Chrysler Pacifica: best & worst years

Based on CarVitals reliability verdicts, the Chrysler Pacifica years to approach with the most caution are 2005, 2017, and 2018. Below is every model year we cover (2005–2024), ranked, with the owner-reported problems behind each call.

Every Chrysler Pacifica year, ranked

YearVerdictScoreTop owner-reported problems
2024 Caution 7 Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning; the most-reported complaint on these years.; Nine-speed (948TE) automatic shifts harshly or with delay, lurches between gears, and has drawn limp-mode reports.; Electrical faults: 12-volt battery drain and no-starts, plus Uconnect infotainment freezing or rebooting. Full report ↗
2023 Caution 6 Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning; the most-reported complaint on these years.; Nine-speed (948TE) automatic shifts harshly or with delay, lurches between gears, and has drawn limp-mode reports.; Electrical faults: 12-volt battery drain and no-starts, plus Uconnect infotainment freezing or rebooting. Full report ↗
2022 Caution 6 Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning; the most-reported complaint on these years.; Nine-speed (948TE) automatic shifts harshly or with delay, lurches between gears, and has drawn limp-mode reports.; Electrical faults: 12-volt battery drain and no-starts, plus Uconnect infotainment freezing or rebooting. Full report ↗
2020 Caution 6 Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning.; 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket / coolant-loss and misfire can still occur, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles.; Electric power-steering assist loss or sticking still reported, requiring extra effort to steer. Full report ↗
2021 Caution 5 Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning.; 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket / coolant-loss and misfire can still occur, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles.; Electric power-steering assist loss or sticking still reported, requiring extra effort to steer. Full report ↗
2019 Caution 5 Electric power-steering 'sticks' or catches near the 11-1 o'clock position during turns, needing extra force to straighten; subject of an early-car recall.; 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket failure with coolant loss and misfires, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles and costly to repair.; Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning. Full report ↗
2008 Caution 5 Engine-cradle / front-subframe rust corrosion is severe in salt-belt cars and is a safety-critical defect (risk of the engine cradle separating).; Engine stalling and sudden loss of power while driving, often traced to fuel-pump or PCM faults.; Transmission shifting problems and failures, including the shifter seizing in Park on early cars. Full report ↗
2006 Caution 5 Engine-cradle / front-subframe rust corrosion is severe in salt-belt cars and is a safety-critical defect (risk of the engine cradle separating).; Engine stalling and sudden loss of power while driving, often traced to fuel-pump or PCM faults.; Transmission shifting problems and failures, including the shifter seizing in Park on early cars. Full report ↗
2018 Avoid 4 Electric power-steering 'sticks' or catches near the 11-1 o'clock position during turns, needing extra force to straighten; subject of an early-car recall.; 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket failure with coolant loss and misfires, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles and costly to repair.; Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning. Full report ↗
2017 Avoid 4 Electric power-steering 'sticks' or catches near the 11-1 o'clock position during turns, needing extra force to straighten; subject of an early-car recall.; 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket failure with coolant loss and misfires, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles and costly to repair.; Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning. Full report ↗
2005 Avoid 4 Engine-cradle / front-subframe rust corrosion is severe in salt-belt cars and is a safety-critical defect (risk of the engine cradle separating).; Engine stalling and sudden loss of power while driving, often traced to fuel-pump or PCM faults.; Transmission shifting problems and failures, including the shifter seizing in Park on early cars. Full report ↗

Chrysler Pacifica problems by year

2024 Chrysler Pacifica Caution

Newest, most-refined Pacifica with the lowest complaint volume; lingering loss-of-power/limp-mode reports are the main asterisk. Buy with a warranty.

  • Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning; the most-reported complaint on these years.
  • Nine-speed (948TE) automatic shifts harshly or with delay, lurches between gears, and has drawn limp-mode reports.
  • Electrical faults: 12-volt battery drain and no-starts, plus Uconnect infotainment freezing or rebooting.

2023 Chrysler Pacifica Caution

Improved late-gen van; main issues are loss-of-power/limp-mode and a side-curtain airbag recall with long parts backorders.

  • Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning; the most-reported complaint on these years.
  • Nine-speed (948TE) automatic shifts harshly or with delay, lurches between gears, and has drawn limp-mode reports.
  • Electrical faults: 12-volt battery drain and no-starts, plus Uconnect infotainment freezing or rebooting.

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Caution

Settling down but still shows loss-of-power/limp-mode, nine-speed harsh shifts, and Stow 'n Go headrest-latch complaints.

  • Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning; the most-reported complaint on these years.
  • Nine-speed (948TE) automatic shifts harshly or with delay, lurches between gears, and has drawn limp-mode reports.
  • Electrical faults: 12-volt battery drain and no-starts, plus Uconnect infotainment freezing or rebooting.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica Caution

Refresh year (new infotainment, added AWD) brought teething: power-loss/limp-mode, backup-camera, headrest-latch, and battery-drain complaints spiked.

  • Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning.
  • 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket / coolant-loss and misfire can still occur, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles.
  • Electric power-steering assist loss or sticking still reported, requiring extra effort to steer.

2020 Chrysler Pacifica Caution

Final pre-refresh year with the lowest complaints of the early gen, though electrical, head-gasket, steering, and stalling issues still appear.

  • Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning.
  • 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket / coolant-loss and misfire can still occur, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles.
  • Electric power-steering assist loss or sticking still reported, requiring extra effort to steer.

2019 Chrysler Pacifica Caution

Improved over 2017-2018 but steering, brake-booster, head-gasket, and stalling complaints persist; treat as a caution.

  • Electric power-steering 'sticks' or catches near the 11-1 o'clock position during turns, needing extra force to straighten; subject of an early-car recall.
  • 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket failure with coolant loss and misfires, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles and costly to repair.
  • Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning.

2018 Chrysler Pacifica Avoid

High-complaint year with persistent 3.6L head-gasket failures, sticky steering, stalling, and harsh nine-speed shifts; best avoided.

  • Electric power-steering 'sticks' or catches near the 11-1 o'clock position during turns, needing extra force to straighten; subject of an early-car recall.
  • 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket failure with coolant loss and misfires, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles and costly to repair.
  • Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Avoid

Launch year and the most-complained Pacifica (1,400+ NHTSA complaints, nine recalls): sticky steering, head-gasket failures, stalling, and the hybrid battery fire recall.

  • Electric power-steering 'sticks' or catches near the 11-1 o'clock position during turns, needing extra force to straighten; subject of an early-car recall.
  • 3.6L Pentastar V6 head-gasket failure with coolant loss and misfires, typically between 50,000 and 160,000 miles and costly to repair.
  • Sudden loss of motive power / limp-mode shutdown while driving, often with a 'Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon' warning.

2008 Chrysler Pacifica Caution

Final crossover year with far fewer complaints, but an aging Chrysler with stalling, electrical faults, and salt-belt engine-cradle rust risk.

  • Engine-cradle / front-subframe rust corrosion is severe in salt-belt cars and is a safety-critical defect (risk of the engine cradle separating).
  • Engine stalling and sudden loss of power while driving, often traced to fuel-pump or PCM faults.
  • Transmission shifting problems and failures, including the shifter seizing in Park on early cars.

2006 Chrysler Pacifica Caution

Crossover plagued by engine-cradle/subframe rust, stalling, and fuel-gauge faults; inspect the subframe carefully before buying.

  • Engine-cradle / front-subframe rust corrosion is severe in salt-belt cars and is a safety-critical defect (risk of the engine cradle separating).
  • Engine stalling and sudden loss of power while driving, often traced to fuel-pump or PCM faults.
  • Transmission shifting problems and failures, including the shifter seizing in Park on early cars.

2005 Chrysler Pacifica Avoid

First-year crossover and most-complained: safety-critical engine-cradle/subframe rust corrosion, stalling, and motor-mount failures dominate (1,200+ complaints).

  • Engine-cradle / front-subframe rust corrosion is severe in salt-belt cars and is a safety-critical defect (risk of the engine cradle separating).
  • Engine stalling and sudden loss of power while driving, often traced to fuel-pump or PCM faults.
  • Transmission shifting problems and failures, including the shifter seizing in Park on early cars.

Rankings come from CarVitals reliability verdicts, built on public NHTSA complaint and recall data. See how we build these reports, the most reliable used cars overall, browse all Chrysler models, or check any listing free with the CarVitals extension.