2021 Chrysler Pacifica

Check engine light illuminated and there was a warning message on the dash screen that I was not able to capture. This model of van is a plug-in hybrid. With this failure the engine systems are NOT utilizing the hybrid traction battery portion of the system. I have driven many small trips up to about 65 miles, but no drive has yet used the battery capacity. So the vehicle is running 100% on the gas engine, and is not able to function in hybrid or electrical only drive mode. The dealership is unable to tell me if driving the vehicle in this state will cause further damage to the van, therefore I am stuck unable to drive the vehicle for fear of causing even more damage. Error code pulled from personal obd2 reader: P0E15 - Hybrid/EV Battery Pack Coolant Heater A Control Performance On 1/4/2022 the dealer service advisor called and confirmed that the issue is the expected part failure/replacement, and that there are no parts available in the US for this repair. The last instance that my dealer repaired took 4 weeks to secure the needed parts for repair. Still no confirmation the van would be safe to drive in the interim. Therefore I am without my new 2021 vehicle purchased 5/10/2021, while it only has 1608miles... for what seems like will be at least another month. The dealer SA also mentioned to me that Chrysler currently had another ~450 instances of this same failure happening right now, all which going to be significantly impacted by the lack of parts availability. This is unacceptable.

The van displayed various error messages in the dash screen, and issued a warning beeped, then told me to shift the vehicle to park. The van then locked itself in park and could not be moved. Rotary gear selector non-responsive, transmission selector gear lights went out. We had to have the vehicle towed out of the restaurant drive through lane and delivered to the dealership. Van would still start, but wouldn’t move. "Errors in dash: ""Service Hybrid Electric System"" ""Service Shifter"" ""Service Shifter Stop Safely Shut Off Vehicle to Engage Park"""

Driving twice we have gotten a message "Pullover vehicle will shutoff" on the display, and the motor and engine shut off shortly after. After restart, the console says "Service Hybrid System" the van then has a top speed of 40-45 MPH, not safe to drive on interstate even to get to the next exit. The first time the dealer had the van for 10 days said the problem was in the hybrid system related to the charging cord (provided with the vehicle) The second time we were 2 miles from home and able to get the vehicle home safely with the hazard light on. The dealer is trying to tow it for the second time, the vehicle does not have enough power to drive up the ramps onto the roll-back tow truck.

There has been a lot of talk about the possible distractions in Tesla vehicles. I happen to have a Tesla Model S and I have a Chrysler Pacifica Plugin Hybrid. The Chrysler, although overall is a great vehicle, poses a risk because they do not treat the drivers as adults. Let me explain. While using the navigation system, it will not let you interact with the vehicle while it's in motion. This literally assumes that no one else is in the vehicle that could co-pilot. So, when I was traveling with my family over Thanksgiving, with my wife in the front passenger seat and four kids in the back, I had to pull over to the side of the road to make any adjustments to the navigation system. I don't have to you tell you how dangerous pulling off to the side of a highway is whether at night or during the day. This is extremely frustrating and dangerous and I take it personally that adults are being treated like children when it comes to interacting with these machines. If we're truly concerned about distracted drivers, then we would ban even carrying a cell phone with us in a vehicle and even ban the radio and the ability to change the station while driving. This is of course impractical, and that's my point. Tesla treats its drivers with respect and allows for responsible interaction with the navigations system, radio, other vehicle functions, etc. I play "Caroke" in the car all the time for my kids in the rear seat. If I'm distracted by the lyrics on the screen constantly changing with the song, then that is my issue and I should shut it off. However, it is not an issue with me and I remain focused on the road. Manufacturers should treat drivers as adults and allow them to be responsible. Anything short of that, and any regulation barring the great functionality of a Tesla, will only hold us back technologically. Please ask Chrysler and other OEMs to stop barring interaction with the vehicle while it's in motion before a truck slams into a vehicle pulled over to the side.

While driving vehicle went into full lock down. Vehicle remained running with all systems on except completely unable to engage drive, shut vehicle down or even power it off. Towed to dealer. Dealer stating codes stating hybrid error and transmission errors. Vehicle has 7021 miles and was purchased March 2021. My wife and 2 children were stranded on the road in a vehicle that would not move. Terrifying for me.

The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated that the hatchback door would not close and lock securely. The contact stated that he attempted to close the hatchback door by using the key fob, by depressing the hatchback control panel inside the vehicle and the button on the hatchback door but it failed to close and latch securely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that he manually pushed the hatchback with the assistance of his wife, but the door would not lock. The contact stated that they were able to close the hatchback door using duct tape. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing however, the dealer advised the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact notified Goeckner Bros Inc (600 E Fayette Ave, Effingham, IL 62401) who sold him the vehicle and the dealer advised the contact to take the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 2,970.

Component: The Low gear does not function properly. When the car is in Low on a steep grade it allows the engine to rev up to 6,000 RPM before shifting into second gear. On a hill, the RPMs rev up quickly and the car’s momentum is not properly arrested. In practice, this car does not have a true Low gear. L1 acts more like an L4. Safety risk: We use this car in the mountains of Virginia. We have an AWD model, which performs great in the snow. However, with no hill descent feature and a malfunctioning Low gear it is dangerous to drive the car in the mountains. Driving down a snowy mountain with no low gear is a major risk. Service center: Yes, the problem has been confirmed by my local dealer, both in my car and in a brand new 2021 Pacifica. Inspected by others: No. It was confirmed by the service manager of my local dealer only. I emailed Chrysler but have not received a response. Warning lights: No. The vehicle is performing as it was designed, there are no malfunction lights. According to the dealer service manager it is a transmission problem. He thinks it is a problem with the computer system as well as the ratios for the transmission system. After confirming the problem in my car we tested a brand new 2021 Pacifica (9 miles driven). Our first time down a hill it worked perfectly, the RPMs held below 3,000 and the low gear slowed our descent. By our third attempt, the RPMs were revving to 6,000, and the low gear “grip” was gone. The service manager conjectured that there is something in the computer system telling the Low gear to act like that. Which doesn’t make any sense because revving the RPMs up to 6,000 is not healthy for the engine. I have a video of the problem but it doesn’t allow me to upload it below. Thank you!

The car stopped 2 times on it's own, told me to shift to park immediately but was in essence shutting itself off. Once approaching a stop light going ~10 mph and the second time I was going 50 mph down the road. The first time 3 warnings flashed across my screen, Service Charging System Service Required, Front Parksense Unavailable Service Required, Active Parksense Unavailable Service Required, I shut the car completely off waited a couple minutes and turned it back on. The check engine light stayed on. During the 2nd event it was only Service Charging System, after i shut the car off and restarted the Uconnect started updating and I couldn't drive and the check engine light came on.

We have now had two incidences where the vehicle is being driven both on the highway and in the city. The vehicle malfunctions without any indication or warning. While driving the vehicle beeps and the check engine light comes on, you lose all control or ability to accelerate. You still have steering. The screen on the dash in front of the driver flashes and continues to flash and says there is an issue, while saying to move the drive to park. The drive options (park, drive, reverse, etc) flashes on and off but will not move anyways. You are essentially forced to cruise to a stop hopefully in a safe place or emergently braking. The only way to get the vehicle to reset is once completely stopped. To push the ignition off button. Which does not fully turn it off. You then have to open the driver door hopefully safely. And allow the vehicle to completely shut off. Then get back in and it will usually start at this point with the check engine light still on. We have video and pictures of this happening to us both times and am have seen others experience this extremely dangerous situation. I am going to report to the dealer and the customer service for Chrysler as well. Then the news.