2018 Chrysler Pacifica Engine

The engine was unresponsive and made it difficult to pull into the oncoming traffic. We found out the head gasket was blown and it finally just shut down. Then after we fixed that the lifters and heads were gone even after we had the heads milled and got new gaskets and other parts amounting to $11000.00 so far. We have this car for two years and we have put less that 5000 miles on the car.

At 93500 miles, the check engine light came on. I immediately had it checked by my mechanic and the code was identified as a P301, (Cylinder 1 misfire.) Service was scheduled. At time of service, it was determined that the cylinder head gasket has failed and is leaking coolant into the cylinder, causing the misfire. I have given the shop approval to replace both cylinder head gaskets at an estimated cost of $4500. Loss of coolant can cause catastrophic engine failure, especially while driving. This vehicle is sold as a family vehicle, and can likely be transporting children. This appears to be a known and common engine failure issue and has not been addressed by the Chrysler corporation.

Received message that Start/Stop component was not working. A few weeks later, check engine light came on. Brought to mechanic, was told to replace main and auxiliary battery. Paid to replace those and two days later, got both the start/stop message and the check engine light again. Brought back to mechanic who, upon finding countless other consumers who have had the same issue, found a blown head gasket with coolant leaking into the engine. Our vehicle has only 44k miles on it and is at risk of overheating while driving and the engine may be damaged.

At 34k miles I’m being told the head gasket needs to be replaced and the car is out of warranty. This is unacceptable and refuse to pay the amount to fix for a vehicle that has that low of mileage. Coolant leaking with no visible leakage. Engine overheated on freeway with no explanation.

In Oct 2023 we purchased this van from a used dealership. Well now it sits at a Dodge dealership torn apart waiting on a new engine. It all started when my wife and kids were driving down the road in the middle of winter with no heat (safety issue especially in Wisconsin this time of year) so I took a look at coolant and noticed the coolant reservoir was empty. (Usually a leak somewhere obviously) nothing was on the ground, so time to assume internal leak. Well same day I get a cylinder 5 miss fire code. So I take vehicle into Dodge and they originally diagnosed as head gasket but when they took it apart they found the crack in the block. Now the vehicle had never overheated while we owned it we made sure of it. The story gets deep at this point there is evidence that someone before Dodge had this engine apart as they used RTV and reused the old gaskets ( probably cause they found the crack in the block) but now my wife and I sit with out the vehicle we bought 3 months earlier for 20k being told it's going to cost us 12k to replace engine. Now my complaint is why did this engine fail at 100,000? This is ridiculous. This is supposably a family vehicle and you are putting my family in danger. Dodge should let ok at this complaint seriously as I was reading hundreds of similar statements from other customers with 2018 Chrysler Pacifica 3.6L engine. There are most likely thousands of vehicles with this same issue as I'm on a waiting list to get an engine. So not only do I have to pay thousands to get my 3 month of ownership van back running but now I have to wait possibly months for a new engine.

Misfire on engine that was cause stall and later on could caused over heating. This is a known issue for this manufacture and needs be resolved before someone is hurt or killed Code was p303 and now I need 1000's in repairs out of my pocket Right now believe to be head gasket but damage could be worse. Yall need to google this issue for yourselves and help protect lives

Last year, a head gasket failed causing coolant to leak into the cylinder head that resulted in misfires and overheating. This resulted in engine block failure and a required a total engine replacement.

Blown head casket at only 64000 miles. Engine light on and antifreeze I’m told is leaking now. No warranty or recall with the 2018 Pacifica but there is for the same issue with the 2017.

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

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.

Coolant leaking into cylinder 4 causing a misfire and engine overheating resulting in blown head gasket. Vehicle had only 50K miles at the time; however problem was not diagnosed until just after 5 year mark (powertrain warranty expiration).

At around 84000 miles the engine light came on and the van started spattering and when you start it. The first place I took it to said it was cylinder 6 was misfiring and they replaced the coil and spark plug. The van check engine light came back on and it started to overheat so we took it back in and the coolant was empty. They refilled it and I got it into the dealership and they found that it was the head gasket so they placed it. Upon picking it up the check engine light came back on and they replaced a cam shaft sensor.

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 same issue. Even went as far to say that those with a perfect maintence done on the vehicle were subject to this same issue. 3rd party inspectors have also checked the vehicle for extended warranty purposes. Many reports of the Pentastar 3.6L V-6 seem to show a commonality with what the dealership reported about the 2017 - 2018 Pacificas engine problems. Chrysler has not responded to outreach for assistance and as the cost to repair sent to warranty company is thousands of dollars over what the current value of the vehicle is worth. Chrysler seems to be dodging responsibilty for this blatent issue.

My van experienced sudden misfiring when I tried to start it. To address the issue, I took the van to the Chrysler dealership in Buford, GA. After their assessment, they informed me that cylinder 3 had a crack, and it necessitated the replacement of the entire engine. They provided a quote for this repair, which amounted to $13,000. I've been diligent in maintaining my van, regularly checking the oil levels, and there were no warning signs or indicator lights until the check engine light came on when the misfiring issue began. It's worth noting that my van only has 81,000 miles on it. While researching this problem, I came across a forum where numerous individuals shared similar experiences, indicating that this kind of catastrophic engine failure shouldn't be so common. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Engine sputtering, engine light came on P0303 cylinder 3 misfire. Light would come on and off every couple of days. Diagnosed with a blown head gasket at ~51,000 miles.

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.

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.

Vehicle is 5 years old and at 90,000 miles. Head gasket blew causing several thousand dollars in damage. This seemed very early to have to do this to the engine. I wanted to report in case this is a persistent issue with this particular model of car. If it is a consistent issue I would like to see. A recall issued.

My 2018 Chrysler Pacifica has a blown head gasket. It has been to a Chrysler dealership and an independent auto repair shop. Both places told me that this is a known defect and commonly occurring problem with this engine. I have conducted my own research and it definitely appears to be a known defect and common problem. I was told that the head gasket could be replaced but more problems would follow and paying the large repair bill wouldn't guarantee the van would be problem free. The best option I've been presented with is to replace the engine completely. It is very disappointing to need to replace an engine in a vehicle that is only 5 years old and just barely over 100k miles.

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

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 diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

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.

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.