2018 Chrysler Pacifica Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica most often describe the engine shutting off or refusing to restart, sometimes at a stop or intersection, and often tied to the start/stop system and its small auxiliary battery. The other recurring themes are a steering wheel that sticks or will not return to center, harsh or jerky shifting, and an occasional loss of coolant that dealers trace to head gasket work.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls or will not restart (start/stop related)

   • 273 complaints (31%)
   • median 12,000 mi at 1.5 yrs old (163 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $4,300 (median of 12 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Complaints describe the vehicle cutting off at a stop sign, traffic light or intersection, sometimes with warning messages such as a start/stop or parking-brake notice, and the driver having to shift to park and press the start button again. Several owners say the dealer replaced the batteries or the starter, or could not reproduce the problem, and some report the stall returning after repairs. Others describe a push-button start that cranks for an unusually long time before catching. A few complaints link the symptom to the stop/start system's auxiliary battery. Reports cluster from very low mileage up to roughly 30,000 miles, with some appearing later past 80,000 miles.

   Recall 19V348000Recall 23V0100003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the auxiliary battery and the 12V battery have been replaced, and whether start/stop-related software updates were applied. Test a cold start and note how the engine idles and restarts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car will stall out while it's in drive, but braking. Yesterday it did it as I was turning left in the middle of an intersection. It stalled and turned off the engine flashing 'fcw/ lanesense unavailable restart required.' I then will have to shift to park and restart the car. This has happened several times and Chrysler has not fixed the issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11311635, filed 2020-02, 26,834 miles

   “The vehicle stalled in the middle of a city intersection. I was at a full stop at a stoplight, then when the light turned green, I proceeded forward into the intersection. After pulling into the intersection, the van stalled. I had to put the vehicle into p park and then restart the vehicle. Our family was in the vehicle and had a near miss with oncoming traffic.”

   NHTSA complaint #11390078, filed 2021-01, 24,200 miles
2. 2
   Steering

   Steering wheel sticks or will not return to center

   • 154 complaints (17%)
   • median 11,063 mi at 1.6 yrs old (38 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,400 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe the steering wheel becoming stiff or sticky after a slight turn, requiring extra force to straighten it, and in some cases locking up while turning. Several say the dealer diagnosed a faulty steering rack or column and quoted a replacement, while others report no diagnosis or that the manufacturer offered no repair. Some complaints reference an open NHTSA steering investigation. Mostly reported from about 80,000 miles upward, with a few earlier cases near 30,000 miles.

   Recall 19V348000

   What to check: On a test drive, make slow turns in both directions at low speed and check that the wheel returns to center smoothly. Ask whether the steering rack or column has been inspected or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The power steering is going in and out, both with warning light and loss of power steering. This has happened at various speeds and conditions and is very dangerous, not only when steering goes out, but with the suddenness of it coming back on. It can do it several times in just a few minutes of driving and worries me about transporting my children, but this is our only vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11375958, filed 2020-11, 96,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. While driving at an undisclosed speed on the highway, the vehicle suddenly veered to the left on its own. The contact continued driving for a short distance before the vehicle pulled hard to the left a second time. The contact pulled over safely and contacted law enforcement, and the vehicle was subsequently escorted off the highway. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11740677, filed 2026-05, 166,303 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Harsh or jerky transmission shifting

   • 94 complaints (11%)
   • median 16,956 mi at 1.8 yrs old (37 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2026

   Complaints describe a hard bang or jolt when accelerating from a stop or in stop-and-go traffic, with some owners saying it feels like being hit from behind. A few report the vehicle moving backward when shifted into drive, or losing drive entirely and needing a tow. Several say dealers could not reproduce the condition, while others report a transmission replacement diagnosis. Reported from around 10,000 to 40,000 miles in many cases, with a few at higher mileage near 110,000.

   Recall 18V492000

   What to check: Drive slowly from a stop and through a few low-speed upshifts to feel for bangs or hesitation. Ask for transmission service records and whether any dealer visit noted shift quality.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When in slow or bumper to bumper traffic slowing down at a traffic light or to make a right or left turn. When you go to accelerate my transmission throws a hard shift like something just hit the back of the van and pushed it forward .I took the van to the dealership twice between february and may 2020 they keep telling me they cant find the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11326205, filed 2020-05, 26,000 miles

   “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 would not do anything about it. Every time it happens, it scares me to death. It feels like a sledgehammer hit the van!”

   NHTSA complaint #11415755, filed 2021-05, 10,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Coolant loss and head gasket repairs

   • 238 complaints (27%)
   • median 46,000 mi at 4.0 yrs old (31 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $4,600 (median of 33 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report the check engine light coming on, coolant disappearing from the reservoir, white smoke or a burning smell, and misfires. Dealers and mechanics in these complaints traced the problem to coolant entering a cylinder or a failed head gasket, with some recommending engine replacement. Complaints note the repair was often outside warranty. Mostly reported between about 45,000 and 130,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the coolant level and look for residue or a sweet smell around the engine, and ask whether any head gasket or coolant-related repairs were done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have taken my car to the dealership several times for the auto start stop. They replaced both batteries. The check engine light came on (it was flashing so had it towed) and they said it was a piston misfiring. Paid $900 to have it fixed. Two days later, the check engine light comes on again. After weeks of diagnosis the issue, with detroit's help, they said it was blow head cylinder. I was well over the warranty so I had to pay for new engine. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11364630, filed 2020-10, 94,500 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11665079, filed 2025-06, 105,769 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Sliding doors and power liftgate faults

   • 62 complaints (7%)
   • median 19,600 mi at 2.2 yrs old (31 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe power sliding doors that reopen right after closing, door buttons that do not respond, and liftgates that will not open or close with an ajar message displayed. Some complaints involve converted mobility vans where a failed sliding door stranded a wheelchair user. Dealers in several cases said a software update was needed or replaced the door mechanism. Reported from a few thousand miles to about 50,000 miles.

   Recall 17V542000Recall 25V8760005 related service bulletins

   What to check: Cycle both sliding doors and the liftgate several times, including with the remote and overhead buttons, and confirm they latch and stay closed. Ask if door or liftgate software updates were done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I returned home from driving a half an hour in my vehicle and when I pushed the start/stop button to turn the vehicle off it would not go completely off. The engine turned off but the sensors and radio would not turn off. Normally it shuts off when you open the door and it still would not work. So then I messed with things a bit and made sure all doors were shut. When doing so the back left door would not latch all of the way. It would go to shut and the open again before latching.”

   NHTSA complaint #11307040, filed 2020-02, 50,000 miles

   “We have a 2018 Pacifica, and the window on the driver-side sliding door all of sudden shattered while we were driving on freeway. We have a dashboard camera that records while we are driving. We could not see any objects flying towards the car or the sound of any object hitting the window when we checked the recording. But we can hear the recording of the glass fracturing sound of the window without any impact sound. I am puzzled about this glass window shattering, and why these windows are not shatterproof (like a safety film)! …”

   NHTSA complaint #11299047, filed 2020-01, 19,000 miles

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.