This isn't how safety based engineering analysis works.
Recall announced on 2017-1018 Pacifica Hybrids!
I just saw this pop up today on the Internet....
www.foxbusiness.com
Stellantis recalling nearly 20,000 plug-in minivans for fire risks
Chrysler parent Stellantis is recalling 19,808 plug-in hybrid minivans and urged owners to stop recharging them, after reports of 12 fires in parked vehicles.
www.foxbusiness.com
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I’m not asking for compensation. I’m making a suggestion for everyone else who is complaining. Although it’s possible that if their compensation were reasonable I would go that route.Then why would you want compensation?
Then maybe they’re not practicing “safety based engineering analysis”.This isn't how safety based engineering analysis works.
My point is that they’ve probably been on the trail of the hybrid battery thing for at least a couple of years now.And they probably did? But then found the 12V cable very corroded?
I don't think dealers should be allowed to sale cars with known recalls. But, that is just me. Hopefully they were at least told about the recall before they bought it, and that it isn't a big issue. Bursting into flames is very different than some of the minor recalls cars have.We have family that just bought a big GMC SUV that has an outstanding recall with no parts availability. But they could still buy it. And honestly some dealers are just unethical and don't care.
I'm very close to this one having done the repurchase process with my 2019 Bolt and having started it again with my 2021 Bolt. A whole other story we won't get into here. Actually, Bolts were being repurchased before the final, correct, cause was determined. They first tried an admittedly temporary fix of limiting charging. Some cars still caught fire. They also tried a software enhancement that would alert the owner of a problem before the car caught fire. Some cars still caught fire without alerting the owner. During this time repurchases were done using a long standing, if not widely advertised process with GM. Around the time they found the true cause, then finally they agreed to replace entire battery packs but insisted only Bolts built before a specific date in September of 2019 were effected. Some newer Bolts still caught fire. Finally, they expanded the recall to include every Bolt built by that time.I agree with the fuel compensation 100%.
The GM programs came only after a cause was determined. In the case of the Bolt it was immediately obvious that the battery was to blame. We don't know that yet with the Pacifica, but if the battery is at fault we may see similar programs. But we need a cause first. You can't expect an OEM to start replacing a part they don't know is defective.
I'm not so sure they don't know the cause. The obvious comparison is between a 2017 or 2018 Pacifica Hybrid and a 2019. What's different? Is it only the battery? If so, there's your cause. They may not know exactly what it is about the battery, but they would know it's the battery. I just hope they are not using the same approach GM first did: Only vehicles in these model years have caught fire, therefore only these model years are effected.
Much of what you see here is speculation unless you're an insider at Chrysler with specific knowledge. However, you will continue to see frustration expressed with the process and the time it's taking. This is not good PR for Chrysler, a company that has stated it will go all electric by 2028. They should take better care of the effected customers starting with fuel reimbursement and becoming more transparent about the whole process.
Dealers are allowed to sell cars with active recalls. They are required to disclose any open recalls and present the buyer with a document of the specifics of the recall(s), but it doesn't stop them from selling the car.I don't think dealers should be allowed to sale cars with known recalls. But, that is just me. Hopefully they were at least told about the recall before they bought it, and that it isn't a big issue. Bursting into flames is very different than some of the minor recalls cars have.
That is nice. Wish Chrysler would follow GM on that. I would be interested in a MSRP minus some for mileage buy back. Might would even use it towards a new Pacifica hybrid. And, just hope all the issues were worked out in the newer models.Actually, Bolts were being repurchased before the final, correct, cause was determined.
I can see the salesman now. So, you want this car. Lets work on the numbers. Oh, by the way it may randomly catch fire. But wait, we will throw in some new floor mats and free oil changes for life. All while thinking it will burn to the ground before it even needs more than one oil change.Dealers are allowed to sell cars with active recalls. They are required to disclose any open recalls and present the buyer with a document of the specifics of the recall(s), but it doesn't stop them from selling the car.
You jest, but you're not too far from wrong. You see I bought a 2018 a few weeks agoI can see the salesman now. So, you want this car. Lets work on the numbers. Oh, by the way it may randomly catch fire. But wait, we will throw in some new floor mats and free oil changes for life. All while thinking it will burn to the ground before it even needs more than one oil change.
(Yes I knew about the recall before I went into the dealership. My thought is 12 out of ~20,000 units have caught fire. That's about .0006 percent of the cars made in those two years, I'll take those odds. I DO park it away from the house, but I use, and charge it, drive it like it was meant to be driven. I found when researching that the most recent instance I could find was early 2021 - so to ME it seems like all the ones that are going to ignite have probably done so by now.)
While we still negotiating price he mentioned that there was a recall and showed me a print out of the recall. I told him I wondered if he'd bring that up, he said they were required by law to do so. So they didn't even wait until the last second when I was sitting in front of the finance guy, they were right up front about it. Because I don't necessarily trust that all dealers are 100% above board I'm sure that there are some that wouldn't do that - but mine did.
No one here needs to be a serious Sherlock Holmes. So consider for example how the 2018 battery inverter coolant loop connector was/is defective & the TSB is linked in one of these threads.They got distracted from what was more likely the cause.
Chrysler figures this defect out in a matter of WEEKS - once multiple failures occur. Now Chrysler can't figure battery fires out over months & months? There are only a partial hand full of differences in the parts - between the 2 affected model years and the rest of the Model years. That's the same case w/ the defective connector.
Did other years have a different battery lot inspection?
Most likely Chrysler is trying to finagle a deal with LG and that's what's taking so long. Potential fire victims be damned.
.
Why it is not easy to diagnose the battery failure.
The fire most probably starts from one bad battery cell. There are 96 cells in the battery. There have been 12 fires out of a total of 19,000 PACHYs (1.5 million cells). Very difficult for engineers to replicate!
The fire most probably starts from one bad battery cell. There are 96 cells in the battery. There have been 12 fires out of a total of 19,000 PACHYs (1.5 million cells). Very difficult for engineers to replicate!
You hit the nail on the head. This is exactly why the owners of the 2018 I had are still charging daily and anytime possible. If my 2021 is pulled into this, which I expect it will, I will still continue to charge and use it as normal.Why it is not easy to diagnose the battery failure.
The fire most probably starts from one bad battery cell. There are 96 cells in the battery. There have been 12 fires out of a total of 19,000 PACHYs (1.5 million cells). Very difficult for engineers to replicate!
I have said it before, if this is a major issue there would have already been several Waymos in the news catching fire or exploding. The conditions the Waymos are in are extremely harsh and they have logged millions of miles without bursting into flame.
This recall is a legal blocker to cover the backside of the manufacturer.
Unfortunately I can speak from experience, but dealers do sell unrepaired recalled vehicles. We bought our Pacifica hybrid from a Volvo dealer who presented to us an outdated Carfax at the time of purchase. The Carfax was pulled before the recall was announced.Maybe private sales, but I wouldn't think a dealer would sale a car with an outstanding fire recall. I know when we got ours there was a recall on the suspension. We couldn't even test drive any of the ones they had on the lot let alone buy them. We were about to test drive one and when the salesman went to get the keys he was told they could not even be driven around the lot. We had to wait a week for them to fix one before we could drive it. Come to found they had been seating for months which is why we got a good deal on it. Of course it was in the shop last year for front suspension issues under warranty and will be there again in a few week for the same problem. So, it seems they still have some problems. But, that is another story.
I’m at my local dealer now and they’re saying they have no idea about the trade-in incentive. Has anyone done this successfully? Thanks
I just received a letter from a law firm in LaJolla, California (Premier Legal Center) regarding the fire recall. It sounds like they purchased a list of owners of 2017-2018 Pacifica Hybrids. They are offering to represent me and will attempt to get some sort of settlement from FCA. This is an individual suit, not a Class Action lawsuit. Has anyone else received one of these letters? Does it make any sense to enter into such a lawsuit?
I had hoped that the fire recall would be resolved before much longer, but after reading the above comments, it doesn't seem likely. My 2018 van has been perfect, except for the recalls, since I purchased it 4 years ago. (That is probably due to the fact that I purchased an unlimited warranty from the Chrysler dealer.) Trying to get a replacement vehicle would mean throwing away the $3000 unlimited warranty and also spending more for a similar vehicle, or buying a less expensive vehicle. Since my vehicle has performed perfectly so far, I am very reluctant to give it up. On the other hand, I don't feel safe parking it in my house-attached garage and risking losing our house and perhaps our lives. On the other hand, with a handicapped wife, parking away from the house is very difficult to deal with.
Is anyone in this forum proceeding with legal action?
I had hoped that the fire recall would be resolved before much longer, but after reading the above comments, it doesn't seem likely. My 2018 van has been perfect, except for the recalls, since I purchased it 4 years ago. (That is probably due to the fact that I purchased an unlimited warranty from the Chrysler dealer.) Trying to get a replacement vehicle would mean throwing away the $3000 unlimited warranty and also spending more for a similar vehicle, or buying a less expensive vehicle. Since my vehicle has performed perfectly so far, I am very reluctant to give it up. On the other hand, I don't feel safe parking it in my house-attached garage and risking losing our house and perhaps our lives. On the other hand, with a handicapped wife, parking away from the house is very difficult to deal with.
Is anyone in this forum proceeding with legal action?
I, too, have a 2018 of which I’m pretty happy with. I don’t really want to give it up nor do I at this point want to seek a legal solution. I understand your circumstances and the way you feel about risk are different than mine but for now I’m content with waiting a few more months before this starts to become a problem that I may need to deal with.I just received a letter from a law firm in LaJolla, California (Premier Legal Center) regarding the fire recall. It sounds like they purchased a list of owners of 2017-2018 Pacifica Hybrids. They are offering to represent me and will attempt to get some sort of settlement from FCA. This is an individual suit, not a Class Action lawsuit. Has anyone else received one of these letters? Does it make any sense to enter into such a lawsuit?
I had hoped that the fire recall would be resolved before much longer, but after reading the above comments, it doesn't seem likely. My 2018 van has been perfect, except for the recalls, since I purchased it 4 years ago. (That is probably due to the fact that I purchased an unlimited warranty from the Chrysler dealer.) Trying to get a replacement vehicle would mean throwing away the $3000 unlimited warranty and also spending more for a similar vehicle, or buying a less expensive vehicle. Since my vehicle has performed perfectly so far, I am very reluctant to give it up. On the other hand, I don't feel safe parking it in my house-attached garage and risking losing our house and perhaps our lives. On the other hand, with a handicapped wife, parking away from the house is very difficult to deal with.
Is anyone in this forum proceeding with legal action?
If the fix happens in a few months, I would be OK with waiting. However, there have been some comments that predict it could take a year to fix. That is NOT OK in my opinion.
I’m sure that’s not OK in Chrysler’s opinion either but reality is not beholden to opinions.If the fix happens in a few months, I would be OK with waiting. However, there have been some comments that predict it could take a year to fix. That is NOT OK in my opinion.
I noticed that at the bottom of the recall notice at nhtsa.gov it says:
I called the number and the automated prompts seemed to be guiding me to report a new problem so I chose the option to speak to an operator (it might have been 3). I waited less than a minute and after I gave the operator my VIN number and said that the recall notice was already issued he said something like "oh it's fire" and took the rest of my information. I explained that I've been waiting over three months and there's been no news from Chrysler and when I called them all they would offer me was $60/day reimbursement for a car that costs $200/day. He said that my call will help to put pressure on the manufacturer. He gave me a record number for my complaint and said that having a recorded complaint may be important when trying to get the manufacturer to resolve the issue or in a lawsuit and that I should keep any receipts for repairs. Although it was a bit confusing to explain everything, the entire call was only five minutes or so and I'm really glad I made it.If the manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for your vehicle in a timely manner, please contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at: 1-888-327-4236
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