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2018 Chrysler Pacifica Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 883 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica, most often about the engine (43% of complaints, typically around 12,000 miles). It is 4th of 18 Pacifica model years by number of complaints and has 12 recalls.
Most common 2018 Chrysler Pacifica problems
Engine
380 complaints · 43%Half of these problems showed up before 12,000 miles.
6/20 the engine light came on. The dealership claimed that they performed the dtc inspection and a system update (to prevent vehicle from stalling). The vehicle was returned on 6/23 and it broke down on 6/24. The car went from 10mph to 43 MPH when pressing on the gas and then instantly stopped at around 10mph. The…
While stopped at a traffic light in our town the van shut off and the electrical system starting sending me messages on the dashboard that the lane sense was not operating. I had my foot on the brake and tried several times to move the gear selector to park but it was locked in place. The ignition said it was in the…
Electrical
289 complaints · 33%Half of these problems showed up before 13,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, instrument cluster/panel, ignition, starter assembly.
This happened on two occasions. I came to a complete stop, and the auto start stop shut the engine off like it's supposed to. However, when this happened a bunch of warnings came across my dash, saying certain safety features were disabled and the car wouldn't respond to the gas pedal. I had to put the car into park…
Stop and start system fails with an error saying that the feature is unavailable because the battery is being charged. The battery is not fully charged ever.
Steering
183 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 13,500 miles.
At about 12900 miles, the car suddenly had problems for about 15 minutes after starting with maintaining power steering. A light on the dashboard would be lit and say that the power steering is unavailable and needed to be serviced and it would be out. Then if would come on after a while and then might go out again…
On sunday january 13th while getting off highway lost power steering while taking exit. Due to lack of power steering van went off the road up an embankment and damaged vehicle. I called Chrysler on 1/14/2019 and reported issue. Claim #57836097. I was told that someone from incident reporting team would be contacting…
Transmission
156 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 15,000 miles. Parts named most often: manual transmission.
Takara recall. While taking off from a stop my transmission shifts into a gear very hard. It makes a load bang and you can feel it. It feels like you got hit. It seems to be getting worse.
This happened on two occasions. I came to a complete stop, and the auto start stop shut the engine off like it's supposed to. However, when this happened a bunch of warnings came across my dash, saying certain safety features were disabled and the car wouldn't respond to the gas pedal. I had to put the car into park…
Other or unspecified
112 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 18,500 miles.
On two separate occasions, when the vehicle is in motion and coming to a stop, the vehicle has shut off followed by a multitude of error lights and messages on the dash and lights flashing on the gear selector. Upon shutting off unexpectedly the vehicle is in motion with no power steering, brake assist, or any other…
On numerous occasions the navigation screen would go black or freeze up. On multiple occasions the uconnect theater would not work. Everytime we took it to the dealership said it was fine and didn't investigate the issue. Recently, we went to the store made several stops at different stores on our last stop the van…
Fuel system
47 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 5,000 miles.
The vehicle during operation suddenly decelerated and would not move on two occasions. The first occasion happened less than 1000 miles on the od. The vehicle was traveling at 30mph on a city street when it lost power to the wheels and had to pull off the road. The engine was still running but the vehicle would not…
Vehicle stalled out while driving. Emitted a burning smell. Made it to the side of the road and saw smoke. Opened the hood and saw the catalytic converter was glowing red. Huge risk of fire.
Stability control
37 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 11,500 miles.
My 2018 Chrysler Pacifica car stopped while I was driving. I had slowed down to make a left turn and it shut itself off. It quickly flashed a message about stability control and then showed stop, start, restart required. The car was still in drive. When I tried pressing the brake it was very hard and wouldn't move. I…
Electrical and sensor issues. When my 2018 Pacifica is started in the morning I receive a fcw (front crash warning) after driving approximately one half mile and stopping at a stop light near my house. I have the gas saver on and my van will usually shut off. When I stop at the light, the console will flash fcw when…
Speed control
35 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 18,000 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control, accelerator pedal.
While using the park assist feature to park perpendicular my van started to backup too fast and backed me into a parked car prior to being able to hit the brakes in time. It resulted in damages to both my van and the parked car that it was attempting to park me next to.
We bought the Chrysler van new in 2018. One year (~10,000 miles) later, the van developed rough upshifting. It does not happen every time but it occasionally bangs into gear very violently under slow acceleration at 30 - 35 MPH. We took the van to Chrysler mechanics but they could not reproduce the rough shift so they…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2018 Chrysler Pacifica recalls
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
Risk: An unsecured wheelchair can move during transit, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Rollx will work with q'straint to inspect and replace the retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed february 5, 2026. Owners may contact rollx's customer service at 1-800-956-6668.
Full defect summary
Rollx vans (rollx) is recalling certain gmc yukon, sierra, chevrolet express 2500, ford transit, e-250, toyota sienna, sienna hybrid, honda odyssey, chrysler town and country, voyager, pacifica, dodge grand caravan, and ram promaster vehicles equipped with qrt-deluxe and qrt-max wheelchair restraints. Please refer to rollx's recall report for specific model year information. The retractors may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured.
Hybrid system: inverter
Risk: An unexpected engine shutdown can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the power inverter module (pim) software and, if necessary, update the instrument panel cluster (ipc) and the electronic control module (ECM) software, free of charge. Fca US will notify dealers and begin notifying owners on or about: 03/21/2023 for 2021 model year vehicles, 05/02/2023 for 2019-2020 model year vehicles, and 06/15/2023 for 2017-2018 model year vehicles. Fca began notifying owners on february 23, 2023. Owners may contact fca US, llc customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Fca US, llc's number for this recall is 03a.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US, llc) is recalling certain 2017-2023 pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (phevs). An internal transmission wiring connector may short circuit, resulting in an unexpected engine shutdown.
Backup camera: camera
Risk: The lingering rearview image can distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began january 9, 2020. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is ve2.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2018-2019 pacifica vehicles equipped with an 8.4 inch radio display, 360 degree surround view camera system, and seat back video screens. A software error can cause the rearview camera image to remain displayed on the radio after the vehicle has been shifted out of reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 111, "rearview mirrors."
Electrical: 12v/24v/48v battery
Risk: A loss of power steering assist or a stall can increase the risk of crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the battery ground surfaces, clean the contact surfaces as needed, and properly reassemble the ground connection, free of charge. The recall began may 24, 2019. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Fca US' number for this recall is v53.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2017-2019 pacifica vehicles equipped with engine stop/start systems. A loose battery ground connection may result in an intermittent loss of power steering assist and/or a stall.
Suspension: lower arm
Risk: A control arm separation could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the right front knuckle and lower control arm for damage, replacing the components as necessary. The right front lower control arm knuckle pinch bolt will be replaced with a larger-diameter pinch bolt. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began april 26, 2019. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is v15.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2018 chrysler pacifica and pacifica hybrid vehicles. The right front lower control arm may separate from the steering knuckle.
Electrical: front underhood
Risk: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began october 2, 2018. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is u87.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2018 jeep renegade, compass and grand cherokee, ram 1500 and promaster, fiat 500x, dodge journey, challenger, charger and durango and chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 jeep wrangler, dodge grand caravan and chrysler town and country vehicles and 2018-2019 jeep cherokee and 2018 chrysler pacifica and pacifica hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
Transmission: axle shaft
Risk: If the axle shaft disengages from the cv joint, the vehicle will have a loss of drive or allow the vehicle to move while in the "park" position. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left or right halfshaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began september 18, 2018. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is u80.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2018 chrysler pacifica vehicles. The front axle halfshafts may have been incorrectly assembled, preventing the shaft from being properly secured to the constant-velocity (cv) joint.
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: If the transmission weld fails, the vehicle will stop moving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin september 2018. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is u85.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2019 jeep cherokee vehicles and 2018 chrysler pacifica non-hybrid vehicles. A component in the transmission may not have been welded properly, possibly causing the transmission to not transmit engine power to the wheels.
Equipment: anti-theft devices
Risk: If the mpr is engaged unintentionally, the vehicle could roll away striking and injuring a bystander or cause a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the mpr plug, free of charge. The recall began july 9, 2018. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is u50.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2017-2018 chrysler pacifica vehicles. The manual park release (mpr) plug may be removed without a tool. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 114, "theft protection."
Electrical: software
Risk: If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began june 4, 2018. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Note: owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2014-2018 dodge journey, charger and durango, ram 2500, 3500, 3500 cab chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 cab chassis and 5500 cab chassis, jeep cherokee and grand cherokee and chrysler 300, 2014-2019 ram 1500, 2015-2018 dodge challenger, 2015-2017 chrysler 200, 2016-2018 ram 3500 cab chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 chrysler pacifica and 2018 jeep wrangler vehicles. These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.
Equipment
Risk: If the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury in the event of a fire.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners instructing them to contact kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began february 14, 2018. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403 or kidde customer service service toll-free at 1-855-262-3540, or online at www.kidde.com and click on "product safety recall" for more information. Chrysler's number for this recall is t82.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling various dodge, chrysler, and ram vehicles equipped with kidde plastic-handle or push button 'pindicator' fire extinguishers. A list of the affected trailer models is available at: https://static.NHTSA.gov/odi/rcl/2017/rmisc-17v824-0103.pdf. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.NHTSA.gov/odi/rcl/2017/rmisc-17e062-5427.pdf
Seat belts: rear/other
Risk: Inadvertent unlatching of the left outboard seat belt can increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a shorter second-row seat belt buckle, free of charge. The recall began october 26, 2017. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is t54.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2017-2018 chrysler pacifica vehicles equipped with the 8-passenger seating option. In certain passenger seating and vehicle situations, the second-row center seating position seat belt buckle could cause the left outboard seat belt to become unlatched.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Intermittent loss of electric power steering
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) is opening this preliminary evaluation to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of alleged defects related to the electric power steering (eps) system in model year (my) 2017â2018 chrysler pacifica vehicles. Odi has received 94 vehicle owner questionnaires (voqs) reporting a condition in which the steering system exhibits a sticking sensation during gradual turns, particularly when the steering wheel is positioned near the 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock position. Complainants allege that during these events, increased steering effort is required to return the wheel to center. In many cases, this is followed by a sudden reactivatio
Loss of motive power due to an internal wiring connector short.
Summary
On july 22, 2022, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened investigation pe22-008 regarding complaints alleging a loss of motive power condition potentially due to a transmission malfunction in model years 2019-2021 chrysler pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (phev).â on january 17, 2023, fiat chrysler automobiles (fca) issued safety recall (NHTSA recall 23v-010) involving 2017-2023 model years (my) pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (phev) produced between august 12, 2016, through january 9, 2023. The recall states that the loss of motive power condition in these vehicles is caused by an internal transmission wiring connector that may short circuit, resulting in an une
Ignition-off high voltage battery fire (remedy effectiveness of recall 22v-077)
Summary
On february 11, 2022, fiat chrysler automobiles (fca) issued a safety recall (NHTSA recall 22v-077) on all 2017-2018 pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (phev) produced between august 12, 2016 through august 7, 2018. The recall addresses ignition âoffâ fires that originate at the high voltage (hv) battery pack assembly. An ignition âoffâ vehicle fire can result in an increased risk of occupant injury, injury to persons outside the vehicle, and property damage, with little to no warning. At the time of the recall filing the root cause of the vehicle fires was unknown and under investigation by fca and suppliers. A software remedy designed to improve thermal event detectability b
Transmission fault leading to loss of motive power
Summary
On july 22, 2022, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe22008 to investigate allegation of loss of motive power, potentially due to transmission malfunction, in certain chrysler pacifica vehicles. In a january 17, 2023 letter to NHTSA, fiat chrysler automobiles (fca) submitted recall notice 23v-010 involving a transmission motor wiring defect in 67,118 model year (my) 2017-2023 chrysler pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (phevs) manufactured from august 12, 2016 through january 9, 2023. Fca determined that an internal transmission connector short could result in an unexpected engine shutdown under certain conditions. Follow up correspondence with fca confirmed this defect
Questions about the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica
- What are the most common problems with the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (380 complaints, typically around 12,000 miles); electrical (289 complaints, typically around 13,000 miles); steering (183 complaints, typically around 13,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica have?
- 12 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from December 17, 2025 (equipment Adaptive/Mobility). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2018 a bad year for the Chrysler Pacifica?
- It is 4th of 18 Pacifica model years by number of complaints, with 883 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.