Chrysler Pacifica stalling problems: what 911 owners reported

Owners have filed 911 complaints with NHTSA about the Chrysler Pacifica stalling, losing power or shutting off while driving. That is 20.7% of the 4,400 complaints on file for the model. The reports cover model years 2017 to 2026, and 2017 and 2018 together account for 575 of them.

NHTSA lists four recall campaigns that mention a stall or shutdown on the Pacifica: model years 2017 to 2023 are covered across them, including a 2023 campaign for Pacifica Plug-In Hybrids (23V010000). If this is not your case, read the full Chrysler Pacifica problem report.

TL;DR

• 911 of 4,400 Pacifica complaints (20.7%) describe stalling, power loss or shutting off while driving.
• The worst years by count are 2017 (349 reports) and 2018 (226 reports).
• By share of each year's complaints, 2021 (25.8%) and 2022 (24.9%) are highest.
• 11 reports mention a crash and 6 mention a fire. The reports list 9 injuries in total.
• Four recalls mention a stall or engine shutdown: 18V049000, 18V524000, 19V348000 and 23V010000.
• The components named most often are Engine (482), Electrical System (394) and Power Train (346).
• Check your VIN for open recalls at the NHTSA recall page before anything else.

Which Chrysler Pacifica years have the most stalling complaints?

The raw count peaks in 2017 and 2018, the first two years of this generation, which also have the most complaints of any kind. Share tells a slightly different story: 2021 and 2022 have more than a quarter of their complaints about stalling, higher than 2017. The 2024 to 2026 counts are small, and newer vehicles have had less time on the road to collect reports, so I would not read them as a sign those years are better.

What do Pacifica owners describe?

The reports fall into a few groups. This is what owners wrote, not a diagnosis.

Shutting off in traffic. A 2020 owner wrote that "the vehicle's electrical system has turned off the engine and stalled multiple times in the middle of intersections" (complaint 11775305). The same owner says the auto start-stop system has gotten worse and that new batteries did not fix it. A 2025 owner describes two problems with that system: "when I slow not quite to a stop making a left turn I have experience very low or no power" (complaint 11738454), and says the dealer "found no issues and did not reproduce the problem no warning lights come up when the problem happens."

Highway power loss. A 2023 Hybrid owner wrote: "While driving at highway speeds, my 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid suddenly lost all propulsion power. A turtle icon appeared on the dashboard cluster, and the vehicle stalled" (complaint 11758354). A 2026 owner wrote: "Driving down a busy section of highway on I-25 in Colorado, without warning car lost all power and shutoff" (complaint 11739905).

Hybrid battery and cooling. A 2021 owner wrote: "The vehicle experiences a complete loss of motive power due to the high voltage battery pack reaching a temperature of 131 degrees F" (complaint 11773367). The report lists 11 repair attempts across two owners. A 2024 owner describes the car losing power and shutting off after about three hours of driving, with the air conditioning blowing warm beforehand (complaint 11763626).

Shifting to park while moving. A 2017 owner wrote that the van "immediately parked itself mid turn" and that afterwards "P1B14 code is thrown" (complaint 11772083).

Engine damage. A 2019 owner describes "coolant leaking into a cylinder" and says "this has rendered the vehicle undrivable" (complaint 11758412). A 2018 owner reports failed cylinder head gaskets and a stretched timing chain (complaint 11773908). These are the owners' own accounts, and I cannot tell from the data how common this is.

Across all 911 reports, NHTSA component tags are Engine (482), Electrical System (394), Power Train (346), Fuel/Propulsion System (110), Steering (94) and Vehicle Speed Control (63). One report can carry several tags. Eleven reports mention a crash and six mention a fire, and the reports list 9 injured people in total.

Is there a recall for stalling on the Pacifica?

Yes, several. Each one describes a specific cause, so check the model years before assuming it applies to your van.

For each of these, NHTSA states the consequence as an increased risk of a crash, and none is flagged as "do not drive." One 2023 owner (complaint 11758354) writes that Chrysler Care told them their VIN is not included in 23V010000, even though the owner reports the same symptoms. I cannot say from the data whether that is right, which is one more reason to check your own VIN rather than rely on the model year.

What should you do if your Pacifica stalls or loses power?

1. Check your VIN for open recalls at NHTSA recalls. Open recalls are repaired free of charge.
2. If the car loses power in traffic, get to a safe place if you can, switch on the hazard lights and call for help. Do not keep driving a van that has shut off on you.
3. Write down the date, mileage, warning messages (such as a turtle icon or a hybrid system message), fault codes and what you were doing when it happened.
4. Ask the dealer to check for open recalls and manufacturer service bulletins, and ask for the visit to be written down even if they cannot reproduce the fault. One owner above was told exactly that.
5. Report the problem at NHTSA report a safety problem. The reports are what this guide is built on.

How this guide was made

This guide uses owner complaints filed with NHTSA and NHTSA recall records, with data as of 9 November 2026. A complaint counts here when the owner's text describes stalling, loss of power or shutting off while driving. The counts are of reports, not of cars, and complaints are not verified faults. See the methodology for how reports are matched and counted.