2008 Chrysler Pacifica problems
NHTSA has received 155 complaints about the 2008 Chrysler Pacifica, and 19% of them involve engine. Next are electrical system (15%) and body & structure (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 155 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 85,000 miles 136 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 9 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 8 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 16 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 31 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 18 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 21 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 18 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 5 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 4 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 136 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 84,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 70,000 miles (27 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 13th most-complained-about out of 14 model years of the Chrysler Pacifica with enough data (65 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The vehicle's charging system includes a heavy gauge wire which runs from the alternator feed post to the starter wiring harness, which then charges the vehicle, as the starter wiring harness then runs directly to the battery. None of this wiring appears to have a circuit breaker or fuse inline. This particular wire which runs between the alternator and the starter is routed through several bundles of other wires, and makes a hard bend in one location where a bundle is secured to the frame.
While driving vehicle in public park, engine stalled and began to smoke with white smoke. Vehicle cut off and all electrical functions stopped. Upon examination looks as if the wiring bundle just in front of fan had melted together and stopped battery charging completely. Vehicle will not hold a charge.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chrysler pacifica. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle became engulfed in flames starting from under the hood. The contact stated that a technician from chrysler came to inspect the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the vehicle was not included in any recalls and did not provide any further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The cause of the fire was not determined. The approximate failure and current mileage was 77,000.
Gas gauge reads 1/2 full and slowly declines till it hits about 1/3 full then drops to empty. If you don't get gas you will run out in minutes. I took it in and they replaced the sending unit and on the way home it did the same thing. Chrysler needs to help us on this one. I'm stuck with a city car that I need to use on long distances.
I was driving and the car just turned of on me in the middle of the intersection. Luckily as soon as I realized that it had turned off I was able to clear the intersection and pull to the far right before the light turned green to oncoming traffic. I had the car towed home and the next day I had a personal mechanic come take a look at it and found out that I needed to replace my ignition system.