Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| 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.) | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 03/01/2013 | 82600 | ||
| We have had multiple issues with this vehicle. around 60,000 miles the car died several times which was fixed. then 2/11/2013 the car had a problem with i believe was the fuel line. car would act like it was going to die and smoking like crazy when pressed gas, smelled like gas.. we got it to the dealer service and the fixed it - cost $1100. 3 weeks later while getting onto a freeway in traffic, i pressed the gas to accelerate, heard a bang like something blew up in the engine, car was smoking in the exhaust and the immediately died. it was towed to the dealer where we were later informed a rod had come loose and put a gash in the engine and oil pan. called it a catastrophic failure and only fixed at enormous cost. car dead at 82,625 miles. 5 years old. if this rod would have broke loose any other time or while driving faster in middle lane, we could have been killed, since it was rush hour. i had 2 young kids with me at the time. chrysler is putting lives at risk with faulty products. purchased brand new, maintained and did all required maintenance through dealer. had to purchase new car, not a chrysler. | |||
| 02/15/2007 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 chrysler pacifica. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled and then the check engine light illuminated. to restart the vehicle, it had to be shifted into neutral. the contact also stated that the power steering assist would fail intermittently. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 104,000. mh | |||
| 02/15/2007 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 chrylers pacifica. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled and then the check engine light came on. the contact stated that when the failure occurred, they had to put the vehicle in nuetral in order to restart. the contact stated the vehicle did | |||
| 03/01/2012 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Motor mounts are collapsed on 2007 chrysler pacifica. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2012 | 100000 | ||
| Motor mounts are collapsed on 2007 chrysler pacifica. | |||
| 03/04/2010 | 55000 | 19 | |
| Engine stalls / shuts off at low speed - this has occurred 18 times since and seems to be getting progressively worse. now it is occurring at higher speeds (50mph) when turning around bends. loss of power steering contributes to the problem. the interior power remains on while a oil display light flashes. once stopped the vehicle will restart and no further problem is detected. these types of stalling problems occur intermittently. the same sort of scenario happens every time the engine shuts off (stalls). *tr | |||
| 03/04/2010 | 55000 | ||
| Engine stalls / shuts off at low speed - this has occurred 18 times since and seems to be getting progressively worse. now it is occurring at higher speeds (50mph) when turning around bends. loss of power steering contributes to the problem. the interior power remains on while a oil display light flashes. once stopped the vehicle will restart and no further problem is detected. these types of stalling problems occur intermittently. the same sort of scenario happens every time the engine shuts off (stalls). | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 12/03/2011 | 67600 | ||
| Have been experiencing a clunk from the right wheel well for a few weeks. had midas look at it last week while replacing front brakes, but they said they didn't see anything. this week, was getting oil change and transmission flushed. mentioned the noise again, and this time was told the noise was due to engine mount failure of the left and right engine mounts. i in turn called my local chrysler dealership since i purchased my car with the lifetime power train warranty as well as an extended warranty, and was told that neither one of these would cover the replacement. then, chrysler proceeded to quote me a replacement cost that was $300 over my midas quote. i asked the technician, doesn't this seem to be a premature failure, since i only have 67,000 miles? to which he replied, yes it does. he also said the reason this part is not covered is because it is considered a consumable part. really? can i buy that with my oil? but, based on all of the complaints i have seen about this on numerous websites, engine mounts are as consumable as brake pads where chrysler is concerned. needless to say, i told the technician that i would not be taking my car to the dealership for this repair. i came home and decided to google this problem to see if it was a common occurrence, and oh my! chrysler needs to recall the engine mounts and refund their customers who have had to pay for these repairs since none of their warranties seem to! take responsibility for your product. this was a $36,000 car! | |||
| 05/30/2010 | 61000 | ||
| My chrysler pacifica 2007 awd with a 4.0 engine uses excessive oil. i did not know this. due to the car using oil-no leaking, i nearly blew my engine. my oil light came on too late with only about 1 qt of oil remaining. since i bought the car a year old and it is past 36000 miles, i am stuck with repairs due to a faulty engine. the car is at the mechanic who said it has metal in the oil from the ordeal and may need the whole engine replaced or rebuilt. this may cost 1/2 what the car is worth and i still owe payments for 4 more years. i have checked online forums and this is a common problem with the awd models, especially built in canada like mine. chrysler needs to be held responsible for these repairs. this is $40k vehicle. at the very least the engine should last more than 5 years. my car is only 3 years old and i'm stuck with bills i can't afford or paying payments on a car i can't drive. | |||
| 04/15/2008 | 6700 | 1 | |
| On april 15th 2008 at approximately 8:45am i was driving our brand new chrysler pacifica limited addition. i pulled into the parking of 2155 suite b electric rd, roanoke, va 24018. as i got out of the car with my 2yr old daughter the car caught on fire underneath the hood. it caused $5,000 of damage to the building as well as damaged the car completely(we have many pictures). the fire department arrived at the scene within two minutes and was able to prevent further damage to the building. our insurance preceded with an investigation and found that the fire started around the steering fluid or the anti-freeze. their findings concluded even though it was burned to the ground that it was the steering fluid. chrysler had their own forensics come out and all they did was take pictures and report back to their headquarters. within a week and a half we were informed by a letter that it was not a manufactured default. but would not let us know what caused it. it was a brand new chrysler with only 6,700 miles on it. we bought it brand new. if you could please help us with any information you have we would truly appreciate it. we have no car and chrysler does not want to help us but it would be helpful to know what caused it. if it isn't the steering fluid leak than what caused a brand new car to catch fire and go up in flames? sincerely, mary-kathryn bailey *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 09/15/2010 | 32000 | ||
| My 2007 chrysler pacifica stalls while driving. we have only owned it for 9 months but in that time we have had five stalling issues. our local dealership has tried cleaning various parts of the transmission, but it continues to stall. i noticed that 2003 to 2006 pacifica's were recalled for a similar issue. | |||