Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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).
Tl* the contact owned a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that when he purchased the vehicle the check engine warning light was illuminated, he had taken it to Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram brunswick georgia (5400 altama ave, brunswick, ga 31525) for a full inspection. A week later while at a stop sign, the check engine and an unknow red warning lights illuminated a second time. There was smoke and fire coming from underneath the front hood area. The contact was occupying the vehicle as the driver and managed to exit the vehicle. The contact stated that the fuel line caught on fire and burned the vehicle causing to ignite into flames. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire and police report were filed. The vehicle was towed to a junk yard where it was being investigated. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact arrived home and was notified by an eyewitness, approximately 15-20 minutes later, that smoke was coming from the vehicle. The contact observed major smoke and flames underneath the front of the vehicle. The fire department was called and determined that the fire started from the engine area. A fire report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The vehicle was still parked outside of the owner's home. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. It was not determined whether or not the vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. While driving at approximately 15 MPH making a left turn, the engine stalled and the doors locked without warning. The contact stated that smoke started to emit from the vehicle before it engulfed into flames. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 196,000.
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.
I was driving and my children smelled smoke. I pulled over and opened the hood and saw a fire. A stranger stopped and tried putting it out with a fire extinguisher but it caught on so quickly that there was no chance. I suffered a complete loss since the entire car was engulfed in flames.
I have an 04 Chrysler Pacifica with a severely rusted engine cradle. I was told by a mechanic at Goodyear while trying to get an alignment that my cradle was too rusted to do the alignment. He then said this is a known issue with Chrysler pacificas. I did some research and found a letter that was issued to owners of pacificas regarding this problem. However, I did not receive the letter. So I called the Chrysler complaint line and spoke with someone who gave me a case # and told me I would need to have the issue verified by a Chrysler dealer and then they would look into paying for the repair. I took it to my dealer who verified the repair and took several pictures. I had not heard any thing back so I called back to the complaint line about my case#. At that time I spoke with another csr who informed me that my vehicle was not one of the affected vehicles . …
We own a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica with around 117K miles on it. My daughter drives it. While changing the engine oil on it last weekend, I noticed severe corrosion (perforation actually) of the vehicle engine cradle. The passenger side of the cross member is rusted completely through on the bottom and the driver side is about 70% rusted through. As this cross member is what holds the engine in the vehicle and acts as the base of the front suspension, I don't believe this vehicle is safe to drive anymore. Should this structural component fail during highway driving, I believe the vehicle would become unstable and uncontrollable which would be a hazard to the driver, passengers and other motorists. Yes, we live in wisconsin (part of the salt belt), but this amount of corrosion on such a crucial structural component is crazy! …
Husband took car in to have motor mounts fixed. Have been bad since we bought the car, on 1/28/12. Along with a lot of other issues we didn't understand. Ac stopped working. Stalled while driving 55 MPH., always shook after a certain speed, electrical, car jerked forward at a stop, tire pressure always read 2-3 tires low even after having new tires put on and aligned. Defog never worked. Weird sound in front of suspension, power train module, etc., etc. But the worst of all is when we tried to have the motor mounts fixed back in December . Car guy fixed motor mounts, husband drove car home, later that night went with kids for ice cream, came out and car would not start. Had it towed back, worked on it forever could not figure out, then had it towed again 2 weeks later, to another shop, where they said the car was done! …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal would intermittently become stuck in the open throttle position. When the failure would occur, the vehicle would jerk violently before accelerating and stalling. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the independent mechanic discovered that all of the engine mounts were fractured. The engine mounts were replaced at the contact's expense. After repairs, the failure recurred sporadically and the engine would vibrate and exhibit an unusually loud rumble. The contact was sitting idle at a gated entrance. The vehicle abnormally accelerated up to 15 MPH and crashed into the gate while the brakes were depressed. A police report was available. The contact was unable to drive the vehicle from the scene and the vehicle was towed to her insurance company's lot. The vehicle was not repaired. …
I drive a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. I was driving a couple of days ago and I heard a noise under the hood that was abnormal. The noise continued every little bump, turn, etc. I took my car into the mechanic and he said that my engine cradle has rusted almost completely through the metal. He mentioned that Chrysler had issued a recall on certain models and when I called Chrysler they told me that my car was not covered in the recall. Upon researching the topic, I found that it is a very common occurrence with 2004 and 2005 pacificas and several others are experiencing the same problem that I am as far as Chrysler refusing to fix the cradle. I just purchased my vehicle on May 9th, 2014 for $6,000 and I am being expected to put $3,500 of work into it not even a year later? …
NHTSA investigations
Engine stalling
On February 27, 2006 rq06-002 was opened in response to 60 complaints of engine stall, mostly during left-hand turns, in model year (my) 2004 to 2006 Chrysler pacifica vehicles that were outside the scope of recall 04v-113.in March 2004, daimlerchrysler initiated recall 04v-113 on 34,561 my 2004 pacifica vehicles to correct a condition that could result in engine stall while making a left-hand turn after a…
Engine complaints in other Pacifica years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica?
NHTSA has 258 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica, 29% of the model year's 896 complaints. The component named most often is engine (34 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Chrysler Pacifica engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 107,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 13 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.