMITED WAS DEAD. I PURCHASED IT NEW THREE WEEKS AGO. IT HAD BEEN PLUGGED IN OVERNIGHT USING THE 110 CHARGER THAT CAME WITH THE VAN. IT WOULD NOT START, AND BRIEFLY FLASHED SOME KIND OF SERVICE NEEDED WARNING ON THE SCREEN. THEN THE SCREEN TURNED OFF AND THE VEHICLE REPEATEDLY MADE A CLICKING SOUND. THE VAN WAS COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE. I NOTICED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE EVER SO SLOWLY IN MOTION BACK AND FORTH. I CHECKED THE SWITCH BUT THE WIPER WAS SET TO THE 'OFF' POSITION. NONE OF THE WIPER CONTROLS WOULD CHANGE THE SETTING. THE DEALERSHIP SET ME UP WITH A NUMBER FOR CHRYSLER TOW. I WAS ON THE PHONE ABOUT 20FT AWAY WHEN SUDDENLY THE VAN STARTED ROLLING BACKWARD DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND INTO THE STREET! I RAN OVER AND CHECKED IT AND STILL EVERYTHING WAS UNRESPONSIVE, THE WIPERS NO LONGER MOVING HOWEVER THE PARKING BRAKE BUTTON, AND SHIFTER BUTTONS, AND OVERHEAD LIGHTS WERE FLASHING. WE HAD THE VAN TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THE BATTERY WAS BAD AND REPLACED IT. BELOW IS A POST ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE WITH MORE INFORMATION AND VIDEOS: HTTPS://WWW.PACIFICAFORUMS.COM/FORUM/433-2017-CHRYSLER-PACIFICA-PHEV-HYBRID-GENERAL-DISCUSSION/41697-BATTERY-DIES-PACIFICA-HYBRID-ROLLS-OUT-DRIVEWAY-INTO-STREET.HTML ALSO HERE IS VIDEO TAKEN IMMEDIATELY AFTER IT ROLLED. NOTE THE INTERIOR LIGHTS ACTIVELY FLASHING INCLUDING THE PARKING BRAKE INDICATOR AS WELL AS THE DIGITAL SHIFTER KNOB LIGHTS. HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/6_LY7BLNJNS HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/JFCP0IDBFQI ALSO, AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE I FOUND SOMEONE ELSE WHO ALSO HAD THE BRAKES DISENGAGE WITH 12V BATTERY ISSUE.. HER EXPERIENCE CAN BE FOUND HERE (SEE POST #3): HTTPS://WWW.PACIFICAFORUMS.COM/FORUM/433-2017-CHRYSLER-PACIFICA-PHEV-HYBRID-GENERAL-DISCUSSION/40261-BRAND-NEW-HYBRID-COMPLETELY-DIED.HTML CHRYSLER NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS ISSUE!
BRAKES ARE MUSHY, AND DO NOT RESPOND WELL. VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND TO NORMAL BRAKING IN AN ATTEMPT TO STOP, EVEN WITH BRAKES PRESSED TO THE FLOOR, HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF OUR VAN. VEHICLE DIED WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE 30 MPH.
BRAND NEW, 5 DAY OLD HYBRID PACIFICA WITH 250 MILES STALLED OUT WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO COMPLETE A 3 POINT TURN ON A TWO LANE ROAD. PRIOR TO STALL BRAKES WERE 'MUSHY' AND NOT AS REAPONSIVE, HOWEVER DURING THE TURN BREAKS FAILED COMPLETELY, AND POWER STEERING WENT OUT. FORCED TO SLAM ON BREAKS WHILE FORCING STEERING WHEEL TO COMPLETE TURN. INITIALLY THOUGHT EMERGENCY BREAKING ENGAGED TO STOP CAR THAT WAS NOW HEADED TOWARDS A CURB AND PEDESTRIANS BUT MORE LIKELY HIT THE CURB CAUSING THE CAR TO STOP HARD. CAR REMAINED PURPENDICULAR TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC FOR APPROXIMATELY 2-4 MINUTES WHILE I TRIED TO RESTART ENGINE. 7-8 CARS BEGAN TO BACK UP ON EACH SIDE OF CAR CONTINUING TO CAUSE A INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY ISSUE UNTIL 'MUSHY BREAKS' ABOUT 1 BLOCK PRIOR TO 3 POINT TURN AND STALLING. INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS! PURCHASED THIS CAR BASED ON SAFETY RATINGS AND HYBRID FEATURE WITH HOPES OF DRIVING IT FOR A MINIMUM OF 5 YEARS. COMPLETELY TERRIFIED TO PUT MY FAMILY BACK IN THE CAR AS THEY COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED DUE ONLY TO CAR MALFUNCTION, AS COULD HAVE THOSE THAT WERE IN THE PATH OF UNRESPONSIVE CAR. UNDER THE CALIFORNIA LEMON LAW I AM EXPECTED TO PUT MY FAMILY BACK INTO A CAR THAT IS DANGEROUS ONLY TO PROVE THAT IT ONCE AGAIN PUT MY FAMILY IN A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. THIS IS WHY PEOPLE TAKE THESE DANGEROUS CARS TO CAR MAX OR SELL THEM PRIVATELY, WITHOUT FULL DISCLOSURE, SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO PUT THEIR LOVED ONES AT RISK WITHOUT COMPLETELY LOSING $50,000. DANGEROUS CAR! DANGEROUS LAW!
WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 70MPH ON THE FREEWAY. A "THUNK" SOUND OCCURRED AND THE CAR BEGAN DECELERATING RAPIDLY DESPITE PRESSING DOWN ON THE GAS PEDAL. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO DECELERATE. CABIN FILLED WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE. CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE AT ALL. TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN ON TO GET IT THE FINAL 100 FEET TO A GAS STATION. PARKED AND THE CAR SMELLED LIKE SMOKE/BURNING IN THE CABIN AND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE UNTIL A TOW TRUCK ARRIVED. WHEN TOW TRUCK ARRIVED, TURNED VEHICLE ON TO TURN OFF ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE; ALL ELECTRONICS IN THE VEHICLE WERE ACTING UP AND COULD NOT TURN OFF PARKING BRAKE FOR A GOOD 15 MINUTES. FINALLY GOT IT OFF AND TOWED TO THE CLOSEST DEALER. *DT *TR
THE CHRYSLER PACIFICA HYBRID HAS 2 PWM SIGNALS GOING FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE ABS MODULE USED FOR BRAKING. EACH OF THESE CARRIES A PWM SIGNAL. THE REASON THERE ARE 2 IS MOST LIKELY FOR REDUNDANCY. HOWEVER I NOTICED THAT IF ONE SIGNAL GOES BAD, THE BRAKE'S ASSIST FAULTS AND YOU ALMOST LOSE BRAKES COMPLETELY. IT MEANS THERE IS NO REDUNDANCY ON THE BRAKE SIGNAL AS WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED. OVER TIME, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL'S PWM SIGNAL GENERATOR GOES BAD, YOU SUDDENLY LOSE BRAKING CAPABILITY. THIS CAN BE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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