[chrisghemm]

I am looking at purchasing a Pacifica Hybrid but I am concerned about the loss of motive power issue. I have seen that there is a software update fix but if I understand it correctly, the problem is with the cable causing a short and that the software update will simply give user warning to let them pull to the side before the engine shuts down. This means that the loss of motive power will still be an issue which is not a good thing if you are on a long road trip.

Some were saying that this is just a temporary solution to prevent accidents, some says that the software update will actually prevent the loss of motive power from happening again while other says that there is a permanent solution coming at a later date that will actually replace the parts. I have not seen Chrysler confirm or deny these theories from people.

I hope that Chrysler cares will see this post will give us an honest response on what the final solution will be and how long does users have to wait. Also, since the problem has been found in January does this mean that the cars built after January are safe and will not have this issue anymore?

 

[ChryslerCares]

I am looking at purchasing a Pacifica Hybrid but I am concerned about the loss of motive power issue. I have seen that there is a software update fix but if I understand it correctly, the problem is with the cable causing a short and that the software update will simply give user warning to let them pull to the side before the engine shuts down. This means that the loss of motive power will still be an issue which is not a good thing if you are on a long road trip.

Some were saying that this is just a temporary solution to prevent accidents, some says that the software update will actually prevent the loss of motive power from happening again while other says that there is a permanent solution coming at a later date that will actually replace the parts. I have not seen Chrysler confirm or deny these theories from people.

I hope that Chrysler cares will see this post will give us an honest response on what the final solution will be and how long does users have to wait. Also, since the problem has been found in January does this mean that the cars built after January are safe and will not have this issue anymore?

Hello,

Should you have any questions related to this recall, please send us a PM, our team would be happy to assist.

William
Chrysler Cares

 

[Tri-C]

Presumably, units built on or after 1/10/23 will not have this issue.

Clearly, the 03A recall does not fix the problem. Whether Chrysler will actually offer a true solution is the question that now hangs over all 67,000 PHEV Pacificas built before 1/10/23. Since the issue reportedly cannot be addressed by field repair, Chrysler needs to come up with 67,000 transmissions, no small task. Meanwhile, expect the value of these vehicles to whither as word of the issue spreads. Don't expect any authoritative information from Chrysler Cares, at least not anytime soon.

 

[ThisSuckersElectrical]

Presumably, units built on or after 1/10/23 will not have this issue.

And they changed nothing on these with stacks of transaxles already built in the warehouses moving to production except for updating the software on the production line from this date forward.

 

[chrisghemm]

Hello, Should you have any questions related to this recall, please send us a PM, our team would be happy to assist. William Chrysler Cares

This is a nice answer that means "We don't know what where doing so we can't discuss it in public". Too bad, the Pacifica is a very nice minivan but if I can't safely drive it with my family in it then it is not something I will want to buy. I tried to wait to see if the software fix will eliminate the problem but I just saw on another thread that it basically just changed the message. Chrysler can't even confirm if the 2023 models produced after 01/09/23 already have the improved parts that won't cause a short. So I would take it as the 2023 models only have the software update and can still lose its power while driving. I am thankful that there are users who are willing to share their experiences. This helped me made a decision to never look at any cars produced by FCA.

 

[chrisghemm]

And they changed nothing on these with stacks of transaxles already built in the warehouses moving to production except for updating the software on the production line from this date forward.

This is my concern that even the 2023 models built after 01/09/23 will still have the defective parts in it and only have the software update that does not fix anything. I was hoping that if I wait a little longer that the cars currently in production will not have this issue but Chrysler can't even confirm that. It looks to me that Chrysler Cares support are just going by the script given to them and can't say anything else. Or maybe thy are just AI that have a set of response it can pull from.

 

[ThisSuckersElectrical]

still have the defective parts in it and only have the software update that does not fix anything.

Recall 03A how are you handling it?

I would urge you to answer publicly. This is a very real concern that we all need to hear what the response is. I live in a very busy part of LA where everyone drives aggressively and fast. A simple alert that your car is getting ready to die while you're in the middle of this type of traffic...

www.pacificaforums.com

Recall 03A An unexpected engine shut down resulting in a...

Hah. The person that filmed that video must've been pretty confident it was going to shut off. I thought about doing that but didn't want an extra distraction. @snobrdrdan I think it really depends on what the roads are like where someone breaks down. Most of the highways near me have...

www.pacificaforums.com

 

[WaileaKid]

Hello,

Should you have any questions related to this recall, please send us a PM, our team would be happy to assist.

William
Chrysler Cares

@ChryslerCares what's the deal with answering it in a PM. OP asked a straight forward question. Why can't you answer it publicly here? We all want to know an answer to this. Answering this privately makes us think you're trying to hide something.

 

[CANADAHYBRIDGUY]

They won’t answer anything publicly because @ChryslerCares is nothing more than a liaison like Chrysler customer service is .

 

[WaileaKid]

They won’t answer anything publicly because @ChryslerCares is nothing more than a liaison like Chrysler customer service is .

Well they can find the answer out and post it here

 

[SKPacHy]

And they changed nothing on these with stacks of transaxles already built in the warehouses moving to production except for updating the software on the production line from this date forward.

I wouldn’t say that for sure. The Hybrid production rate is quite low. Only 67,000 since 2017. Jeep is closing down the Cherokee plant and they were selling 40,000 per year! We don’t know what transaxle production looks like for the hybrid. With a production rate so low there’s no reason they couldn’t have already made a running change to the wiring harness. They certainly knew what the problem was months ago. And when you’re only averaging a couple hundred Hybrids a week, you probably don’t have that many transaxles completed at any 1 time. So reworking however many have been assembled and making a running change for new ones doesn’t sound too onerous. Even if there is a bunch waiting for assembly, reworking them first with good parts wouldn’t be a big deal. Car companies do this kind of stuff regularly.

 

[bullzFromAT]

I am on the same boat as OP. How would I know a VIN on the parking lot has the recall completed? Should I check with the dealer?

 

[ThisSuckersElectrical]

I am on the same boat as OP. How would I know a VIN on the parking lot has the recall completed? Should I check with the dealer?

Run the VIN here and find out.

Check for Recalls: Vehicle, Car Seat, Tire, Equipment

 

[bullzFromAT]

Run the VIN here and find out.

Check for Recalls: Vehicle, Car Seat, Tire, Equipment

That helped. Thanks

 

[ChryslerCares]

Hello Everyone,

The 2022-2023 03A recall has been released. Letter for the 2021 model year should already be sent out or in progress for the release this month. Should there be any further questions on this, please let us know. Remaining model years is still in progress. We will provide more info along the way. We appreciate everyone's patience on this matter.

William
Chrysler Cares

 

[Sleeper]

Hello Everyone,

The 2022-2023 03A recall has been released. Letter for the 2021 model year should already be sent out or in progress for the release this month. Should there be any further questions on this, please let us know. Remaining model years is still in progress. We will provide more info along the way. We appreciate everyone's patience on this matter.

William
Chrysler Cares

Isn't the driveline the same regardless of the MY? I know the 2021 had updates to the uconnect and some exterior updates like lights but if it was just a moderate facelift and no driveline was changed why is the recall being staggered by MY? Are we being used as beta testers on the newer MY?

 

[SKPacHy]

Isn't the driveline the same regardless of the MY? I know the 2021 had updates to the uconnect and some exterior updates like lights but if it was just a moderate facelift and no driveline was changed why is the recall being staggered by MY? Are we being used as beta testers on the newer MY?

I think this would indicate that while at a high level the driveline functions the same, there may be different components at a hardware level and therefore different software through the different model years. That's not to say that the current PIMs aren't backward compatible, but the older model years, if you opened the PIMs, could look very different when compared to the current model years. We also don't know what changes on the newer model years could have happened due to the supply chain issues with semiconductors.

 

[dmj]

I could be wrong, but I think there are a couple of reasons for staggering the rollout.

First, they need to apply the update to any vehicles that are on dealer lots. Dealers can't sell a vehicle if there's an outstanding recall.

Second, while the main parameters of the drivetrain have remained the same I suspect that the controlling hardware and software may have changed, perhaps in small but significant ways. As a result, the software "fix", such as it is, may be slightly different from year to year...or even VIN to VIN.

Finally, if there's any chance the "fix" actually fixing anything (I don't think so, but it's never been clear) older vehicles which haven't had a problem might be less likely to have a problem going forward...and those that have had problems might have had those problems corrected by repair or replacement of the transmission.

Isn't the driveline the same regardless of the MY? I know the 2021 had updates to the uconnect and some exterior updates like lights but if it was just a moderate facelift and no driveline was changed why is the recall being staggered by MY? Are we being used as beta testers on the newer MY?

 

[Sleeper]

I could be wrong, but I think there are a couple of reasons for staggering the rollout.

First, they need to apply the update to any vehicles that are on dealer lots. Dealers can't sell a vehicle if there's an outstanding recall.

Second, while the main parameters of the drivetrain have remained the same I suspect that the controlling hardware and software may have changed, perhaps in small but significant ways. As a result, the software "fix", such as it is, may be slightly different from year to year...or even VIN to VIN.

Finally, if there's any chance the "fix" actually fixing anything (I don't think so, but it's never been clear) older vehicles which haven't had a problem might be less likely to have a problem going forward...and those that have had problems might have had those problems corrected by repair or replacement of the transmission.

Makes sense that the 2022-2023 is updated first so dealers can dump existing inventory on unsuspecting customers.

My 2021 is dead and at the dealership but i will create a post on that once i hear more later today.

I worry about this fix too and honestly it feels like a bandaid. Do we know if they have revised the "transmission" in new builds without the faulty internal wiring harness or are these still the same old units with just a more NHSTA approved "pulll over" message (the software update).

 

[CostaMoses]

Should there be any further questions on this, please let us know.

Why do you say this if you don't actually answer any questions directly?