Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - POWER STEERING FLUID | ||||||
| EA08006 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 02/21/2008 | 04/15/2009 | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE | ||
| The agency has closed this investigation based on its review of consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims and other data regarding engine compartment fires and power steering fluid leakage in model year (my) 2007 chrysler pacifica vehicles with 4.0l engines.the available evidence indicates that power steering fluid leaks in the subject vehicles and the fires that may result from these leaks, occurred early in the vehicle's service life.moreover, changes in the assembly process appear to have remedied the condition causing the leaks.the available data confirms a declining trend for both complaints and warranty claims as the subject vehicles remain in service. the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. (see document file for additional information regarding this resume.) | ||||||
| PE07052 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 10/19/2007 | 02/21/2008 | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE | ||
| Complainants allege that a fire erupted under the hood, near the front of the vehicle.in chrysler's response to odi's november 2, 2007 information request, chrysler asserts that the alleged defect occurs only in the 4.0l engines and the consumer will experience a loss of power steering fluid or a noisy power steering pump before seeing any evidence of smoke or fire.chrysler also states that a tube nut on the high pressure power steering line was discovered to be cross threaded during the assembly process and did not allow proper sealing of the o-ring.the power steering system in the 4.0l engine is assembled at the chrysler plant.the power steering system for the 3.8l engines arrives at the chrysler plant pre-assembled.chrysler found that in the 4.0l engine, it was possible to cross-thread the tube nut on the high pressure line during its attachment to the steering gear, thus creating an improper seal.chrysler implemented assembly plant process changes to eliminate the possibility of cross-threading, and applied additional quality control measures to detect power steering fluid leaks.chrysler stated that warranty and field data suggests that these process changes have minimized the possibility of cross-threading.with regard to the vehicles produced prior to the production change, a review of the warranty claims indicates that the alleged defect has not declined in the 4.0l population.odi is upgrading this preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis, ea08-006, to further evaluate the issue. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 09/23/2009 | 22000 | ||
| When turning the steering, mostly to the right, at low speeds there is a rubbing, vibration coming from the front of the vehicle which is quite loud and can be felt as a shudder through the steering wheel. i took the vehicle into my local dealership but they were unable to replicate this problem due to the fact that it is an intermittent issue. i no longer have warranty on the vehicle but feel that chrysler should take care of any issue that is reported during the warranty period but not fixed during that time. i fear that eventually a steering failure will occur which may have major consequences. | |||
| 05/24/2011 | |||
| Rear engine mounts are defective in vehicle, the engine is shifting within the car causing it to hit the transmission. additionally, the control arm within the car is broken and loose. there was a recall on the 2008 chrysler pacifica for the same problem because the driver can loose control of the vehicle while in operation. my 2007 is currently being looked at for this issue. cause as stated by mechanic: internal failure of the steering gear and both lower control arms busshings broken and loose. | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 38829 | ||
| 2007 chrysler pacifica with 38829 miles need to have both outer tie rod ends replaced. my wife and i are the first owners. i feel that the miles on vehicle are to low for such damage and very close to the basic coverage or the intent of coverage. i will be getting it repaired at my local chrysler dealership. | |||
| 10/05/2009 | 28000 | ||
| When turning to the right or the left i can hear a rubbing type noise. i took it into the two different dealers on two separate occasions complaining of the noise, but the dealers could not duplicate the problem. when i turn i hear a rubbing noise and now when i reverse there is a loud grinding/rubbing noise similar to the noise that i get when turning. the noise generally occurs first thing in the morning after i have started my car and reverse it. if my car has been sitting for a while it will do the noise then too! i'm unsure what is causing the noise and since the dealers can't duplicate it they have not done anything either. i'm quite concerned as to what can be causing these noises and i do believe that they are linked! i noticed another pacifica owner had the same problem as i did so now i know it's not just my car. | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 38829 | ||
| 2007 chrysler pacifica with 38829 miles need to have both outer tie rod ends replaced. my wife and i are the first owners. i feel that the miles on vehicle are to low for such damage and very close to the basic coverage or the intent of coverage. i will be getting it repaired at my local chrysler dealership. | |||
| 10/05/2009 | 28000 | ||
| When turning to the right or the left i can hear a rubbing type noise. i took it into the two different dealers on two separate occasions complaining of the noise, but the dealers could not duplicate the problem. when i turn i hear a rubbing noise and now when i reverse there is a loud grinding/rubbing noise similar to the noise that i get when turning. the noise generally occurs first thing in the morning after i have started my car and reverse it. if my car has been sitting for a while it will do the noise then too! i'm unsure what is causing the noise and since the dealers can't duplicate it they have not done anything either. i'm quite concerned as to what can be causing these noises and i do believe that they are linked! i noticed another pacifica owner had the same problem as i did so now i know it's not just my car. | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 38829 | ||
| 2007 chrysler pacifica with 38829 miles need to have both outer tie rod ends replaced. my wife and i are the first owners. i feel that the miles on vehicle are to low for such damage and very close to the basic coverage or the intent of coverage. i will be getting it repaired at my local chrysler dealership. | |||
| 10/05/2009 | 28000 | ||
| When turning to the right or the left i can hear a rubbing type noise. i took it into the two different dealers on two separate occasions complaining of the noise, but the dealers could not duplicate the problem. when i turn i hear a rubbing noise and now when i reverse there is a loud grinding/rubbing noise similar to the noise that i get when turning. the noise generally occurs first thing in the morning after i have started my car and reverse it. if my car has been sitting for a while it will do the noise then too! i'm unsure what is causing the noise and since the dealers can't duplicate it they have not done anything either. i'm quite concerned as to what can be causing these noises and i do believe that they are linked! i noticed another pacifica owner had the same problem as i did so now i know it's not just my car. | |||
| 01/30/2011 | |||
| There is a noise coming from susspension or steering. it occurs when backing out and turning. two loud clunks. one when backing up and turning, one when straightening up the wheels. also, when turning while driving, many times there is a noise coming from steering - feels like a short grind resonating into the steering wheel. at first i though it was a tire hitting on something on the car. i've been complaining about this since the car was new ( 2007 chrysler pacifica). not until last year, did dealer take this seriously and took a look at it. car was in for a total of three or four times. once for as long as three weeks. i am being told the cross member was replaced. unfortunatelly, the car is still making the same noises and i am afraid it is a safety issue. dealer says there is nothing wrong with the car. i think it is a big safety issue. sure feels like something isn't right. | |||
| 08/28/2010 | 56000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 chrysler pacifica touring. while driving 35 mph and other varies speed the steering wheel lock. he has to pull to the side of the road turn the engine on and off and the steering will reset right away. the vehicle was taken to the dealer twice and was told to replace the motor mounts which was done but the problem still exists. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 56,000....mw | |||
| 03/28/2010 | 63000 | ||
| Steering wheel shakes violently everytime when '07 chrysler pacifica is slowing down. brought in for service and was told the car needed a new front motor mount. not covered under any warranty. search of the internet shows multiple problems of chrsyler pacifica motor mount replacement, and needing to replace multiple times. dealership only guarantees new motor mount for 12 months, or 12,000 miles. | |||
| 11/16/2008 | 21150 | 3 | 09/28/2008 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chrysler pacifica. the contact stated that the vehicle loses power while driving between 15 to 60 mph. the failure has occurred seven times since the vehicle was purchased. right after the failure, the low oil pressure indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the driver experienced limited ability to steer and stop the vehicle during the failure. the vehicle is able to be immediately restarted after the failure. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for repair on four occasions. on the first occasion, the dealer stated that they could not duplicate the failure; however, they updated the software. on the second occasion, the dealer duplicated the failure and replaced the throttle body. on the third occasion, the emissions indicator illuminated and an erroneous evaporation code appeared. the computer was reset at that time. on the fourth visit to the dealer, three loose electrical grounds were found and tightened; however, the failure continued. the previous owner also experienced the failures, but the manufacturer was unable to determine the cause. the failure mileage was 21,150 and current mileage was 23,250. updated 3/5/09 *cn updated 03/10/09. *jb | |||
| 12/24/2008 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle caught fire. fire started in the engine, but was not noticed when the vehicle was shut off. it smoldered then ignited entire vehicle. nothing unusual was noticed when driving the vehicle, or when shutting off the engine. the engine size is 4.0 ltr. *tr | |||
| 09/08/2008 | 13000 | 1 | |
| September 8, 2008, my wife was driving our 2007 pacifica. power steering failed, she attempted to park the car in a parking space in front of a retail store. smoke appeared from hood area, fluid leaked out from under front end, flames erupted. fire department was there in several minutes to extinguish the blaze, but not before damage was done to the building and another vehicle parked next to the pacifica. front end of car completely burned. chrysler ordered an inspection conducted by an independent adjuster. claims results are inconclusive and has ordered another inspection. obviously this is not the first report of fire caused by power steering fluid leak. we have waited patiently for over five weeks. chrysler suggest we settle with our insurance company. i am not willing to do that when it is obviously a defect and the car is in warranty. the car only had approximately 13,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2008 | 1 | ||
| I purchased a '07 chrysler pacifica in february. i've had nothing but problems with the car. i had to have the motor mount replaced. i had problems with it shuttering and acting as though it doesn't shift between 30-35 mph. i've had the torque converter replaced on it as well. after that i've had to have the tie rods replaced, and the struts. since i've noticed that almost everyone is having the torque converter and motor mount problems as well as other chrysler vehicles this should be addressed. since i've had the torque converter removed while it was still in shop i get my car back and when you let go of the steering wheel it veers completely to the left. now the dealership is trying to clean their hands and saying it's a defect with the car; they have to contact chrysler. hello-it didn't do this before i took it in and now it is since they've 'fixed' it. it's actually unbelievable since so many car manufacturers are failing you'd think they'd recall this problem, fix it and keep what reputation they have left. *tr | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| 09/01/2008 | 100 | 4 | 09/18/2007 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chrysler pacifica. she would hear loud thumping and grinding , when turning the steering column. she had to use great force in order to turn the steering column. the manufacturer was contacted and after numerous attempts to correct the failure they stated they did not know what the caused the failure. they also stated they were working on a technical service bulletin to address the failure. the failure mileage was under 100 and the current was 39, 386. updated 01/27/10*lj the rack and pinion was replaced as well as the sway bar links. updated 01/28/10 *jb. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - POWER STEERING FLUID | |||
| 10/07/2007 | 100 | 1 | 10/06/2007 |
| Chrysler pacifica experienced a power steering fluid leak that due to the location of the leak ignited the engine compartment on fire. the vehicle was totaled and significant property damage was done. three vehicle occupants were able to escape without bodily injury but were frightened by the incident. chrylser has not contacted me with any resolution. they replaced the vehicle with another but have not clarified what remedy if any is necessary on all other pacificas. *tr | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 10/10/2009 | 23000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chrysler pacifica. while driving 30 mph he lost power steering. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. the power steering pump and belt will be repaired under the warranty. he will contact the manufacturer. the current and the failure mileages were 23,000. | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 09/01/2008 | 100 | 4 | 09/18/2007 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chrysler pacifica. she would hear loud thumping and grinding , when turning the steering column. she had to use great force in order to turn the steering column. the manufacturer was contacted and after numerous attempts to correct the failure they stated they did not know what the caused the failure. they also stated they were working on a technical service bulletin to address the failure. the failure mileage was under 100 and the current was 39, 386. updated 01/27/10*lj the rack and pinion was replaced as well as the sway bar links. updated 01/28/10 *jb. | |||