Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 277 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.
The 25 most recent of 277, in the owner's own words
Steering sticks during a gradual turn. It will catch up but then causes over correction. This has happened multiple times and based on my research, this is a model-wide problem. See campaign PE25009 for more details.
Our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited has been having a sticky steering issue for the last several months. I really noticed it this summer when traveling through the mountains in [XXX]. The steering would stick when going around corners and I have to jerk it back to turn out of the corner. This happened multiple times on the trip. This is a very unsafe situation, especially in the mountains. My wife has been saying it has been getting more noticeable in her daily commute now. No warning lights or codes have been triggered. We have not taken the vehicle to the dealer at this point. From what I have read, this seems to be a common issue with these vans and is currently under investigation. This is to report another van with that problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The steering will intermittently stick while driving at highway speed approximately 50 miles per hour while turning slightly left or right. I am concerned the sticking of the steering could cause over steer resulting in left of center potentially causing a crash. The problem has not been diagnosed by a mechanic yet but will be checked out soon. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. No warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to steering sticking. Symptoms started approximately late July 2026
I have a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica that I recently purchased a couple months ago. I've noticed now that while I'm driving and steering in a slight curve or turn the steering wheel almost gets stuck and locked up and I have to use extra force to correct it. There isn't any recalls on this yet but I have researched it and it's apparently a known problem with these minivans.
noticeable "sticking" or binding feel during gradual turns-often near the 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock steering wheel positions-which can cause unexpected oversteer at highway speeds. Very scary feeling since you almost loss control of your vehicle at highway speed. I read many forums which they report the same issue
This is in regards to the potentially death-inducing NHTSA Campaign # PE25009. Within the past two weeks, I have experienced an intermittent and concerning steering problem with my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. When traveling approximately 20–60 MPH and making a gradual turn, particularly when the steering wheel is positioned around the 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock position, the steering appears to "stick" or bind rather than naturally returning toward center. I must apply additional force to the steering wheel to overcome the resistance and bring the vehicle back toward a straight driving path. This behavior is extremely concerning because the steering does not respond normally and unexpectedly requires additional steering force to correct the vehicle's path. When this occurs during normal highway or city driving, there is a significant risk of unintentionally applying too much steering input while attempting to overcome the binding. This could cause the vehicle to suddenly move outside its intended path, potentially resulting in a lane departure, collision with another vehicle, or loss of vehicle control. There are no warning lights or dashboard alerts associated with this behavior. This makes the issue particularly concerning because a driver may have no indication that a potentially serious steering problem is occurring until the steering resistance is encountered while the vehicle is in motion. I have not yet had the vehicle inspected by a Chrysler dealer, so I cannot identify the specific component causing the problem. However, I have since found numerous reports and discussions describing similar steering behavior involving 2017 Chrysler Pacifica vehicles. Given the potential consequences of unexpected steering resistance or binding, I believe this issue warrants investigation.
Steering is sticking at 11:00 and 1:00 positions.
Mainly driving on highways at the end of long curves the steering is sticky and it is difficult to change the steering wheel back to 12 o'clock. Unpleasant and probably unsafe driving, as overreacting could occur, if it will stick more. It is happening more and more often.
The steering wheel has begun "sticking" when driving >35 mph (estimate, not measured). It seems to stick somewhere in the 10:00/1:00 range, and can be resolved by giving a small but firm counter-tug. So far, there has been no accidents, and seems to be resolved easily but there is a small concern that perhaps it could get worse or happen at an inopportune time which could be dangerous.
The steering at times will “stick” and a bit of force has to be used to get it to release. Also, when turning slightly at low speeds (steering wheel in the 11 or 1 position at less than 20mph) the steering will “shudder” or “vibrate.” This affects the entire steering system. The entire vehicle vibrates and it feels as though you may lose control of the vehicle. This issue has been continuous since approximately 2022. In an attempt to fix the issue, we have replaced the shocks, coil springs, front axels, front hub assemblies, sway bar links, and tie rod ends. None of this fixes the issue. This seems to be similar to the complaints contained in the NHTSA Campaign Number PE25009.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and while driving 70 MPH on a toll road, the steering wheel unintendedly pulled to the right, nearly causing the vehicle to drift out of the intended lane. The contact was able to pull the steering wheel back to center after each failure, and the steering wheel was moderately difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was test-driven, but the failure could not be reproduced; however, the failure persisted. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
Steering sticks when turning at a lower speed which causes me to have to over steer in the opposite direction and have to steer back fast when it frees up so I do not swerve. This happens frequently.
Steering wheel got hard while I was driving home. Warning light came on. I pulled off of highway and got on access road to drive home. It was hard to turn steering wheel. The next day I took it to dealership and they said my van was not covered under recall but yet there is a recall on this problem. Not sure why my van is not covered thru this recall. I would like to know why if yall can respond to this.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was displayed on the instrument panel soon after the vehicle was purchased. An independent mechanic replaced the EVAP purge valve, but after the repair, the power steering assist failed, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. A mobile mechanic attempted to clear the codes, but the power steering failure persisted. The vehicle was then towed back to the independent mechanic, where a diagnostic test provided several fault codes, including electrical, ABS, brakes, traction control, rack and pinion, and the check engine warning light was displayed. The vehicle remained with the mechanic unrepaired. The dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 107,000.
Steering is sticking on curves, creating a hazardous condition. Condition comes and goes
The electric power steering intermittently sticks when the steering wheel is returned toward center after a turn. When this occurs, the wheel does not return to center on its own and requires noticeably increased effort to move. When the resistance releases, the wheel moves abruptly. Our local mechanic at Ashburn Auto Care reproduced the issue and he described it as “violently snapping back” The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This regularly occurs at over 35 mph or so on highway curves and off-ramps all and has happened approximately 20 times since I first noticed it in July of this year. It seems to occur most often when coasting to the right and then pulling back towards center. Several times, it has caused me or my wife to oversteer and requires us to quickly react in order not to hit another car or leave the road. This is a family vehicle that regularly carries children. No warning lamps or messages appeared before or during these events. There are no diagnostic trouble codes stored. The problem has been reproduced by our independent mechanic but no solutions were provided. Our next step is to visit the dealer but I wanted to document the problem here before I do.
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the steering wheel was sticking intermittently while turning, causing the steering wheel to overcorrect after being turned. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.
The car has developed an unsmooth turning sensation that I noticed at highway speeds causing over / understeering curve turning. It is gradually becoming worse over the last few months, but it is not a daily driven vehicle, maybe once a week or so.
At speeds between 20-80mph, the steering wheel sticks while turning to the right. I have to force it to come back to center after the turn. It does not do this all the time but has become more frequent lately. As yet, it does not do this while turning to the left.
I have been had intermittent loss of power steering during gradual turns and then suddenly it returns. Very dangerous situation!!
The steering is very sticky. Especially at higher speeds in curves. It is sticky most at the 11:00 and 1:00 spots on the steering wheel. It takes some strength to drive the car through mountains as it is difficult to make sure the wheel is moving correctly through the turn.
Periodically, the steering wheel will stick between the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock position. The vehicle will not track back to center/driving straight and you have to overcome the sticking of the steering wheel. This is very dangerous!
Recently, in the last 2 weeks since the writing of this post, I've noticed a sensation when doing a gradual turn anywhere between 20-60 MPH, and the steering wheel is at the 11 or 1 o clock position, the vehicle "sticks". I then have to put force on the steering wheel to get it back to center and straighten out the driving path. This puts me and other drivers on the road in danger because it's extremely easy to oversteer and swerve off the road or into another driver, injuring or killing passengers. Although I have not taken this to a dealer yet, there are numerous articles online clearly stating this is a very dangerous issue-specifically with my 2017 model year. I see no warning lights that accompany this behavior. And that makes it all the more dangerous. Without any awareness of the issue, it's a lot more probable to experience the behavior and cause an accident.
My 2017 Chrysler Pacifica (VIN [XXX], approximately 99,880 miles) intermittently loses electric power steering assist while driving. The Service Power Steering warning illuminates and steering effort increases substantially. Assist returns on its own without restarting the vehicle. Failures correlate with extended driving and heat. I scanned the electric power steering module directly. It reports DTC C2217 (electric power steering module internal) and C2210 (ECU over-temperature), both stored and currently present. Live data captured at idle in park shows 7.98 Nm of driver steering input with 0.00 Nm of assist torque and 0 amps of system current draw, confirming assist was fully inactive. Battery voltage was steady at 14.1 to 14.2 volts throughout, ruling out a supply or ground fault. The module also reports an implausible internal temperature reading while drawing no current, indicating an internal electronics fault rather than a genuine thermal event. This is a non-hybrid, front-wheel-drive vehicle. Intermittent loss of steering assist at speed presents a crash risk. I am aware of investigation PE25009 covering the EPS system on 2017-2018 Pacifica vehicles INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The vehicle exhibits an intermittent, completely silent sticking and binding sensation in the steering wheel during gradual turns at highway speeds (occurring across all speeds between 20–80 MPH). The binding defect triggers during both left and right-hand gradual turns, requiring the driver to apply sudden, manual physical force to break past a resistance "notch" point, which is followed by a sudden return of power steering assistance.The vehicle's electrical system has been thoroughly diagnosed and isolated: a brand-new auxiliary and main battery were installed, and secondary 12V accessories were completely disconnected, verifying the charging system maintains a perfect, steady 14.1 to 14.2 volts under load while the steering binding continues to occur. This rules out standard battery/alternator low-voltage failure.The vehicle was brought to a certified Chrysler dealership where a technician test-drove the minivan and explicitly witnessed, verified, and confirmed the bi-directional steering binding failure in real-time. Despite the physical failure being witnessed, the vehicle's computer is not throwing any active dashboard warning lights or standard diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). This vehicle matches the exact model year, mileage bracket, and dangerous high-speed sticking characteristics currently under active federal investigation by the ODI under NHTSA Action Number PE25009.
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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