Diagsheet

2018 Chrysler Pacifica · symptom sheet

Check engine light or misfire

  • 170owner reports
  • 69,000median miles
  • $2,300median quote
  • 1involved a crash

Newest report Sep 5, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026

548 of the 863 complaints on this car are about the engine. 170 of those describe misfire. Only stalling is reported more often on this car.

Tick what matches of 170 reports

42
21
5
17
25
43

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the spark plugs (22 reports), the ignition coils (17 reports), the catalytic converter (5 reports) and the injectors (4 reports).

Recalls and investigations

5 recalls on the engine cover the 2018 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.

23V-010Jan 17, 2023
Electrical System:Wiring:Connectors/Plugs/Receptacles

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.

Risk and remedy
Risk: An unexpected engine shutdown can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
19V-348May 9, 2019
Electrical System:12V/24V/48V Battery

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.

Risk and remedy
Risk: A loss of power steering assist or a stall can increase the risk of crash.
Remedy: 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.
18V-524Aug 9, 2018
Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood

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.

Risk and remedy
Risk: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
18V-395Jun 14, 2018
Electrical System:Ignition:Anti-Theft:Control Module

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."

Risk and remedy
Risk: If the MPR is engaged unintentionally, the vehicle could roll away striking and injuring a bystander or cause a crash.
Remedy: 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.
18V-332May 17, 2018
Electrical System:Wiring

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.

Risk and remedy
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.
Remedy: 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.

NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Pacifica

RQ24-004opened Feb 27, 2024
Electrical · model years 2018 to 2023

Loss of motive power due to an internal wiring connector short.. Open.

NHTSA 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). 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 unexpected engine shutdown. An unexpected engine shutdown can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In discussions with FCA on Recall 23V-010, ODI confirmed the recall was related to investigation PE22-008. The remedy for 23V-010 is to update the Power Inverter module (PIM) and/or Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) software to provide drivers a message stating “Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon” followed by a chime and MIL, PRNDL blinking (on cluster and shifter knob), low SOC (State of Charge) warning and reduced power mode. The recall remedy does not replace the defective hardware that was described in Recall 23V-010, and the wiring connector short still exists on these vehicles. To date, ODI has received 132 reports for the population of vehicles subj
RQ24-001opened Jan 16, 2024
Electrical · model years 2017 to 2018

Ignition-off high voltage battery fire (remedy effectiveness of recall 22v-077). Open, led to recall 26V-362.

NHTSA 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 “OFF’ fires that originate at the high voltage (HV) battery pack assembly. An ignition ‘OFF’ 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 by monitoring battery diagnostics is currently being installed on subject vehicles as an interim remedy. As of November 23, 2023, the root cause of the battery failure is unknown. From December 2022 through December 2023, NHTSA has received four consumer complaints (VOQs) alleging vehicle thermal events involving recalled 2017 and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEVs. Additional information collected from complainants confirmed a thermal event originating near or at the HV battery pack after the Recall 22V077 remedy had been applied to the vehicle. Follow up meetings with FCA and suppliers in November and December 2023 to discuss the ongoing root cause investigation and post-recall remedy incidents indicated a recent increase in HV battery thermal events. Furthermore, a review of NHTSA complaint da
DP17-003opened Dec 1, 2017
Engine And Engine Cooling · model years 2017

Stall/loss of motive power. Closed mar 1, 2018, led to recall 18V-049.

NHTSA summary
By letter dated November 30, 2017, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requesting it open an investigation into allegations of engine stalling in the model year (MY) 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, a new vehicle platform. In support of its petition, CAS cited 57 NHTSA complaints alleging an engine stall in the subject Pacifica vehicles, in addition to other information it provided.On December 1, 2017, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition 17-003 as requested by CAS.ODI sent an information request letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the manufacturer of the subject Pacifica vehicles, on December 12, 2017 requesting information related to engine stalling in Pacificas.The letter requested FCA provide the information by January 23, 2018.On January 11, 2018, and after technical discussions with ODI, FCA filed a defect information report advising the agency that it would conduct a safety recall of certain MY2017 Chrysler Pacificas to address a condition resulting in engine stalling without warning.The recall would address nearly 154,000 MY2017 Pacificas manufactured with engine control software that did not contain a routine intended to address loss of crankshaft position information required to keep the engine from stalling.FCA noted the condition could lead to a stall without illuminating a Malfunction Indicator Lamp, and without setting any Diagnostic Trouble Code.Given these conditions, dealer tec
EA08-006opened Feb 21, 2008
Electrical · model years 2007

Engine compartment fire. Closed apr 15, 2009.

NHTSA summary
THE AGENCY HAS CLOSED THIS INVESTIGATION BASED ON ITS REVIEW OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS, FIELD REPORTS, WARRANTY CLAIMS AND OTHER DATA REGARDING ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES AND POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKAGE IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2007 CHRYSLER PACIFICA VEHICLES WITH 4.0L ENGINES.THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND THE FIRES THAT MAY RESULT FROM THESE LEAKS, OCCURRED EARLY IN THE VEHICLE'S SERVICE LIFE.MOREOVER, CHANGES IN THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS APPEAR TO HAVE REMEDIED THE CONDITION CAUSING THE LEAKS.THE AVAILABLE DATA CONFIRMS A DECLINING TREND FOR BOTH COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS AS THE SUBJECT VEHICLES REMAIN IN SERVICE. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY THE AGENCY THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES. (SEE DOCUMENT FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS RESUME.)
EA06-013opened Jun 22, 2006
Engine And Engine Cooling · model years 2005 to 2006

Engine stalling. Closed nov 29, 2006, led to recall 06V-432.

NHTSA summary
IN A NOVEMBER 8, 2006 LETTER, DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION (DCC) SUBMITTED A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT TO NHTSA CONCERNING TWO SEPARATE DEFECT CONDITIONS THAT COULD RESULT IN ENGINE STALL WHILE DRIVING IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2005-2006 CHRYSLER PACIFICA VEHICLES (NHTSA RECALL NO. 06V-432).MY 2005 VEHICLES BUILT IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER OF 2004 ARE BEING RECALLED TO CORRECT A DEFECT IN THE SECONDARY FUEL PUMP MODULES, WHICH MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER PRESS FITTING ON THE INLET THAT CAN BECOME DISLODGED AND SHUT-OFF FUEL FLOW.ALL MY 2005-2006 VEHICLES BUILT BETWEEN JULY 8, 2004 AND NOVEMBER 11, 2005 ARE BEING RECALLED TO CORRECT A POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) SOFTWARE ISSUE WITH THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS SYSTEM WHICH CAN ALSO CAUSE STALLING.FOR BOTH CONDITIONS, ENGINE STALL INCIDENTS TEND TO OCCUR DURING LEFT TURNS. THERE WERE 17,375 VEHICLES BUILT DURING AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2004 THAT WERE AFFECTED BY BOTH THE FUEL PUMP MODULE AND PCM SOFTWARE CONDITIONS.THERE WERE 30 VOQS SUBMITTED TO ODI, 58 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS TO DCC AND 829 FIELD REPORTS RELATING TO VEHICLES PRODUCED DURING THIS PERIOD.WHILE THESE ARE MOSTLY RELATED TO THE FUEL PUMP CONDITION, SOME MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE SOFTWARE FAULT.THE RESULTING STALL WHILE DRIVING FAILURE RATE FOR THIS PERIOD IS 5,278 INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.THERE WERE TWO CRASHES ALLEGED TO HAVE RESULTED FROM THESE INCIDENTS.THERE WERE 1,021 WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR FUEL PUMP MODULE REPLACEMENT THAT APPEAR RELATED TO ENGINE STALL (5.9% CLAIM RATE). THE
EA06-010opened Jun 15, 2006
Fuel system · model years 2004 to 2006

Fuel tank punctures. Closed oct 11, 2007.

NHTSA summary
EA06-010 WAS OPENED BASED ON INFORMATION GATHERED IN PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE06-009.PE06-009 WAS OPENED BASED ON INFORMATION OBTAINED IN A PEER INFORMATION REQUEST AS PART OF A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE05-050) OF FUEL TANK PUNCTURE IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2003 THROUGH 2006 NISSAN MURANO VEHICLES.IN JANUARY 2006, NISSAN SUBMITTED A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT TO ODI THAT IDENTIFIED A DEFECT IN THE FUEL TANK SHIELDING IN APPROXIMATELY 209,000 MY 2003 THROUGH 2006 NISSAN MURANO VEHICLES.TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM, NISSAN INSTALLED SHIELDS ON THE EXPOSED FRONT SURFACES OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES.PEER DATA COLLECTED FOR MY 2004 THROUGH 2005 PACIFICA VEHICLES DURING PE05-050 INCLUDED 120 FIELD REPORTS DOCUMENTING TANK REPLACEMENTS DUE TO PUNCTURE OR DAMAGE BY ROAD DEBRIS AS PART OF A PARTS RESTRICTION PROGRAM CONDUCTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE TANK SUPPLIER (INERGY). ANALYSIS OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY CHRYSLER DURING PE05-050, PE06-009 AND EA06-010 SHOW THAT THE FRONT SURFACE OF THE FUEL TANKS IN THE SUBJECT PACIFICA VEHICLES IS NOT COMPLETELY PROTECTED FROMROAD DEBRIS BY THE FLOOR PAN OR OTHER BODY STRUCTURE.THE TANKS WERE COMPARED WITH PEER VEHICLES, INCLUDING SEVERAL IDENTIFIED BY CHRYSLER AS SHARING SIMILAR DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS (UNSHIELDED HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE PLASTIC FUEL TANKS IN A SADDLEBAG CONFIGURATION).SOME OF THE PEER DESIGNS REVIEWED BY ODI PACKAGED THE TANKS IN RECESSED CAVITIES IN THE FLOOR PAN OR USED SHIELDS TO PROTECT EXPOSED SURFACES ON THE FRONT OF THE TANK.IN GENER
RQ06-002opened Feb 27, 2006
Engine And Engine Cooling · model years 2004 to 2006

Engine stalling. Closed jun 22, 2006.

NHTSA summary
ON FEBRUARY 27, 2006 RQ06-002 WAS OPENED IN RESPONSE TO 60 COMPLAINTS OF ENGINE STALL, MOSTLY DURING LEFT-HAND TURNS, IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 TO 2006 CHRYSLER PACIFICA VEHICLES THAT WERE OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF RECALL 04V-113.IN MARCH 2004, DAIMLERCHRYSLER INITIATED RECALL 04V-113 ON 34,561 MY 2004 PACIFICA VEHICLES TO CORRECT A CONDITION THAT COULD RESULT IN ENGINE STALL WHILE MAKING A LEFT-HAND TURN AFTER A COLD-START.DURING RQ06-002 IT WAS DETERMINED THAT RECALL 04V-113 DID CORRECT THE SPECIFIC CAUSE OF THE ENGINE STALLING CONDITION FOR THAT SPECIFIC POPULATION.HOWEVER, TWO OTHER CONDITIONS WERE IDENTIFIED THAT COULD ALSO CAUSE ENGINE STALLING DURING TURNING MANEUVERS:(1) AN ISSUE WITH MISBUILT FUEL PUMPS THAT PRIMARILY AFFECTED ABOUT 17,000 MY 2005 PACIFICA VEHICLES BUILT DURING AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2004; AND (2) A SOFTWARE CONDITION AFFECTING VAPOR PURGE IN ABOUT 131,000 MY 2005-06 PACIFICA VEHICLES BUILT FROM JULY 2004 THROUGH NOVEMBER 2005. AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS, EA06-013, HAS BEEN OPENED TO FURTHER EXAMINE THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY AND SAFETY CONSEQUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THESE CONDITIONS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.
PE06-009opened Feb 22, 2006
Fuel system · model years 2004 to 2005

Fuel tank punctures. Closed jun 15, 2006.

NHTSA summary
ON FEBRUARY 22, 2006, ODI OPENED PE06-009 TO INVESTIGATE REPORTS THAT THE FUEL TANKS ON MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 TO 2005 CHRYSLER PACIFICA VEHICLES MAY BE PUNCTURED BY CONTACT WITH ROAD DEBRIS.THE NUMBER OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY CHRYSLER WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THOSE SUBMITTED BY OTHER MANUFACTURERS WHO WERE REQUESTED TO SUBMIT DATA AS PART OF INVESTIGATION PE05-050 INTO MY 2003 TO 2006 NISSAN MURANO VEHICLES THAT MAY HAVE HAD INSUFFICIENT SHIELDING OF THE FUEL TANK TO PREVENT PUNCTURES AFTER CONTACT WITH ROAD DEBRIS.NISSAN ISSUED RECALL 06V-003 INVOLVING INCREASING THE SHIELDING OF THE FUEL TANKS TO REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF TANK PUNCTURES. CHRYSLER HAS NOTED THAT THEY HAD IN PLACE FROM JANUARY 2003 TO JUNE 2005 A PARTS RESTRICTION PROGRAM ON PACIFICA FUEL TANK REPLACEMENTS WHICH MAY HAVE MADE THE NUMBER OF REPORTS ARTIFICIALLY HIGH IN COMPARISON TO MANUFACTURERS WHICH DID NOT HAVE A SIMILAR PROGRAM IN EFFECT.CHRYSLER ALSO QUESTIONED WHETHER MANY OF THE FIELD REPORTS OF FUEL TANKS REPLACED DUE TO DAMAGE FROM UNKNOWN CAUSE WERE ACTUALLY PUNCTURED. THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA06-010) TO GATHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.

What owners paid

60 of the 170 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $535 to $6,000.

$535$2,300$6,000
$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 51,000 and 85,000 miles, from the 76 reports that gave a mileage.

518
219
220
621
1522
3623
4524
3525
2426

What owners wrote

“Currently have 62,254 miles on my car and the head gasket is now faulty requiring a repair that’s almost $4,000. Check engine light came on prompting it to be looked at and head gasket was root cause. Appears to be a very common issue with Pacifica’s but no service bulletins or recalls associated with this issue yet.”

Filed Jul 21, 2023 · 62,254 miles

“Got a check engine light for misfire cylinder 4. Take it to a dealer and told its blown a head gasket at 76k miles. They act like this has never happened. Start reading all the forums and it’s a widely known issue that the manufacturer won’t correct. Could have an accident or catastrophic failure caused by their negligence.”

Filed Jun 27, 2023 · 76,000 miles

“Warped cylinder head (right side) causing cylinder misfires and loss of power; loss of coolant. Engine could have hydrolocked while driving. Check engine/P0303 code shown 17May2023 Dealer inspected 18May2023 and found warped cylinder head. Engine: 3.6L V6 24V VVT Engine with ESS; engine origin Mexico. 2018 vehicle with 69,000 miles odometer.”

Filed May 18, 2023 · 69,000 miles

“Pacifica with 68000 miles giving a P0303 cylinder 3 misfire. After taking to two separate mechanics, they both confirmed its a blown head gasket leaking antifreeze into cylinder 3. Going to cost $4000 to repair.”

Filed May 7, 2023 · 68,000 miles

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 1 of 170 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.

Other problems on this car