Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Chrysler Pacifica owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On Wednesday night (13 July 16), se michigan had severe thunderstorms and street flooding. I drove through this for at least 6 miles. The next morning as I was leaving for work, I got into the car, buckled my seat belt and put the car into reverse. There was a loud "crunching" noise but no movement. I put the car in park, got out to see if there was anything behind the car to make that noise but there wasn't. I got back in the car, buckled up, put the car's gear into reverse again. No movement, but an incredibly loud screechy, whiny noise could be heard 4 townhouses away. I barely tapped the accelerator and the car shot backwards out of the space, across the lot, up over a curb, through a flower bed, taking out a large, wooden sign and stopping only when the vehicle crashed into a tree. No air bags deployed at all. Police and emts were called to the scene. …
Driving down interstate when the cruise cut out and the engine skipped. Pulled over to check engine fluids and all were OK. No engine warning lights or any other indication of something being wrong. Continued at approx 70 MPH when there seemed to be an internal explosion within the engine causing the engine to stop and all front airbags to deploy. Vehicle then caught fire and was totally destroyed.
The cooling system for the car does not work correctly. After a steady idle of about 5 minutes, the car will begin to get hot and the fans will kick on. Two minutes later it will do it again. The system it self seems OK, but the fan is constantly on and off. The motor get s so hot that the hood on my car is starting to turn. Next is the airbags. The airbag light for the passenger side is always on indicating a failure. The bag has never been deployed? Now the biggest problem is the top end of the motor. My check engine lights keeps coming on. Keeps saying misfire on cylinder 4. Everything has been replaced and I still get this code? My vehicle gets it regular maintenance and my mechanic said my car should not having these problems.
2004 Chrysler Pacifica AWD with side air bags did not deploy during a collision. Vehicle was struck, by a second vehicle traveling at a higher speed than subject vehicle was moving, broadside. The impact was at 90% to left side of vehicle. Driver door, center post and rear passenger door severely damaged. Rocker panel also severely damaged. Center post entered passenger compartment approximately 5+ inches. Drivers seat damaged. Driver experienced injury to left side of head, shoulder, back, left hand and left ankle. Left calf of leg and whip lash to neck. Driver was wearing seat and shoulder belt at time of collision. Vehicle damage severe and determined to be totaled by insurance company adjuster.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. While driving 35 MPH in a rain storm, the contact attempted to avoid crashing into a tree branch that suddenly flew across the roadway. The vehicle began to swerve back and forth excessively and the contact was unable to maintain control of the vehicle. The contact crashed into a guard rail. None of the seven air bags deployed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an inbound lot. The contact was transported to the hospital with injuries to his back, head and nose. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage and current mileage was 74,470.
I was driving through slush down a hill when the ABS brakes failed to slow me down and I hit trees head on at about 40 MPH. The airbags never deployed. Two systems failed on the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica AWD car. I was not injured, other than a few seat belt bruises, but the car was totaled.
While driving 55 MPH vehicle pulled over too far and sank into a ditch. Then, vehicle crashed into a couple of trees and caught on fire . Upon impact, air bags failed to deploy. Driver sustained a dislocated ancle. Vehicle was totaled.
Frontal air bags failed to deploy when consumer's vehicle was struck by another vehicle on the driver's side upper fender area. Driver sustained head and back injuries, and was transported to the local hospital.
I decided to report this complaint when I read of a similar incident in a automotive newspaper column. I was traveling on a highway about 50 miles per hour when the passenger airbag in my 2004 Chrysler Pacifica spontaneously deployed. Fortunately my son was sitting in the backseat (or I shudder to think what might have happened to him), and thankfully I was able to keep the vehicle on the road until I could safely pull over. There was no collision that made the bag deploy, nor did I run over anything in the road. The entire dashboard was "fried" in addition to the bag deploying. The car dealer and the representative from Chrysler would not take responsibility--they blamed the auto repair shop that had done some collision work on the car a month earlier. The collision shop said that the work they did was nowhere near anything related to the airbag system. …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Chrysler pacific. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the was forced to the edge of the road to avoid a vehicle and crashed into an embankment. The vehicle rolled over six times. The air bags failed to deploy. Witnesses at the scene stated that during the third rollover, a 9-year old child, located in the middle row on the driver side, was thrown from the vehicle and died. The child was wearing a seatbelt at the time. All of the other passengers sustained minor injuries. The driver and three passengers were transported to the hospital. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a garage and later determined to be destroyed. The mileages were unknown. Updated 08/05/08
Airbag complaints in other Pacifica years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the air bags of the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica, 3% of the model year's 896 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Chrysler Pacifica airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Chrysler Pacifica airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 3 fires and 20 injuries and 2 deaths to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.