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 2018 Chrysler Pacifica submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 153 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 153, in the owner's own words
2018 Chrysler Pacifica, when driving on 45 mph and 70 mph curvy roads, the steering wheel “sticks” in the turn position and requires extra force to re-center it. Mainly during right curves, and occasionally on left curves. Chrysler dealer service department suggested replacing entire rack and pinion steering assembly for $6,200.
Over the last couple of months, while driving around curves, the steering wheel sticks in the 1 or 11 o'clock position. It will not recenter on its own. It is unnerving and dangerous, potentially causing an accident. All suspension components have been inspected and found to be in proper working order. The steering rack seems to be the culprit. No warning lamps, the vehicle seems to be operating normally otherwise.
Engine fail with less than106000 miles. Replace brand new engine November 2025. Steering rack has intermittent power issues. It started having steering issue around July 2026. It makes the steering hard to turn during highway speeds.
Steering capability malfunctions regularly and it is available for inspection upon request. When driving at highway speeds, the steering wheel will "jump" and turn slightly. It will also vibrate when held still while driving. This occurs whether staying in a lane or changing lanes. It does not matter if the road is smooth or uneven. No, the problem has not been reproduced by a dealer or service center. The vehicle has been inspected, but the issue was not reproduced. No warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to 50,000. Around December 2023, it initially appeared at 50,000 miles, but it was intermittent and not able to be reproduced when test driven. After 70,000 miles, the shaking and jumping occurred regularly at highway speeds over 65mph. After 75,000 miles, the steering wheel will stick after it "jumps" over 65 mph and requires control to adjust it.
The steering wheel is physically sticking at the 11:00 and 1:00 positions during gradual turns, requiring extra effort to return to center, very scary with my kids in the car. Please investigate, dealership acting like I’m making things up.
We purchased this 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid about a year ago from a dealership in Florida, and the vehicle is now located in [XXX]. The issues involve a malfunctioning high‑voltage hybrid charging system/battery and a possible steering or suspension component failure. For now, the vehicle has been under dealer inspection since XXX. Our family’s safety is at risk due to a charging failure in which the vehicle consistently stops charging after reaching 2–3 bars when plugged. I must unplug and reconnect the charger multiple times to resume charging, and this behavior occurs every time the vehicle is charged now. Last week, when the vehicle was fully or nearly fully charged, a “rotten egg” odor entered the cabin, especially in the middle and rear seat area. The smell consistently appeared only after charging and was concentrated near the area where the high‑voltage battery is located. Prior to these failures, the only warning was an intermittent Check Engine Light. Another issue, we also experience a metallic spring‑like noise during hard turns in both forward while parking. As of the dealer’s initial observation on XXX, their notes state: “Electrical System – replace battery. Repair – Found battery is the incorrect one installed in the vehicle for an EV system. On the van not charging fully. Chrysler corporation is aware of the issue and is working on a technical service bulletin/possible recall by the end of the year. That needs to be complete first before tech would advise that the customer’s charging cable is not working properly.” As i understand, we need to change other small battery with right specifications. Although there are currently no open recalls on our specific vehicle, the electrical burning odor has left us extremely concerned for our safety. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The electric power steering (EPS) is the affected system. While driving around curves in the road, the steering wheel intermittently sticks. This puts the safety of those in the vehicle as well as others on the roadway at risk. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by a dealer to be an electric steering rack failure. There have not been any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms.
STICKING STREERING WHEEL AT ABOUT 11:00AND 1:00 OCLOCK ON HIWAY
Our 2018 Pacifica has had problems similar to what many others have described in the ongoing NHTSA Investigation (PE25009), but recently while driving highway speeds around a curve the steering failed to respond briefly which caused us to drift towards the oncoming lane before the steering started to respond. We stopped at a Pep Boys repair shop and had them to inspect the steering components but they were uncertain of the cause. I was a certified mechanic many years ago as a young man, and this is the most serious safety problem I've ever experienced. Even when this steering problem is brief it can be enough to cause a driver to oversteer and lose control as the steering delay catches up to a driver's input. The possibility of crossing into oncoming traffic is frightening to say the least, so YES it put my family and others safety at risk! There haven't been any warning lights. I suspect it is the rack & pinion system since it has an electric motor rather than a power steering pump. If it's due to the electric motor there should be a warning lamp that lets the driver know if it's failing.
Vibration at low speed when turning. hangs in position during turning creating safety issue because the steering wheel needs to be yanked in the opposite direction. steering wheel locks in position at speed unable to turn at all. entire front end has been preplaced except for rack and pinion / electronic steering box happens every time the vehicle is driven
The steering sticks when making gradual turns on the highway almost like it gets stuck
My Pacifica has a "sticking" or "catching" sensation, especially during gradual highway turns. I feel this is very dangerous and risks my safety and the safety of others on the highway.
The steering wheel gets stuck when doing gentle turns at moderate speeds (30-50mph). This is a safety issue because you have to fight hard to return the steering to neutral, leading to the possible to overcorrect. The problem seems to get worse when the vehicle is hotter, or after driving for several minutes. The problem has happened for several years and is getting worse and more frequent. Changing brakes and tires has not fixed it. The dealer has been unable to diagnose and fix it and I have paid for several diagnoses out of pocket now.
When we are driving around small curves as well as straight, the steering locks up. I am reporting as I was told to because this happens in all of these vehicles. If I move the wheel a little bit it comes out of it. This is our main vehicle and it just did it on the interstate going 80. It is a complete safety concern and extremely dangerous to be dealing with it especially when you have your children with you. It has been doing it since I had gotten the car back in March and it is making me nervous
2018 Chrysler Pacifica exhibits severe 'sticky' and binding steering at highway speeds (70+ mph). When maintaining a straight line or slight left curve, the steering wheel notches and resists physical effort when trying to turn back to the right. Correcting the vehicle requires sudden, excessive force to break the electronic resistance, causing a jerky movement that risks overcorrection and loss of vehicle control. This is a severe, intermittent tracking and safety hazard under the ongoing NHTSA EPS gear investigation.
Sticking steering during gradual turning from 30-70mph.
Positions during small steering corrections, especially at highway speeds and during straight-line driving. Condition feels like temporary increased steering effort or intermittent reduction of electric power steering assist. Additional force is required to move the steering wheel past the sticking point 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock. Once resistance releases, steering may suddenly move farther than intended, causing brief overcorrection or oversteer. Issue occurs repeatedly during lane correction maneuvers and creates a safety concern because steering input is not smooth, consistent, or predictable. Problem appears to be worsening over time. No warning lights were present when symptom occurred. Vehicle mileage at onset: 80,000. Current mileage: 82,500. This complaint appears related to NHTSA investigation PE25009 involving sticky steering and increased steering effort in 2017–2018 Chrysler Pacifica vehicles.
We experience a sticking between 11 and 1 when driving at slow (parking lot) speeds and at highway speeds. It makes it more difficult to drive on the high around long turns, because if it's a gentle turn, holding the right angle of turn is difficult if it's sticking around that area. This can lead to unintentional swerving. This is an ongoing issue.
When turning slightly right or left, the lower steering column makes a clicking sound while staying stuck and you have to forcefully move the steering wheel in the opposite direction to get the steering unstuck. A safety hazard of possible over correction could send someone into oncoming traffic.
I am experiencing the exact issues identified in NHTS Campaign Number: PE25009. The steering system on my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica exhibits a sticking sensation during gradual turns, particularly when the steering wheel is positioned near the 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock position. It is most prevalent at speeds over 60MPH. The safety of everyone in the van has been put at risk by requiring increased steering force in the opposite direction that could easily be overcompensated for by the driver. The first time it occurred, I overcompensated which easily could have caused a crash into a guardrail or vehicle. Fortunately, it did not and I was aware of the issue and how to react when it continued during the drive. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other indicators that there's a problem with the van. After parking the vehicle, I saw online that it could be possible to reset the steering sensors by turning the wheel all the way in each direction several times. Not sure if it was a coincidence, but I did not experience the same sticking for the remainder of the drive even with reaching the same speed and taking similar, gradual turns. A service center inspection will come next.
My 2018 Pacifica Hybrid suffered a catastrophic suspension separation while driving—the exact failure described in Safety Recall V15. The driver fortunately arrived at home safely only seeing smoke coming out form the tire rubbing against the wheel hood. Although my VIN isn't showing as 'active,' this is clearly a safety defect. I would like to open a case for a Goodwill Repair or a 'Special Policy' adjustment because this is a known dangerous failure.
As I am driving a warning pops up on the dash and says “ power steering unavailable service required “ while that shows up the steering wheel locks up. It goes away abruptly but it causes me to over turn.
Steering exhibits a sticking sensation during gradual turns, "particularly when the steering wheel is positioned near the 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock position." Also Power Steering Service light comes on when car is started but then turns off when car is placed into drive on a semi regular basis, probably about 4 out of every 10 start ups.
The steering gets stuck trying to return wheel to center after going around a curve or slight turn. It usually happens at 10/11 and 1/2 o'clock positions. It gets stuck and then i have to either slow down and turn the wheel again a little farther, then try to turn it back to center to get it unstuck. This has been replicated by an independent service center. This has been going on for the past 6-7 months. Prior to this, the only thing that was noticed was when reversing and turning at the same time the wheel would shake like something was loose. if on a gravel road it can sometimes feel like the steering is shaky or loose and like there isn't full control. I took this to an independent service center for repair and they explained my whole power steering gear assembly would need to be replaced.
As I drive down the road above 45 mph my steering wheel feels like it gets stuck, I have to get it pulled back out of the stick. It’s a terrible feeling and is uncontrollable. All systems are off that may cause any issues and it still does this. This is a common problem that I have been researching with this year model can we get a recall on this. It’s been doing. It over 6 months
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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