NHTSA Complaint #11528151 — 2017 CHRYSLER PACIFICA

The van began to run rough in the mornings when I first started up. I initially thought a tire was flat. But all tires were fine. It did this several mornings but then would begin driving smoothly as normal about 2-3 minutes after the drive started. A little less than two weeks later the check engine light came on for the first time. It ran roughly but lasted a little longer; maybe 5 minutes. The check engine light would go off. It did this a couple of times. The third time, the check engine light came on and started blinking. Then maybe 20 minutes into the drive the van began to overheat. I turned on the heat and the gauge went down to normal right away and drove as usual. The check engine light stopped blinking but stayed on. No problems for the rest of the hour-long drive. The next day, the same thing happened while i was on the highway. It started overheating, but the overheating lasted longer and intensified at higher speeds, so I had to drive about 24-35 on an expressway. I took it to a Fiat Chrysler Auto/Mopar Service repair shop immediately. The manager suspected that there was a crack in the cylinder and coolant was leaking into possibly the engine or somewhere else. They said they've seen this same crack, in the same location on many other Chrysler Pacificas. They took pictures (see attached) and sent it to FCA/Mopar. It took several weeks for an FCA/Mopar Inspector to come out. But once they did, they confirmed a crack and the van required a new engine. I'm told this engine is on backorder and it will take months before I can get a new one. I've read many stories online of other people having similar issues. The fact that this engine is on backorder for months is telling. The company Chrysler Customer Care/Mopar/Stellantis has not been helpful in providing useful timelines throughout this repair process. In addition to the above issue, I've also had to replace both main (2x) & aux batteries and experienced problems with sliding doors failing to open.