2023 Chrysler Pacifica Engine Problems

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2023 Chrysler Pacifica owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact rented a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated while driving downhill at approximately 20 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "Brake Release" was displayed. The contact stated that the braking system malfunctioned, and the vehicle failed to stop while depressing the brake pedal before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was drivable, but the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the check engine warning light then turned off. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The rental company was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 300.

The contact owns a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated that immediately after purchasing the vehicle, while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The following day, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who was unable to identify the cause of the failure and no corrective service was performed. The contact stated that after retrieving the vehicle, while driving from the dealer the failure reoccurred and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle could not be restarted and was towed back the dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 35.

I have a 2023 Pacifica with around 3k miles. I purchased brand new. In the few months that I have owned the vehicle, it has turned off about 5 times while driving. It loses all power. Engine, power, etc completely dies. I need to restart the vehicle, wait for start-up, and then I can continue driving. The vehicle has currently been at Arrigo Sawgrass Chrysler since 07/13/2023. Arrigo continues to say "They can not duplicate the issue and it does not show on computers " I called Chrysler Corporate for escalation. They told me that they have no record of the vehicle being in a repair shop until 07/25/2023. The bottom line is, this is a real problem. I have a 4-year-old, 2-year-old, and 2-month-old plus myself and my wife in the vehicle. What if this repeats and the car turns off in an intersection with a semi coming or worse? …

High voltage battery pack, Power Inverter Module (PIM), and HV charging system. PIM replaced twice (p/n 68381781AD, 8/4/25 and 8/18/25) after being found melted with arcing damage at HV connections. Battery pack has active BPCM fault codes and a recorded cell voltage excursion. Vehicle available for inspection. Vehicle lost all motive power without warning at highway speed on multiple occasions, requiring the driver to pull over. This occurred on a platform subject to recall 24V-536 (HV battery fire risk). A melted inverter and arcing at HV connections were found on a vehicle still being driven daily. BPCM data shows Cell 79 recorded a voltage excursion to 1,526 mV - less than half minimum safe operating voltage - stored in permanent memory. Yes. Lawless Inc. (Woburn, MA), authorized Chrysler dealer, confirmed fault codes PA121-00 and P0A43-00 on 8/4/25 and replaced the PIM. …

On June 14, 2026, one day after purchase, while driving through the Mojave Desert on I-15 in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the check engine light illuminated and remained on through Southern California. The vehicle required a jump start after being parked in a covered multi-level parking structure for 5 days in Long Beach California after which the check engine light cleared. On June 19, 2026, six days after purchase, during the return trip the high voltage hybrid traction battery failed completely without warning in active Las Vegas highway traffic. The vehicle lost all motive power and coasted to the roadside. Three minor passengers were aboard, the youngest age 13. The occupants were stranded in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees for approximately two hours awaiting a tow truck. …

On 8/12/2025, he vehicle displayed a warning that said "Stop Safely, Vehicle will shut off soon" shortly after it was parked. It also displayed a red turtle and the check engine light. There was no warning or check engine light prior to the message that the vehicle was going to shut off. Fortunately, we had already parked safely, but were on the freeway traveling and about an hour away from home. It was 100 degrees outside, and we were stranded with no help from Chrysler customer care other than to tow the vehicle, leaving our kids and dog in a parking lot with no car. We declined this option and had it checked by a diagnostic computer at Jiffy Lube, which returned no diagnostic code. Eventually, all of the warnings and check engine lights went off, and we were able to take it home. …

We were driving on the interstate at approximately 70 mph when our car gave the warning, "Stop Soon. Vehicle will shut off." A turtle warning light also lit up. We pulled over to the side of the road and turned the car off. After a few minutes, we were able to turn the car back on and drive home, though the check engine light was then on. We took it to the dealer the next day, with the check engine light still on, and the dealer was unable to reproduce or diagnose the problem. They said there were so many warning codes that they could not determine what was the problem and that if they followed what the codes were telling them, they'd have to replace the entire wiring system of the car. They also said that one or more of the codes was related to the transmission. They drove the car extensively and couldn't reproduce the shutdown. …

On August 2, while traveling about 75 MPH, the check engine light came on along with the warning "Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon". The vehicle started immediately losing power. We were driving in the fast lane in traffic so pulling over was difficult and dangerous. After we were to the side of the road, we turned the van off. After 10 minutes or so, we continued on and pulled over at a rest stop. We have an OBD2 and checked the codes. At first, there were no codes even though the check engine light was on. After checking a few times, there were 2 codes. They were P1C65 PD and P0A43. I took the van into the dealership on August 4. They saw one of the codes saved. On August 7 the dealership preformed a software update. They were not able to reproduce the issue. …

The vehicle randomly went into limp mode. The check engine light came on with error code P0A3F. The vehicle was restarted and drove normally with the check engine light (CEL) still on. We immediately made an appointment with the dealership to get it looked at. As we were driving into the dealership parking lot the CEL cleared itself. There is an existing TSB for this exact scenario and symptoms. The dealership and Chrysler corporate (Stellantis) are refusing to fix this issue because there isn't an "active code." The code is in the history. Since then the CEL has come on multiple times but cleared itself too quickly to get it to the dealer in time. We took it a second dealership this time with an active code, but the code cleared itself upon restarting the car after leaving it there. This vehicle is not safe to drive since it randomly goes into limp mode with no power. …

While driving at approximately 65 mph on I-35 in moderate traffic, the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of motive power. I was positioned in the far-right lane at the time of the incident. A notification message appeared on the dashboard screen (likely the "Stop Safely" or "Service Hybrid System" warning); however, there was no accompanying audible warning tone to alert me to the severity of the issue before power was lost. The failure rendered the vehicle unable to accelerate, creating a severe safety hazard. I was forced to navigate to the shoulder and stop for the vehicle to reset and allow me to reach the exit while the vehicle was effectively crippled, moving at speeds under 10 mph amidst highway-speed traffic. I was eventually able to exit the freeway at this reduced speed. This was the third and fourth time issue had occurred. …

Engine complaints in other Pacifica years