Well my stalling problems started after a whopping 140 miles!!! I am just so excited that I drove it off the lot last night and coming back from lunch today the car just shut down. No error light... just all power steering and brakes are gone. Wonderful...
Anyone heard of any solutions/fixes? I am about to call the service dept...
Interesting question you pose.....My 04 FWD Pacifica (25,000 mi) has not fallen prey to almost all of the issues raised in this "Problem" Pacifica forum, so the news is not all bad. In addition, Car and Driver magazine's long term Pacifica is nearing the end of it's tour of duty, passing with flying colors........so I would NOT use this forum as the sole basis of a Pacifica purchase, or ANY other car for that matter , good or bad..........
If you do go the Pacifica route ( I like mine a lot), I would advise dropping the AWD idea, as you eliminate about 200 lbs of weight, who knows how many moving parts in the rear end, and these parts all need maintainence down the road. The Pacifica is plenty stable in FWD, and mine has the low speed traction control that stays on automatically, but can be defeated if you wish..........
I just want you to know that I do not know my 5 star dealer that well after 25,000 miles and 18 months. I take good care of my car, it is garaged day and night, I drive conservatively, and this is a solid car that has the potential to go 100,000 miles.........that's when I will trade mine in, so resale value is not an issue with me.
That's the way to drive the car you want, instead of being stuck in "forum land, " afraid to back your car out of the driveway each morning..... Geez, after reading some of these posts, I don't know how some of these people even get out of bed each day.............
I completely agree with steelydan0613's opinion about AWD. It's a complicated system (so less reliable), and it must be maintained. Also the AWD gas consumption is a lot worse than the official guide would say, especially in cold weather. Those official numbers are lab measurements, probably at room temperature, not real driving at -20 degrees ! The rear differential of any AWD or RWD car is fully exposed to the frozen air flow, without receiving any heat from the engine. The oil is very thick when cold. The FWD vehicles have anything packed under the hood, so the engine heat will keep warm both the gear box and the differential. That's why most fuel efficient cars are FWD. Actually the FWD differential in INSIDE the gear box, so heated all the time.
The stupidity peak (gas consumption wise) are the old style real 4WD transmissions, who have 3 (three) differentials exposed. Like 4-Runner. At least those are very robust, meant for real offroading. Pacifica's AWD, and other crossovers AWD systems, are toy systems, not meant for real offroading. They are just to impress the neighbors, and make the car more expensive to buy, run, and maintain.
AWD is looking for trouble. It's funny you have to pay for it ! The FWD will easily pull you from 5 inches of snow. For Alaska buy a 4-Runner.
You can say all you want about AWD -- but after driving my AWD vehicles in the cold and snow for seven years now, I will NEVER go back to a FWD.
As to your dig about "to impress the neighbors," you're absolutely right -- especially after I had to go help a few out in the last snow storm with my AWD. Boy, were they impressed!
I might also add that I have NEVER had any maintenance issue with any of my AWDs.
If in 7 years you had multiple vehicles, it means they were pretty new cars. That's why you had no problems. Good for you. Me I enjoy keeping my cars forever (the 3rd car on my driveway has 170,000 miles) and probably my opinion reflects my previous experiences. FWD lasted forever. RWD gave me a lot of trouble. AWD should be worse than them both, because it contains the most parts. That's simple probability theory: more parts = less reliable. You can't beat the math.
There is no wonder your neighbors were impressed. Me too I am impressed when I get help for free ! And I would tell you that your car is the best in the world ! For instance my neighbor removed the snow from my driveway a couple of times. Nice guy. I have no damn idea what snowblower he has, but everytime I loudly comment how great his snowblower is !!!
Ingeniousguy, we looked at the Pac towards the end of '03. I didn't like it much. We wound up buying a Toyota Highlander Limited '04 (in Jan. '04). Fully loaded, w/ a few extras like a sunroof wind deflector, lighted running boards (so that our little guy could climb in all by himself), etc. OTD price was $32K. We run it around town as well as on longer trips. No problems whatsoever. Not even funny sounds, creaks, groans, moans, etc.
I had also briefly checked this forum before making the decision on the HL. Boy, am I glad I did. The HL gets about 18-20 mpg around town and upto 26 mpg on the hwy (running between 70-75 mph).
Now that the hybrid HL's available and the new Energy Bill has passed, you may be better off buying a hybrid HL in '06 or '07 and get a nice tax credit (yes, credit, not a deduction) to boot.
The Highlander will probably be reliable, but boring. Unfortunately, it's about as exiting to look at and drive as a new toaster, but to each their own. If I'm spending $$$ on a new vehicle, I want something that will put a smile on my face every time I see it or drive it, and the Highlander, or any new Toyota, except for the new Avalon, does not do that for me.
and I am really hoping this will fix my stalling problem.
The service mgr. at my dealer said he drove around with the diagnostic box hooked up to the car and he continuously drove at very slow speeds (less than 10-15 mph) and practiced pulling in and out of parking spaces to try to replicate the problem (I was getting ready to park both times it stalled in the past). He said that while the car didn't actually stall for him, the idle DID drop below the targeted level for that speed and it was likely the cause of my problem.
Keeping my fingers crossed! Otherwise, I love my new PAC. Good luck with yours. :confuse:
The next time it snows in Houston, Tx.(it's 97 F in the shade right now), I will remember your advice about AWD ...............
We all agree that the Pacifica has a little bit of a weight problem, and if you live on the Gulf Coast like I do, I can't think of a better way to lose 200lbs and gain 1K $ in the process by losing the AWD thing...........
CONFUCIOUS SAY: YOU DON'T MISS WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE AND NEVER USE.......!
I advised my friend buying a Pacifica for his family the November after they came out that he would be better off with FWD rather than AWD for Cincinnati area. He and his family live at the bottom of a sloping street but when it's bad enough he can't make it up with FWD, he's probably not going out. Even salt trucks have trouble getting down the hill safely.
The heavy snows are infrequent enough to make that good advice for HIM--not for everybody. If he lived in Toledo I might have given different advice. He's had a couple of minor fixes for his Pacifica and loves it for their two kids. Fixes have been the same as I'd expect from any reasonably new, complicated car these days with all the features. He did have a snow skid into a curb in a bank lot with the tires. He may put more aggressive tread tires on when he replaces these Michelins.
Our identical stalling on start up problem was also finally fixed when an outside "expert" was called in to the service dept. and decided to replace the IAC motor, and a solenoid. I had recommeneded this to the service manager after reading your posting. Thanks for your posting.
Thanks to all of you you have responded to this issue with the stalling--my dealership has had my car for 5 days and still does not know what is causing the stalling issue. I'll pass along the info you have all posted and hopefully that will help. I have had 12 MAJOR problems and subsequent fixes/replacements with my '04 AWD pac in the past year and a half--I am extremely frustrated with this vehicle. I love the way it drives and looks, but it is soooo unreliable I just don't know what to do. Chrysler's only saving grace in my book is that I have an AWESOME service department who has basically been rebuilding the car with new parts (under warranty) for the past year and a half. Everytime I think there is not too much more to replace, something else pops up on the forum and then with my own pac! I appreciate this forum and all of your input--it has been absolutely invaluable to me in trying to keep my pac running! Thank you. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again soon. I believe I have a :lemon: and I'm just :sick: about it.
I went to test drive a Black Limited AWD with just about eveything Chrylser offers in it. I actually would prefer to buy without the DVD and navigation, but the only Limiteds left in the D.C. area are fully loaded. I haven't come across a Touring with the Options I want, so i think I'm going to buy either the black or magnesium Limited.
Quick question, this may sound crazy, but does the Pacifica feel 'windy' when driving? By that I mean, does it feel like air is someone entering the cabin eventhough everything is closed tightly? It's a small thing, just something I noticed on the test drive.
I have 39k miles on our 2004. It is a quiet ride and does not sound like a tornado is going through the car. I have also had a Grand Cherokee and a Suburban, this vehicle is much more stable and a comfortable ride. We have all the options except the nav and the screen and have loved every mile of the vehicle. We have had small problems but nothing that I would prevent me from buying another one. Even the wife likes it.
I have and 05 limited loaded and in the magnesium which I think is a distinctive and beautiful color. My wife actually saw if first and with the suade interior and light wood it really is a beautiful car.
My 04 AWD pac had a slight windy feeling untill doors and windshield were resealed due to a problem with water leaking in and pooling on passengers side floor. No windy feeling since then--coincidence? I don't know. I have to say my pac is the quietest riding vehicle I've ever driven. Love the car, but not all the problems.
The water enters from the roof, not the lift gate. My dealer can not fix it and they sublet it to the local guy called "Water Doctor". He reinforced the seal on the roof along the roof rack line. It was the MFG mistake that it was never properly sealed. He also found a pool of water in the front between the engine and the fire wall. Again, it's MFG mistake. The drain hole was plug with a screw. It's supposed to be just a hole and someone install a screw in it!!!.
FYI My Pacifica is 04 AWD with a MFG date 03/04 and MDH 031212.
I have a 2004 Pacifica, which has a paint blister, about a sq. inch in area just above the chrome grill on the hood. Evidently the grill must be puncturing the paint, and moisture must have gotten under the paint. Is this covered by the warranty? It's definitely a defect.
Mine has been quiet, they have weatherstripping on top of weatherstripping around all doors, it's quieter than my wife's (older) Lexus ES300. It seems tight enough to where you have to give the door a little "push" to close, a quickly learned effort.
Speaking of the ES300, my wife's car has no window frames for that "sexier" look, but as the car has aged, that's exactly where the wind noise comes in, oh and the sunroof weatherstripping too.
bjbird, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. My top priorities when buying a vehicle are reliability and safety, especially considering my kids. Looks have never been the top priority. To me, a vehicle is an investment, and not merely from a financial standpoint. So, the value aspect (not merely financial), to me, is absolutely critical.
Re driving a HL, perhaps you ought to try driving a HL before knocking it.
Re putting a smile on my face, every time I look at the HL sitting in the garage (or drive it, for that matter), it puts a big smile on my face, because it has exceeded all my expectations to date, esp. when it comes to reliability. It has hauled my family on several trips, w/o any issues whatsoever.
When I read about these problems w/ the PACs, esp. the sudden stalling issue, NOTHING in the world will induce me to buy a new vehicle that is known to stall w/o much warning, when my wife could be in traffic w/ our kids on board.
We owned a minivan (a Chrysler product) before the HL. That was NOT the best ownership experience. Reading all these problems tells me that Chrysler still has a looong way to go in terms of quality control.
From all that I've heard (from PAC owners) and read, the PAC doesn't deliver too well on it's fuel consumption promise.
Re looks, check out the 2007 HL on Edmunds. If the final product (which will be available in both gas and hybrid versions), looks anything like the current picture, it will definitely be one of the hottest vehicles on the market.
I bought my Pacifica new in January of 04, It is a FWD and I now have 26,000 miles on it ........It has never stalled once, I read these posts and I wonder how my Pacifica is different than yours..........One of those mysteries of life, I guess.
Oh, and I agree with bjbird.......the Highlander is boring , I test drove one and I liked the way it drove, but it is definitely bland outside and more than a little bit claustrophobic........I was definitely sitting close to the loser Toyota salesman on the test drive............
Mine is in the shop now for that exact same problem, (and many others). It's an 04 AWD. They told me it was a leak near the front wipers and it has been sealed and tested. :confuse:
The carpet is wet and musty on the passenger side and I'm going to demand it be replaced. We'll see how far I get with them. I bought used from a different dealer so I don't have much leverage. My warranty expires in May 05 so I'm going to be checking closely to make sure the leak is fixed.
FYI~ The other problems are: broken liftgate switch, blown A/C panel switch, and an emission sensor causing the check engine light to signal. All these things were wrong when I bought used 1 month ago at 18,000 miles. :lemon:
Over 35 k on a 2005, and the same here, no problems, lots of time in car and it has been very good. i wish the mpg was higher but if you stay below 2500 rpm on the highway it does do well.
We just bought a 2005 pacifica--touring. It has 2,700 miles on it. Last night it stalled when I was pulling into a parking space at Walgreens. I almost ran into a car parked next to the spot I was pulling into. I had NO brakes or steering. They don't know what is wrong as of today (sat). Did you ever find out what the prob was with yours? The guy in the service dept. response was he hadn't had a PAC in there for this. First time for everything! Angie
Our 2005 Pacifica is the touring fwd. I have liked it so far--aside from the stalling. I do have to say that my confidence in this vehicle is shrinking! For the people that haven't had problems, great! For those of us that have--at least with the new 05's---it is ridiculous for anyone to be so pro any one brand or make of a car to not realize that there may be issues that don't run across the board. It is irritating. Before this car we owned Lexus, Mercedes, VW& Honda. By far the best car owning experience was Lexus. Great car(gs 300) and AWESOME service!! Chrysler...we'll see. Car was towed this morning. They will have to figure out the problem. May be Idle Air Control. Sad Pacifica with 2700 miles!
KERRI: Did you figure out the problem? I have an '05 PAC FWD TOURING and it stalled on me the other night while pulling into a parking space. As of now--there have been no codes tripped and unless they find something I have to pick it up. We have 3 kids and I am scared to death to take this vehicle back unfixed. You can email me- angie@laideebags.com I would really appreciate hearing back from anyone that has dealt with this. Also, what routes to take if dealership finds nothing wrong. Angie
Well I went ahead and purchased an 05 Limited AWD in Magnesium. I'm extremely pleased so far. Didn't really want to pay for all of the extras, but you only live once right? Any advice on keeping the suede seats clean?
I have a 2004 AWD Pacifica with about 25K mi. From early July 05 I have been having starting issues. Ist time at dealership they could not duplicate issue and found a loosened negative battery cable; tightened and sent back. 2nd time they could not duplicate issue and had it sit overnight. They duplicated the problem but could not find codes. 3rd time towed in by AAA. AAA guy mentioned to me that he thought it was a solenoid throttle problem. I mentioned to Service Manager and he ignored what I told him.Had the car for 5 days and could not figure out problem said they were going to contact Chrysler to see what they thought. Put a recorder on car to record the car's systems over the weekend. Returned car for the 3rd time and they determined that they needed to replace Powertrain control module. This did not fix the problem. Returned for the 4th time with copies of postings from this site. They read them and indicated that this time they were going to contact Chrysler's Starline Corp. to determine if other cars nationally were having this issue and how to respond. They decided to replace solonoid-linear IAC; sensor/module, throttle position and the AIS motor. Apparently, this fixed the problem because car has been starting fine since Aug. 27th. I believe: a) problem should have been fixed 2 visits ago by contacting the Starline Corp. earlier when they said they would and did not. b) the AAA guy proved to be correct. c) this website was extremely helpful to me. Thanks to all of you who posted your experiences.
First I like to introduce myself-- We are parents of two wonderful boys a 2 year old and a 2 month old, We just got the pacifica a week ago, we are new to the forum, and love reading the posts----Any reply welcomed--- here are the problems: :mad:
1- (black pearl) The hood of the car has white color over spray, someone got careless at the shop and didnt cover the car properly while working on some other vehicle, dh found this problem while hand washing the car for the first time.
2-Rear speaker behind passenger side--- doesnt sound right like its blown
3- left vent driver side----or at least we think its the vent--- it started making a flapping sound when we turned the heat up high to 89 degrees and turned the fan up all the way high, now it does the same noise every time the fan is on mid to high.
4- There is paint chip all over the car, the car is black and the chips are white!
5- When dh open the hood the oil stick up sticking out! all i know is i dont think that was suppost to be like that.
*** Now dh is been calling the dealer with NO luck! it goes directly to the answer machine an no one is returning our phone call.
The car is beautiful! its limited, loaded black pearl... however a new car isnt suppost to have all the problems right off the bat! I almost feel ishould of kept my 2004 Dodge durango (hemi) had less options but had nooooooo problems at all.
:confuse: I just went outside and started the pac to check on some of the problems and come to find the vent isnt making any flapping noise anymore-- could this have been because the car is cool? The car was running for a long time when begin to make the noise...
lrm, Did you ever have any luck? I need to purchase just a remote, I have the rest. I'd like to know if the remote is something special or can any universal do the trick? Joe R.
For #2, I just purchased a used Pacifica, 29K miles, about a month ago and from the moment I started driving it, could hear static when I played certain CD's. Took it to the dealership 3 times and they finally replaced the smaller speakers on the door, the tweeters. Still happens ocassionally, but not as bad.
For #3, Yes, my steering is off, really off. Instead of pulling to the left, mine pulls to the right. Have taken it in on SEVERAL occasions and the dealer states that it is not misaligned. Just left today and the same thing happend.....when I pulled my hand from the sterring wheel, it immediately pulls to the right. And yes, I notice that the sterring wheel is a bit off center.
For #4, this has happened to me and I have the AWD model, so when I took it in, they stated that it was the Power Transfer Unit for the AWD and that it is common. Take it in and it will be covered under your warranty.
Dh took the car in today --- they want to buff the hood to remove the over spray---the car is black ---DOES ANYONE KNOW IF IT WILL LEAVE SWIRL MARKS??? While the car was in Dh took a walk around the parking lot and noticed the other black car still for sale has the same problem
The flapping sound on the vent stoped for a couple of days--then this morning DH took the car through a touchless car wash before bringing it to the dealer so they could see the over spray and the flapping begin again so we starting to see a pattern --- The first time the flapping started was raining out--- by the time he got to the dealer the flaping had stoped hummmmmmm could it be something to do with a wet car??? Needeless to say they could fix it as there was no noise there.
SAME thing with the speaker there was no noise there today :mad:
Can someone tell me how one controls the rear heating?? i have been looking in the manual with no luck-- We have the Limited Pacifica loaded. All i see in the back is a nob with a vent high /low adjuster and seat heating button but nothing that controls the temperature up or down-- Am i missing something? thanks
There is a button on the main HVAC unit to turn rear fan off or put it in manual or auto mode. When in manual mode it is controlled by the knob, when in auto it is controlled by the main unit (auto or manual mode). I don't think there is a separate temperature control, I guess it gets whatever you set in one of the zones up front, or somewhere in between.
I bought something at walmart to water proof it but it for shoes and my husband wont let me use it--- i would think its the same material . Thanks for your replys!
On my way to work on Monday a commercial for a bicycle shop came on the radio and half way through it a background sound like a playing card in bicycle wheel spokes started. I thought at first this was a unique way to do an ad, but the sound continued on into the next commercial. I turned the radio off and the sound was still there. My immediate thought was it must be from the car next to me but he got off the freeway and I could still hear it. It was coming from my Pacifica, and it was getting worse! When I got onto city streets it sounded like I was driving the most obnoxious clunker you could imagine. When I got to the parking lot of my destination I kept the motor running and pinpointed the sound to the area of the rear exhaust manifold. By the time that I got it to my dealer yesterday, the sound was a loud combination of exhaust and clanking, and I felt I was losing power, although I was very hesitant to push the accelerator any more than I needed to since every time I did it made my Pacifica look really bad. The knowledge that I had the extended warrantee was of some relief. Fortunately, the dealer thought it was the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve and he was right. He had heard of a couple of other Pacificas that had the value blow out. Before 12 noon my 39,000 mile Pacifica was running as good as ever.
I have purchased a used (9-months old) Pacific with 13,000 miles a week ago. It is a loaded "Touring" with AWD, black pearl, and loaded with extras. It has been in the repair shop (dealership) every day! (I haven't even really driven it yet.) The main problems seems to be electrical. At first the car would not start after sitting overnight. After fooling with the fuses, it started but there seems to be more problems. I just received it back last night and now the doors won't unlock using the keys and when you start the car, the DVD player is going crazy, the a/c starts up with full blowing power and the radio is going to an unset am station! I really love the car and was so excited to get it....did I make a mistake? Help! I am so frustrated right now!
I really love the car and was so excited to get it....did I make a mistake?
Ask yourself one question, If the car has this many problems right off the lot at 9 months old what will your problems be like when the car is 3 years old or 5 years old?
Oh no......What are the chances that the tech. at the dealership just isn't "hooking" everything up correctly? I'm really hoping that when I get it back today it will be o.k. but right now I'm not very optimistic. Thanks for the reply. Anyone else out there experience problems with the electrical component of your Pacifica? :confuse:
Regarding the suede cleaning, go to post #142 in the "care and maintanence" forum for the Pacifica. Some Limited owner found what he needed at Macy's department store, probably in the shoe department or wherever suede resides in an upscale department store like Macy's.
Read all the boards, researched, and took a lot of the criticisms about the car with a grain of salt. That being said:
5 days off the lot the pwr steering pump starts HOWLING. Took it in and they have to replace the steering rack. Apparenlty a seal failed and all the fluid poured into the rack.
I told the salesman that I grew up in the '70s and remember the quality, or lack thereof, of American cars. And that it was a big leap for me to purchase my first American car.
Thank you Chrysler for reinforcing my perceptions of what the word "quality" means in Detroit. It won't happen again. I sure hope that assembly line worker made it back from his/her union-mandated break without incident...
Good thing I didn't trade in my Passat! 4 years old and NO problems.
How much grief am I in for in trying to replace the passenger headlight bulb? Should I just give it to the dealer to do? Looked like there was a lot in the way to get in there.
(By the way, this is my first maintenance issue in 40,000 miles! Can't argue with that! )
Hey Paul, I just did that and I will tell you to just look in your owner's manual under , of all things, "Replace headlight bulb," and it will walk you the few steps to replace the bulb.
It is definitely a do it yourself job, buy the bulb at an auto parts store, they are not hard to find ( H something, also in the owner's manual). They are twice as much at the dealer.............$8 vs $16 , I think.......
I have two tips to pass to you...........
1) replace Both bulbs, I know that sounds weird, but I replaced one side and then a month later I was replacing the other side...Use the old working one as a spare.....DO NOT TOUCH the halogen bulb with your bare hands, natural oils will severely shorten the life of the bulb . Use disposable latex gloves , you can find them at pharmacies or home improvement stores............
2) The headlamp assembly screws are easily removed, but getting the headlamp assembly out is a tight fit. I had the best luck using a wooden paint stirrer to gently apply pressure on the front bumper fascia while pulling the headlight assembly out. It's not hard, you just need to have something that gives you a little more wiggle room on the way out.........
It's easier than you think because the headlight assembly actually comes forward over the bumper.......the bulb just twists in, and installation is just manuvering the assembly back in and reinstalling two screws on top of the assembly.........
... if you don't break the headlight when you remove it, if you don't bend the small internal reflector when you insert the bulb, and if you don't drop the headlight.
If you do ... ask first how much is a new headlight. My dealer knows the price because they damaged and replaced my left headlight.
Try it, but not too hard. When time comes I will try it too, but not too hard. It could be worth paying $10 for the replacement.
Valcopac, Did you ask to see the repair record on the car before you bought it? I bought a used Pac with 30,000 miles and I haven't had a single problem (I'm almost at 40K now) but I made sure I got one that didn't have any resident "gremlins". Some of the Pacs (especially early 2003 build) have had real QA issues so I wanted to make sure I didn't get some one else's problem child. If you bought it from a dealer, I'd take it back and demand they refund your money. Electrical problems can be hellish to work out - as all of my friends who drive (or used to drive) Passat wagons would be happy to tell you!
Comments
Anyone heard of any solutions/fixes? I am about to call the service dept...
If you do go the Pacifica route ( I like mine a lot), I would advise dropping the AWD idea, as you eliminate about 200 lbs of weight, who knows how many moving parts in the rear end, and these parts all need maintainence down the road. The Pacifica is plenty stable in FWD, and mine has the low speed traction control that stays on automatically, but can be defeated if you wish..........
I just want you to know that I do not know my 5 star dealer that well after 25,000 miles and 18 months. I take good care of my car, it is garaged day and night, I drive conservatively, and this is a solid car that has the potential to go 100,000 miles.........that's when I will trade mine in, so resale value is not an issue with me.
That's the way to drive the car you want, instead of being stuck in "forum land, " afraid to back your car out of the driveway each morning..... Geez, after reading some of these posts, I don't know how some of these people even get out of bed each day.............
The stupidity peak (gas consumption wise) are the old style real 4WD transmissions, who have 3 (three) differentials exposed. Like 4-Runner. At least those are very robust, meant for real offroading. Pacifica's AWD, and other crossovers AWD systems, are toy systems, not meant for real offroading. They are just to impress the neighbors, and make the car more expensive to buy, run, and maintain.
AWD is looking for trouble. It's funny you have to pay for it ! The FWD will easily pull you from 5 inches of snow. For Alaska buy a 4-Runner.
As to your dig about "to impress the neighbors," you're absolutely right -- especially after I had to go help a few out in the last snow storm with my AWD. Boy, were they impressed!
I might also add that I have NEVER had any maintenance issue with any of my AWDs.
There is no wonder your neighbors were impressed. Me too I am impressed when I get help for free ! And I would tell you that your car is the best in the world ! For instance my neighbor removed the snow from my driveway a couple of times. Nice guy. I have no damn idea what snowblower he has, but everytime I loudly comment how great his snowblower is !!!
I had also briefly checked this forum before making the decision on the HL. Boy, am I glad I did. The HL gets about 18-20 mpg around town and upto 26 mpg on the hwy (running between 70-75 mph).
Now that the hybrid HL's available and the new Energy Bill has passed, you may be better off buying a hybrid HL in '06 or '07 and get a nice tax credit (yes, credit, not a deduction) to boot.
Good luck!
The service mgr. at my dealer said he drove around with the diagnostic box hooked up to the car and he continuously drove at very slow speeds (less than 10-15 mph) and practiced pulling in and out of parking spaces to try to replicate the problem (I was getting ready to park both times it stalled in the past). He said that while the car didn't actually stall for him, the idle DID drop below the targeted level for that speed and it was likely the cause of my problem.
Keeping my fingers crossed! Otherwise, I love my new PAC. Good luck with yours. :confuse:
We all agree that the Pacifica has a little bit of a weight problem, and if you live on the Gulf Coast like I do, I can't think of a better way to lose 200lbs and gain 1K $ in the process by losing the AWD thing...........
CONFUCIOUS SAY: YOU DON'T MISS WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE AND NEVER USE.......!
The heavy snows are infrequent enough to make that good advice for HIM--not for everybody. If he lived in Toledo I might have given different advice. He's had a couple of minor fixes for his Pacifica and loves it for their two kids. Fixes have been the same as I'd expect from any reasonably new, complicated car these days with all the features. He did have a snow skid into a curb in a bank lot with the tires. He may put more aggressive tread tires on when he replaces these Michelins.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I believe I have a :lemon: and I'm just :sick: about it.
Quick question, this may sound crazy, but does the Pacifica feel 'windy' when driving? By that I mean, does it feel like air is someone entering the cabin eventhough everything is closed tightly? It's a small thing, just something I noticed on the test drive.
FYI My Pacifica is 04 AWD with a MFG date 03/04 and MDH 031212.
Keep an eye on it if you have the same...
:sick:
Speaking of the ES300, my wife's car has no window frames for that "sexier" look, but as the car has aged, that's exactly where the wind noise comes in, oh and the sunroof weatherstripping too.
Re driving a HL, perhaps you ought to try driving a HL before knocking it.
Re putting a smile on my face, every time I look at the HL sitting in the garage (or drive it, for that matter), it puts a big smile on my face, because it has exceeded all my expectations to date, esp. when it comes to reliability. It has hauled my family on several trips, w/o any issues whatsoever.
When I read about these problems w/ the PACs, esp. the sudden stalling issue, NOTHING in the world will induce me to buy a new vehicle that is known to stall w/o much warning, when my wife could be in traffic w/ our kids on board.
We owned a minivan (a Chrysler product) before the HL. That was NOT the best ownership experience. Reading all these problems tells me that Chrysler still has a looong way to go in terms of quality control.
From all that I've heard (from PAC owners) and read, the PAC doesn't deliver too well on it's fuel consumption promise.
Re looks, check out the 2007 HL on Edmunds. If the final product (which will be available in both gas and hybrid versions), looks anything like the current picture, it will definitely be one of the hottest vehicles on the market.
As you said, to each his own!
Oh, and I agree with bjbird.......the Highlander is boring , I test drove one and I liked the way it drove, but it is definitely bland outside and more than a little bit claustrophobic........I was definitely sitting close to the loser Toyota salesman on the test drive............
The carpet is wet and musty on the passenger side and I'm going to demand it be replaced. We'll see how far I get with them. I bought used from a different dealer so I don't have much leverage. My warranty expires in May 05 so I'm going to be checking closely to make sure the leak is fixed.
FYI~ The other problems are: broken liftgate switch, blown A/C panel switch, and an emission sensor causing the check engine light to signal. All these things were wrong when I bought used 1 month ago at 18,000 miles. :lemon:
Joel
Angie
Sad Pacifica with 2700 miles!
Did you figure out the problem? I have an '05 PAC FWD TOURING and it stalled on me the other night while pulling into a parking space. As of now--there have been no codes tripped and unless they find something I have to pick it up. We have 3 kids and I am scared to death to take this vehicle back unfixed. You can email me- angie@laideebags.com
I would really appreciate hearing back from anyone that has dealt with this. Also, what routes to take if dealership finds nothing wrong.
Angie
I'd worry more about keeping it from stalling!
1- (black pearl) The hood of the car has white color over spray, someone got careless at the shop and didnt cover the car properly while working on some other vehicle, dh found this problem while hand washing the car for the first time.
2-Rear speaker behind passenger side--- doesnt sound right like its blown
3- left vent driver side----or at least we think its the vent--- it started making a flapping sound when we turned the heat up high to 89 degrees and turned the fan up all the way high, now it does the same noise every time the fan is on mid to
high.
4- There is paint chip all over the car, the car is black and the chips are white!
5- When dh open the hood the oil stick up sticking out! all i know is i dont think that was suppost to be like that.
*** Now dh is been calling the dealer with NO luck! it goes directly to the answer machine an no one is returning our phone call.
The car is beautiful! its limited, loaded black pearl... however a new car isnt suppost to have all the problems right off the bat! I almost feel ishould of kept my 2004 Dodge durango (hemi) had less options but had nooooooo problems at all.
Thanks in advance for replys!
Did you ever have any luck? I need to purchase just a remote, I have the rest. I'd like to know if the remote is something special or can any universal do the trick?
Joe R.
For #2, I just purchased a used Pacifica, 29K miles, about a month ago and from the moment I started driving it, could hear static when I played certain CD's. Took it to the dealership 3 times and they finally replaced the smaller speakers on the door, the tweeters. Still happens ocassionally, but not as bad.
For #3, Yes, my steering is off, really off. Instead of pulling to the left, mine pulls to the right. Have taken it in on SEVERAL occasions and the dealer states that it is not misaligned. Just left today and the same thing happend.....when I pulled my hand from the sterring wheel, it immediately pulls to the right. And yes, I notice that the sterring wheel is a bit off center.
For #4, this has happened to me and I have the AWD model, so when I took it in, they stated that it was the Power Transfer Unit for the AWD and that it is common. Take it in and it will be covered under your warranty.
While the car was in Dh took a walk around the parking lot and noticed the other black car still for sale has the same problem
The flapping sound on the vent stoped for a couple of days--then this morning DH took the car through a touchless car wash before bringing it to the dealer so they could see the over spray and the flapping begin again so we starting to see a pattern --- The first time the flapping started was raining out--- by the time he got to the dealer the flaping had stoped hummmmmmm could it be something to do with a wet car??? Needeless to say they could fix it as there was no noise there.
SAME thing with the speaker there was no noise there today :mad:
By the time that I got it to my dealer yesterday, the sound was a loud combination of exhaust and clanking, and I felt I was losing power, although I was very hesitant to push the accelerator any more than I needed to since every time I did it made my Pacifica look really bad. The knowledge that I had the extended warrantee was of some relief.
Fortunately, the dealer thought it was the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve and he was right. He had heard of a couple of other Pacificas that had the value blow out. Before 12 noon my 39,000 mile Pacifica was running as good as ever.
Ask yourself one question, If the car has this many problems right off the lot at 9 months old what will your problems be like when the car is 3 years old or 5 years old?
5 days off the lot the pwr steering pump starts HOWLING. Took it in and they have to replace the steering rack. Apparenlty a seal failed and all the fluid poured into the rack.
I told the salesman that I grew up in the '70s and remember the quality, or lack thereof, of American cars. And that it was a big leap for me to purchase my first American car.
Thank you Chrysler for reinforcing my perceptions of what the word "quality" means in Detroit. It won't happen again. I sure hope that assembly line worker made it back from his/her union-mandated break without incident...
Good thing I didn't trade in my Passat! 4 years old and NO problems.
(By the way, this is my first maintenance issue in 40,000 miles! Can't argue with that!
Thanks...---Paul in Southern NJ
It is definitely a do it yourself job, buy the bulb at an auto parts store, they are not hard to find ( H something, also in the owner's manual). They are twice as much at the dealer.............$8 vs $16 , I think.......
I have two tips to pass to you...........
1) replace Both bulbs, I know that sounds weird, but I replaced one side and then a month later I was replacing the other side...Use the old working one as a spare.....DO NOT TOUCH the halogen bulb with your bare hands, natural oils will severely shorten the life of the bulb . Use disposable latex gloves , you can find them at pharmacies or home improvement stores............
2) The headlamp assembly screws are easily removed, but getting the headlamp assembly out is a tight fit. I had the best luck using a wooden paint stirrer to gently apply pressure on the front bumper fascia while pulling the headlight assembly out. It's not hard, you just need to have something that gives you a little more wiggle room on the way out.........
It's easier than you think because the headlight assembly actually comes forward over the bumper.......the bulb just twists in, and installation is just manuvering the assembly back in and reinstalling two screws on top of the assembly.........
30 mins. max for both sides...........
If you do ... ask first how much is a new headlight. My dealer knows the price because they damaged and replaced my left headlight.
Try it, but not too hard. When time comes I will try it too, but not too hard. It could be worth paying $10 for the replacement.