2021 Chrysler Pacifica Problems & Owner Complaints

Electrical System 145 3 crash 1 fire 1 injury

“Description: My 3 year old daughter was getting out of the rear of the vehicle on the drivers side. The door is automatic and closes via button in the passenger compartment or the remote keyfob. She pushed the button to close the door and the door closed on her wrist and hand, the door did not automatically reverse and the door latched with her hand still inside. She was injured and needed to go to the hospital. This issue has also happened to several other people as well. There is a Facebook page dedicated to complaints on this Van. The door has closed on adults and children both. There were…”
NHTSA complaint #11517484, 2023 · 1 injury(ies)

“This incidet happened on August 30, 10:30am PST. 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Plugin Hybrid vehicle while parked in the garage catches a fire due to Plugin Battery. The car was not in charging when incident happened. The car was last used previous dat afternoon around afternoon for a short trip of couple of miles only, and then parked inside the garage. At 9 am in the next day morning I was in the garage, and no smoke identified. At around 10:15am we noticed burning smell inside the house, and when we checked entire house inside and then garage, found garage was filled with smoke, and smoke is com…”
NHTSA complaint #11541798, 2023 · fire

“I was backing out of the driveway. I had all the safety features on, and I was checking my surroundings. Typically, the blind spot and front sensors would alert me to dangers. However, on this and many other occasions the warnings didn't alert me to danger on my passenger side that I couldn't see. this resulted in damage to the front quarter panel of my van as well as damage to the bumper. The body shop said it would cost at least $5000 to repair the damage. I can't afford that; in turn I am driving around with the damage.”
NHTSA complaint #11635956, 2024 · crash

Engine 138 2 crash 3 injury

“While driving above referenced vehicle, I was driving southbound on Hwy 515 when i noticed a vehicle driving northbound began to lose control, so i slowed down and then began to watch the vehicle cross the median and headed straight for me. I pushed the pedal to the floor to accelerate to get out of his way but the vehicle did not respond, i pushed the pedal again on several occasions and the vehicle just bucked and did not accelerate. Unfortunately the vehicle hit me right in the door at a high rate of speed. Unbeknownst to me this vehicle had been in the shop on several occasions for this…”
NHTSA complaint #11517647, 2022 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid will lose all power while driving. I have had it back to the Dealer for this Problem. I got a Recall for this in April. I took it in to the Dealer to do. They told me that Chrysler does not have a fix for this yet. Within 400 miles after that it done it again while my wife was driving and caused a crash.”
NHTSA complaint #11531168, 2023 · crash

“Driving on the interstate at high speed, when check engine light comes on, warning message - Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off - and red turtle warning indicator (limp mode). After a short time, vehicle will no longer accelerate. I pulled over to the shoulder, stopped and shut off engine. Restarted after a few minutes and everything appeared to work fine, with check engine light on. About 15 minutes later, it happened again. The dealership serviced the vehicle. Found error code P0A78 for driver moteo "A" inverter performance. Used Stellantis Technical Service Bulletin 08-253-24 to diagn…”
NHTSA complaint #11753704, 2026

Power Train 118 3 crash 3 injury

“While driving above referenced vehicle, I was driving southbound on Hwy 515 when i noticed a vehicle driving northbound began to lose control, so i slowed down and then began to watch the vehicle cross the median and headed straight for me. I pushed the pedal to the floor to accelerate to get out of his way but the vehicle did not respond, i pushed the pedal again on several occasions and the vehicle just bucked and did not accelerate. Unfortunately the vehicle hit me right in the door at a high rate of speed. Unbeknownst to me this vehicle had been in the shop on several occasions for this…”
NHTSA complaint #11517647, 2022 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“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, 2025 · crash

“I stopped my 2021 Chrysler Pacifica, placed the transmission knob into park, opened the driver's door, leaving it opened with the engine running, and walked to the rear of the vehicle. I opened the tail gate and removed some boxes, threw the boxes into a dumpster, which was approximately 20 feet away and forward of the vehicle. I then returned to get two additional boxes from the rear of my vehicle. I retrieved the boxes and as I walked from the rear of the vehicle, it started to back up. I dropped the boxes, jumped out of the vehicle's path and tried to get into the driver's seat to s…”
NHTSA complaint #11526655, 2023 · crash

Fuel/Propulsion System 74 1 crash 3 injury

“While driving above referenced vehicle, I was driving southbound on Hwy 515 when i noticed a vehicle driving northbound began to lose control, so i slowed down and then began to watch the vehicle cross the median and headed straight for me. I pushed the pedal to the floor to accelerate to get out of his way but the vehicle did not respond, i pushed the pedal again on several occasions and the vehicle just bucked and did not accelerate. Unfortunately the vehicle hit me right in the door at a high rate of speed. Unbeknownst to me this vehicle had been in the shop on several occasions for this…”
NHTSA complaint #11517647, 2022 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“Driving on the interstate at high speed, when check engine light comes on, warning message - Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off - and red turtle warning indicator (limp mode). After a short time, vehicle will no longer accelerate. I pulled over to the shoulder, stopped and shut off engine. Restarted after a few minutes and everything appeared to work fine, with check engine light on. About 15 minutes later, it happened again. The dealership serviced the vehicle. Found error code P0A78 for driver moteo "A" inverter performance. Used Stellantis Technical Service Bulletin 08-253-24 to diagn…”
NHTSA complaint #11753704, 2026

“This 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid has a severe and recurring history of catastrophic high-voltage hybrid powertrain and transmission failures that cause a sudden loss of motive power while driving, presenting an immediate safety hazard. The vehicle has already required two full automatic transmission (eFlite EVT) replacements under factory warranty due to internal failures. It has experienced multiple high-voltage component repairs, including software modules for the power inverter. The vehicle is currently experiencing a recurring failure and is displaying active diagnostic trouble code P0A7…”
NHTSA complaint #11753330, 2026

Unknown Or Other 52 2 injury

“The power lift gate door opened on its own when my husband opened one of the side sliding doors. The rear door then collided with the shopping cart that was parked behind the car and continued to open, lifting the grocery cart with our 45lb son and all of our groceries up off the ground. My husband lunged to catch our son and our 2 year old daughter fell, landing head first on the asphalt. She is currently in the emergency room. The door is meant to STOP opening if it bumps another object or feels resistance. It is also not meant to open on its own. I found several videos of this exact issu…”
NHTSA complaint #11542398, 2023 · 1 injury(ies)

“We have had intermittent issues with the rear hatch not closing when any buttons or key fob pushed since purchase. On 7/2/21 aprox 6:30 pm I was walking around rear of the vehicle the rear liftgate was fully open. A passenger pressed rear hatch button to close not realizing at that moment I was walking under I am 61.7" tall the liftgate came down full force on my head it did not beep and retract. It continued pressing down something sharp pierced my scalp and I was knocked to the ground, bleeding from the wound with severe neck and head pain and pain in 3rd right finger I had landed with ha…”
NHTSA complaint #11425971, 2021 · 1 injury(ies)

“We took our 2021 Pacifica Hybrid to the dealership for Recall 52D. The first charge at home after the recall melted one of the charging "pins" in the car, and on our home Level 2 charger. Our dealership now says it's the fault of our charger, and we'll have to pay $2000+ for a repair. Our charger handle is still fine, no damage, only the "pin" is melted. For safety reasons, we can't charge the vehicle, and aren't driving it, as it's still at the dealership.”
NHTSA complaint #11754395, 2026

Back Over Prevention 27

“I took the van to get the safety recall done in 2026, Feb 25. For the rear view back up camera. I took it to the same dealership that I bought the car from, Jones Junction. However, upon further complications with the back up camera, this issue has never been fixed or resolved. If anything, the issue has become worse. I am unable to use my camera 98% of the time. It freezes. It goes black or is unavailable to see anything out of. It's a safety recall for a reason. I want this issue fixed. As I have been driving like this with the issue for quite some time. What are my next steps? I prefer no…”
NHTSA complaint #11750100, 2026

“The emergency brake came on while I was driving”
NHTSA complaint #11660312, 2025

“My vehicle has no back up camera or blind spot warning. Took to dealer for recall and they said they were only responsible for a software update and not solving the recall problem. My vehicle still does not have either of these functions. I was told I would have to pay for the repairs for this recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11644139, 2025

Vehicle Speed Control 22

“While driving at normal road speed, the vehicle suddenly lost propulsion and entered limp mode. A turtle warning icon appeared along with multiple system fault messages. The vehicle began slowing down on it's own and was unable to accelerate. I pulled to the side of the road. The vehicle displayed an error "Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon". After sitting for a period of time, the vehicle restarted and was able to be driven again, but the failure occurred without warning and created a dangerous situation in traffic. Diagnostic trouble codes were present related to the hybrid system and…”
NHTSA complaint #11725453, 2026

“This is a follow up to an earlier submission (NHTSA Tracking Number 11591550). After the initial incident, the dealership replaced the hybrid battery on the vehicle. A month later, yesterday, while driving the vehicle on the interstate, I again received the dreaded, "Stop Safely, Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" warning indicator and the car lost all power about 30 seconds later. Thankfully, I was on an offramp and was able to stop safely. Had I been traveling at full speed in the carpool lane, it could have been very dangerous. The van is now at the dealership for repair, and I hope they fix it…”
NHTSA complaint #11606717, 2024

“After having the car serviced to fix the recall, my car stopped running while on the freeway at 60mph. This is now the 3rd time in less than 10 days that this has happened. I had the transmission replaced previously to fix this issue but it has returned.”
NHTSA complaint #11600656, 2024

Forward Collision Avoidance 15 2 crash

“I was backing out of the driveway. I had all the safety features on, and I was checking my surroundings. Typically, the blind spot and front sensors would alert me to dangers. However, on this and many other occasions the warnings didn't alert me to danger on my passenger side that I couldn't see. this resulted in damage to the front quarter panel of my van as well as damage to the bumper. The body shop said it would cost at least $5000 to repair the damage. I can't afford that; in turn I am driving around with the damage.”
NHTSA complaint #11635956, 2024 · crash

“I was on the highway traveling at 60mph, with the adaptive cruise control on. The semi in front of me began to brake, I tapped off the cruise control and began braking. The semi came to a complete stop and I pushed my brake pedal to the floor to stop my vehicle. It did not stop. My Pinnacle has emergency braking and forward collision warning. My driver's instrument panel did not give a forward collision warning indication in a timely manner and my emergency braking did not stop my vehicle. At the time of the accident vehicle had less than 10,000 miles, dry weather conditions, and vehicle…”
NHTSA complaint #11484672, 2022 · crash

“When adaptive cruise control is enabled and I’m at cruising speed, new vehicles entering the lane in front of my vehicle are not being acknowledged leading to my vehicle getting too close and collision becoming likely. This leads to me having to takeover control frequently to prevent accidents. This happens often, not always, but it is becoming more and more frequent. This happens at all speeds from 30 mph to 70mph”
NHTSA complaint #11685214, 2025

Steering 15

“The power steering is intermittently losing power during turns. This just started to occur within the past week so it has not yet been taken to a shop. Yes it is available for inspection. Safety was put at risk due to it being a family car with children. A quick response was necessary to prevent oversteer during correction. Apparently this is a known issue on earlier models and seems to be continuing. No warnings.”
NHTSA complaint #11749921, 2026

“Power steering malfunctioned and stopped working in the middle of driving. It works intermittently.”
NHTSA complaint #11748886, 2026

“This is an intermittent issue that has been happening for a while now and the car was sent to the dealership twice but the issue still persists. The engine would shuts down or partially loses torque all of a sudden and the steering becomes very stiff. At the same time you would see all kinds of alarms, error messages, and check lights on the dashboard. I would then have to pull over to the side of the road, turn off the car, then try to start it back up. Usually after several attempts (one time that took nearly 30 minutes), the car works properly again with no error messages but sometimes I'…”
NHTSA complaint #11727813, 2026

Seats 11

“The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the second-row seat failed to remain in the upright position, causing the seat to collapse forward or backward while the vehicle was being driven. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who confirmed the seat failure but stated that the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V181000 (Seats). The contact received an estimate for the part; however, the part was on backorder. An independent mechanic later inspected the vehicle and suggested that the vehicle should be covered under the recall; however, inquiries to o…”
NHTSA complaint #11753981, 2026

“After deploying the second-row Stow 'n Go captain's chair seat from its stowed position in the floor, the integrated headrest fails to lock in the upright, passenger-safety position. The headrest remains folded forward or flops forward under normal conditions and cannot be secured in the upright position required for safe occupancy of the seat. The root cause, as identified by dealership technicians and documented by numerous owners across multiple model years (2017–2022), is failure of a small plastic component within the headrest actuator cable assembly. This cable mechanism is designed to a…”
NHTSA complaint #11732777, 2026

“The rear headrest will not stay in its proper upright position. After putting it into its Stow N Go position in the floor, the headrest is broken and down and no one can sit in the seat safely. This is a safety issue and Chrysler needs to repair it for free. It is a design flaw. A very thin piece of plastic breaks and results in an unusable rear seat! So many complaints from people who have had this happen. It is not a fluke. It is a regular problem with this otherwise great car! And if someone has an accident with someone trying to sit in that broken seat and gets hurt because there i…”
NHTSA complaint #11725106, 2025

Service Brakes 10 4 crash 2 injury

“The contact owned a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that occasionally, while driving at various speeds, upon depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle would surge forward 3 to 4 feet before proceeding to slow down or come to a complete stop. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the failure was not duplicatable and nothing was found to be wrong with the vehicle. The local dealer proceeded to replace the spark plugs, the brake fluid, field spark plug weld, and gasket cylinder head cover, how…”
NHTSA complaint #11679835, 2025 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid will lose all power while driving. I have had it back to the Dealer for this Problem. I got a Recall for this in April. I took it in to the Dealer to do. They told me that Chrysler does not have a fix for this yet. Within 400 miles after that it done it again while my wife was driving and caused a crash.”
NHTSA complaint #11531168, 2023 · crash

“I was on the highway traveling at 60mph, with the adaptive cruise control on. The semi in front of me began to brake, I tapped off the cruise control and began braking. The semi came to a complete stop and I pushed my brake pedal to the floor to stop my vehicle. It did not stop. My Pinnacle has emergency braking and forward collision warning. My driver's instrument panel did not give a forward collision warning indication in a timely manner and my emergency braking did not stop my vehicle. At the time of the accident vehicle had less than 10,000 miles, dry weather conditions, and vehicle…”
NHTSA complaint #11484672, 2022 · crash

Structure 8 1 injury

“Description: My 3 year old daughter was getting out of the rear of the vehicle on the drivers side. The door is automatic and closes via button in the passenger compartment or the remote keyfob. She pushed the button to close the door and the door closed on her wrist and hand, the door did not automatically reverse and the door latched with her hand still inside. She was injured and needed to go to the hospital. This issue has also happened to several other people as well. There is a Facebook page dedicated to complaints on this Van. The door has closed on adults and children both. There were…”
NHTSA complaint #11517484, 2023 · 1 injury(ies)

“The passenger sliding door on my 2021 Chrysler Pacifica is stuck half way open and will not move. The vehicle was parked and we opened the automatic door and it opened fine. I pushed the close button and it closed half way and stopped. The cables that connect the door to the open/close motor are hanging out. I called the Chrysler dealership and they tried to schedule me an appointment next week. I asked how to get it to the dealership and they said to drive it in. I said the door is stuck half way open and its not safe. They said to either drive it in or tow it in. I asked if there…”
NHTSA complaint #11677591, 2025

“Dear Sir, I am submitting this formal complaint regarding severe misconduct, fraud, and reckless endangerment committed by Hyundai Escondido, Hyundai Motor America, and Ally Financial in connection with the sale and financing of a dangerously defective 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Touring AWD (VIN: [XXX] ). 1. Background of the Case On [XXX] I purchased the above-referenced vehicle from Hyundai Escondido under the representation that it was a Hyundai Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle that had passed rigorous manufacturer standards. The dealership provided me with a Carfax report showing no pr…”
NHTSA complaint #11640763, 2024

Visibility/Wiper 6

“The side back doors do not work all of a sudden when you push the button on the vehicle frame inside of the van. This is on both sides of the van. They will only shut by pushing buttons on the outside door handles. Also, the windshield wipers will only work on high. There is no intermittent, low, or medium speed working.”
NHTSA complaint #11671236, 2025

“Since January 2024, the rearview camera on my 2021 Chrysler Pacifica has functioned inconsistently. I brought the vehicle to Glendale Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram for this problem, and they informed me it was a known issue with an open service bulletin for a software update, expected in Q3-Q4 2024. Despite this safety concern, I continued to drive the vehicle as no solution was available. Upon the release of the software update, I returned the vehicle, but the update did not resolve the issue. I was then told to await another software update. It is now June 2025, and there's another separate recal…”
NHTSA complaint #11669287, 2024

“On June 23, 2024 a NHTSA recall #24V-436 was posted indicating the rear visibility system defaults to the rearview image being visible. To date multiple dealerships and the Chrysler Corporation contacted trying to get this issue remedied. No one seems to have an answer ass to when the update will occur. I contract with a car rental service, TURO, to rent my personal vehicles. Because of this recall TURO will not allow my vehicle to be rented until this issue is resolved. I have to continue making car payments and pay insurance on this vehicle without any income coming in to offset my co…”
NHTSA complaint #11625664, 2024

Air Bags 4 3 crash 3 injury

“Another driver failed to yield to traffic and drove right into the side door, gas tank and rear wheel at about 35 mph. Not a single airbag was deployed within my 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. I did sustain injury”
NHTSA complaint #11712936, 2026 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“The contact owned a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while stopped in congested traffic, the vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. As a result, the vehicle was sent careening head-on into the vehicle ahead before coming to a complete stop. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact's daughter was transported to an area hospital by EMT and treated for nondesc…”
NHTSA complaint #11590619, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Accident where my entire forward drivers side was smashed. My head has a gash from hitting the side drivers window. NOT ONE air bag deployed. Have pictures of damage.”
NHTSA complaint #11464399, 2022 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Wheels 4

“The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 - 35 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the wheel well or near the front underbody near the air dam, as if there was a piece of ice stuck in the air dam. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the front wheel hub hardware was loose, affecting the wheel bearings, and causing the failure. The contact was informed that the wheel hub hardware and front wheel bearings needed to be replaced, and the front wheels needed to be rotated. The vehicle was not repaired. The…”
NHTSA complaint #11716949, 2026

“Vehicle is new and delivered on 08/27/21. Complaint: The front axle nuts on vehicle loosen over time. The first incident was reported to I-10 Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on 09/29/23 (see Invoice), with 24,832 miles as a noise coming from the front left suspension. This dealer replaced both front hubs at that time which resolved the noise. The second incident was reported to Chrystal Chrysler Jeep Dodge Center on 02/13/24 (see Invoice) with 27,952 miles as a noise coming from front left axle. Dealer mechanic went on test drive with me and found noise coming from front left axle shaft nut. RO st…”
NHTSA complaint #11683298, 2023

“Car would make a grinding noise over 5mph. We looked under the vehicle to find a loose bolt to the left of the left tire.”
NHTSA complaint #11562171, 2023

Lane Departure 3 1 crash

“I was backing out of the driveway. I had all the safety features on, and I was checking my surroundings. Typically, the blind spot and front sensors would alert me to dangers. However, on this and many other occasions the warnings didn't alert me to danger on my passenger side that I couldn't see. this resulted in damage to the front quarter panel of my van as well as damage to the bumper. The body shop said it would cost at least $5000 to repair the damage. I can't afford that; in turn I am driving around with the damage.”
NHTSA complaint #11635956, 2024 · crash

“My vehicle has no back up camera or blind spot warning. Took to dealer for recall and they said they were only responsible for a software update and not solving the recall problem. My vehicle still does not have either of these functions. I was told I would have to pay for the repairs for this recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11644139, 2025

“We purchased our brand new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Limited on April 19th, 2021, from Hoblit Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Woodland CA. At the dealership, my wife and I were able to add user profiles to the UConnect system, thereby customizing our driving experience to fit our individual needs. However, I started to notice a number of issues with the vehicle over the following weeks. UConnect Related: 1) The ability to add and remove user profiles disappeared. 2) The UConnect system randomly resets about once every couple weeks. 3) The UConnect system will randomly blast the AM/FM radio or…”
NHTSA complaint #11431063, 2021

Exterior Lighting 2

“Similar to the Ford recall, the LED Daytime Running Light Module is defective. This LED went out in under 3 years and Chrysler won’t fix it. This is a problem that many people are experiencing, and they want $2,000 to replace the entire head lamp system.”
NHTSA complaint #11706925, 2024

“There are clearly many design flaws on my 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. One issue I am having with this car is the Daytime Running Lights. These are expensive LED lights that should function for the life of the vehicle. Unfortunately, I believe there is a problem with the control module on the LED lights, and part of the driver's side light does not function. This is a clear safety issue, and seems to be very common problem people are having with the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. I notified Chrysler about the issue, and because the car was just over 36 months old, they would not repair…”
NHTSA complaint #11681002, 2024

Suspension 2

“The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 - 35 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the wheel well or near the front underbody near the air dam, as if there was a piece of ice stuck in the air dam. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the front wheel hub hardware was loose, affecting the wheel bearings, and causing the failure. The contact was informed that the wheel hub hardware and front wheel bearings needed to be replaced, and the front wheels needed to be rotated. The vehicle was not repaired. The…”
NHTSA complaint #11716949, 2026

“The vehicle has had a suspension problem since purchasing the dealership has not been able to determine the issue after replacing the axle,struts, low arm control,motor mount now the state the steering wheel rack”
NHTSA complaint #11754828, 2025

Fuel System 1

“The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while refueling the vehicle, the pump handle was set to pump automatically. The contact stated the pump handle was ejected from the filler neck when the fuel tank was full, causing a fuel spill onto the ground. The contact was able to prevent further spilling. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 63,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11525382, 2023

Parking Brake 1

“The contact's sister-in-law owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. While the contact was stopped at a mailbox to retrieve mail, the contact opened the front, driver-side door. When the contact opened the door, the vehicle's parking brake engaged independently. As the contact attempted to drive forward, the vehicle's rear wheels had locked upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. Due to the failure, the vehicle was stopped in the middle of an intersection as the parking brake failed to disengage. The parking brake warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact made multiple attempts t…”
NHTSA complaint #11645963, 2025