[PacificaMinivanFan]

Me thinks someone is lying to them because they don't want to do warranty work. Welcome to the average Chrysler dealership experience.

Yeah, this does not speak well of Chrysler customer service. I hope RockyRaku is keeping e-mails and good notes. Might be a good small claims court case.

 

[Classic Owner]

Yeah, this does not speak well of Chrysler customer service. I hope RockyRaku is keeping e-mails and good notes. Might be a good small claims court case.

It's how most dealers are unfortunately.

 

[RockyRaku]

I have yet to find any evidence that Chrysler has changed coverage of its powertrain warranty per the claim in the following post:

@Chrysler Cares... is this claim true? Have there been changes to Chrysler's Powertrain Warranty?

To @Mad Mac, @PacificaMinivanFan, @M0Par regarding the warranty change. If you go to mopar.com and log in to your account there (or create one if you haven't) you can view the warranty info for your Pacifica. The document you want to look at is the Limited Powertrain Warranty and the Engine Overheat addendum. The first part says:

OVERHEATED ENGINES
WARRANTY POLICY

Mopar® is announcing a new warranty policy change for any previously replaced engine due to engine overheat conditions. This policy change is effective with vehicles received for repair on or after September 30, 2023.
Engine overheating conditions are not warrantable, and therefore are not covered under any applicable warranty (Powertrain, Mopar, etc.).
The exceptions that could be covered under warranty would be:
• AMoparcoolingsystempartcausedtheoverheatcondition(waterpump,thermostat,etc.).
Note: Proof of the Mopar causal part purchase or work order must be provided for Mopar (M) type claims. For Warranty (W) type claims, the failed cooling system component must be identified and noted in the technician notes.

There is a lot more, such as determining whether the cooling system caused the failure or not and how to document it, then the engine would be covered, apparently. I am the original owner and sole driver of my Pacifica. My address and phone number are the same as when I bought it. I never received anything informing me of this change to the warranty for repaired engines. AND, my Pacifica has NEVER overheated!!!

 

[RockyRaku]

Rats, my reply post disappeared! If you go to your mopar.com account you can bring up the warranties. Look at the Limited PowerTrain Warranty document. This appears to be for repair work and shows the 3 year/100,000 mile engine warranty info. But at the end is an updated section about repairs done to overheated engines brought in after September 30, 2023. My guy last night was telling me that the head gasket was not covered under the original 5 year/60,000 mile warranty. I haven't gone back in and read that yet, but he said the engine was covered under the Basic Warranty. If that's the case this is a classic bait and switch with the warranties and I don't think they would even try that otherwise they would be sued, sued, sued by every Chrysler owner who thought they had the 5 year. I kept asking him what was the use of the Powertrain warranty if it did not cover the engine?

I will try to post the change here:

OVERHEATED ENGINES
WARRANTY POLICY

Mopar® is announcing a new warranty policy change for any previously replaced engine due to engine overheat conditions. This policy change is effective with vehicles received for repair on or after September 30, 2023.
Engine overheating conditions are not warrantable, and therefore are not covered under any applicable warranty (Powertrain, Mopar, etc.).
The exceptions that could be covered under warranty would be:
• A Mopar cooling system part caused the overheat condition (water pump, thermostat, etc.).
Note: Proof of the Mopar causal part purchase or work order must be provided for Mopar (M) type claims. For Warranty (W) type claims, the failed cooling system component must be identified and noted in the technician notes.
If a customer/independent repair facility (IRF) returns an engine that was purchased over-the-counter with a warranty concern, the dealer will verify that the correct engine was returned by checking the engine serial number, confirm if the part was registered and inspect the heat tabs. If the heat tabs are pink or red, the rules below apply. If the heat tabs are pink or red, confirm a warrantable cooling system failure. If this process is not followed, the dealer could be subject to chargeback for accepting the incorrect or defective engine.
When a customer returns with an engine warranty concern from a prior repair, the dealer’s technician must complete the following:
° Verify the engine serial number.
° Inspect the heat tabs.
° If the heat tabs are pink or red, root cause a warrantable Mopar cooling system failure prior to installing a Mopar replacement engine.
Note: If this process is not followed, the dealer could be subject to chargeback for accepting the incorrect or defective engine.

Normal White Sensor
Overheated Pink Sensor 255°F Coolant Temp
Overheated Red Sensor +255°F Coolant Temp
PAGE 4 OF 5
MOPAR® RECOMMENDATION
• Inspect and/or replace the cooling system components on the initial replacement (examples below):
° Water Pump
° Thermostat
° Radiator
° Hoses/Clamps
° Drain and fill the cooling system according to procedure.
• Inspect cooling fans.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• Multi-layered steel head gasket failures and warped head/block are the result of an overheat, not the cause of the overheat.
• Loose head bolts are a result of a collapsed head gasket after an overheat condition.
• All Mopar® Service engines are end-of-the-line tested for leak down, compression and oil pressure compliance.

 

[Classic Owner]

Wow, wonderful attempt at sidestepping blame by Chrysler there. Holy ****.
HGs are failing without overheating.

But the caveat there about Mopar® is announcing a new warranty policy change for any previously replaced engine due to engine overheat conditions. Lends me to believe this only applies to previous repaired/replaced engines, not first time occurences.

 

[RockyRaku]

Ignore my first reply. I didn't see that we went to page 17 on this!

And yes, @PacificaMinivanFan, she is keeping records of everything! I know that the warranty has expired, etc., but I am the original owner and pretty much the sole driver of the van and it has NEVER overheated. I definitely would have noticed that if it had shown up on the dashboard. The van has been to LA and back - 772 mile RT, in October, AFTER the first check engine light episode and back in June on another trip down there, and to Canada - 1714 mile RT in September. It purred right along with absolutely no problems on all of the long trips. Plus the coolant reservoir has gotten to minimum, but never been empty. My BIL tells me that coolant can get into a cylinder without a blown head gasket, so at this point we don't even know for sure the head gasket is the culprit.

 

[RockyRaku]

Wow, wonderful attempt at sidestepping blame by Chrysler there. Holy ****.
HGs are failing without overheating.

But the caveat there about Mopar® is announcing a new warranty policy change for any previously replaced engine due to engine overheat conditions. Lends me to believe this only applies to previous repaired/replaced engines, not first time occurences.

Yes. Only previously repaired/replaced engines submitted AFTER September 30, 2023. That is why the dealer won't do the head gasket/block repair, only the engine replacement as that repair still has the 3 year/100K warranty on it.

 

[PacificaMinivanFan]

Yes. Only previously repaired/replaced engines submitted AFTER September 30, 2023. That is why the dealer won't do the head gasket/block repair, only the engine replacement as that repair still has the 3 year/100K warranty on it.

Well, for a while there (post #314) it almost sounded like Chrysler was changing their powertrain warranty for everyone.

Ok, in your case the repair to your current engine is not going to be covered because your 2017 Pacifica you bought new in September of 2017 is out of warranty. I was thinking you were working with the case manager at Chrysler Customer Support for a goodwill repair because yours only has 56k miles on it and all of the service had been done at the same dealer. Perhaps instead you and your case manager were really discussing what the warranty would be on the new engine if the same thing happened again?

If true, then the 5 year/60k mile powertrain warranty for everyone with original engines from the factory has not changed; nor have any of the extended warranties issued by Mopar. It now sounds like we're only talking about changes to the warranty policy for replacement engines that Chrysler installs after 9/30/2023.

 

[6Gen]

Where are the "heat tabs" located? How much tear-down to inspect them?

 

[2018PacificaVan]

Stay away from the Odyssey as well. They love to eat oil, eat transmissions, need regular valve adjustments, and are plagued with electronic issues.

At this point the Sedona/Carnival are the only decent minivans left. Unless of course you go to a nice low mileage older van.

My buddy had his trans replaced on a 2016 Toyota sienna when he only had 30k miles

 

[RockyRaku]

Where are the "heat tabs" located? How much tear-down to inspect them?

That's what I would like to know. As I said, my van has never overheated. In fact it never seems to run hot and the temperature gauge is always the same once it warms up in the morning. If it was going to overheat, it would certainly have done it going over the Grapevine back in October. That is a great test.

 

[RockyRaku]

Well, for a while there (post #314) it almost sounded like Chrysler was changing their powertrain warranty for everyone.

Ok, in your case the repair to your current engine is not going to be covered because your 2017 Pacifica you bought new in September of 2017 is out of warranty. I was thinking you were working with the case manager at Chrysler Customer Support for a goodwill repair because yours only has 56k miles on it and all of the service had been done at the same dealer. Perhaps instead you and your case manager were really discussing what the warranty would be on the new engine if the same thing happened again?

If true, then the 5 year/60k mile powertrain warranty for everyone with original engines from the factory has not changed; nor have any of the extended warranties issued by Mopar. It now sounds like we're only talking about changes to the warranty policy for replacement engines that Chrysler installs after 9/30/2023.

Sorry my post wasn't too clear about that, but yes, it only applies to repairs, not the original powertrain warranty. Yes, I am working with the case manager on a goodwill repair since it only has 56K on it. But he kept telling me that the engine head gasket was only covered under the basic 3 year new car warranty and was actually 3 years out of warranty on the engine. Which I, of course, questioned but he kept insisting that the Powertrain warranty did not cover head gaskets. Which, being part of the engine, did not make any sense to me.

 

[RockyRaku]

From the 5/60 Warranty:
E. Parts Covered
The Powertrain Limited Warranty covers these parts and components of your vehicle’s powertrain supplied by FCA US:
Gasoline Engine:
cylinder block and all internal parts; cylinder head assemblies; timing case, timing chain, timing belt, gears and sprockets; vibration damper; oil pump; water pump and housing; intake and exhaust manifolds; flywheel with starter ring gear; core plugs; valve covers; oil pan; turbocharger housing and internal parts; turbocharger wastegate actuator; supercharger; serpentine belt ten- sioner; seals and gaskets for listed components only.

 

[PacificaMinivanFan]

From the 5/60 Warranty:
E. Parts Covered
The Powertrain Limited Warranty covers these parts and components of your vehicle’s powertrain supplied by FCA US:
Gasoline Engine:
cylinder block and all internal parts; cylinder head assemblies; timing case, timing chain, timing belt, gears and sprockets; vibration damper; oil pump; water pump and housing; intake and exhaust manifolds; flywheel with starter ring gear; core plugs; valve covers; oil pan; turbocharger housing and internal parts; turbocharger wastegate actuator; supercharger; serpentine belt ten- sioner; seals and gaskets for listed components only.

Yes, that is what I found earlier today when I looked up the 5/60 powertrain warranty. Gaskets covered.

From what I've gleamed from this Forum over the years, it appears case managers in Chrysler Customer Support, as well as Chrysler Cares, are basically ineffective in resolving warranty issues (please see my EDIT below). Those who have taken a very respectful approach with the service manager at the dealership have had better luck. No guarantees, but going in kicking and screaming rarely ever works. Remember, your Plan B can be small claims court if you keep all correspondences and work orders (all of those oil changes and other maintenance they did), and calmly put together a good case. "Just the facts, ma'am."

Best wishes, RockRaku. Please keep us up to date.
_
EDIT: per the next post (#335), I must walk back the statement that Chrysler Cares is ineffective in resolving warranty issues. See also my post #337 below.

 

[abjones12]

All,
2018 Pacifica Limited; 47.7k miles; Always take to same dealer for service. 2 years ago - ~ 27k miles - engine shook and drove slow; they replaced a fuel injector on cylinder #1. Fast forward to 3 weeks ago - similar issues driving reported by my wife - drove it immediately to dealer for diagnostic. Low and behold - dealer is saying engine should be replaced - cylinder #1 worm, melted, shot, cracked! All terms used by the technician. Dealer quoted $13,381 ($9,704 engine / $3676 labor) + sales tax $974 = $14.5k for total bill. Here is the kicker - 5yr/60k expiration by date 8/30/23 - so not covered. Dealer suggested I called Chrysler Care and open a case, which I did. Bottom line - Chrysler will pay $12k - leaving me with $1381 to pay - and I'm not sure about the sales tax? I'm trying to determine the following: 1) lead time of engine, 2) will engine be new or refurbed, 3) what warrantee comes with new engine? Do you guys think I should push for entire bill to be covered? Should I also push for a loaner car - no telling how long this replacement will take? Or....should I just be happy with the $12k since technically out of warrantee? Thoughts?

 

[M0Par]

Seems like you really are getting a very good deal compared to others here especially given you are outside of warranty period. My only question is, on warranty work how can they charge sales tax?

 

[PacificaMinivanFan]

Seems like you really are getting a very good deal compared to others here especially given you are outside of warranty period. My only question is, on warranty work how can they charge sales tax?

Yes, sounds like a good deal. I think the sales tax is based on the cost of the repair if it were not covered by goodwill. If the repair is done for the amount offered by Chrysler, I imagine the sales tax would be on the remaining balance not covered by the settlement amount.

Also, this case pokes a hole in my earlier statement that Chrysler Cares is ineffective in resolving warranty issues. I stand corrected. It appears where they are unable to help is when the problem vehicle is 1) not owned by the original buyer when new, and/or 2) well beyond 5 years or 60,000 miles.

 

[Mad Mac]

Seems like you really are getting a very good deal compared to others here especially given you are outside of warranty period. My only question is, on warranty work how can they charge sales tax?

That’s a rather good question: they haven’t actually “sold” a new engine, they’re basically providing it to you free.

 

[abjones12]

Seems like you really are getting a very good deal compared to others here especially given you are outside of warranty period. My only question is, on warranty work how can they charge sales tax?

Actually great catch - I was wondering about this also; The case manager said all I would pay would be $1381, which clearly leaves off the sales tax ($974). Is this a law - no sales tax on warrantee work? Would this be considered warrantee - since time expired?

 

[abjones12]

Yes, sounds like a good deal. I think the sales tax is based on the cost of the repair if it were not covered by goodwill. If the repair is done for the amount offered by Chrysler, I imagine the sales tax would be on the remaining balance not covered by the settlement amount.

Also, this case pokes a hole in my earlier statement that Chrysler Cares is ineffective in resolving warranty issues. I stand corrected. It appears where they are unable to help is when the problem vehicle is 1) not owned by the original buyer when new, and/or 2) well beyond 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Additional thoughts which helped my case: 1) I remember taking it in with similar issue (same symptoms) 27k miles; they replaced fuel injector on cylinder #1; the shop could not confirm or rule out that this was related to current issue with cylinder #1 requiring an engine replacement; 2) 5 year date expired 8/30/23 - recent & engine only 47.7k miles < 60k miles; 3) Car was originally purchased (from my wife's patient) as a 3yr lease - we bought out owner after 1year - paid remaining lease term then purchased - since original owner put down an F-150 - trade-in ($16k on lease)! - it was a deal I couldn't turn dwn - even though I told my wife that I wasn't so keen on Chrysler's engines! So ironic. 4) The shop told me to open up a ticket with Chrysler as he has seen exceptions made - I immediately called several times and made personal connections with the shop and case manager. I'm confident the shop and case manager assisted in my arguments - which are fairly valid.

Bottom line - no way a engine should need replacing after 47.7k miles. I wish I knew why this engine failed so early - we just drive locally - low mileage vehicle.

Moral to this lesson to me - buy extended warrantee; I have a 1500RAM 32k miles - 2021 I bought used in March; I'm seriously considering an extended warrantee.