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Power doors not reversing

25K views 65 replies 29 participants last post by  ezdays 
#1 ·
Our Touring-L Pacifica has a hair less than 3000 miles on it and we found out that the sliding doors would push you over if you tried to stop them. After verifying that I was pressing in the right area of the door (the cushy, padded section that makes up roughly the bottom half), we got the van scheduled to go in to service to get this resolved since I really don't want the door to crush my pregnant wife. After having it a week(also had a scratch to repair), we were told this is normal and there is no fix. I read through the 4 pages of conversation the tech had with star(Chrysler's dealer tech line) and the tech clearly felt this was not safe but Star told him that it was fine and there was no need to fix it. I'm not happy at all about this issue even though I love the van otherwise.
Has anyone else had any issues with your power sliding doors not reversing if you press on them?
 
#2 ·
This is NOT normal. My dealer made a point of showing me how it would reverse when it ran against an obstruction while closing by putting his arm in between the b-pillar and the closing door. It gently pressed against his arm then reversed and began opening again. His arm didn't have a mark on it. I tried it myself and it did the same thing. Here's a quote from page 53 of the owners manual...

"If anything obstructs the power sliding side door while
it is closing or opening, the door will automatically
reverse to the closed or open position, provided it
meets sufficient resistance."
 
#3 ·
This is why I always make it a point to speak with a few different people as the answer can change from one to the other, so maybe you can try speaking to different reps and even emailing different people, hopefully Chrysler does do customer communication through email.
 
#7 ·
I am seeing the same issue. I emailed chrysler through their contact link on their website. This was their response.

Thank you for contacting the FCA Customer Assistance Center.

We would like to apologize for any worry or inconvenience the power
sliding doors may be causing. We would suggest that you make an
appointment with an authorized FCA Group dealership to have this safety
concern resolved. The doors are designed to stop and open upon contact
with anything.

If you take the vehicle to an authorized FCA Group dealership and the
issues remain unresolved, please respond using your method of choice,
either by phone or by using the link provided below to advise us of this
information. We will be more than happy to further review your situation
at that time.

Thank you again for your email. Should you require additional
assistance, or have any new information to provide, please reply to this
email message or call 1-800-247-9753.
Service center at the dealership was neither understanding the seriousness of this issue nor the urgency of a fix.
 
#8 ·
Here is an update:

I took my pacifica in yesterday to an authorized service center at the dealership. I showed the problem to a service advisor who put his hands between the retracted sliding doors, and I pressed close. The sliding doors continued to close and didn't retract on contact...the service advisor yanked his hands out in pain. He told me that he saw and understood why this would be of concern.

After a day at the service center, the service advisor called me to let me know that Chrysler has no way to change the sensitivity of the doors and had no information to provide the service technicians at this time.

I am really pissed at this. I have tried settling this through the official channels? Will Chrysler address only on a negative, social media campaign? This is a recall worthy issue.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Here is an update:

After a day at the service center, the service advisor called me to let me know that Chrysler has no way to change the sensitivity of the doors and had no information to provide the service technicians at this time.

I am really pissed at this.

I totally agree with you tcadbury. No adjustment is not an acceptable answer from the technician or service advisor especially if you have kids or pets. If there's no adjustment then they need to simply replace the door motor controller and door motor itself. Surely the other Pacificas on the sales lot have working safety reverse. Do you have another dealer in your area?


I'm not sure about the sliding door but on power windows and power sunroofs the door motor controller measures the current drawn by the motor. The current through a mechanically stalled DC motor shoots way, way up beyond its expected level signaling the controller to stop or reverse. In some cases the motor controller is part of the motor but sometimes it is a separate box with drive wires going to the motor.
 
#65 ·
I don’t believe there is a switch per se that causes the door to reverse. Instead, the electronics of the door control measure the amount of current that the motor is drawing as the door is being closed. If, during the closing or opening cycle, the current increases sharply as would be the case if the motor was pushing against something fairly immovable or solid, then the electronics will reverse the direction of the motor. So it shouldn’t matter where you restrict the movement of the door and it shouldn’t matter whether the door is opening or closing. It should reverse or possibly stop the motor if the motor seems to draw too much current.

My question would be: are both left and right doors both equally presenting the same problem? If not, this should be pointed out to the dealership. Also, if they say they can’t adjust the sensitivity (and I believe they are telling the truth) then tell them that the motor drive controller must then be defective and it needs to be replaced.
 
#10 ·
What part of the door should trigger the reversal? Our van isn't reversing either, at least on the drivers side. I scoured the owners manual and didn't see where it says they will actually reverse. The rear lift gate has the process detailed, but nothing about the side doors. I didn't look on the cd, so maybe it's there, but the book didn't have details.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Our van isn't reversing either, at least on the drivers side. I scoured the owners manual and didn't see where it says they will actually reverse.

It's in the online Owners Manual 3rd edition. I wouldn't let the dealer off with "there isn't an adjustment".
 

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#11 ·
What i'm getting from this is Chrysler is probably working on resolving the issue but doesn't want to say anything since they might not have a timeline for us. Giving us the answer we got here, it helps to prolong and put off things, and then one day they come out with the fix.
 
#18 ·
I posted this in another thread, but it's worth repeating:
That's some serious injuries, all for something that should prevent that. Just for a test, I took a block of rigid foam and tried to block the door. It reversed when it fist hit the foam and there was no damage to the foam block. In other words, it did what I would expect. Next, I tried to block it with my hand. It didn't seem to want to reverse on contact. It took quite a bit of force to finally get it to reverse. Arms and hands, especially those of small children, are a lot more pliable than a block of foam, and now I agree, that there is a problem with the door sensor be it mechanical or programmable.
I'm thinking that Chrysler is setting themselves up for a lawsuit or a major recall of they don't address this issue quickly...
 
#19 · (Edited)
After seeing Lancer-AM's post with the picture, this is a serious concern. http://www.pacificaforums.com/forum/169-2017-chrysler-pacifica-news/2873-2017-chrysler-pacifica-minivan-has-few-problems.html

I'd contact the NHTSA about a recall if you don't get a resolution from Chrysler. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/

No way I'm trusting this with my young kids as it is.

This gets fixed, or I buy an Odyssey... plain and simple. Thankfully I haven't bought a Pacifica yet because FCA hasn't released the Limited black interior.
 
#20 ·
No way I'm trusting this with my young kids as it is.

This gets fixed, or I buy an Odyssey... plain and simple. Thankfully I haven't bought a Pacifica yet because FCA hasn't released the Limited black interior.
While I understand your concern, to be fair, not all of them do this. If you're buying off the lot, you could certainly test it before you purchased.

Ours has no problem with this on either door and reverses with very little pressure. I suppose that doesn't mean that it won't eventually fail, but nothing says that a van of any other make couldn't have an issue with this either.
 
#22 ·
There is something on the fca forum about the doors frequently not sensing motion in the way. My arm got caught so for now I am dealing with actual chrysler and a case number. My second issue I have had to call them about because the dealership mechanics here are not knowledgable about their vehicles (to say it nicely)
 
#25 ·
reversing

Just tried mine and they do worki quite well alls I did was lean in the back seat and close the door when they hit me they reversed.Some times I think some dealers dont care.On my 2013 town and country right after I got it both the rear doors would open but they would not close they kept acting like they would close but wouldnt close so I took to dealer lo and behold they both worked dealer didnt think I was nuts they assumed I wasnt giving them a line of crap.They did something as I never had this problem again.I guess there are good interested service managers and bad ones.
 
#28 ·
Power window - reverse

Has anyone checker the power windows to see what it takes to reverse them? If the things reversed to easily maybe that would be a pain also.I wish the power doors would just stop when hitting a obstruction.
My power windows sense properly and reverse when obstructed. Actually the driver's side window was reversing occasionally without being obstructed so I sprayed some silicone on the windows inner and outer and rear felt coated wipers which did the trick. Didn't even streak up the window. :grin2:

Note: I have had both doors reverse when coming in contact with my torso, never tried with any smaller body parts.
 
#29 · (Edited)
I got a chance to look at a repair manual today...

According to the manual:

<<<<<<
During the door cycle, if the Power Sliding Door Module (PSDM) detects sufficient resistance to door travel, such as an obstruction in the door's path, it will immediately stop door movement and reverse door travel to the full open or full closed position. The ability for the PSDM to detect resistance to door travel is accomplished by Hall Effect sensors detecting the door motor speed.

The PSDM has the ability to learn. Anytime a door is opened or closed using the power sliding door system the module learns from its cycle. If a replacement sliding door component is installed or a door adjustment is made, the module must re-learn the effort required to open or close the door. A learn cycle can be performed with a complete cycle of the door, using any one of the command switches or with the use of a scan tool.
>>>>>>

So if YOU are the obstruction and YOU don't have enough strength to push back hard enough to slow that motor down then it doesn't know you are there. Treat that door like you probably did your kid brother when he pushed you and either PUSH BACK hard or get out of the way.
 
#33 · (Edited)
OMG! Small children and pets. You hit the nail there and I agree with you completely.

I do not think power sliding doors can be made safe for small kids to be nearby without an adult's hand actually on the door handle or their body blocking the doorway while the child enters or exits. My boys are huge now but I rememer child-proofing my home years ago with latches on toilet lids and cabinet doors, plastic inserts in electric outlets, etc., etc., we traded convenience for child safety but did so because it was the right thing to do. I think those power sliding doors should be treated just like we would a toilet seat, ropes hanging from curtains or a backyard pool. At the very least I would activate the child lock button in the overhead console or, for me, temporarily disconnect the electrical connector to the door motor itself or ask the dealer to turn that feature completely off until the kids are big enough to no longer require car seats and maybe even longer. IMO, power sliding doors are just a showy feature that solve a problem that never really existed in the first place (except rare cases) and old-school sliding doors are intrinsically safer because an adult's hand is almost always on the door handle during the entire opening or closing operation whereas an adult may not even be able to see a power sliding door moving and may not be aware a pet or small child is in harms way especially if the keyFOB is being used. A child's screaming may be the first indication that a problem even occurred. Not worth the risk; not worth the slight show off convenience of a "power" sliding door.

Similar to garage door openers, from an engineering standpoint I think manufacturers can make power sliding doors 'safer', but never actually safe. The doors are heavy and the motors have to be powerful enough to work even when the van is parked on an incline. Engineers can add light beams, electric current level sensors, motor speed sensors and elevator style door switches here and there but no small child or pet is safe to enter / exit without an adult's hand physically on that door handle.
 
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#31 ·
Last week my 3 yr old's hand was caught in the door as it closed. It opened right up once it detected the obstruction. She only had two scratches on the back of her hand.

Also last week, my wife tried to close the door while I was in the doorway and it ran into me, then opened back up. Didn't even move me.

I have played with the door before this and thought I had to use more force than I feel like I should have had to (especially after seeing those pictures from the one user whose arm got scraped in the door), but both times it was "real" the doors worked admirably.
 
#32 ·
Hi PontiacAttack,

Sorry to hear about this! Can you PM our page with your VIN? I'd like to look into this further for you. If anyone else is experiencing this concern please PM our page with your VIN as well.

Andrea
Chrysler Social Care Specialist
 
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#34 ·
Sliding Door Sensitivity

I can't seem to find the post about being concerned about the safety feature of the sliding doors not being sensitive to detect something in its path before opening.

Our Touring is currently in the shop for this issue, among others, and the dealership has just notified us that FCA has just released a Flash Update that is supposed to address this issue. Since us, the owners, are unable to manually adjust the settings, I was told that once the update is installed it should help a person avoid being crushed by the closing door.

Our van is still in the shop, so I have not personally tested it out since the update was installed but I just wanted to give others a heads up that this possible fix was out there.
 
#35 ·
I can't seem to find the post about being concerned about the safety feature of the sliding doors not being sensitive to detect something in its path before opening.
Hi Jtravis. I found this thread you were referring to and merged your thread into it.
 
#36 ·
For anyone with any concerns as to the safety of their sliding door, here is the TSB (technical service bulletin) that was just released:

"NUMBER: 08-087-16
GROUP: Electrical
DATE: November 05, 2016

SUBJECT:
Flash: Power Sliding Door Module Enhancements
OVERVIEW:
This bulletin involves reprogramming both of the Power Sliding Door Modules (PSDM) with
the latest available software.

SYMPTOM/CONDITION:
Customers may perceive that the power sliding door does not reverse immediately when
closing, if the door comes in contact with a soft obstacle.
This software will update, the door closing strategy, which will require less force to reverse
the door."

If anyone needs any assistance making an appointment at their dealership, please let us know.

Kori
Chrysler Social Care Specialist
 
#38 ·
Hi rskottie, welcome to the forum! I've been finding that not all TSBs apply to all VINs. It likely depends on the build date. I wish there was a central place where we could look up TSBs by VIN like they do with recalls, but sadly, I haven't seen such a place. Was your Pacifica built recently or have you had it for a while?
 
#40 ·
Am I the only one that misses the old-school MANUAL sliding doors...? I loved them on my Town & Country... I really find the motorized ones slow and cumbersome... especially when it comes to letting passengers out real quick to drop them off. Having to put the car in PARK is overkill when it's all grown adults. A manual door is MY preference, but it was not available.
 
#41 ·
Doors

How much pressure do your doors need before opening back up when they are closing? We have had our van for 1.5 months and have had it in twice to be recalibrated (they said they were not calibrated correctly initially), and I just stuck my arm in to test it and I have bruises from how hard it pushed my arm against the frame before opening back up. I'm terrified that my toddlers will be seriously injured by them accidentally. Can anyone advise what "normal" is so I have the right expectations?
 
#43 ·
How much pressure do your doors need before opening back up when they are closing? We have had our van for 1.5 months and have had it in twice to be recalibrated (they said they were not calibrated correctly initially), and I just stuck my arm in to test it and I have bruises from how hard it pushed my arm against the frame before opening back up. I'm terrified that my toddlers will be seriously injured by them accidentally. Can anyone advise what "normal" is so I have the right expectations?
Hi Geustice22, welcome to the forum! I've merged your thread with this existing thread on the topic. Double check that your dealer has performed the TSB detailed in post# 36 of this thread. If they didn't look to see if there was a TSB specific to this issue, they may have just adjusted the door without applying it.
 
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