2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA Engine Problems

P0303 code. Ended up being a blown head gasket and required entire engine replacement from damage caused. Refused warranty as it was brought into dealership in Aug 5 2023 but warranty ended July 25 2023. All maintenance had been performed

Van just unexpected shutdown no warming light nothing ! This is a handicap van rear entrance !!! On Tuesday August 8 2023, Daughter and handicapped granddaughter riding in van it just stopped she had to coast in the middle turn lanes until help arrived Did get daughter out in wheelchair push across 3 lanes traffic to safe very hot that day... On the NHTSA says as of January 17,2023 compaints on 2018 Chrysler Pacifica With inspected engine shutdown..

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact stated that she shifted to park(P) and turned off the vehicle and the vehicle failed to restart. A local mechanic met the contact at the scene and assisted in restarting the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer several times; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure started to occur after the head gasket was replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the dealer had not performed a...

Cylinder 3 misfire, combustion gases in coolant, coolant consumption but no leak, probable failed head gasket

A blown head gasket (and possibly warped head) were causing a cylinder 3 misfire. The vehicle has only 70,000 miles and has had regular maintenance performed. It appears the motor design is faulty, likely causing a build up of heat in the engine compartment or internal to the motor resulting in blown head gaskets. This is apparently a common problem and Chrysler should develop a solution to handle the issue.

Cylinder head inside the engine has a Crack with antifreeze leaking into the engine. I had been driving the car prior to being able to make an appointment at the dealership. Luckily there was not a crash due to this.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, smoke came from underneath the hood; however, the contact turned off the vehicle. The contact waited for the smoke to settle before restarting the vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle for a short distance, and then the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed due to extensive melted engine parts. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

The engine is failing due to poor design and parts. Coolant has leaked into the motor causing a misfire and likely a ruined engine. With this damage, the engine can stop at anytime risking all occupants especially if driving at higher speeds. This is a minivan intended to safely transport families. It has not been to the shop yet. There was first a fuel pressure sensor check engine code and then after that was fixed we scanned the stats few weeks later and now there is a misfire. This is all a far too common issue for Chrysler Pacifica with the 3.6 L Pentastar motor.

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.

My car won't start it says that the engine or accessory is on when it isn't. I had this same problem last year during covid so I replaced both the batteries last year. Now it's doing it again. This time how ever the light is flickering on the drivers side. The doors when I first got it and sometimes says still that there not enough power to operate sliding doors.

In November 2022, roughly 2 weeks before Thanksgiving our 2018 pacifica showed an engine code on the way home, it read to be a misfire. We were already enroute and near home so we cotinued driving. The low coolant light came on briefly as we were pulling into the driveway and the engine became hot. When I looked under hood I could hear a gurgling noise and noted th coolant resovoir to be empty. The next morning I added coolant and used a Gasket leak detection kit to confirm a blown head gasket. Vehicle was dropped off on a Monday and was in the shop for nearly a month waiting on parts. We were very fortunate to be so close to home. Failure occured under warranty but upon research found that the issue was fairly common among vehicles with this engine, some failures as low as 40k on the engine.

- The car still has open recall Z11 ( RU PHEV hybrid traction battery fire). - The car had open recall XE1 RU PHEV transmission open. - The car became stranded refusing to put the transmission into gear. - Had to tow the car to the dealership. The dealer stated the traction battery fuse was blown. The dealer could not pinpoint the root cause of the issue, nor did chrysler have parts readily available to fix. The car still shows there's an open short. - The dealer could not complete diagnosis because of the Z11 recall. They stated that the traction battery can not complete self check procedure. - Chrysler is unresponsive in following up on the issue.

I purchased this vehicle Certified Used from a Chrysler dealership 2/2020 and it did well until about 1 month ago. The motor was running "rough'' and sometimes losing power. Diagnostic code P0303 came up and I am told by our mechanic that the 3rd cylinder is ''blown''. Most likely due to dropped valve guide and / or warped head. When I began to look up reasons for this problem online, MANY problems just like this for the 3.6L V6 Pentastar motor. I was told not to drive it any more than I absolutely have to as it could / will lose power without warning. I don't know if this has been confirmed by dealer or ISC but it is on many forums and subject to class action lawsuit. There has been no other inspection besides my local mechanic. Engine light did come on when problem first began about 1 month...

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.

Rough idle when starting cold. Cylinder 3 misfire. Loss of coolant. Jolt when accelerating .

Engine noise and rattling as well as coolant levels dropping dramatically. Mechanic advised head gasket repair and upon further inspection a NEW ENGINE on a 2018 vehicle. With more research, I see this has affected other Pacifica owners.

Pacifica 2018 Model. The engine light started coming on. The car started shaking strongly at start but gets normal after some minutes. Took it to dealership. Dealership said same problem you are discussing. Coolant was gone. Head gasket gone. The cylinder 5 misfiring. The engine needs to be replaced. This problem is affecting just too many owners. Request Chrysler to acknowledge that it is a problem.

Check engine light came on . Came back with a misfire in the 5th cyslinder. confirmed by the dealer and the head gasket replaced. issue remains

Head Gasket Failure

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.

Van has been clunking/slipping through transmission when accelerating. Stop/Start function error relayed and had a rough idle noticeable when started cold. Car would shut down on occasion when coming to a stop. Battery was recently replaced, assuming due to start/stop battery(also been replaced) draining main battery. Technician indicated Misfire on cylinder, coil swapped, spark plugs replaced and 100,000 mileage maintenance completed per recommendation due to scope of work. Van returned then upon first start, extremely rough idle and exhaust smelled the worst I've ever smelled, choking even. Van taken under warranty at least 2 times for transmission and abrupt shutdowns due to safety concerns with vehicle. Never replicated at dealership.

Car began to idle roughly and the check engine light came on. A scan returned the code that indicates a misfire in cylinder 3 of the engine. Our local service station was unable to fix the problem, but stated it could be a leaking head gasket. We took the car to a dealership, where they diagnosed a crack in the engine block, with coolant leaking into the engine cylinder. The dealer service department is saying the engine needs to be replaced, at the cost of around $16,000. The car is at around 85,000 miles, far too early to have engine problems of this magnitude. This issue has been widely reported among other owners of 2017-2022 Pacificas...all similar cases. A misfire in an engine cylinder (usually 3 or 5) which ends up being diagnosed as a cracked engine block requiring a replacement.

Noticed that I have been low on antifreeze/coolant over the last few thousand miles. Reading other complaints, it seems as though the engine block becomes warped around 60,000 miles causing the engine to burn coolant. Chrysler will end up replacing the headgasket for around $3-4,000 which ends up lasting around 10,000 miles before the same issue occurs. Just surprised that a car with 60,000 miles would fail. There really should be at least a TSB on this.

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.

Pacifica 2018 Model. The engine light started coming on. The car started shaking strongly at start but gets normal after some minutes. Took it to dealership. Dealership said same problem you are discussing. Coolant was gone. Head gasket gone. The cylinder 5 misfiring. The engine needs to be replaced. This problem is affecting just too many owners. Request Chrysler to acknowledge that it is a problem. My car has only done 73000 kms and I have taken very very good care of it with regular maintenance and got it fixed only from flagship dealerships. Seems warranty just expired month ago. I am the second owner who purchased it at 21K km. The dealership told me that they may not fix it under goodwill as I am second owner. I am left with no options.

I kept having a check engine light come on with the code P0305 for a cylinder 5 missfire. It turns out the cylinder is broke and leaking.

Service electronic stability

Check engine light appeared 01/26 out of nowhere. Engine started to idle rough onbstartup but cleared after a few seconds, checked code with OBD2 and it hit P0305. Took to dealership for repairs 01/27. We live in the middle of nowhere and having this vehicle fail in the middle of the no-cell-service drive could have caused us to be stranded in the snow, especially with the winter we've had it could have been a catastrophy. Dealer originally flagged fuel injector as the reason. Picked up vehicle on 01/31, check engine light returned on 02/01 and we immediately contacted the dealership again. Returned vehicle again on 02/02 and it has remained in the shop even as of today 03/10. Reported back to us that there are cracks in the Engine block are causing coolant to leak into cylinder 5. Dealership confirmed they have seen multiple 2017 and 2018 Pacificas have this...

First, it started with the stop/ start not working . We took it to the shop they said we needed a new alternator. Costed us 700$ . Well the problems did not stop . The check engine light did not go off after a few times of driving it (the mechanic (crystler mechanic) said it would after a few times of driving it. Well then it started rumbling when u turned it on . Called and they said bring it back in. Well we planned on doing so but then the van wouldn't start. We had to get it towed . Well they said the fuse had blown . So when they replaced that they noticed white smoke coming out and all the coolant gone . They said it is most likely the cracked engine block which is gonna cost over 12000$ to fix . We already owe money on...

The car starts blowing out white smoke when started. Mechanic thinks it could be a blown gasket or Crack in engine block. The cable fuse blown as well. The vehicle did not start so it was towed to the mechanic.

Coolant leak as well as the other problems that I reported.

2018 CHRYSLER PACIFICA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO PROBLEMS WITH ITS AUTOMATIC STOP/START FEATURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS IN FOR REPAIRS SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE DEALER ONLY SUPPLIED A RENTAL ONE TIME.

The end of 2021, Began not starting requiring many pushed of the start stop button; stalling when in motion on roads; gas pedal tight not depressing, engine light on and off, side auto doors often wouldn’t work automatically (battery new); was lurching and chugging randomly , over time very frequently. Nov 22’ had start stop battery replaced & fuel pump sensor. still lurched etc..worsened..late 2022 began frequently stalling , not starting, pedal would be stiff, lurched daily, stalled frequently during motion & upon first acceleration..start, try to go..stall out..finally jan 5, 2023, wouldn’t even turn over-just clicked-shop diagnosis said few codes referred to electrical panel issues.. replaced spark plugs, starter, got home, next morning, same thing ~no turnover. problem not solved. another shop, where it sits today-found cracked engine block($12,000 estimate to “attempt” replacing engine). deemed total loss as value of van is less. This has to be a defect...

Leaking coolant in cylinder 5 leading to a misfire and check engine light. Dealer reports this is a known issue and only replacing the engine will fix, but Chrysler isn’t doing anything to fix it.

Check engine light and start/stop light

Check engine light on. Number 3 cylinder misfire. Losing coolant. Head gasket replacement.

At Approx 92,000 miles, the head gaskets failed and allowed coolant into the cylinder heads causing the engine to overheat and the cylinder to be damaged and need replacing. The repairs would have cost me $3386, but thankfully extended warranty covered $1900.

Blown Head Gasket at 77K miles

Began with a misfire in cylinder 1 that would chug on startup, the smooth out. Had a check engine light come one, which showed the misfire in cylinder one. Brought it to the dealer, they noted low coolant levels and possible blown head gasket. Had only 108,000 miles. They could not get to further review of the motor for two more weeks, so we were told we could pick it up and bring it back. One hour after leaving the dealer, the motor overheated. There was no coolant whatsoever in the vehicle. After calling the dealer, we were told they forgot to put coolant back into the vehicle before were could pick it up. The next day, the van is no longer usable. It began stuttering continually.

Ticking noise began out of nowhere, 2 days later accelerated from a stop light felt a jolt and then lost power and check engine light flashing. Took to closest dealer to have looked at. Dealer determination new engine needed, or have cams, headers, rockers, and lifters repaired. Engine has 68,000 miles on it.

At 63000 miles engine misfire occuered needing to replace the head gasket causing leaking coolant into the combustion chamber causing a misfire. Very concerning considering relevtivly low milleage and potential ongoing engine concerns. Wife and children were driving when check engine light went on, resulting in misfire causing car to shutter and stiring wheel shake. Car is curently being serviced at the dealer. There were no early indicators prior to this incident.

I was driving my Pacifica 2018 on the road when suddenly I heard a beep, I looked at the dashboard, it had a red light indicating that my car is overheated, my kids were panicking, hoping it shouldn't start burning. I couldn't stop on the highway because of passing cars. it was towed in to the dealer, I got a phone call that I need a new engine... I had no prior indications of any problem.

Radiator coolant leaked in cylinder 3 engine (3.6L)has 64K miles after searching online the Pacifica has this issue and Chrysler has not did anything to fix this in recalls

Check engine light p0303 cylinder 3 misfire. Dealership mechanic diagnosed as blown head gasket.

It would not accelerate and misire when you pressed on the gas pedal. It was finally found after 7 momths of them teying to fix other parts that we would beed a new engine altogether

Car engine has stalled a dozen times or so. On one occasion it stalled and would not restart, had to tow to a dealer to repair it and it ended up costing $2700. And when it doesn’t stall on the road the engine constantly has weird acceleration dips where it almost stalls. This has been a constant problem for me and I purchased the vehicle used with 39000 miles on it. Which is not much mileage so I was not expecting this many problems.

The car battery system has failed over 5x when driving. All of a sudden the car battery lights start coming on & stearing shuts down and car stops. The last time it completely shut down. No power to even run hazard lights. No power to lock the car or rollup the windows. It has been 2 weeks and dealership mechanic can not figure out what is wrong.

2018 Pacifica Wheelchair Accessible Van has on several occasions without warning, decelerated and stalled. Displays Place into Park and restart. Van starts sputtering & decelerates. After pulling over, waiting a few minutes it does start again. We've had the van over a year without any issues until now. We did have it at a dealership for a week. They were unable to find anything wrong with it. Very frustrating as we use this van to transport our disabled daughter. Recently we received notice of Class Action Lawsuit for this problem. Doesn't help me right now.

Vehicle began to idle rough, then the check engine light came on with the code P303 (misfire in cylinder 3). Vehicle diagnosed as having a bad head gasket. This appears to be a VERY common occurrence on this vehicle based on posts made by owners here: https://www.pacificaforums.com/

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The van stalls, the wheels lock up, the transmission shifter becomes unusable, and of the warning light start flashing on the dashboard. Yes, it’s available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? It stalled in the middle of the road blocking traffic from both ways and was unable to be moved for over half an hour. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, by an independent service center. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, not until the day it stalled on 8/30/2022z