Chrysler Pacifica

frannie15

Your response came in on my birthday. I'm going to consider it an omen and not buy a Pacifica. It pains me to say so, because I love so many things about the car. But alas, the face lift and tummy tuck will have to wait, and we'll spend the extra $8K to get an MDX now. Maybe my next car can be a Pacifica, once Chrysler works out all the reliability issues.

pscdoc

privetotruski, happy to hear about your new pacifica purchase. Hope you enjoy your pacifica as much as I do enjoy mine

As for your question, all you have to do is press the the headphone button on the dvd remote and have your passengers turn on the headphones. Once that is done and they are able to hear the audio from the dvd, press the mode button or the fm/am radio button on the radio panel and your set.

Btw, you can also listen to not only the radio but you can also listen to cd's ifyou have one inserted into the sigle slot cd player. This is one of the best features of this vehicle and the one me and my wife enjoy the most. It gets very monotonous listening to Dora on the dvd hours on end, but my son seems to enjoy it :P.

pscdoc

With the U-connect you will not be able to get caller id function with either the factory or dealer installed versions. The radio volume will still auto mute when a call is recieved, but with the dealer installed version the call will not be heard thru the vehicles speaker system instead the call will go thru a seperate speaker that comes with dealer uconnect package.

Btw, with the factory installed version of the unconnect system, the microphone and function keys are on the rear view mirror. But with the dealer installed version you can have them install it virtually anywhere you like.

In regards to the Sirius radio option, I am looking into that right now.

As far as the back-up sensors go, there are plenty of after-market systems that will work just as good or perhaps better than the chrysler's option. However, having the factory installed model myself, I can tell you that it does look very clean. You can purchase the exact same part from DC(mopar parts) and do the installtion yourself or if you prefer get a dealer quote on the installation.

Good luck!

tst

I am getting interested in a 2004 or 5 Pacifica. My wife likes the appearance. We are comfortable in the machine and it seems to drive well. We recognize the rear visibility problems and the CU reports of reliability are average - but what do you owners say? I would appreciate any input, or special things to look for. Thanks - TST

pscdoc

Yes! I definately would purchase this car again over any other in its class. The spaciousness, driveability, and comfort levels are unsurpassed. I have a'05 limited AWD with about 2K miles with no suprises to date and do not expect any. There is one minor problem so far and this seems to be with all models of the pacifica. The side view mirrors do not seem to hold the memory for position 2. There has been no mechanical problems with the engine or transmission so far from reading numerous boards on the pacifica.

bigdaddy1

My wife just told me this about ours last night. When she gets home we're going to look at it. In the #1 position (mine) all is fine. I did notice that if you just "click" on the key nothing moves all the way to my setting. If you hold for a few seconds all is perfect. I don't know if this is how it is suppose to be, but it is fine once you know what to do. I'll let you know what we find out about the #2 mirror settings.

millpark26

It all depends on how long you keep a vehicle and the miles you put on it annually.

I traded my 2003 MDX in for my 2004 Pacifica and have had absolutely no regrets. I have 14K on my Pacifica and it has been amazingly trouble-free.

I thought the MDX was one of the most boring SUVs I have ever owned and the Bose sound system was a total joke.

At this rate, I will definately look at another Pacifica when the time comes.

pscdoc

Yes, the infinity 5.1 surround system is truely superb. I now even luv driving in my 1 hour commuting traffic.

rasldasl

I have not noticed any problem with the mirrors but I do notice that sometimes I have to press the unlock button twice (which unlocks all doors) to get the memory functions to react.

monark49

We have 35,000 on ours now and only 1 minor oil leak that was fixed in 1 day. Love it. Should be good for at least another 100 Gs. Go for it.

bigdaddy1

In the #2 position everything works as expected except the outside mirrors on ours. I just tried it myself. We did not try double clicking as everything else moves. We will try tomorrow to see what happens. I'm leaving for a 1,000 + mile trip on Mon. At 3,000 or so I'll have the oil changed and let them look at the memory then. With less then 1,000 miles on the pac we are very happy. We compared our car to many others. We drove the Accura, Ford, Nissan, Cadillac, Honda,Hundai, VW , Mercury, GMC, Saturn, Volvo, Mitsubishi and Saab. These were all either SUV's , wagons or vans. We drove the "crossovers" the dealers suggested would fill our needs. All had AWD or 4 wheel drive. Anyway to make a long story shorter, if you compare vehicles of equal $ amounts we felt the pac was superior by far at $31,000. for what we received. Just an opinion. If we were going to spend $40,000. and above, there were indeed some very nice cars I'd like to see in my garage.

laurheis

It's nice to know that so many other people have had such a wonderful experience with their Pacifica. Word of caution - not all of the vehicles are so trouble-free. The problems with our Pacifica are listed in message #1881. It now has been sitting in the Chrysler service department since Wednesday, 11/10. There is now another problem with the transmission, and the techs have no clue how to fix it. We have owned the car for 9 months. The car has about 14,000 miles on it, our 30th day (cumulative) of the car being in the shop is this next Monday. We will be contacting Chrysler to buy the car back from us under California's Lemon Law.

bigdaddy1

We're sorry to hear about all the trouble you've had. Hope everything works out for you with Chrysler and your states Lemon Law. Hope your new vehicle brings you lots of pleasurable driving.

rasldasl

http://www.canada.com/windsor/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=89fe- c47b-3356-472f-bad1-59c5860c215b

bradley5

My wife and I bought a 2005 AWD Pacifica Touring model, linen gold metalic, with light taupe leather interior, 26U package, DVD Video System,and Park Assist Sensors for 28,500 + Tax. This included the 1.9% Chrysler financing for 60 months and our trade in of a 1993 Saturn with a Kelly Blue Book trade in value of 1,300. I was very pleased with our deal.

pscdoc

It could possibly be due to the build date of your pacifica.

KCRam

The build date (month/year) is always on the certification sticker on the driver's door jamb. I haven't checked a recent Chrysler, but they had also been listing the month/day/hour of manufacture at the bottom of that same sticker.

kcram
Host - Wagons

bigdaddy1

Just got back from a 1,141 mile little trip. All ran really well as expected. The mpg on the highway only was 20.77. With some city mixed in fell to 18.60. The trip average was 19.72. I used 89 only. Better than I expected, but hope to see improvement. The inner plastic liner around the r.r. wheel appears to have been held in place with double face tape. This has slipped and the tape is now showing as you look at the side of the car. Will address at dealers at 3,000.

rodut

Bigdaddy, do you have AWD or FWD ?

I was hoping you would get at least 23 MPG on highway. How fast you drove on the highway ? Speed matters a lot though.

Cheers

bigdaddy1

We have the AWD and 19" wheels. After catching myself traveling down the I system at 80-85 for the 4th time I finally went to the cruise control. Had it set at appx. 73 mph. This WI. stretch of road is where my son and I both got our last speeding tickets, some 4 years apart. The pac cruises as nice as my last two crown vics or two caprices before that. I like being up more now than I used to. I was out in our first snow storm here last night to see how she would run. Very pleased. Although not out long, could not get the tires to break loose in snow/slush. No ice to try on. I think winter should be fun. Happy Thanksgiving to all! I have a 23 lb. bird coming out of the oven at 5:00.

imidazol97

system along with clock and radio memories take a small amount of current. I've understood that cars need to be run about couple of weeks to replace that current drained.

rodut

Truth is ... I chose the ugliest and probably the dumbest dealership in town (because they have the lowest prices).

I still think I should order a new base one. That december 2003 one probably still had those bugs unsolved (bad wheel bearings, A/C display fading etc).

bigdaddy1

The battery being dead shouldn't have come as any surprise to the dealer. The solenoid clicking sound only means the battery is just about dead. The next step would have been nothing at all. I've been reading these boards for 6-8 months now, well before I bought ours. Ours was mfg. in Aug. of '04. I think you would be doing yourself a great favor by buying exactly want you want in the newest vehicle possible. They are now making 10,000 of these a mo. in Canada and they have to just keep improving.

rodut

It's funny that I followed your advice before reading it ! After reading these boards for at least one year, this afternoon I ordered a new Pacifica. I understand it will take about 6 weeks to build it. So I'll have exactly what I want. I chose FWD Touring 26S, Red, Curtain airbags, Rear park-assist, Full size spare, Rust protection (In Ottawa it's good to have it).

Even if Ottawa is snowy, still I chose FWD because I HATE when mechanics touch my car, so I maintain it (and fix it sometimes) by myself. I cannot fix the AWD by myself, so I figured that the most reliable AWD system is the one you don't have at all. If it's not there, it can't break, right ?

The kids are really happy. Us too.

By the way, at lunch I bought the latest Consumer Reports and found out that Pacifica's reliability score was raised to "Recommended". Then I went to the dealership and ordered it.

bigdaddy1

Congratulations! I think you'll really enjoy your new purhase.

rodut

Is it true that for the FWD 26S the traction control can be switched OFF ??

That would be great because I like to silently skid in the snow and that traction control clonk-clonk-clonk wouldn't be fun.

Also, when starting the Pac the traction control will default to ON, or not ?

About the timing, is it true that the cheap Highline version has timing chain (3.8 engine), and the expensive Touring and Limited have timing belt (3.5 engine) ?

plazpad1

recently I've been researching the pacifica's and the dealorships are really offering some good deals... the other day I went the the dealorship and looked at a 05 AWD touring
it has leather,6cd, heated mirrors, power lift gate, power seats ect. I have some questions first I thought that if you got leather it was packaged together with heated seats and the electrocromatic rearview mirror and memory seats? is this a model thats just had leather seats installed (like after market or something). or can you actually get leather seats with out heated seats... I live in ohio and I'd kinda like to have them (for the winters at least) second question... can the dealorship put in heated seats? I was quoted an extreamly good price in my opinion on a two year lease 0 down 15K a year. they have another model there that looks exactly the same, all the same features but its got the heated seat package along with it. I test drove it and liked everything about it... if anyone woudln't mind could you try and help explain some of these things to me before I go off and purchase it? thankx

va_guy

I purchased a '05 AWD Touring model last month with leather seats that are not heated, and the standard manual-adjusted rear-view mirror. My understanding is that that leather is standard on the Touring model, but the heated seats is an option which can be included depending on the package that you choose (i.e. Quick Order Pkg 26U includes heated seats in first and 2nd row). I would imagine the dealer could install heated seats in a car that doesn't have it, but I'd hate to see what they would charge for that...I would think it would be MUCH cheaper to find a car that already has the heated seats installed at the factory if that is what you want/need. Just my 2 cents!

gianetc

Here is my personal long term test report: I've owned a AWD Pacifica since 10/31/03 and it has 9,800 miles on it. After reading Edmunds long term road test, I was horrified. I'm I driving such a nightmare vehicle? Well, I'm happy to announce I've had no problems with it except for the rear hatch handle; it had to be replaced because the seal was showing a little so the dealer in Butler, NJ replaced it in a few hours (I got a loaner car so I could go to work). I also get free oil changes and when I get work done at the dealer, and ispecify what I want done; the only other thing was a tire rotation.

Everything else has worked great: auto climate control, transfer case, audio speakers, acceleraton is fine too in spite of what is written about it. High speed cornering is excellent thanks to the E300 chassis. Handles extremely well in heavy snow; very stable upon acceleration and up hills. Options include 6-cd/dvd, leather auto lamp, auto dimming rear view mirror memory seats.

aheck

Hi group,

We recently rented a Pacifica while on vacation and really enjoyed it. I really liked the captains chairs for the second row and the amount of legroom back there. I felt like I had SO much space while sitting back there, especially compared to my 2004 4Runner.

I'm wondering if anyone else who's recently done some comparison shopping could recommended a few other cars/SUVs in this class that we should consider? The 3rd row seat is a great option. This would be a family car (Mom, Dad and 2 kids). I feel we may be a candidate for a minivan, but I wanted to check with you guys first before I finally admit that to muself.

Thanks in advance!
Aaron

b25nut

For a family of four, the Pacifca is a perfect choice. Any other vehicle would be a step down unless you want to spend $8,000+ more (and the best that the more expensive ones can say is that they are as good as a Pacifica, maybe). I've had my Pacifica since April 2003 and have 29,000 trouble-free miles on it. Chrysler mini-vans, the Honda Pilot and the Dodge Magnum would be other "family" vehicles.

bjbird2

I've also had 14k trouble free miles on my 2004 Pacifica. The only thing it's been returned to the dealer for is the free oil changes.
The only drawback I've found is rear visibility.

bigdaddy1

We did quite a bit of shopping around and test driving before ordering our '05 pac awd. On our short list were the nissan, volvo, volkswagen and hyundai (spelling?). All had awd or 4wd and room for our needs. All were more expensive and the dealers would not deal enough.. In round numbers, comparably equipped, they were $4k, $8k, $5k and $3k more than our touring. We kind of liked the murano, but the dealer told me he couldn't match what I was quoted for the pac. The volvo xc90 was very nice, but again couldn't reach a deal. We only have 2,000 mi. on ours, but all seems very tight and well assembled. If you need a little more speed try the "slap stick" feature, it works. We are very pleased.

rsharp

Honda Pilot is the choice I made, much more room, more seating, way fewer quality issues, higher resale value. Another new choice is the Ford Freestyle which is very similar to the Pac. i.e. it is a station wagon style crossover with optional AWD. The ford has more room with the 3rd row seats in use than the Pac and Ford's 3rd row does some cool reversible position tricks. The Ford is not as "nice" in the amenities category as the Pac. It does drive nicely but not as nice as the Pac rides.

traron

Quality Issues???? Own a PAC with 12K miles, no issues. Have you checked the Pilot board out? Just as many "issues" (like so many other boards) and you are never going to satisfy everyone. The PAC is a great vehicle and turns heads everywhere.

bjbird2

My 2004 Pac has 14000 trouble-free miles. As I said before, I've only been back to the dealer for the free oil changes.

The Pilot has never turned my head. I have a hard time differentiating it from all the other SUV's, inside and out.

rsharp

Yes quality issues. I read both the Pilot discussions and the PAC discussions. It is not even close on quality guys, sorry it just isn't. Read the PAC boards, read about any number of quality issues that continue with the PAC: body molding issues, fender issues, pillar issues, display issues. Then the really important stuff like the stalls out when turning tightly and several other issues with the drive-ablilty of the PAC. I have seen more than a few disgruntled PAC owners counting the days until their state's Lemon law kicks in on their PAC.

 

I wanted to buy a PAC, really. I almost did until the 5* dealer lied to me about price and withdrew what he quoted me. I rented a PAC for a week on vacation and I really liked driving it. Except that with 6 people on board there is room for almost nothing else.

 

As for the Honda Pilot. Honda claims to have fixed the transmission. We shall see. Other than that almost nothing is being reported. Some have a rattle in the dash, there were a few rear spoilers that didn't fit right. I have seen no one saying that they were approaching lemon law status with a Pilot.

 

Resale value cannot be argued. One guy a few months ago had a loaded $40+K PAC that was less that 6 months old and he was being offered $19K for it!! The Pilot's resale is very high, in fact when I purchased mine I couldn't find a used Pilot that was priced low enough to make not buying new seem like a wise choice. Literally there was less than $3,000 difference between a 2 year old Pilot and a new one.

 

I still like the PAC's style and ride but quality wise it does have some issues. That and the fact that in '04 they were WAY over priced and loaded with expensive extras.

 

The poster asked for alternatives to the PAC and I gave that poster 2 suggestions and my opinion.

rsharp

These are actual quotes from the PAC forums on Edmunds:

 

 have 8K on my Pac. It's at the dealer for the second time and I'm home without it. First time the shift knob locked up in park. It had to be towed to the dealer. Next day they got replacement part and I was back on the road. Now, I've had a flat tire and the tire pressure sensor & warning system keeps telling me that I have a tire problem. The system won't reset after the tire repair. Dealer tried to reprogram system. It didn't work. Now it's in shop while he orders a part.

What other thing will go wrong with this $40K car.

Our 2001 Honda Odyssey has over 40K miles and has yet to go back for any problem.

 

Well there are no doubts in my mind. After 11 months and 37,000 miles I'd be very happy to dump my Pac on someone else willing to nurse it through the rest of it's (probably short) life. I've had engine repairs, reprogramming (twice) to fix the left turn stall problem, fuel guage problems (which couldn't be fixed for months), cruise control shut downs, stalls at idle, power hatch door failure, seat heater connection problems plus many 'minor' annoyances, such as carpet pad snaps breaking, dash rattles, suspension thumps, a useless cargo net and a pathetic FM radio. I am probably forgetting several others. My last car, a 1999 300M never visited the Chrysler dealer for any warranty work so I had great hope for this Poc. I don't know what my next one is going to be but now that I am off warranty I am ready to start shopping.

 

I have had to have my air compressor replaced x3, my power seats have been out x5, my dash module has had to be replaced, it makes a popping noise on sharp right turns, when I accelerate it makes a rattling pinging noise,my tire gauges have had to be reset x2,something from the wheel well flew off and had to be replaced, a dampener had to be place on the a/c unit to help with the audible annoying hum. It has been in for service a total of 29 days in the 9 months I've owned it. I have contacted Chrysler as far as a buy back to no avail. I am told they hear some of the things but can not duplicate them or other times they say they just don't hear it. I know nothing about cars so any help would be appreciated. Where can I find out about the service bulletins and what can I do once I know about them? Do I just tell my dealer...Hey I think this problem may be fixed by ....? Shouldn't the dealer already know and do this stuff? I am going crazy trying to deal with the annoyances.

 

  

The Pac has been in the shop over 8 times. It has 2 recalls they have sent me and 3 svc tech bullitins I had to bring up to them to fix. and the front suspension still rattles ... The stereo still static on a few CDs (99% better but still not 100% fixed) even after the radio swap. I have had 6 loaner cars or trucks the longest was for 4 days ... this all since I customer ordered and picked up the vehicle 05/03.

  

AllTorks (they didnt just change out your lower control arm bushing) = They replaced your WHOLE Lower control Arm. at least that what you dealers technician told my dealer when they tried the same fix. (didnt help unfortunately)... not looking forward to HVAC season as mileage drops and performance drops with the HVAC running. If I had to do it over again, I am 100% sure I would not buy another PAC.

 

OK That little search through the Edmunds posts took all of five minutes. So either you don't read these forums or you just don't want to believe these messages are real problems.

bigdaddy1

Some people really had their share of problems with the earlier models. That speaks poorly for Chrysler. The early models were badly overpriced and that speaks poorly for Chrysler. The horror stories about lack of response (concern?) from their dealers speak poorly for Chrysler. You'll get no arguement from me, and I feel sorry for these buyers and hope Chrysler makes it right, as they should. Now, my pac was mfg. in Aug. of this year. It is everything we had hoped it would be. In the last 30 years we have owned 15-17 new cars. This pac is as good as any and better than most. Although it only has 3,500 mi. on it, you can tell a lot about a vehicle in it's early days. We are very pleased. For the amount of money we actually paid, $31,060. we were hard pressed to find anything that compared. They are now mfg. 10,000 units/mo. in Canada. They will only continue to improve. Our thoughts.

KCRam

One thing to remember about any forum like this... you generally won't find thousands of people posting "Hey, everything's great!" Usually, people come to the forums to find a fix or ask if anyone is experiencing a problem. That tends to give a negative overtone, but compare the sales volume to how many people are posting, and the majority of people who own any given vehicle tend to be satisfied.

 

kcram

Host - Wagons

turbanski

I took delivery of a new 05 PAC AWD with U pkg. on Monday 12/20. Got a great deal on a 39 month lease. This is a very tight and well made vehicle. My only concern is the avg MPG. EVIC says 14 MPG with just 200 miles on odometer so far. Can I expect some improvement? What should it be after the break in period?

 

Thank you

rodut

Kcram, I agree.

 

Is it possible to let us know how many members are actually reading the Pacifica posts ?

 

That would be really useful, because there are not at all a lot of unhappy owners here. Yes, sure, we saw a couple. On other sites there are storms of complaints, but I suspect that a lot more people read and post there.

 

The activity on all the Pacifica posts is very low, so perhaps just a few of us are involved ?? That's completely useless statistics.

bigdaddy1

See #1910. We now have 3,600 mi. and I believe it has improved further. I will check it again on our next trip. I do notice that while only driving around town she seems to drink gas pretty good!! Mine was purchased for mostly highway driving. I would guess 22-23 now.

turbanski

Thank you! That's good news. My previous car was a "02" 300M and the MPG ranged between 22 and 23. Incidently, that car was flawless. Only returned to the dealer for routine maintenance. I got the PAC because I liked it better than the new RWD 300.

bjbird2

You would get better mileage, and arguably have fewer problems, if you bought a FWD Pac instead of AWD.

traron

All due respect, I believe you are still enamored with the PAC. Obviously you are spending time on this board. I have only visited the Pilot board once, before buying my PAC. It is a loaded '04 and now has 12K miles and no major issues and paid no where near $40K in April of 2004. I am a happy owner and would buy another. No other comments on this topic from me. Happy Holidays!

bigdaddy1

We haven't had any problems with the awd so far. We've also had 20+" of snow in the last week. Only this a.m. my boss commented on how the pac handled and came right up our driveway. We wouldn't have considered anything less than awd.

turbanski

I would agree with you. However the published difference in milage dosen't seem significant. In respect to potential problems, I am willing to take a chance on the AWD since I probably won't be driving it beyond the 36 month warranty period. In addition, my dealer had only one FWD and nine AWD in stock. The sales manager is a friend and I trust him. I got a great deal with the provision that I took an AWD with the 26U package. Another reason is the fact that I live in western New York State (snow country)and theAWD will get a lot of use.

KCRam

I don't know if we can get stats by readers as opposed to posters, but I'll ask Tech just to be sure.

 

kcram

Host - Wagons

grnarn

I just picked up an 05 Touring FWD I dont think they come standard with traction control but if they dont then i dont have it b/c its not on my extra feature list on the window sticker. But does the car do wellwithout the traction control ?? If it is a big diff can u go 2 the dealer and get it installed for $175 ?? Probably not but thx 4 any ansesr