[vinnyf]

Like the title says, I’m looking for those that have at least 100k miles on their Pacificas that have never had the transmission fluid changed. The manual says the fluid is “Lifetime” and never needs routine servicing.

Yes, this forum is replete with opinions of the so-called “Lifetime transmission fluid.” I don’t think we need to burden this thread with more of them. I’m just wondering what sort of experience folks with high odometer readings on their Pacificas have had with their transmissions.

If you have such a high-mileage Pacifica, please let us know how the Lifetime transmission fluid is working out for you. Have you ever had the fluid changed? Or partially changed? Or is it still original factory fluid?

103k miles, 8+ years, transmission untouched. Hope I'm not jinxing it...

 

[Solution4U]

Like the title says, I’m looking for those that have at least 100k miles on their Pacificas that have never had the transmission fluid changed. The manual says the fluid is “Lifetime” and never needs routine servicing.

Yes, this forum is replete with opinions of the so-called “Lifetime transmission fluid.” I don’t think we need to burden this thread with more of them. I’m just wondering what sort of experience folks with high odometer readings on their Pacificas have had with their transmissions.

If you have such a high-mileage Pacifica, please let us know how the Lifetime transmission fluid is working out for you. Have you ever had the fluid changed? Or partially changed? Or is it still original factory fluid?

I am at 89k and never changed the transmission fluid...so far so good on that side of things. 2018 Pacifica Hybrid Limited

 

[Paclife44]

You can adhere to the manual all you like as a religion for the words lifetime as some people do but transmission fluid isn't a miracle fluid from Jupiter that lasts forever as it comes into contact with man-made metals and aluminum.. Regardless of what any service mgr says any and all transmission fluid should be changed every 30 to 40K miles. it can and will make your transmission only last longer which is a mathematical certainty.. Old unchanged fluid is contaminated & with particles which produces even more heat than would otherwise which even shortens the longevity more.. Opening the system to contaminants is negligible and not even worth mentioning, if the drain is removed and the OEM Factory fluid is refilled there would be no such contaminants.

I DO get miracle fluid from Jupiter!
As always a free country for you to do what you like. My personal experience is the way the vehicle is driven when cold, operated at temps, and maintained overall is a far far better indicator of trans life. My personal experience is several failed transmission components of various brands with regular, and over maintaining intervals - so I am not a fan of over doing it. Having worked for GM and Ford powertrain areas there is a significant amount of testing in fluid compositions and change intervals needed. If there were a competitive quality or reliability advantage to any interval procedure NEEDED GM and Ford would spell it out in the manual. Its better for customers. Now Chrysler may be a different animal as I do not know their standards internally. IDK.
As you know transmissions have filters and magnets for particles - not that you would want it floating in there, but there is no guarantee a flush removes those things without a thorough disassembly. For those that disregard any and all dealer knowledge - I don't. I have a strong relationship finally with a dealer and service area and they have gone over backwards in making sure the vehicle is running right and have thrown in for costs where the Mopar warranty does not, when they don't have to. Your results may vary.

 

[Paclife44]

203,089. Never changed no problems with it

I am not surprised in the least. that doesn't fit the narrative though.

 

[BriPac]

I DO get miracle fluid from Jupiter!
As always a free country for you to do what you like. My personal experience is the way the vehicle is driven when cold, operated at temps, and maintained overall is a far far better indicator of trans life. My personal experience is several failed transmission components of various brands with regular, and over maintaining intervals - so I am not a fan of over doing it. Having worked for GM and Ford powertrain areas there is a significant amount of testing in fluid compositions and change intervals needed. If there were a competitive quality or reliability advantage to any interval procedure NEEDED GM and Ford would spell it out in the manual. Its better for customers. Now Chrysler may be a different animal as I do not know their standards internally. IDK.
As you know transmissions have filters and magnets for particles - not that you would want it floating in there, but there is no guarantee a flush removes those things without a thorough disassembly. For those that disregard any and all dealer knowledge - I don't. I have a strong relationship finally with a dealer and service area and they have gone over backwards in making sure the vehicle is running right and have thrown in for costs where the Mopar warranty does not, when they don't have to. Your results may vary.

I'm not saying you don't take care of your vehicles or if you don't change your fluid at 30k your transmission will fail, I'm saying that any and all lubricating fluid known to man on the periodic table breaks down over time & loses its protection properties even if you take the best care of your vehicle under the best circumstances. Yes filters help but only to an extent. 97% of people will agree lifetime trans fluid is a joke and the other 3% are just wrong & people that simply never change it & have no plans to are just cheap, no nothing about vehicles and or are just lazy adhering to regular maintenance intervals... And this also goes for coolant that most never touch.. As for oil,, well thats just another story best saved for another day... Maybe because the transmission in Chrysler is complicated they don't want you in there for fear of hurting something or they want to sell you another transmission sooner than later who really knows....
I love watching videos of people getting thier vehicles towed to Transmission shops out front crying because it's costs $6k to replace it & they don't have it and yes the Stellantis 9 spd 948TE is $6k without labor... Change your fluid folks👍

 

[sngas20]

2020 Touring L with 134,211 on original Transmission fluid. About 90% highway driving. No issues with transmission.

 

[Mike Pieronek]

I have a 2017. Our Pacifica was sluggish shifting with 57,000 miles on it. When it was cold it would hold first gear too long and bang into second. When it warmed up, it was not as noticeable. I took to it to a local repair shop and had the transmission flushed and refilled. It was expensive but they used a cleaner first and then power flushed with new synthetic fluid. Paid $529.

Both my wife and I noticed the improvement immediately. Smooth shifting ever since. This service was done in April of 2024. We don't drive it that much. It has 61,000 on it now and drives just fine. The fluid was quite dark, but not burnt. I bought this car used. It was a rental. Had 25,000 miles on it when we got it. It did a few cross country trips. We could tell by the history on the GPS. Hopefully we have many more years with it.

 

[BriPac]

I have a 2017. Our Pacifica was sluggish shifting with 57,000 miles on it. When it was cold it would hold first gear too long and bang into second. When it warmed up, it was not as noticeable. I took to it to a local repair shop and had the transmission flushed and refilled. It was expensive but they used a cleaner first and then power flushed with new synthetic fluid. Paid $529.

Both my wife and I noticed the improvement immediately. Smooth shifting ever since. This service was done in April of 2024. We don't drive it that much. It has 61,000 on it now and drives just fine. The fluid was quite dark, but not burnt. I bought this car used. It was a rental. Had 25,000 miles on it when we got it. It did a few cross country trips. We could tell by the history on the GPS. Hopefully we have many more years with it.

Good job changing that fluid, yet this is just another Testament to proper maintenance and what bad fluid can do to affect performance. In your situation had you not changed that out it would have eaten itself much sooner than later

 

[whitneyumr]

Changed ours at 144k. Had no problems before or since, about 10k since servicing. Used a local shop, they dc'd the cooler lines to perform the exchange.

 

[b.staplesky]

Like the title says, I’m looking for those that have at least 100k miles on their Pacificas that have never had the transmission fluid changed. The manual says the fluid is “Lifetime” and never needs routine servicing.

Yes, this forum is replete with opinions of the so-called “Lifetime transmission fluid.” I don’t think we need to burden this thread with more of them. I’m just wondering what sort of experience folks with high odometer readings on their Pacificas have had with their transmissions.

If you have such a high-mileage Pacifica, please let us know how the Lifetime transmission fluid is working out for you. Have you ever had the fluid changed? Or partially changed? Or is it still original factory fluid?

I have over 137,000 miles on my 2017 Pacifica. Get great gas mileage on trip to Florida : 31 to 33 MPG. Have not changed ‘T’ fluid. Routine maintenance only.

 

[Piperdriver]

Like the title says, I’m looking for those that have at least 100k miles on their Pacificas that have never had the transmission fluid changed. The manual says the fluid is “Lifetime” and never needs routine servicing.

Yes, this forum is replete with opinions of the so-called “Lifetime transmission fluid.” I don’t think we need to burden this thread with more of them. I’m just wondering what sort of experience folks with high odometer readings on their Pacificas have had with their transmissions.

If you have such a high-mileage Pacifica, please let us know how the Lifetime transmission fluid is working out for you. Have you ever had the fluid changed? Or partially changed? Or is it still original factory fluid?

I have 115k or so and have never changed it. No problems.

 

[BriPac]

I have over 137,000 miles on my 2017 Pacifica. Get great gas mileage on trip to Florida : 31 to 33 MPG. Have not changed ‘T’ fluid. Routine maintenance only.

I'm wondering with all you at 100K+ on your transmission if you've been using 0w20 oil up front also.. Just trying to get a hint at the extended longevity..

 

[marshall.townsend5]

Like the title says, I’m looking for those that have at least 100k miles on their Pacificas that have never had the transmission fluid changed. The manual says the fluid is “Lifetime” and never needs routine servicing.

Yes, this forum is replete with opinions of the so-called “Lifetime transmission fluid.” I don’t think we need to burden this thread with more of them. I’m just wondering what sort of experience folks with high odometer readings on their Pacificas have had with their transmissions.

If you have such a high-mileage Pacifica, please let us know how the Lifetime transmission fluid is working out for you. Have you ever had the fluid changed? Or partially changed? Or is it still original factory fluid?

I've got 113K on my 2021 with zero issues. The chrysler dealer service manager said don't change the fluid.
I haven't checked the cost of the special fluid, but he said about $1400.

 

[SitKneelBend]

I've got 113K on my 2021 with zero issues. The chrysler dealer service manager said don't change the fluid.
I haven't checked the cost of the special fluid, but he said about $1400.

It can be done for much less than that...1/5 that price DIY...

 

[PacificaMinivanFan]

Ok, here's another question:

If I have a Mopar MaxCare Extended Warranty on my Pacifica still in effect, and I have the transmission fluid changed, would Chrysler be able to successfully deny claims for any and all subsequent transmission repairs? Since my dealer wouldn't change the fluid, I would've had the job done by an independent shop.

 

[SitKneelBend]

Ok, here's another question:

If I have a Mopar MaxCare Extended Warranty on my Pacifica still in effect, and I have the transmission fluid changed, would Chrysler be able to successfully deny claims for any and all subsequent transmission repairs? Since my dealer wouldn't change the fluid, I would've had the job done by an independent shop.

The only way I can see this being a factor is if you didn't go back in with ZF/Mopar 9-Speed fluid. When does your warranty expire? There's real no way they could tell if the fluid was drain and filled.

 

[PacificaMinivanFan]

The only way I can see this being a factor is if you didn't go back in with ZF/Mopar 9-Speed fluid. When does your warranty expire? There's real no way they could tell if the fluid was drain and filled.

We have the Lifetime MaxCare warranty on wife's Pacifica, the one I have been trying to get serviced. My understanding is they can determine if the kind fluid they drain out when the tranny fails is not correct for the ZF-9. Even if I provide my own Mopar 8-9 speed transmission fluid to an independent shop, I can't be sure they won't substitute it for bulk universal stuff.

 

[BriPac]

I've got 113K on my 2021 with zero issues. The chrysler dealer service manager said don't change the fluid.
I haven't checked the cost of the special fluid, but he said about $1400.

Special fluid??. It's Chrysler 8-9 speed Green ATF $12 a quart, pull the drain plug, drain, add 3-1/2 quarts...

 

[SitKneelBend]

We have the Lifetime MaxCare warranty on wife's Pacifica, the one I have been trying to get serviced. My understanding is they can determine if the kind fluid they drain out when the tranny fails is not correct for the ZF-9. Even if I provide my own Mopar 8-9 speed transmission fluid to an independent shop, I can't be sure they won't substitute it for bulk universal stuff.

I "think" it used to be 8-9 speed fluid, but more recently they have "branded" it 9-Speed Fluid. If you use the MOPAR Part or the ZF Branded fluid they cannot tell the difference. That being said with the Lifetime warranty you're kinda covered regardless. I have heard that many dealerships are beginning to offer the drain and fill as a service too on the lifetime filled units, you may just need to find a dealership that will do it if you want an "official" record.

 

[BriPac]

I "think" it used to be 8-9 speed fluid, but more recently they have "branded" it 9-Speed Fluid. If you use the MOPAR Part or the ZF Branded fluid they cannot tell the difference. That being said with the Lifetime warranty you're kinda covered regardless. I have heard that many dealerships are beginning to offer the drain and fill as a service too on the lifetime filled units, you may just need to find a dealership that will do it if you want an "official" record.

'17-'25 Pacifica this is the only fluid that should go in the 948TE Transmission & wouldn't substitute