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Chrysler Pacifica: Problems & Solutions
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What are those steps and did you do the leg work are was it all done by your attorney? I will be taking my car in soon to be looked at. If they do not promptly repair the issue I will seek an arbitration hearing as well.
Thanks again
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
One smart Pacifica owner remarked "Get to know your gas attendant, you will be seeing a lot of him" and I thought at the time he was being funny !!!!! WRONG !!!!
Our Pacifica gets only slightly worse mileage than our Pilot (and we got excellent mileage in our Pilot compared to the hundreds of posts I saw complaining about mileage in the teens). And, given the Pac is 400 lbs. heavier than the Pilot, the mileage per pound is dead on even with the Pilot.
by the way, is your Pac AWD or FWD? Ours is AWD and we average around 19 mpg in mixed driving.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
This 2007 Toyota Highlander concept caught my eye recently. It's a beautiful design, at least in concept form.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/FVDP/Preview/styleId=100531781?synpartner=e- - dmunds&pageurl=www.edmunds.com/future/2007/toyota/highlander/100531781/preview.h- - tml
Actually, we were looking for an '05 Pilot to replace it, but the Honda dealers just wouldn't give us fair money for our old Pilot. The deep discounts on the Pac and the extremely high trade-in they gave us for the Pilot won us over.
As far as comparing the 2, like I said, the gas mileage is very similar. The Pac is quieter inside, has more features, is more luxurious, and more comfortable. The Pilot, however, had a much smoother and more powerful drivetrain (regardless of what the hp/torque numbers say, the Pilot could run circles around the Pac), not to mention more utility (seating for 8 and more usable cargo space with the seats folded). So both cars have their positive points. If the Pac drivetrain could be up to spec with the Honda, it would be no contest. If Chrysler would just use a Benz tranny in the Pac like they have in so many of their other vehicles, they'd have a true winner, IMHO.
We also leased the Pac ... sort of. Its one of those baloon note things. I'm 85% sure we'll be giving it back at the end of the 3 years, though. We really are enjoying it, but I just don't trust Chrysler transmissions past their warranty period, frankly. So I won't be taking a chance. Hopefully by that time they'll be using a better trans, and maybe we'll take another one to replace it.
I think, overall, the Pac is a better bargain than the Pilot (taking discounts into account). We were looking at, if I recall correctly, about $27k for a leftover Pilot EXL (no DVD or navigation). For $26,600 we got a leftover Pac with all the features of the Pilot PLUS driver memory settings, heated rear seats, power liftgate, power pedals, satellite radio, and DVD system (oh yeah, and more airbags). BUT, if a better drivetrain and higher resale are high on your list, you just can't argue with picking the Pilot, in spite of losing those features.
As far as that highlander, it looks like a neat design, but seems to me the third row would be either very cramped or nonexistent in such a sleek package. Besides, I've sworn off Toyotas for life, thanks to the pompous dealers I've dealt with in the past.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
If you want sedan mileage, get a sedan. If you want minivan mileage, get a minivan. If you want lousy mileage get a cross over SUV like the Pacifica.
We own a sedan (1999 Intrepid), a minivan (2006 Odyssey) and a 2005 Pacifica. The Odyssey weighs the same as the Pacifica, is much larger and more comfortable inside, had the same MSRP, has the same power engine and get about 28 mpg on the highway and 20 mpg in town.
Our Pacifica gets 15 mpg in town while a 95 Suburban we just sold got 13 mpg in town!
Visibility was always an issue for me in the Pacifica, and the Pilot suits me better. The Pacifica was just not the right car for me.
To those who said I should buy a sedan if I wanted the mileage.. That would be nice I have had and raced Volvos all my life till the G.Caravan came into my life but leg injuries do not permit enjoying a low seated car anymore and the Pac is as comfortable as an old pair of slippers ..and with a better lumbar support than my last Volvo and a lot more nimble than the G Caravan.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
All weights quoted were from the manufacturers web sites. The Pacifica Touring AWD was about 4500 lbs. I think that if you "hammer" it you will get significantly less than 15 mpg. That is nursing it!!!!!!! :mad:
Again, driving a pig of a suburban (1995, 6000 lbs +) with the throttle body fuel injection 350 (not multi point) without the vortec heads only got 2 mpg less in the city driving the same way, but in 2 wheel drive. That was also a ten year older design!!!!!!!!!
Thanks,
Marty6
I purchased the PIAA bulbs on eBay. As I recall, they were around $50 for a pair.
Last time it stalled a semi almost killed us! It stopped about a foot from the car with the trailer end sideways!
:lemon: :lemon: :lemon: now i need to make lemon aid!
:lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
After 2 recent trips to the dealer, the service manager reluctantly changed the battery last week. Two days after installation, the car would not start after I spent less than 15 minutes with a door open so I could install something on the roof rack. I have been told the battery is undersized by Chrysler and my brother, a Toyota mechanic.
Today, my wife talked to Chrysler customer service about getting a more powerful battery. We actually offered to pay the difference in cost. They told us it could void our warranty.
What steps should I take to get action? Any recommendations would be appreciated.
I just went to the mileage page for Pacificas. Quite a few 16's mpg in the city and one 11 mpg city.
The Suburban only needed 87 octane vs the 89 octane the Pacifica needs making the difference in driving costs (15 mpg at 89 octane vs. 13 mpg at 87 octane) even less.
Chrysler put too many inside lights into the car, namely 10 of them. When you open the door they draw just about the same amount of current from the battery as if you had left the main headlights ON.
I had one dead battery situation and immediately suspected those lights. I actually measured the current drain to be 8 Amps. Since I turned OFF the inside lights, not a single battery problem, despite the fact that my Pacifica sits for weeks at a time without being started up.
WHen you need those light, just open the door and click them on. It is an easy solution.
And, yes, Chrysler did mess up with those lights and the size of the battery.
short thread there, so i took a quick tally of what owners claim they are getting in city driving.
we've got the one report of 11 you cited, and one report of 23.5. These are both far out of the curve, so we can toss both numbers.
Then I've got the following left:
15.5; 16; 16.5 (3 reports); 16.8; 17; 17.8; 18 (2 reports); 18.5; and 18.9
So, like I said, your 15 number is NOT the norm. Average seems to be a hair over 17, which is right around my normal city driving number. I actually think I would get a bit below 17 if my wife wasn't in the car.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Ouch!
Different city driving I guess. Also, we run Mobil 1 synthetic and a K&N filter. I hope to take the Pacifica on an 800 mile round trip next week. I will post the mileage. I got 27.1 mpg in my Odyssey EX-L on this trip in Oct. and usually right at 28 mpg in my 1999 Intrepid ES, 3.2L. My 1995 Suburban would religiously get 15 mpg.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
It's dangerous because if you block the radiator your engine could overheat when in traffic jams.
It's useless because the engine will heat anyway, doesn't matter how cold outside. It has a thermostat who will partially cut the cooling liquid flow through the radiator path. You can look at the water temperature indicator, and see that it reaches its normal temperature anyway.
The fuel consumption is worse in cold weather mostly because of the transmission. The transmission oil gets very thick, so the frictions grow a lot. If you have AWD, it's a lot worse than the FWD, because the AWD has more liquids. Especially the AWD rear differential is not heated at all (far away from the engine, and subject to the frozen air flow). FWD cars don't have it.
We still love this car but it is frustrating to not be able to do routine matinence!
I don't think the "easy solution" is realistic on a $30k+ car :-)
We LOVE our car other than this. FOr a while we were dead in the garage at least 2x per month. Has anyone had ANY success with the dealer getting this resolved? Getting towed in again for them to diagnose...
THanks.
Loved the Pacifica overall, but traded it in for a Town and Country. Too many close calls with the Pacifica. Not worth endangering your family!
:lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
I have talked to other people who have said they just dont let their kids or anyone roll down the back windows. What kind of crap is this for a $30k vehicle?
Anyone who has actually talked to Chrysler or the service managers at a dealership, what kind of response do you get? With that kind of noise, and if Chrysler knows about it, why not just lock the windows so you can't roll them down at all. WHen someone has a busted ear drum or something and Chrysler gets sued, I bet they do something to fix it.
Here is my list:
1) Car stalled making left turn to an abrupt stop. Plus infrequent rpm idle stumble.
2) rear driver side door manual lock switch inoperable.
3) Twice so far, after leaving rear hatch open and attempting to close by remote. Remote becomes inoperable, car turns on but dash display will not turn on. After turning off and on again, car works normal again but check engine symbol stays lit for a bit then goes away.
I frequently check this forum for some news of a permanent fix to this stalling prob. but I don't think it really exist yet. If I find out something, I will surely post it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE
Thanks!