2019 Chrysler Pacifica

On 7/16/26 vehicle would not start; high-pitched noise heard near engine during no-start diagnosis. Towed to Goldy Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Huntington WV. Per dealer invoice #27136: blown 500-amp main battery fuse found; after jumping past fuse, white smoke from exhaust and no coolant in system, diagnosed as blown head gasket. Repair: both-side head gasket replacement plus fuse assembly. Vehicle in shop 7+ weeks, returned 9/4/26 with new unresolved issue: strong smell of burned electronics and antifreeze in cabin. All failed components available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: head gasket failure/coolant intrusion caused engine hydrolock, a sudden uncommanded loss of engine power that can occur without warning, including while driving in traffic. Burned-electronics smell raises electrical/fire risk; antifreeze odor raises cabin fume exposure and window-fogging visibility concerns. Confirmed by dealer: Yes. Goldy diagnosed and documented the fuse failure, coolant loss, and head gasket failure in writing, and performed the repair. Manufacturer/police/insurance inspection: Not by police or insurance. Spoke by phone with a Chrysler HQ rep 5 times (8/13-9/1/26) who was informed; no confirmed independent physical inspection by manufacturer beyond dealer's own diagnosis. Warning signs: P0304 misfire on cylinder 3 appeared first, progressing to complete no-start with high-pitched noise, prompting the tow-in and hydrolock diagnosis.

My 2019 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L Plus is experiencing coolant leaking into a cylinder, diagnosed by. This has rendered the vehicle undrivable. The Pentastar 3.6L V6 engine used in this vehicle has a well-documented pattern of coolant intrusion into cylinders due to head gasket failure across the 2017–2019 Chrysler Pacifica model years, based on extensive owner complaints already on file with NHTSA and reported by consumer advocacy organizations. Despite this known pattern, no recall currently exists covering this specific defect for 2019 model year vehicles. This is a safety concern because coolant intrusion into a cylinder can cause sudden misfires, rough running, loss of power, and potential stalling while driving — creating a hazard in traffic, particularly at highway speeds or during turns/merges. I contacted Chrysler Case Management regarding this issue. The manufacturer has attempted to attribute responsibility to the dealership rather than acknowledging this as a manufacturer defect in the engine design/manufacturing, despite the well-documented pattern across multiple model years of the same engine. I have also not been provided a rental vehicle despite my vehicle being undrivable.

As I pulled up to stop, in electric mode, at a stop light, the display screen pulled up a message to pull over safely because the engine would stop soon, within about 10 seconds the screen showed the engine stopped. I was still at the light. I tried restarting the vehicle, moving the shifter from drive to park and back, pressing the park button several times with no success. With cars honking behind me, I got out of the car, told them my car had died and asked them to drive around me. I got back in the car, repeated the actions a few times and the car started in electric mode. I drove home (about 5 miles) without incident. Check engine light was on. I pulled 2 codes U0412 and U029a. I have had the U0412 code a few times before with only the check engine light coming on. It would go away in a day or two (no check engine light and no code). U029a is new.

While driving, the vehicle began to sputter and the check engine light illuminated. A scan at a franchised dealership showed a stored code for a cylinder 4 misfire. Further diagnosis found coolant intrusion into cylinder 4, indicating internal failure of the left cylinder head and/or head gasket, allowing coolant into the combustion chamber. Upon removing the left valve cover and camshafts, the technician found a broken head gasket and a warped left cylinder head. The dealership replaced the left cylinder head, head gasket, cylinder head cover gasket, and oxygen sensor, refilled coolant, and replaced the PCV valve as a maintenance item. After repair, the vehicle was test driven and no further misfire was detected. This failure occurred at approximately 72,000 miles, low mileage for a major internal engine component, shortly after the factory powertrain warranty expired, leaving the owner responsible for the full repair cost. A misfire caused by coolant entering a cylinder can cause sudden, unexpected loss of engine power and rough running while driving, a safety concern in traffic, on highways, or when merging and passing, since reduced power can make it hard to maintain speed or accelerate out of a hazardous situation. Continued driving with undiagnosed coolant intrusion can also cause secondary engine damage, including hydrolock. The failed cylinder head and gasket were not retained by the owner; the dealership performed the repair as part of the invoiced order. The manufacturer has not independently inspected the vehicle beyond the dealership's diagnosis, photographs, and repair documentation, available on request. This appears to be a recurring issue on this engine platform, as similar cylinder head/gasket coolant intrusion failures, with matching misfire codes, have been reported by other owners of similar model-year minivans with the same engine, typically presenting in the 60,000-85,000 mile range, shortly after the factory powertrain warranty expires.

The vehicle intermittently displays a "Stop Safely – Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" warning message accompanied by a turtle icon while driving, most often at highway speeds above approximately 50 mph. There is no consistent pattern or condition that triggers the warning. When the warning appears, I must immediately attempt to pull off the roadway because the vehicle indicates it will shut down. This creates a significant safety hazard, especially on interstate highways or roads without a safe shoulder. If the vehicle is turned off and restarted, the warning message disappears, but the check engine light remains illuminated. After the next ignition cycle, the check engine light also disappears, leaving no visible indication of the problem. The issue began occurring approximately once per year but has become progressively more frequent. It now occurs almost daily. During a recent 300-mile trip, the warning appeared four separate times. It also commonly occurs twice during a 60-mile drive. The increasing frequency has made the vehicle unreliable and unsafe to operate on highways. The vehicle has been taken to an authorized Chrysler dealership. However, the dealer stated they cannot diagnose or repair the problem unless the warning is actively displayed when the vehicle arrives. Because the warning clears after restarting the vehicle, the dealer has been unable or unwilling to identify the cause or perform a repair. I also contacted Chrysler customer service. I was informed that because there is no recall related to this issue, they could only refer me back to the dealership for diagnosis under any applicable warranty coverage. This defect poses a serious safety risk because the vehicle may lose propulsion while traveling at highway speeds, requiring an emergency maneuver to reach the shoulder while surrounded by fast-moving traffic. I am concerned that this could result in a rear-end collision or other serious crash if the warning occurs where there is no safe place

A misfire code came up. Had plugs done.. didn’t solve problem now blowing white smoke burning antifreeze. Head gaskets bad. We just bought this 2019 7 months ago. And it only had 68,000 miles on it now 71000 miles on it. We thought we would get the newer better vehicle and having engine problem in a car that we paid 22000 dollars for. Going to be an expensive fix on a problem that shouldn’t be occurring on a car with that mileage.

This has been ever since I got my van. Sometime when I drive my lights come on and it goes into limp mode. Most of the time. When I start my van my lights will turn on. I have to turn my car off . Then start again to get my van riding correctly. The other day I was making a U-turn and my engine stalled and I was almost hit by a truck.