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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2021 Chrysler Pacifica Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
120about this part
Share
32%of 377 total for the year
Median mileage
4,725miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 120 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica, 32% of the 377 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 4,725 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“When the car was stopped at a stop sign getting ready to make a right turn, the engine turned off. Though the car was on drive, I was unable to accelerate or move the car. I had to shift to park, restart the car and was then able to drive. This happened eleven days later again, in even scarier circumstances. The engine turned off when I was slowing down in preparation to merge into a highway. The car turned off and stopped and I could not accelerate or drive, holding up the cars behind me. …”

NHTSA complaint #11413131, filed 2021-04, 950 miles

“When attempting to start the van it will periodically not engage. The gear selector will blink when you select a gear, but it will not respond to throttle. The vehicle will roll however. This becomes a greater problem as you need to remove your foot from the brake to cycle the van back to off. All of these issues are compounded by fact it is a phev and there is no engine noise to help you notice it has not started. Chrysler has said they are aware of the issue, but they have given no information other than a fix is supposed to come sometime in q2 of 2021.”

NHTSA complaint #11414581, filed 2021-04, 400 miles

“I was driving my Pacifica, got the warning light telling me to pull over. The van lost power 3/4 way up a hill blocking traffic and had to get towed to the dealer, where it now awaiting a transmission rebuild. This is the 4th time this same van has died like this, including twice on the highway. Previous times when I brought to the dealer, they only updated software or told me there was nothing they could do”

NHTSA complaint #11716357, filed 2026-02

“This vehicle quit driving and you can move it. Confirmed bad transmission. I bought it this way from the insurance company because it bounced off a concrete barrier. I suspect this happened when the transmission failed. Unsure of a police report due to it happening to the previous owner.”

NHTSA complaint #11732419, filed 2026-04

“While traveling down the interstate on a family road trip, our Pacifica PHEV alerted us to stop safely because our vehicle would lose power. We almost didn't make it to the shoulder before we completely lost power on the van. The vehicle was not drivable while on the side of the road. The transmission had to be replaced.”

NHTSA complaint #11570314, filed 2024-02

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026218%
2025310%
20241328%
20234227%
20227333%
202112032%
20203923%
20197423%
201815718%
201747331%
20081414%
20078827%
200610915%
200513010%
20049611%

Other parts of the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica

Electrical system
153 complaintsEngine
141 complaintsFuel system
80 complaintsOther or unknown
56 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
28 complaintsVehicle speed control
23 complaintsSteering
17 complaintsForward collision avoidance
16 complaintsSeats
13 complaintsBrakes
11 complaintsBody and structure
8 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
6 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology