NHTSA Complaint #11163416 — 2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID

VAN INITIALLY PARKED AND OFF. I PRESSED THE BRAKE AND THE START BUTTON TO TURN IT ON AND IT ENTERED INTO A CONFUSED UNKNOWN-GEAR-STATE (ALL TRANSMISSIONS LIGHTS P, D, R, ETC. ILLUMINATED). IN THIS STATE, THE VAN IS STUCK. NOTHING WORKS BECAUSE IT DOESN'T THINK IT IS IN PARK. SPECIFIC EXAMPLES: VAN CANNOT BE PUT INTO NEUTRAL OR PARK (TRANSMISSION KNOB/DIAL IS STUCK WHEN VAN IS IN THIS STATE), LIFT GATE CANNOT BE OPENED, POWER SLIDING DOORS MUST BE OPENED MANUALLY, VAN CANNOT BE TURNED OFF, VAN CANNOT BE DRIVEN OR MOVED. THE VAN IS EFFECTIVELY IMMOBILIZED AND CAN ONLY BE MOVED BY A A FLATBED TOW OR A TOW TRUCK WITH A SPECIAL DOLLY. BECAUSE THE VAN CANNOT BE TURNED OFF, ITS BATTERIES WILL EVENTUALLY DIE. I'M UNSURE IF THIS HAS ANY DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON THE HYBRID BATTERY. THE PROBLEM IS HARD TO REPRODUCE AND INTERMITTENT. BECAUSE OF THAT, MY GUESS IS THAT IT IS A TIMING RELATED SOFTWARE/SYSTEMS BUG, BUT THAT IS ONLY MY GUESS. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN ABOUT 7MONTHS OR SO OF OWNING THE VAN THAT THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURRED. THE FIRST TIME, WE WERE STRANDED HOURS AWAY FROM HOME ON A FAMILY ROAD TRIP. THE DEALER WE TOOK IT TO COULDN'T (OR DIDN'T TRY HARD?) TO FIGURE OUT THE ISSUE AND CLAIMED THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE BATTERY DIED (THE BATTERY DYING IS A RESULT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE, NOT THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM!). THEY PUT IN A NEW BATTERY AND SENT US ON OUR WAY. NOW, HERE WE ARE A FEW MONTHS LATER WITH THE ISSUE OCCURRING AGAIN. IT TAKES ONLY A LITTLE IMAGINATION TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE HORRIBLE THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN A CAR LEAVES YOU STRANDED IN THE WRONG PLACE OR IN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. THIS ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN WITH A BRAND NEW CAR.