2020 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in-Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the "Turtle Symbol” was displayed with the message "Vehicle Will Shut off Soon - Pull Over" displayed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure again. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving at various speeds and was a recurring failure. The manufacturer was contact and referred the contact to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was 57,016.

NHTSA ID

11662828

Incident

Mar 13, 2024

Mileage

57,016 mi

A coolant leak in the engine led to contamination, misfiring spark plugs. Check engine light came on while driving, and very soon thereafter (~3 minutes) car began sputtering while accelerating and shaking while idle. Acceleration seemed particularly unreliable and dangerous, leading driver to immediately exit the highway and continue straight to dealership on back roads. Dealer found that coolant had leaked into the engine, causing the need to replace right side cylinder head, gasket and spark plug.

NHTSA ID

11615566

Incident

Aug 22, 2024

After driving a few minutes gas engine died and received "Stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" on cluster as well as a turtle icon.

NHTSA ID

11613154

Incident

Sep 6, 2024

I was driving in a remote region of Washington in high heat (101 F) outside of Pasco, when my car alerted me that it was going to turn off and I needed to pull the car over and stop before it shut off. I had to rapidly decelerate and dodge other vehicles to make it to the shoulder of the highway. When I pulled over and shut it off, it reported that the charging system was broken and needed to be repaired. Once off, the car would not start back up. I called for a tow through my State Farm insurance but had trouble getting a vehicle to my location. After an hour of being stranded on the highway in high heat with small children, the car finally turned back on, with the check engine light on. I took it to the Chrysler service station in Walla Walla. They said that the car showed no errors and that it was safe to drive. The check engine light turned back off. I researched this and it’s related to recall 03A, which I am now having performed. The problem is that the fix they are doing for 03A does not fix the underlying problem — it just changed the text of the error message and adds potentially a few more seconds before the car turns off and I lose control of the vehicle. I don’t understand why this “fix” was accepted if the car is still unsafe to drive. I would expect Chrysler to have to replace the faulty components in the transmission. I often have to drive in remote, unpopulated areas in bad weather, icy conditions, etc. Even with the “fix”, the car will not be safe to drive in such conditions. What if my car turns off when I’m on a mountain pass on an icy road? If I survive the crash, I’ll still be stuck on the side of the road in freezing conditions. I am extremely disappointed that the NHTSA approved this “recall fix” that leaves these vehicles unsafe to drive. Because of the problems with this car, I can’t get very much for it in trade-in, and honestly it would be unethical to sell it to an unsuspecting family. Now I’m stuck with an expensive, unsafe vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11607722

Incident

Aug 3, 2024

We were traveling 70 mph down a steep incline and suddenly the vehicle, a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, displayed the warning "Pull Over - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" and immediately the vehicle lost all motive power. I was able to pull over to the side of the road safely. This is the second time this has occurred. The first time a Chrysler dealership did not fix the problem. The code pulled was P0A43 related to the 03A recall.

NHTSA ID

11603650

Incident

Jul 21, 2024

Got the stop safely Vehicle will shut off soon warning. My wife was upset and not sure what to do. Was able to start again but now we don't trust the van

NHTSA ID

11596232

Incident

Jun 24, 2024

Check engine light came on first in 12/2021 because of a failed coolant heater. Dealer repaired under warranty in 8/2022. Loud/rough idle started 2/23 dealer could not determine what was causing the sound. Started noticing empty coolant bottle once a month. 11/23 check engine light came back on indicating coolant heater failed again. Still noticing vehicle losing coolant. Vehicle begins rough idle again and misfiring code in #3 cylinder. Dealer requires diagnostics to determine reason for coolant heater failure since they replaced in 8/22. soonest appointment avail for diagnostic is [XXX] Misfire continues. On [XXX] goes in “limp mode” take it immediately to the dealer, service advisor clears codes sends me on my way. Take vehicle to scheduled diagnostic on [XXX] and they determine the cause of the rough idle is the valve cover seal leaked oil into spark plug tubes and coils were soaked in oil. Warranty has expired and the dealer cost is $2700. I take to my local mechanic on [XXX] and he replaced all recommendations for $1800. He recommends that coolant is being lost due to head casket issues, cracked block. I have read dozens of the same experiences with these vehicles on Pacifica forums and believe that there is a huge safety issue as they are advertised for families and can carry 6+ passengers and the cost for repairs is in the $6000-$15000 range and are occurring when the vehicle warranty has expired. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Bend, Oregon INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11560773

Incident

Dec 7, 2023

The car has lost power while driving multiple times. It was in the shop for many months more than once regarding the issue. An error came on the screen saying “vehicle speed may be reduced” then it stopped. The most recent time. After the recall fix. I got a second warning telling me to pull over because the car was going to stop. I barely made it off the highway into a parking lot. The time before that I was off the side of the road on a frontage road because the car could not make it to a parking lot.

NHTSA ID

11535888

Incident

Jun 2, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated and slowed down with a message to “Pull Over Safely – Engine Will Shut down” displayed. The contact pulled over and the vehicle shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that software update needed to be performed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 58,000.

NHTSA ID

11533103

Incident

Jul 9, 2023

Mileage

58,000 mi

My family was driving down the highway and an error message came on the dashboard telling us to " stop safely. Vehicle will shut off soon". The vehicle lost acceleration power making it dangerous to change lanes. We made it to the shoulder and turned off the car. We called our service station since they had just done a recall update regarding these types of error messages. We were able to start the car again with only the engine service light on. We assumed there was some type of issue as we transferred from battery to gas since it's a hybrid. We had just drained the battery when this error message had appeared. However, this happened again less than an hour later into our trip but and our battery had gained some power due to hills. We again pull to the shoulder. We're able to turn off the car. Let rest for 1 minute restart and then it was drivable. In total this happened six times on this long distance trip. Never before have we had this issue. The car has 24,000 mi on it. Our safety was put at risk because we had to pull onto the shoulder on busy highways and restart the car. We've scheduled a service appointment at the first available time with the local dealership. We are currently out of town on vacation and cannot take it to the dealership that did the recall.

NHTSA ID

11528673

Incident

Jun 23, 2023

The vehicle stopped in February 2023 due to a power inverter problem (it’s subject to an NHSTA safety recall). We were driving to Florida from Philadelphia when a “red turtle” warning light came on. We were able (luckily) to get off the highway before the vehicle stopped with all electrically systems impacted (the car wouldn’t even turn off). We managed to pull into a parking lot then had the vehicle towed to the nearest dealer. Since then we have been trying to get the car repaired to no avail.

NHTSA ID

11524651

Incident

Feb 24, 2023

Car stalled (engine stopped working) while driving on highway.

NHTSA ID

11518805

Incident

Apr 24, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11511881

Incident

Jan 25, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an Auto Parts store for a diagnostic test. The employee retrieved DTC: P0A43-00 (Drive motor ‘A’ position sensor circuit intermittent). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and update 22-100 was performed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to Nyle Maxwell Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Austin (13401 Highway, Ranch Rd 620 N, Austin, TX 78717) where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the vehicle experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System) however, the contact stated that the part to do the recall repair was not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,813.

NHTSA ID

11510614

Incident

Sep 20, 2022

Mileage

24,813 mi

I was driving the car around 70 mph on a highway with charged batteries and a 3/4 full tank of gas when the engine shut off a red dot appeared under the check engine light and a message appeared saying charging system fault, shift to park. Before this the van had been in the shop multiple times for a periodic check engine light that have a "cam shaft position sensor fault"message but the dealership was unable to locate the issue.

NHTSA ID

11496312

Incident

Dec 3, 2022

I was returning home from a road trip and with five miles left the accelerator stopped working and the check engine light came on with the service electrical system message. I was able to safely coast to the side of the road. It started working again but it stopped working 5 more times and barely made it to my driveway. It’s been in the shop since 7/6 and now they say a new hybrid transmission will be in on 8/3. This is the worst situation that I have ever had with any vehicle!

NHTSA ID

11488979

Incident

Jul 5, 2022

Vehicle completely lost all electrical and drivability components while driving. Car could not be restarted or shifted into gear to get out of lane. Gave multiple warning lights. Vehicle was towed to dealership and was assessed a few days later.

NHTSA ID

11487496

Incident

Sep 20, 2022

The vehicle, shortly after starting, says service charging system and loses power completely. Power steering goes out along with any brake assist and no gas pedal power. I’ve almost hit several cars while trying to regain control of the vehicle. When I finally get it to stop, the work around I’ve found is to power off the car for a few minutes, power it back on, then it’ll work. But this happens about once a week. The dealer attempted a repair once but issue persists. We’re taking it back in. But based on online forums, this is a dangerous and widespread problem with the Pacifica Hybrid. Please investigate! I have kids. Thanks!

NHTSA ID

11480330

Incident

Aug 19, 2022

While driving down the highway at about 65MPH on battery, the car suddenly lost power when the battery reached <1% instead of immediately switching to gasoline powered mode. The car continued to slow down until it was stopped and gave an error saying to service the charging system. I was then able to turn the car off and restart it, from that point it continues in gasoline mode. This was a dangerous situation to loose power unexpectedly on a busy highway. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer.

NHTSA ID

11472386

Incident

Jul 5, 2022

On two instances when traveling on the expressway, the car lost acceleration entirely and the dashboard provided an error message "service charging system". The car slowly decelerated and had to be pulled over to the side of the road, across several lanes of traffic, creating an extremely dangerous situation. Once the car was turned off and turned back on, it appeared to work normally. This happened once on March 1 and once on March 6.

NHTSA ID

11455499

Incident

Mar 6, 2022

Vehicle shut off engine and directed driver to shift to park while driving at full speed on interstate highway. After coasting to emergency lane and shifting to park the vehicle restarted. The vehicle is currently at the dealership.

NHTSA ID

11425240

Incident

Jul 15, 2021

THE VEHICLE IS AN ELECTRIC AND GAS HYBRID VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE GOES COMPLETELY DEAD. THERE IS NO POWER TO ACCELERATE, NO POWER STEERING, REDUCED BRAKING. THIS HAPPENED IN JUNE OF 2020 AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP HAD THE VEHICLE FOR APPROX. 3 WEEKS TO REPAIR AND A NEW ELECTRICAL INVERTER WAS INSTALLED. A SIMILAR EVENT HAPPENED ON 04-13-2021, HOWEVER THIS TIME ONCE THE VEHICLE WENT DEAD AND THE VEHICLE COASTED TO A STOP, AFTER TRYING TO TURN THE VEHICLE BACK ON IT WAS AGAIN UNDER POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE CAUTIOUSLY DRIVEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AT THE TIME OF WRITING THIS IT IS BEING SERVICES FOR THIS ISSUE. IN BOTH THE JUNE 2020 AND CURRENT SITUATION, THERE WAS AN ERROR CODE STATING "SERVICE CHARGING SYSTEM". IN BOTH CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS HAS OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH SIGNIFICANT URBAN TRAFFIC. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE THIS LAST TIME WITH OUR CHILD IN THE VEHICLE. WHEN THIS HAPPENED SHE WAS ON A ONE LANE EXPRESS LANE WHERE PEOPLE TRAVEL AT THE HIGHEST HIGHWAY SPEEDS. SHE WAS SO CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE SHE CONSIDERED HAVING BOTH OF THEM DEPART THE VEHICLE AND CROSS MULTIPLE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO GET TO SAFETY. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE VEHICLE AND FOR CARS AROUND THE STALLED VEHICLE. THANKFULLY THEY DID NOT GET STRUCK.

NHTSA ID

11408305

Incident

Apr 13, 2021

Mileage

11,000 mi