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Broken Axle - Think I'm dumping my Pacifica Hybrid

18K views 29 replies 17 participants last post by  Copac 
#1 ·
A week ago today I was driving my Pacifica Hybrid to an appointment. We had heavy rain all that morning although it was starting to let up. Accelerating at a green light I had a loss of traction and the left front wheel spun on the pavement. This was followed by a loud grinding noise and "a loss of motive power." Fortunately I was able to coast through the intersection and park at the right edge of the right lane.

Long story short - the left axle snapped off at the wheel. According to the service tech. who repaired it under warranty, there was no evidence of prior stress nor of a manufacturing defect. So, either the axles are not strong enough to handle this relatively common situation when powered by a high torque electric motor, or the programming of the traction control system is such that it can cause this sort of catastrophic failure. Either way, I feel I can no longer trust this vehicle, especially in an area with plenty of winter driving on slippery roads.

Time to get rid of it.
 
#4 · (Edited)
We had our drivers side CV Axle replaced two months ago after it snapped.

July 26, 2018 NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V493000
Axle Shaft May Disengage Causing Loss of Drive
If the axle shaft disengages from the CV joint, the vehicle will have a loss of drive or allow the vehicle to move while in the "Park" position. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V493000
Manufacturer Chrysler (FCA US LLC)
Components POWER TRAIN
Potential Number of Units Affected 61
Summary
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Chrysler Pacifica vehicles. The front axle halfshafts may have been incorrectly assembled, preventing the shaft from being properly secured to the constant-velocity (CV) joint
 
#10 ·
I am not sure exactly where the axle broke (at wheel or CV) on my wife’s 2017 Pacifica and the repair ticket doesn’t say. It was a complete decoupling because the van could be rolled while in park. At the time I just searched the Internet for axle related issues. Also, my tranny was replaced about six months earlier so I’ve wondered if my axle or CV might have been damaged during that very major repair...because I don’t believe in coincidence.
 
#11 ·
BrettP - If your Pacifica is a 2017 then the recall notice does not apply! It's possible, maybe even likely, that yours also broke at the wheel.

Not that I think it's significant, but my transmission was also replaced. It was done when they did the reprogramming on the first major recall. I had complained of a knocking noise that happened during mild to moderate acceleration and deceleration at low speed. I thought it might be suspension related. They had everyone including a regional rep. look at it and finally concluded they needed to replace the transmission. Hasn't made the noise since.
 
#12 ·
Interesting about the failure, did you get the chance to ask to see the part? I'd love to see a photo.

Take a step back and think about this, though. Your assumption that your van is unsafe because you snapped a single shaft seems a bit over the top to me. Nobody has EVER designed a vehicle that was 100% free from defects. Modern manufacturing and materials technology just isn't capable of anywhere close to that. With enough examples of even the most reliable design, some of them are gonna fail.

Parts break, it's part of life. Your failure sounds extremely uncommon, but you won't find a vehicle on the road with a 0% chance of sudden loss of motive power. The odds of this happening again to you are extraordinarily small, and not likely to be any greater than another type of vehicle. Dumping it over something like this seems like a monumental overreaction to me.

And FWIW, the only time I've ever seen a twisted driveshaft was the result of your exact situation. This was a heavy-duty unit for a semi truck, and it twisted in half after the drive wheels lost traction on ice and suddenly grabbed. It can happen.
 
#14 ·
Guess I was spoiled by my last vehicle, a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. It went to 170,000 miles. The worst problems it had was a rusty emergency brake cable and a rusty heat shield that separated. Since it was getting old I traded it in for the Pacifica Hybrid in order to have a new reliable vehicle. In 20-20 hindsight, maybe I should have just kept driving it. It's clear that they rushed the Pacifica Hybrid to market before it was ready. I wasn't pleased when I had to park it for months while they figured out the first recall. This is just the most recent issue. It's a matter of trust and I just don't trust this vehicle any more. I am going to go to another more reliable brand and a vehicle that is not the first model year. Unfortunately that probably means it won't be a plug-in hybrid.
 
#17 ·
what suck is that both Sienna and Odyssey have Hybrid in japan, they just won't bring it here. But a regular Hybrid is not what we want anyway, PHEV is what fit out bill, electric only for daily commute, still have options to go on road trip in hybrid mode. Now if they figure out how to pack in a spare tire on the Pachy...
 
#21 ·
I own a 2017 Pacifica Limited that had the left axle fail then after the van being in the shop for a few weeks, a week after I picked it up, the right axle failed. Before the axles failed I noticed a creaking/clicking sound when turning the steering wheel at slow speeds and when parked. I still continue to have front end issues. When I looked online about the clicking sound I found various responses that its a sign of a failing axle. The dealer didn't think so, lubed it on numerous visits, did a TSB for the bearings, then the next thing you know I hear a horrible grinding sound, I thought the transmission failed. I pulled over, put the car in park, and it started rolling back. I have been dealing with Chrysler Escalation for the past year because I want them to replace mine. I just posted a long story of my experience. The Regional Tech told me my axles failed because I put 22 inch wheels on my Pacifica, even though I got the idea from the head of Chrysler SRT program that did that to his and even has a video on youtube that you can find called "Project Venessa". I reached out to him to ask him the exact specifics of the set up and he provided them to me. After I was told by the Regional Tech that the axles failed because of my wheels, I reached out again to the SRT guy and not only did he not respond, he put a disclaimer on his video. So lame! Now we find, that the Pacifica has a problems with their front axles and it has nothing to do with the upgraded wheels, but everything to do with a poorly manufactured faulty product. Nice of them to try to blame me. At the time, I removed my wheels and still have problems.
 
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#22 ·
Update: After much thought and discussion we've decided to keep the Pacifica Hybrid for the foreseeable future. The many features and benefits outweigh the one breakdown, at least for now.
 
#25 ·
They seem to be isolated to a few 2017s, but I don't think it's a widespread concern. I'm not worried...if mine were gonna fail, they would have long before now. Mine has pulled my 3,500-lb boat up a boat ramp at least 15 times last summer.
 
#28 ·
That wouldn’t have saved anything. It may not of happened right then, but it was certain to happen at some point.

The only way a CV axle can fail is of a vehicle is highly modified to make more power than design, or it’s a faulty part. I do NOT drive gently, and I’ve never broken a shaft in my life. My mom did on her ‘96 Grand Voyager turning into my friend’s driveway when the van was relatively new.

Now if you supercharge your Pacifica, you might want to take it gently.
 
#30 ·
Same situation here, was told it snap on the passenger side, I bought it used and purchased extended warranty thru Fidelity and they are denying my claim due to severe rust! Estimate from Chrysler for repairs over $3K, never - ever buy this JUNK
Enough rust to cause an axle shaft to snap? I hope they have a way to appeal their decision. Enough rust to cause a shaft to break, will cause many other issues first. Do you have pics?

Does any body have any pics of these snapped axle shafts? It appears to be a larger shaft then the older Grand Caravans used. In my mind, it has to be a weld failure, but would love to see pics.
 
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