I would wager that the castings for these transmissions have developed a little flaw in them that just happens to be where the wiring harness is run. That would be why the problems appear more in the newer ones compared to the older ones. I would love to get my hands on one of the transmissions that has failed to tear it down to see if that is what is going on.
2021 Pacifica plug-in hybrid, total transmission failure, car is not drivable with just 16,000 miles. (03A strikes again)
We have had our Pacifica for 23 months now and in that time, we have enjoyed it. Other than allot of unfortunate interior rattles and the Uconnect being delivered without full functionality (multi users took about a year to get) it has been pretty good, and I probably would have recommended it to anyone considering buying one.
But last Friday (March 17th, 2023) as my wife was on the way home from picking up the kiddo at school the check engine light came on and a message saying "check charging system" popped up right as she got home. I then took it on a test drive around the block and as I was driving it suddenly and totally died with the message of "shift to park to start vehicle". I stopped and was after a few mins of blocking the street able to get it to restart and make it back home. I immediately called the local dealership and scheduled an appointment for the next day Saturday March 18th to have them look at it and do the 03A software update that supposedly fixes loss of motive power. AND THIS IS WHERE IT GETS BAD!
On my way to the dealership service center which is only about 1 mile from my house the van died about 3 or 4 times, so I arrived at service with an appointment for a 30 min software update that turned into much more. I explained to the service advisor what had happened, and he said they would flash the software update and see if this fixed the issue since the recall of 03A addressed loss of motive power problem. IT DIDN’T and I was given the option of picking it up as they wouldn’t be able to do anything till Monday the 20th of March as they are closed on Sunday. I pointed out that it doesn’t really run so they might as well keep it, he agreed and told me I would have an update Tuesday morning. Tuesday comes and goes but I hear nothing so Wednesday I call and get no answer and leave a VM on his extension asking for an update, reminding him I was promised an update on Tuesday but still I hear nothing until today (Thursday now). The update is that they found metal shavings in the transmission and are still working with Chrysler to diagnose the issue. They haven’t ordered any parts yet and have no estimate of how long it will even take to find out what else is wrong and what needs to be ordered. He also told me that the car is dying for them, and they had issues even getting it started after looking at it to get it out of their service center.
Since they don’t have any timeframe of repair I asked about a loaner and was told that they don’t give loaners, but I could call Chrysler and open a case, so I did but now I need to wait 24-48 hours for a call back with approval for a rental car.
At this point I would ABSOLUTELY NOT recommend anyone buy a Pacifica Hybrid. Admittedly I am bitter at this point because Chrysler moves so slow but honestly, I don’t know if I would even trust any stellantis product for my next car purchase. They have a chance to make this right and act quick, the ball is in their court. My guess is they don’t care much about loosing one buyer and nothing will change but time will really tell.
For what it’s worth I have opened a case with NHTSA because honestly, I feel like Chrysler knows about this issue but is trying to band-aid the problem (software update) that clearly DOES NOT fix anything as evidenced by my situation. They need to be held responsible and provide a REAL FIX before someone gets killed. All sales of Hybrid Pacifica’s (both new and used) need to be stopped until this issue is fixed. They obviously are just buying time in releasing software updates why does the NHTSA allow that?
But last Friday (March 17th, 2023) as my wife was on the way home from picking up the kiddo at school the check engine light came on and a message saying "check charging system" popped up right as she got home. I then took it on a test drive around the block and as I was driving it suddenly and totally died with the message of "shift to park to start vehicle". I stopped and was after a few mins of blocking the street able to get it to restart and make it back home. I immediately called the local dealership and scheduled an appointment for the next day Saturday March 18th to have them look at it and do the 03A software update that supposedly fixes loss of motive power. AND THIS IS WHERE IT GETS BAD!
On my way to the dealership service center which is only about 1 mile from my house the van died about 3 or 4 times, so I arrived at service with an appointment for a 30 min software update that turned into much more. I explained to the service advisor what had happened, and he said they would flash the software update and see if this fixed the issue since the recall of 03A addressed loss of motive power problem. IT DIDN’T and I was given the option of picking it up as they wouldn’t be able to do anything till Monday the 20th of March as they are closed on Sunday. I pointed out that it doesn’t really run so they might as well keep it, he agreed and told me I would have an update Tuesday morning. Tuesday comes and goes but I hear nothing so Wednesday I call and get no answer and leave a VM on his extension asking for an update, reminding him I was promised an update on Tuesday but still I hear nothing until today (Thursday now). The update is that they found metal shavings in the transmission and are still working with Chrysler to diagnose the issue. They haven’t ordered any parts yet and have no estimate of how long it will even take to find out what else is wrong and what needs to be ordered. He also told me that the car is dying for them, and they had issues even getting it started after looking at it to get it out of their service center.
Since they don’t have any timeframe of repair I asked about a loaner and was told that they don’t give loaners, but I could call Chrysler and open a case, so I did but now I need to wait 24-48 hours for a call back with approval for a rental car.
At this point I would ABSOLUTELY NOT recommend anyone buy a Pacifica Hybrid. Admittedly I am bitter at this point because Chrysler moves so slow but honestly, I don’t know if I would even trust any stellantis product for my next car purchase. They have a chance to make this right and act quick, the ball is in their court. My guess is they don’t care much about loosing one buyer and nothing will change but time will really tell.
For what it’s worth I have opened a case with NHTSA because honestly, I feel like Chrysler knows about this issue but is trying to band-aid the problem (software update) that clearly DOES NOT fix anything as evidenced by my situation. They need to be held responsible and provide a REAL FIX before someone gets killed. All sales of Hybrid Pacifica’s (both new and used) need to be stopped until this issue is fixed. They obviously are just buying time in releasing software updates why does the NHTSA allow that?
121 - 132 of 132 Posts
Is the wiring that is affected accessable?
I would like to jiggle it a little bit to make the problem happen more consistently or not at all.
I would like to jiggle it a little bit to make the problem happen more consistently or not at all.
If its happening where I think its happening then jiggling it from the outside wont make a difference. If you watch the video on youtube when he installs the resolvers there is a metal guard that holds the wires for a few inches, I believe the problem happens between that guard and the case.
I believe the language talks about a connector short, not a wire. Who knows how accurate this is, though.If its happening where I think its happening then jiggling it from the outside wont make a difference. If you watch the video on youtube when he installs the resolvers there is a metal guard that holds the wires for a few inches, I believe the problem happens between that guard and the case.
I had my 2020’s transmission replaced last August for an A43 CEL, nine months and 10k miles later it’s back and now I’m also having the “shift to park” shutdown issue. Somehow the new transmission was even worse than the original. Going to have to be towed into the dealer to get checked out, it‘s barely able to go 10 feet without shutting down again…
On to transmission #3 I guess.
On to transmission #3 I guess.
The problem is, after it sits at the dealer for a week the problem won't come back until you are on the freeway going 75
Talk about unlucky, but at least you wont have to worry about the 3rd one, it will not have the flaw that caused the issues.I had my 2020’s transmission replaced last August for an A43 CEL, nine months and 10k miles later it’s back and now I’m also having the “shift to park” shutdown issue. Somehow the new transmission was even worse than the original. Going to have to be towed into the dealer to get checked out, it‘s barely able to go 10 feet without shutting down again…
On to transmission #3 I guess.
Won't it?
I am also curious as to the source for this claim that the root cause has been identified and resolved. I would think if there was a discovered manufacturing defect then it would be straightforward to issue a recall for those affected vehicles to swap out the transmissions, instead of just a blanket software update.
Here is the PDF that is posted on the government website, it shows the parts that are the problem and that after 1-9-23 the problem has been fixed. Any van or transmission built after that date will not have the flaw.
With that being said, im sure there are plenty of other things that could go wrong that would cause an immediate shutdown.
The worst is when the problem is intermittent. Wife is refusing to drive the car now, which is exactly what Chrysler is asking us to do
My plan today was to drive the van to the local Honda dealership that was offering me $32k to buy the thing.
Sure enough, as soon as I pulled out of the driveway, check engine light on and turtle mode.
Turned around and parked the van. Not going to get much out of a dealership in this condition.
Then, an hour later it is running fine and has been running fine throughout the day.
I guess I need to get the check engine light cleared and try again...
Chrysler left me a voice message saying that they closed my case because I never responded to them. I never got a single email or a voice message prior to that.
This company is a travesty.
Sure enough, as soon as I pulled out of the driveway, check engine light on and turtle mode.
Turned around and parked the van. Not going to get much out of a dealership in this condition.
Then, an hour later it is running fine and has been running fine throughout the day.
I guess I need to get the check engine light cleared and try again...
Chrysler left me a voice message saying that they closed my case because I never responded to them. I never got a single email or a voice message prior to that.
This company is a travesty.
121 - 132 of 132 Posts
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