2018 Chrysler Pacifica Steering Problems

This issues has been ongoing as the vehicle makes a loud clunking noise and the steering wheel shakes and its almost like it jumps while in a slow turn. The vehicle loses power steering while going down the rod and it's like the steering wheel gets stuck at the 11 and 2 position and you have to manually force it to come free then the power steering comes back. during low-speed turns is when you feel the vibrating and clunking. I have checked all of the steering components and the only thing i cannot physically check is the Rack and Pinion. I believe the vehicle is doing two different things as the steering comes back so that is possibly a dead spot in the pinion or the rack gears. or most likely it's a sensor issue like the sensor is being told to not sense or not reading the correct values. either way it is unsafe for this issue as I have almost hit vehicles head on because you have to physically move the steering without any assist in an instant causing an almost over reaction when the power assist kicks back on. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION I HAVE PUT MY KIDS THROUGH AND NO LONG FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. I will be driving my other vehicle until this is resolved.

NHTSA ID

11776635

Incident

Oct 17, 2026

I own a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid experiencing intermittent electric power steering problems consistent with NHTSA investigation PE25009. The steering wheel repeatedly sticks near the 11-o'clock position during gradual turns and when returning toward center. This has occurred at highway speeds and requires additional steering force to overcome the resistance. The steering can then release unexpectedly. There are no warning lights or DTC Codes related to this issue. We had a repair shop look at the issue and they suggested performing a wheel alignment. While this helped some at first, the issue has continued to occur and worsened in recent weeks. I have also experienced grinding noises when returning from a left turn, with vibration transmitted primarily through the vehicle floor and body. The condition is intermittent but recurring, and I am concerned about losing predictable steering control, particularly at highway speeds. I am requesting that this condition be investigated in connection with PE25009.

NHTSA ID

11776612

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

Steering wheel binding/sticking under continuous lateral load at 30+ mph on banked right-hand ramps, requiring breakaway force to unstick. It jerks the vehicle and my passengers look at me like I'm crazy. Only does it on right hand turns, left seems fine. No noises. Very scary as I'm afraid that it isn't going to unstick one of these times, or the sudden jerk when it releases is going to cause an accident. It started doing this several weeks ago and happens pretty much every time now. If I make small steering adjustments while going around the right hand bank, it doesn't seem to happen. Only when I hold the wheel at a constant position while traveling around the curve.

NHTSA ID

11776175

Incident

Oct 10, 2026

When turning the wheel slightly (ie. 10 or 1 position), the wheel will lock up and stick requiring additional effort/overcompensation to get turn the wheel back. The issue has become increasingly worse over the past few months, but there was no distinct onset or issue that prompted the first problem.

NHTSA ID

11775283

Incident

Nov 2, 2026

While driving, the vehicle experiences a sudden and intermittent "catching" or sticking sensation in the steering wheel. This issue happens exclusively when initiating a slight turn to the left, specifically around the 11 o'clock steering wheel position. There is no noise (no clunking, clicking, or grinding) associated with the failure. When the steering wheel "catches," it requires additional physical force to pull the wheel past the sticking point. Once it breaks free, the electric power steering suddenly engages with a sharp jolt, which causes the vehicle to momentarily jerk or oversteer.

NHTSA ID

11774947

Incident

Oct 28, 2026

While driving the vehicle in a gradual turn, steering will stick and not return to center without applying extra force to the steering wheel.

NHTSA ID

11774688

Incident

Oct 29, 2026

Makes a clicking popping noise when turning the wheel. The sound is highly noticeable when stationary or moving very slowly, and occurs specifically when the steering wheel is forced almost all the way to the bump stop either way. Dealership quoted over $4000 for electric rack and pinion. I had just paid $17000 for it without an extended warranty.

NHTSA ID

11773889

Incident

Jan 5, 2024

Experiencing steering lockup around the 2 o clock position when cornering to the right. Doesn’t lock up to the left, only to the right.steering will Lock up and won’t release unless a slight tug on the steering wheel. We experience this every time you remotely hold in the 2 o clock position for the slightest bit of time. I have kids in this car and when we’re going 65+ down interstates, this is a serious safety issue and concerns me greatly for the safety of my family. Van only has 95k miles on it. Spent a considerable about of money on this can van and we can’t even drive it and have to pay a shop a few more thousand to fix this. It wouldn’t be a big deal if I was one of a few people but reports say 287k people are experiencing this. Unacceptable.

NHTSA ID

11772547

Incident

Oct 9, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and steering left or right, the steering wheelbecame difficult to turn. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Investigation: PE25009 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ID

11772163

Incident

Aug 15, 2026

Mileage

85,000 mi

An Electric Power Steering System (EPS) code came up on the dash and then it locked up the steering going down the road with my wife and children in the car on 10-13-2026. Bought the car from a dealer on 10-12-2026. Replaced main and auxiliary batteries on behalf of dealerships expense on 10-14-2026. 10-16-2026 the code came back up and locked the steering up again going down the highway with my wife and children in the car. The dealer is taking action as we speak, we will see what they do.

NHTSA ID

11771765

Incident

Oct 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving and turning the steering wheel in either direction, the steering wheel was sticking while attempting to return the steering wheel to center. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The contact was notified of NHTSA Action Number: PE25009 (STEERING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the investigation. The failure mileage was 72,000.

NHTSA ID

11770045

Incident

Sep 9, 2026

Mileage

72,000 mi

The transmission shifts harshly, clunks when shifted into Drive or Reverse, and hesitates before suddenly lurching. Engine RPM rises before the transmission engages, and some describe the resulting jolt as feeling like being hit from behind. The steering wheel locks stiffly during gentle turns to the right, then suddenly releases causing a jolt back to the left at times, all other times it requires a hard pull of the wheel manually to get the steering to release, which also causes a hard jerking to the opposite direction. Battery and stop/start system: Repeated Auxiliary battery replacements which power the stop/start system and warning lights. On 5 occasions the Aux battery has been replaced and within a week the system fails with no diagnostic readings identifying the cause. This leads to harder drains on the main battery. The main battery (purchased from Autozone, has been replaced on warranty because it never makes it past the 2-year mark) occasional starting difficulties, and inconsistent stop/start operation. Dash Screen: The screen freezes or turns blank while operating the vehicle. Complete loss of cabin temperature control. At other times the display will freeze on the Chrysler brand logo and is completely unresponsive to any haptic touch. The software just freezes. Even after complete shutdowns and time outs the display does not reset immediately. It's a coin flip if it's going to work. These problems have been ongoing since I purchased the vehicle in 2019. Dealerships have recognized them and consistently say that until Chrysler is forced to fix this the Dealerships can't do anything about it without charging me repairs/replacement.

NHTSA ID

11769510

Incident

Dec 19, 2018

Over the past year or two, especially as the temperatures begin to get cooler outside, 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. It happens more when returning to center from left hand turns vs right hand turns. 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. The auto centering nature found previously in the van is not consistent. I mentioned this issue to my dealer when it first started, they were unable to duplicate. As the issue persists, I did my own research and see there are numerous articles online clearly stating this is a very dangerous issue-specifically with my 2018 model year (as well as with 2017 models). 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.

NHTSA ID

11769439

Incident

Oct 6, 2026

While steering my steering wheel sticks and I have to turn it hard to get it to straighten back out. I am afraid that I am going to over compensate and go into other lane of traffic

NHTSA ID

11767592

Incident

Sep 25, 2026

I am writing to offer corroborating evidence for NHTSA PE25009. The electric power steering system malfunctioned, and on this vehicle, that is a single unit with the rack and pinion, electric assist motor, and controller. At any point in time, the driver can turn the steering wheel and the vehicle will fight them. If attempting to turn left, it’ll maybe get as far as 11:00 and refuse to turn more. For a right turn, it’s the same but 1:00. This could easily cause a crash. The issue has been confirmed by Parkway Chrysler in Pampa, TX. As far as I know, no representative of the manufacturer has inspected the component other than the dealer service center. All warning messages (Service Power Steering in the gauge cluster) are concurrent with the temporary failure described above; no prior warning is offered.

NHTSA ID

11766601

Incident

Sep 12, 2026

Intermittent loss of power steering, giving the sensation of "sticking" when the wheel is turned about 30 degrees clockwise. Generally happens at highway speeds, but can happen at lower speeds too. Steering feels locked me momentarily, needing extra force to either continue the turn past 30 degrees or to bring it back to center.

NHTSA ID

11766254

Incident

Aug 15, 2026

Intermittent Loss Of Electric Power Steering. Steering sticks at 11:00 and 1:00 and has to be pulled back to prevent running of the road. NHTSA Action Number- PE25009

NHTSA ID

11766213

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

I have a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica with approximately 125,000 miles. At around 110,000 I started to notice that the steering would randomly stick when driving at speeds between 25-45 mph. Now, the steering wheel is beginning to stick almost everytime I drive the van, but seems to get worse after about 20-30 minutes of driving. This now seems like a severe safety hazard at both neighborhood and highway speeds. As I turn the wheel when driving down the road, the steering wheel becomes physically stuck when passing through the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock positions. In order to return the wheel to 12 o'clcok, I have to extert extra force, can feel the power steering kick back in, and the van will sharply react as the steering wheel straightens risking an over-correction accident. This is now a recurring issue and makes it very difficult and dangerous to drive my vehicle. These symptoms seem to exactly match what my research has uncovered online regarding a failing steering rack and column. I believe a NHTSA invesigation has already been opened into this safety issue (seems to match the description for NHTSA PE25009).

NHTSA ID

11765669

Incident

Sep 20, 2026

The steering wheel of my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica sticks when I turn to the left (around 10-11 o'clock) and to the right (around 1-2 o'clock). Going about 40 miles per hour I can take my hands off the wheel and the steering will continue to stay locked in that position until I push it out of that locked position. I still own this vehicle as it is our family vehicle. If you are a driver that allows the steering wheel to turn itself back straight and not realize that it sticks, this could cause an accident. Even forcefully turning back causes an over correction and it is getting worse. Have not gotten it inspected yet. This issue just started within the last 2 weeks, August/September 2026. There are no warning lights. Main battery has no corrosion. Vehicle has 96,966 miles on it. Seems related to -- NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: PE25009

NHTSA ID

11764317

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

While driving my vehicle at approximately 75 MPH on the interstate the steering wheel froze/stuck while executing a long sweeping curve. The steering wheel would not turn and my wife whom was drivng was applying excessive pressure to the steering wheel to keep the vehile from running off the shoulder of the road almost lost control of the van when the steeringwheel broke loose and over corrected and the van made a sudden, sharp turn. This occured during an essentual 2 hor drive to a medical appointment. This vehicle matches the exact failure criteria currenly under active investigation by the NHTSA under PE25009 for steering binding. The manufacturer (Chrysler) refuses to honor or repair this known defect under warranty creating a sever and immediate hazaard for families operating these vans at highway speeds.

NHTSA ID

11763987

Incident

Sep 8, 2026

During the turns the steering wheel in 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid locks-in. It requires extra force to unlock the steering wheel. This usually happens when the wheel is at 11 or 1 o'clock (30 degrees either direction). This is more noticeable at slow turns like on exit ramps.

NHTSA ID

11763313

Incident

Jul 9, 2025

Steering sticks on occasion when turning at highway speeds both left and right around the 1 and 10 o'clock position

NHTSA ID

11762431

Incident

Sep 5, 2026

Reference: NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: PE25009 In the last month, I've noticed steering problem with my mini van. I have to use both hands to steer in a curve and it jerks when coming out of the curve. It feels as if i am loosing control of the van. It also happens when i am changing lanes and steer the wheel past 11 and 1 oclock. It feels as if the car is fighting me to steer.

NHTSA ID

11762408

Incident

Sep 5, 2026

While driving my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica FWD with approximately 86,000 miles, I have noticed abnormal steering behavior when going around gradual curves. The steering does not feel smooth and natural through the turn, and I feel like I have to pull/force the steering wheel to continue through the curve. The steering can feel like it is sticking or resisting rather than smoothly following the turn. This is concerning because it affects the vehicle’s steering response while driving. I brought the vehicle to a mechanic, who inspected it and diagnosed a problem with the steering rack assembly. I was quoted approximately $3,400 to replace the steering rack assembly. I am reporting this because I understand NHTSA is investigating steering problems involving 2017–2018 Chrysler Pacifica vehicles, including reports of steering sticking during gradual turns. The steering wheel does not simply pull to one side; rather, it feels as though the steering itself is resisting or sticking while I am making the turn.

NHTSA ID

11761425

Incident

Aug 23, 2026

Steering wheel gets stuck on curbes at higher speeds (1 o clock angle). Needs to be pulled back into place to avoid accident. This problem began at around 80k miles on the car. Also gets stuck at 11 o clock as well. My family does not feel safe driving this vehicle because of this issue.

NHTSA ID

11760714

Incident

Dec 27, 2024