2022 Chrysler Pacifica transmission problems

POWER TRAIN

My car is a part of NHTSA Campaign No. 26V362 / Manufacturer Recall 52D and on July 30th, 2026 it suffered a fatal transmission error and stopped on the highway. I am unable to drive it and it officially needs its entire transmission rebuilt. My wife was driving back from work and the car shutdown in the middle of the highway and she had to risk her life to get it to an emergency zone. The turtle symbol came on the dash and the dealer confirmed the transmission needs to be rebuilt because of a manufacturer defect.

NHTSA complaint #11755362 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

My car is a part of NHTSA Campaign No. 26V362 / Manufacturer Recall 52D and on July 30th, 2026 it suffered a fatal transmission error and stopped on the highway. I am unable to drive it and it officially needs its entire transmission rebuilt. My wife was driving back from work and the car shutdown in the middle of the highway and she had to risk her life to get it to an emergency zone. The turtle symbol came on the dash and the dealer confirmed the transmission needs to be rebuilt because of a manufacturer defect.

NHTSA complaint #11755362 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Vehicle repeatedly entered limp mode / lost power at highway speed a few days after the dealer performing the remedy for NHTSA Recall 23V- 010 (FCA Recall 03A, transmission internal wiring connector short). The recall remedy did not correct the defect. Prior to the recall work, the van entered limp mode on 2 other occasions. Timeline: On 7/10/26, Park Chrysler Jeep in Burnsville, MN performed the open recall remedy (Recall 03A / NHTSA 23V-010) on our vehicle. We informed the dealer we were departing on a multi-week interstate family road trip, and the dealer released the vehicle as repaired. On [XXX], about 40 minutes into our trip, the vehicle entered limp mode with a severe loss of motive power while driving at highway speed on [XXX] between Northfield, MN and [XXX]. We were able to reach the shoulder safely. After multiple restart attempts, the vehicle resumed operation. On [XXX], the vehicle entered limp mode 2 additional times under the same conditions on [XXX] in IL, and on [XXX] in IN, again at highway speed and with heavy traffic present. In one case there was barely enough shoulder to pull over safely. Each event created a sudden, significant speed differential with surrounding traffic. On 7/16/26 the vehicle was taken to Bob Chandler Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Columbus, OH. The dealer's diagnosis is that the transmission must be replaced. The repair order ID is [XXX]. The vehicle is at that dealership awaiting parts. Safety concern: The vehicle lost motive power at highway speeds 3 times in two days after the recall remedy was performed and the vehicle was returned to us as repaired. Occupants at the time included 2 adults and 3 children. No crash, injury, or fire occurred, but each event presented a serious collision risk from sudden deceleration in traffic. This experience is consistent with the concern in NHTSA's reopened investigation that the software-only recall remedy does not address the underlying hardware defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(

NHTSA complaint #11751002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The failure had occurred with two minor children seated in the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the turtle icon was displayed, and the adaptive cruise control was deactivated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was scheduled for diagnostic testing. Additionally, there was an unknown recall with a similar failure to be repaired at the scheduled appointment. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

NHTSA complaint #11750365 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I am reporting an ongoing, catastrophic safety defect and corporate suppression regarding Chrysler Recall 03A (NHTSA Campaign 23V010) on my 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The official recall remedy has repeatedly failed to prevent total electrical system depletion and unexpected motive power shutdown in the field, leaving my family in extreme danger. On March 3, 2023, at 6,000 miles, the vehicle suffered a complete, un-warned motive power shutdown while I was driving my two young children on a rural highway. The vehicle stalled dead on an incline in the middle of a lane. The brakes failed to engage automatically, so I couldn’t evacuate my children because I had to keep my foot on the brake. Cars had to swerve around our vehicle at 55 MPH, as it was on a blind corner. My children were deeply traumatized; my autistic child was completely inconsolable and now suffers from an ongoing, severe psychological fear surrounding this vehicle stopping unexpectedly. We were only saved from a crash because a passerby stopped to help after about 15 minutes. The dealership subsequently applied the Recall 03A software update and replaced the 12V battery. This recall remedy has utterly failed. The replacement 12V battery died again in May 2025 and died a third time in June 2026, proving a chronic electrical defect exists. The dealership refused to perform parasitic draw testing, refused diagnostics, and simply charged the battery, stating 'it's fine.' Chrysler corporate support subjected me to a cycle of unresponsive case managers. One manager promised a buyback review within 3 days, but instead, a subsequent manager closed my file. Corporate explicitly refused to escalate the vehicle to their STAR technical team and flatly refused to provide copies of my warranty and service records. I explained to both corporate and the dealership that I don’t feel safe driving this car without further diagnostics but corporate refused to authorize, stating they stood by the dealer.

NHTSA complaint #11748250 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Upon attempting to charge the vehicle with factory supplied Level 1 charger, a dashboard message appeared stating "Service Charging System" and the vehicle would not charge. Took the vehicle to a service station and scanned the vehicle. Listed error code is p0d27-00. The code could not be cleared and the vehicle was unable to be charged. Vehicle had to be taken to a Chrysler dealer for the code to be cleared in order to charging capability to be restored. This was considered a "software" issue and not covered under the vehicles warranty - despite it directly affecting the fuel/hybrid propulsion system. This defect and inability to clear the code means the vehicle cannot be charged, reducing its range and fuel economy, and increasing emissions. This is a critical issue and should not incur customer expense to have the code cleared.

NHTSA complaint #11746134 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

We got a notice that said to pull over because the vehicle will shut down. We did and the vehicle shut down and went into red turtle mode only a few seconds after the indicator light appeared. This was unsafe in our situation and would be very unsafe at highway speeds or in busy traffic. The dealer has not been able to reproduce the issue (although has confirmed the error code) but will also not confirm that the car is safe for us to drive. The car is still at the dealer. They will not fix the car unless the error code is replicated. We do not feel comfortable driving the car until it is fixed or they are willing to confirm it is safe to drive. It has been more than 2 months with no progress.

NHTSA complaint #11744786 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

This vehicle has experienced three separate powertrain failures stemming from the same transmission defect (DTC P0A43 — Drive Motor Position Sensor, eFlite transmission). Incident 1 — April 19, 2026: Complete sudden loss of motive power on the highway with family aboard. Vehicle towed to Castle Rock Chrysler CDJR. Failed Repair — May 8, 2026: Chrysler corporate mandated a software flash rather than a hardware repair. Vehicle failed identically within 10 miles of pickup in live highway traffic. Towed back same day. Incident 3 — June 6, 2026: A replacement transmission was installed. Within one week of pickup, a progressive transmission whine developed followed by visible smoke from the engine compartment while driving. Vehicle was immediately pulled over and towed to avoid a third highway failure. Chrysler's own STAR engineering team (TSB 21-014-26) has documented this as a known defect requiring transmission rebuild or replacement. Chrysler blocked a full transmission replacement for over 5 weeks citing backorder, then located one within hours when a repurchase review was requested. This defect causes sudden loss of motive power at highway speeds with no warning, creating an immediate safety hazard. I am requesting NHTSA investigate this defect pattern on 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid vehicles and evaluate whether a safety recall is warranted.

NHTSA complaint #11742633 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My 2022 Pacifica Hybrid has experienced a total loss of motor propulsion THREE times in the last 8 days at highway (or near-highway) speeds. The car issued a warning to "Stop Safely Vehicle will Shut Off Soon" and had a turtle light appear along with a check engine light and I experienced no power going to the wheels on the highway. This included TWO incidents after a recall repair that was completed to supposedly fix this issue.

NHTSA complaint #11738771 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My 2022 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV has experienced three separate complete losses of motive power at highway speed, each preceded only by a brief dashboard warning to pull over safely. First occurrence: April 18, 2026. Second: May 7, 2026 — vehicle towed to Spitzer Motor City (Cleveland, OH), an authorized Stellantis dealer. Dealer replaced the Power Inverter Module hardware under warranty (R.O. 42463CY). Third occurrence: May 17, 2026 — just five days after the repair. Notably, the battery was at 40% on the third occurrence, meaning the engine had not cycled on, distinguishing this failure from the prior two. The root cause is the internal transmission wiring harness connector short identified in NHTSA Recall 03A (23V-010). Per NHTSA's own ODI investigation (RQ24-004), the software recall remedy does not prevent loss of motive power. TSB 21-008-23 / Warranty Extension XE1 identifies full transmission replacement as the correct fix. The dealer did not perform a transmission replacement. The safety risk is severe — complete, sudden loss of drive power at interstate speeds with minimal warning creates immediate rear-end collision risk. The defect has been confirmed by the authorized dealer. The transmission assembly is available for inspection. No police or insurance involvement. This VIN currently shows zero open recalls, suggesting the incomplete repair was logged as satisfying Recall 03A.

NHTSA complaint #11738423 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I was traveling on the freeway at approximately 65 miles per hour. I slowed to approximately 50 miles per hour to pass a disabled vehicle and began accelerating again when the dash displayed a message that said "Stop Safely- Vehicle will Shut off soon" the check engine light, a red turtle light also lit up. I had to make a quick maneuver to the far right lane putting myself and other vehicles at risk to avoid the car shutting down in the middle of the freeway. I wanted to get closer to an exit so I continued driving slowly on the shoulder. The wouldn’t accelerate, so whatever speed I let it get down to was the fastest it would go. At the exit I was concerned I wouldn’t have enough power to make it up the hill so I shut off the car. I let it sit for a couple of minutes and then turned it back on. It turned on with the check engine light still on . I then drove it straight to the dealership using surface streets and keeping my speed around 40-45 miles per hour. This was the second time this vehicle has experience this kind of loss of power. The first time happened in July 2024 and resulted in a full transmission replacement. This incident constitutes a dangerous loss of motive power at highway speeds. The failure mode appears identical to the issues described in NHTSA Safety Recall 23V-010 (Chrysler Recall 03A), yet this vehicle has already had a full transmission replacement for this exact issue in the past.

NHTSA complaint #11732606 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

The contact owns a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud sound coming from the engine with the message "Service Hybrid System" displayed. The sound was noticeable while accelerating and decelerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no DTC was retrieved; however, the contact was informed that the transmission control module needed to be reprogrammed. The TCM was reprogrammed; however, the issue persisted with a high-pitched whining sound. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.

NHTSA complaint #11731506 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The vehicle completely stopped and shut off while driving on the roadway. Luckily no one was behind me. The check engine light did come on right before but it wasn’t on long enough for me to get somewhere to stop and check it out. There had not been any issues prior to this. The vehicle is still being serviced but they said it was the 12v battery and electric coolant heater that needs replacing so far.

NHTSA complaint #11728701 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My vehicle has been saying engine will shut off soon, and loses power . Transmission is the issue as I have had it diagnosed 3 times with the code P0a43. Mazda dealership which I purchased the vehicle verified by running a diagnostic.engine light comes on after the vehicle shuts off. Me and my children’s safety is at risk due to it stopping multiple times on freeway also stopping at a stoplight that was around a curve with blind spot . Has stopped on a two lane road with no emergency lane. Stopped at another light and had to wave traffic around.

NHTSA complaint #11728166 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I was driving on the highway when an alarm sounded and warning message displayed: "Stop Safely, Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" At the same time, a turtle icon came on, along with the check engine light. I lost all power in the gas pedal. I pulled over, and after shutting my van down for a few minutes, I was able to turn it back on and get to my destination. However, the same exact issue happened on my way home. That time, I had to pull over -- still on the highway -- during rush hour and I did not feel safe as other cars zoomed by me. I often travel with my show dogs, which was my main reason for purchasing a new van. Naturally, I am concerned about their safety and well-being too. After this happened, I took my van -- which has less than 36,000 miles on it -- to my local dealership. They performed a software update and sent me home. I took my van on a "test ride" and the same alarm sounded and warning message displayed. I brought it back to the dealership and they investigated the problem further. I now have to replace the transmission -- a $7,000 repair -- on a van that is less than five years old with very low milage. I had NO prior issues, odd noises, or warnings indicated by my van.

NHTSA complaint #11719773 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Driving on the freeway vehicle suddenly enters limp mode with stop safely vehicle will shut off soon displayed. Transmission was replaced once already for this issue, a year later and I am experiencing the same thing. Very dangerous to lose all power while going 80mph in the third lane of a three row freeway and have to attempt to get all the way across lanes of traffic to safely stop while losing all power. Family vehicle loaded with kids. Has entered turtle mode 3x on the freeway after transmission was already replaced once. If I drive under 65mph it goes fine, but who wants to drive behind semis all the time on the freeway? Untrustworthy vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11719558 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

This car has lost power train at highway speeds several times almost casing accidents in major interstates intersections with no left shoulder. Chrysler has more than reasonably failed to repair this car transmission 9 times. This car has been in repair for 7 months in 2023 waiting for a new transmission. It has now spent more than 30 accumulative days just this year, and it is now at the dealership having its transmission replaced for the second time. I am submitting the second transmission replacement notice as evidence and first repair order as evidence. I have been able to avoid collision but have had to many close calls to the point that I feel unsafe driving this car and my wife won't drive this car anymore.

NHTSA complaint #11694648 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Dash message "Stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" included a red exclamation mark in the middle with a red triangle and a turtle in the bottom right. A yellow reduced speed type indicator in the top right and a check engine light all at the same time. Also a chime sounded. This occured in town moving around 35 mph. Dealer stated this exact VIN had already received a rebuilt trans around 50k miles from another dealer. Took dealer 2+ months to repair, and had to call many many times to encourage them to push to get it completed. Manufacturer seemed to delay sending parts because they can - no good reason provided. First Power Inverter Module (PIM) was replaced, but that did not resolve the issue. Then dealer rebuilt entire transmission. Dealer lead tech stated that a roller bearing near the bottom of the trans appeared to have start failing, which then causes a short and or some kind of damage with the electrical "phasers". Multiple conversations with lead technician and Chrysler cares indicate clearly that Chrysler is NOT investigating the issue deeply (they did not want any of the failed components, nor did they ask for details from dealer - are they even trying to resolve root cause.... this has been occurring since the earliest models). Chrysler should have a financial incentive to fix to remediate warranty repairs. Why can't chat GPT find literally anything on the web about the root cause, why is it nothing other than reports of the issue can be found??? Nobody has done a root cause analysis. Is Chrysler paying to minimize bad press??? If Chrysler replaced entire trans with rebuilt one at 50k and now it failed again at 80k - when can I expect it to fail a third time?

NHTSA complaint #11689385 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While driving several warning lights came on and the transmission shutdown. I coasted to the side of the road. The engine kept running but the van would not move. I shut the engine off and after a few minutes (5 to 10) I restarted the van and the warning lights were on on. I drove the van 2 or 3 miles and it happened again. Once again after a few minutes all the warning lights were off except the check engine light. I returned to my motel and called a local Chrysler Dealer. I then was able to drive to the dealer with no problem. When they diagnosed the problem they said it had several codes. The following is what the service department did. “Digit-verified cel stored codes p0973 in Tim and in pcm, abs bcm u0418 u0402, u422, alll are stored erased codes, no updates, removed air box to access ground and Tim connector, inspected harness from Tcm to transmission, removed and cleaned ground on trans, reassembled and test drove could not duplicate concern. After more test drives still unable to duplicate concern.” After this I was able to drive home 1500 miles without any problems. Not sure if the problem is fixed or not. I just wanted to report this just in case others are having the same problem and to build a case for a recall if needed.

NHTSA complaint #11688673 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Transmission intermittently stuck in 4th gear down shifting 64,000 miles. No code for mechanic to diagnose until 72,000 miles and stuck in 4th gear. Transmission control module and transmission required replacement.code P072f. 2017-2023 hybrid models recalled transmission as well and class action lawsuit.

NHTSA complaint #11688538 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Multiple vehicle shut downs while driving on the highway. A red turtle icon appears on the instrument panel letting me know vehicle will be shutting down, and I will have to pull over. This has happened to me over a dozen times, and I have had the transmission replaced twice now by the dealershp. This is a very unsafe situation because if you are on a road with no shoulder you will stop in the middle of the road and be at risk for a collision. This can happen anywhere, and happened multiple times when I was driving my family for a vacation hours from home. One time it happened I was with my disabled daughter and we were stuck by the side of the road miles from home. When that happened, I could not get the vehicle to restart. If it had not been for AAA I don't know what I would have done to get home. This has happened to me a dozen times since 2023. Chrysler has known about this problem for years! How are they still allowed to manufacture these vehicles with this known major defect?

NHTSA complaint #11687817 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While traveling at highway speeds, vehicle enters into "limp" mode with an in-dash warning "Stop Safely. Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" warning and a red turtle warning symbol above the drive indicator. The vehicle immediately stops sending power to the wheels and it must be safely pulled over to the side. This was brought into the dealership for service and the car was returned as "repaired." But this has not been fixed. After the initial occurrence, this has re-occurred multiple times, most recently on 06/19/2025 and 06/21/2025.

NHTSA complaint #11668738 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

"Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" Message and vehicle stopped in the middle of the highway.

NHTSA complaint #11666375 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While I was driving this vehicle on the highway, the vehicle shut off and the engine light came on

NHTSA complaint #11665459 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My wife was driving our 2022 Pacific PHEV Limited with 4 kids on board suddenly went into limp mode while driving northbound south of [XXX] on [XXX]. Turtle signal was on dash with just seconds to get off freeway on limp mode. Pacifica had to be towed to Woodhouse Chrysler in Sioux City where it remains to this day. Changed PCIM and remains in limp mode. Chrysler approved hybrid transmission repair under hybrid warranty but dealer found not repairable and needs new transmission. Now Chrysler refusing to have transmission replaced under warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11663795 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

In 2024, our vehicle displayed a critical warning stating: “Stop safely. Vehicle will shut off soon.” While driving on the highway, the vehicle began losing engine power—a terrifying and dangerous experience. We immediately took it to the dealership, where they diagnosed a transmission failure and proceeded to replace the transmission. Unfortunately, we are now experiencing the same issue again this year. The vehicle continues to lose power and shut off while in motion on the highway, creating an extremely hazardous situation that nearly resulted in a serious accident. This ongoing malfunction poses a significant risk to the safety of drivers and passengers. Chrysler must take immediate responsibility by recalling these vehicles and replacing them with safer alternatives to prevent further danger to human life.

NHTSA complaint #11658083 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My 2022 Pacifica Hybrid is experiencing a known transmission issue as identified in TSB 21-042-24 My VIN falls squarely within the build date window. The bulletin instructs dealers to replace the transmission—not rebuild it. I am refusing an inferior repair that contradicts the manufacturer’s own instructions. I am requesting immediate escalation, in writing, confirming that my vehicle will receive a factory-new transmission in accordance with the TSB

NHTSA complaint #11654736 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

MAY CAR HAS STARTED REPEATEDLY FLASHED CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS AND WARNING SIGNS THAT THE VEHICLE IS ABOUT TO SHUT OFF SOON AND TO STOP SAFELY WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE BECOMES UNRESPONSIVE AND I HAVE TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. AFTER TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE I AM ABLE TO RESTART AND CONTINUE DRIVING WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON FOR NEXT 2 TO 3 STARTS. THE DEALER HAS ALREADY ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THIS LAST YEAR BY REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL REMAINS AND HAS NOT BEEN FIXED. THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE AS THERE WAS NO ACTIVE CODES WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT INTO THE SHOP. SINCE THAT VISIT IN EARLY MARCH 2025, IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN. I BELIEVE THIS IS RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN 23V010 AND CHRYSLER RECALL 03A

NHTSA complaint #11650366 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Driving on the highway at 70 MPH. Car stated "Stop Safely. Vehicle Will Shut Off." Check engine light came on. Dash light of a turtle with an exclamation point displayed. Pulled over and turned car off. Was able to turn vehicle back on and get back on the road. However, issue would recur every 5-7 miles. Eventually stopped at a hotel for the night and left car at a dealership. Car is currently being looked at. No contact from the dealership yet.

NHTSA complaint #11648823 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.