2017 Chrysler Pacifica Engine

Hotter than normal engine heat. Smells very hot even when driving in cabin like some liquid ( maybe Coolant) is burning. Code P0303. Misfire #3 cylinder. Reported issue to dealer several times. Very hot.. paint on hood bubbling. They repaired paint per 100,000 mile 7 year extended warranty. No diagnosis disclosed re known issue with head gaskets on these 3.6 ltr engines. No code until two months after warranty expired. Chrysler mechanic in Santa Barbara told me today that they have to replace gaskets and heads on these 3.6 engines all the time and likely a recall coming soon. Overheating is a safety issue. Leak down test verified bubbling in Coolant reservoir. Mechanic says this issue was highly likely occurring over 1-2 years until it actually triggered engine light and misfire code. Many complaints on Pacifica forums on this exact issue. Have service records re same concerns including from 2022. Thank you

Unknown

Engine locked up. Had it to run hot one day. When cooled off put fluid in and drive for four days after went to get in to go out and wouldn’t start. Fluids was still good that day. Had to haul to garage and that’s when said it was locked up. Has 104,000 miles. Had had the plugs changed as what the codes said it needed. March 4th is day it quit

My Pacifica head gaskets failed causing severe engine damage.

2017 Pacifica, front bank (also referred to as left side of 3.6 Pentastar engine) multiple cylinder misfire, due to failed head; 110,000 miles. Issues progressed exactly or very similarly as described by multiple (hundreds of owners) on Pacifica forums), most fail between 80,000 to 120,000 miles, with distribution between 50k and 150k. Suspect excessive heat in engine bay coupled with defective head manufacturing (Mexican built engines suspected to have higher failure rate) and faulty components leading to head failures (cracked heads, warped heads, faulty head gaskets) on 2017+ Pacificas. Rear head known to fail due to lack of sufficient cooling in position at back of engine bay. Vehicle also goes through one aux start/stop battery every 1-1.5 years (suspect early failures due to excessive heat, not overcharging issue that Chrysler recalled for). Vehicle also has history of faulty roller rockers and lifters, already had replaced once while in warranty period. Issue began as faulty cam phase sensor. When repairs made mechanic also noted that oil cooler was cracked. This is a faulty design remedied by Chrysler for 2022 models. Heat coupled with bad o-rings and/or overtightening of oil filter cap leads to crack in assembly allowing for oil and/or coolant loss. Chrysler has made no attempt to fix known issue on pre-2022 models. Repaired both at cost of $1033. Few days later P0300 code and loss of engine power. Diagnosed as faulty roller rockers, one of which had even broken off. Roller rockers, lifters, and cam replaced on left side of engine at cost of $2700. Mechanic pressure tested head and found no leakage. Drove home and multiple cylinder misfire occurred again with loss of power. Returned to mechanic. Suspect crack between intake and exhaust valve guides which opens as head heats (seems to occur once engine reaches 195 degrees F, which is just below normal operating range). Head replacement suggested but not recommended as I'll be upside down in vehicle.

The check engine light came on and we brought it to a mechanic to assess the issue. Codes indicated a misfire on Cylinder 3. The mechanic did not state that they observed any physical damage to the head gasket however the engine has coolant in it. The recommended repair is to replace the engine at a cost of $12k.

My van experienced a cylinder 3 misfire and coolant leak which I now understand is due to a known manufacturing defect in the 2017+ Pacifica engine. I have already spent north of $1700 over multiple trips to my mechanic to replace spark plugs, ignition coils, and coolant flush. Even now, the check engine light continues to come back on when I start the vehicle. This continued malfunction of an engine that overheats and becomes inoperable is indeed a safety defect, especially in a vehicle advertised for families with kids.

2017 Pacifica Head Gasket 68000

2017 Chrysler pacifica has had multiple major engine failures. First was 2021 head gasket failure which lead to a new engine. Now 2023 the exact same thing has happened again. Engine temperature warning light came on got car towed. Head gasket failure again. This van is unsafe engine design is horribly flawed leading to multiple engine failures

Engine misfire, spark plug issue, blown head gasket

This car has a blown head gasket at 123,000 miles. It seems this is a VERY common problem with this car and something that is clearly a factory defect. I have heard of this problem with many of these cars and a lot of them occur at less than 100,000 miles.

I am experiencing an issue where the air conditioner blows hot air intermittently and now just blowing hot air. It seems to be a known issue with the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica but there doesn’t seem to be a recall for my van. I also noticed that there seems to be an issue with the coolant leaking which after some google searching also seems to be a known issue. Please advise.

Engine Coolant leaks inside the engine Cylinder #5 without warning and cracked the engine block cylinder head #5. This has happened 2 times on this vehicle replacing the engine once. Vehicle has been maintained in accordance with manufacture recommendations.

After driving approx 400 miles at freeway speeds the engine shuts off. With semis honking as vehicle slowed while trying to pull over. No warning lights before or after stopping. Dash screen displayed "put car in park and press start". This happened twice in 2023. Took to dealer while car was under extended warranty. Was told 'could not duplicate' issue. They also informed me that this was something they never heard of before. We only do two highway trips per year. Took another trip couple of weeks age and vehicle shut off and we had to pull over 7 times going and returning. Dealer says I need a new transmission but can't guarantee that will fix the problem. I'm terrified to put this car on the freeway again. I thought we were going to be killed and possibly injure others on several of the occasions while trying to stop safely. I feel that Chrysler knows about this problem (from what I've recently read on the internet) and at least should know how to correct it. Also, it seems there was a class action suit that has been settled that we were unaware of. This vehicle has less than 60K miles and as we only drive 5-7000 miles per year didn't plan on having to junk it and buy another at this time. I've tried calling Chrysler Corp 800-992-1997. I was given a case # but they just seem to lie and never follow up with the dealer like they said. Now when I call and talk to someone, they put me on hold and kick me into the 'how did we do survey'. Realizing that sometimes you just don't always a ample time to safely get to the side of the road I'm at a loss as to how to proceed. The date listed below is the first time of incidence.

Engine light came on while driving. Had a 303 code for misfire In cylinder 5. Also smelled coolant but didn't see a leak. Brought I. to dealer where they inspected it and said it was a cracked head gasket. Which seems to be a common issue with this vehicle. The repair was done and I'll be bringing it back in tomorrow 2 days after repair for white smoke coming from engine. Also noticed coolant level was lower than when I got it back from shop.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica LX (~85,000 miles with documented regular maintenance) FEB 2024 vehicle lost acceleration briefly when on highway, almost causing rear-end accident. Coolant and engine temp spiked around 235F (typically 212F-215F range) ambient outside temp (~19F). Took to Chrysler dealer in Walled Lake, MI. Oil leak detected, fixed right head gasket failure (common issue for this engine mechanic says). April 2024 coolant leak detected after coolant reservoir levels became low and smoke of burning coolant was noticed. Coolant leak possibly coming from water pump area after dyed antifreeze inspection. Taking to another Chrysler dealership for service. Complaint is that this is a safety hazard and after further research many owners of this vehicle/engine type complain of this issue, either for the head gasket issue or coolant leaks. (Reference: [XXX] ). I believe this not only a safety hazard but should be filed under a class action lawsuit. This is Chrysler's responsibility to cover when vehicle is outside the 5 year/60K mile warranty when these specific issues occur. Due to the fact that this is a known defect to a significant enough owners and some people either need to pay for costly repair bills or completely need to swap out the engine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, she observed a humming sound coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the vehicle lost motive power and would not accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where DTC Code: P00B was retrieved; however, the contact was informed that the engine needed to be taken apart for the vehicle to be fully diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

Head gasket and Rear valve cover gasket replaced. Still smelling burning oil. Started with check engine light for misfire on cylinder 5. 75K miles on vehicle. There is a rough idle and loss of power at interstate speeds.

There was a flashing check engine light and shaking engine. Found out there was a misfire at cylinder 5. Dealership found coolant inside the cylinder.

Head Gasket has failed on the engine which resulted in radiator blowing out in the middle of traffic stranding my wife and four kids on the side of the road for hours. Seems to be a common issue with the Chrysler 3.6 engine in 2017 models and possibly 2018 models.

Blown engine gasket

Check Engine light came on in October 2023. Code indicated misfire cylinder #5. Dealer could not reproduce problem in shop. Returned vehicle with instructions to drive until check engine light came back on. 800 miles later light came back on. Dealer reported code was misfire cylinder #5 again on Nov. 22, 2023. Also found coolant in cylinder indicating blown head gasket. Recommended repair was engine replacement as Chrysler did not recommend head gasket repair. Cost $11,500. Engine has 56,000 miles on it. Power train warranty was 5 years/60,000 miles, so just out of warranty for time but not mileage. Problem could result in total engine failure while driving, putting driver and passengers at risk of injury or worse. Problem was confirmed by dealer on November 22, 2023 and vehicle is currently at dealer service center awaiting repair decision. My research shows that there have been many reported failures of this vehicles' engines with the identical symptoms and repair recommendations. Many Owners who opted for head gasket repair often ended up having to have engines replaced anyway. My vehicle has been dealer-maintained on schedule since I purchased it, as I had an oil change and basic maintenance contract on it that expired September 2023. It gave no indication of any problems before the initial check engine light in October. Never overheated or any other warnings that it had a failing engine. A properly maintained engine should not fail at 56,000 miles.

While driving 70 mph on freeway passing a semi the engine shut off. Had steering and braking but no power. Managed to pull over without getting hit. Dash message "put in park, press brake and press start. Major panic attack as we were 200 miles from major town in the desert. Started car drove about 5 miles and it did it again. Dealer claims to never heard of that problem. Since getting home I've not taken vehicle on freeway. Utterly terrifying.

While driving home from a local store, all the dashboard lights came on and warning signals were heard. Our local repair shop diagnosed a blown headgasket. We are the original owners, 82,000 miles on the vehicle, this complaint is similar to complaints listed for this vehicle on the NTSB website.

I received a P0303 engine misfire code. I have noticed a very slow coolant leak. Thankfully I noticed the leak before the coolant ran out or else the car could have overheated and left me in a very dangerous situation. My mechanic ran a test and confirmed that there is a blown head gasket. My vehicle has ~85,000 miles and from what I have read that is very few miles to be having a head gasket fail.