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Chrysler Pacifica: Problems & Solutions
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It took me about an hour to install the whole system. My kit even had the special drill included for the bumper holes that house the sensors. The kit was around $27 plus shipping and handling, making the total $53.
I installed the display over the rear liftgate, in front of a plastic trim piece. Simply used the selfl sticking tape on it to adhere it to the roof liner. Ran all wiring under the plastic interior trim panels and put the electronic control unit into a little pocket that is visible when the liner inside the covered storage compartment is lifted. For the sensor wires I used an existing hole from under the spare tire, through the trunk floor. Simply remove the black sealer from the hole to run the wires through then, re-seal.
System works well, a bit over sensitive. It picks up just about anything behind the car, including some tall grasses. The colored bars, the distance readout and the varying sounds combine to give plenty of warning.
Just wondering what needed to be done to fix your problem with the climate control display fading in and out? I've got the same problem here.
Thanks for any advice you can provide!
DRB III scan tool is required to make the change and it takes a few seconds
They connect the hand held computer under the driver's dash, set the country code to Canada and it is done. Just make sure your parking brake isn't set or it will look like it didn't work. Once the parking brake is disengaged they'll come on.
Yes it is a great feature, one DC should make standard. Can't think of a reason when being seen would be bad.
pretty cool... got my DRL's turned on this morning... rolled into the service breezeway and 5 minutes later I drove out. errr... and didn't cost a pretty penny.
if you want to do this in the US there are a few things you need to know...
This is possible regardless of headlamp type, whether or not you have auto lights and post/pre august production.
This is controlled by the body control module... not a DRL module. some dealers seem to think that you need some other module if your car was delivered in the US.
This option is turned on by switching to the canada country code... there are no additional steps needed. really, it's that easy.
All gauge settings remain in US units... not km or liters or any of that! this one surprised me a little bit.
The lights used are the 'brights' but, they do not burn at full brightness in this mode. since it is a gas discharge, the fire just burns a bit cooler.
Your gauges, radio display are at full brightness and the tail lights / all parking lights don't come on.
When you hit the turn signal, the DRL on that side goes out... this really makes your turn intention clear. Nice feature. I am going to get mine done next week.
Thanks!
Neill
My husband told me not to worry about it, but it did something similar, as if it's changing gears, when we were driving about 60 miles per hour.
Are there an reported transmission problems? Anyone else have this problem?
Thanks
Kim
The first thing I want to say is that I purchased my 2004 (AWD w/navigation) in June of 2003 with 3 miles on the odometer. I was a bit apprehensive at first because of the “less than stellar” reputation of Chrysler in the past. However, after doing a bunch of research about improving quality at Chrysler and reading the numerous positive articles about the Pacifica when it first came out, I decided to take the plunge. The first 2500 miles flew by without incident and I could not offer enough praise about the car (not to mention, since I had one of the first few, that I received dozens of compliments at gas stations, stop lights, etc)!
About the time I was nearing my first oil change the car began to experience what became a non-stop string of problems which would, in one form or another, plague me until the vehicle was finally repurchased by Chrysler the first week of May 2005...yes...you read the year correctly...2005!
Rather than go into detail, I will just say that my vehicle experienced just about every issue brought up on this board from the grinding wheel bearings to the fading A/C controls! The only issue I believe I was spared, thankfully, was the infamous stalling engine problem. In fact, since owning the car, it never went more than 30 days without requiring some type of repair or the often-elusive diagnosis of a yet another new problem. By the time it was turned in it had been the shop for a total of 40+ days! I will say the fine folks at Enterprise Car Rental became almost like family to me!
In the 30 days leading up to the much anticipated drop off I was still dealing with problems in the form of the ever-so-fun “jumping gas gauge” issue which caused a warning bell each time the needle would drop down telling me my fuel was low before jumping right back up again. At times my car sounded like a bell ringing contest for hours before the problem would disappear for 2-3 days at a time only to come back again during a relaxing conversation or favorite song! I was going to have the "gas gauge" issue addressed, but when Chrysler said it would cost $250 for a software upgrade (which I would have to pay since the warranty had expired) I told them I was not going to pay for a damn thing since they shouldn’t have put faulty software in the car to begin with!
Now that my car is once again Chrysler’s problem, I will offer fourth my observations on this experience:
1- Chrysler did not do a good job at bringing their own factory trained technicians up to speed on this vehicle before it came out.
2- Chrysler is WAY below the industry in identifying problems in a timely manner and coming up with true fixes instead of just “suggestions" or temporary repairs.
3- Once a fix has been identified, the time required to order and obtain parts is a joke which often forces owners to wait 1-2 weeks for the necessary components to fix a particular problem.
4- Chrysler Customer Service (on the corporate side) is a joke and took forever to respond to my pleas for help. I gave Chrysler 30 days to respond to the initial letter I wrote to them complaining about my numerous issues or I would file a lawsuit. 30 days came and went. Finally 60+ days later (and 30+ days AFTER filing the lawsuit) I was finally contacted to discuss my concerns at which point I simply advised them to speak to my lawyer.
Just so you all know, due to the laws in my state, I did not wish to obtain a replacement Pacifica under the Lemon Law. My only request to them from the beginning was to take the vehicle off my hands. For this reason my lawyer chose to file a “breach of warranty” lawsuit. Once Chrysler saw I hired a lawyer they dragged their feet for over a year before initially offering 3 separate settlements which were a joke (small cash offers which still required me to keep the car and yet absolved them off all responsibility).
Finally, 17 months after the lawsuit was filed and less than a week before the trial was scheduled to begin, they made a serious offer which I initially rejected (based on the fact that I had been dealing with this mess 17 months). They came back with another serious offer which took back the car, paid off my loan, paid my legal expenses, and put some money in my pocket to use as a down payment on a replacement vehicle. Needless to say, I accepted the last offer and my nightmare ended a few weeks ago.
The reason I have decided to post this experience here is to offer hope and advice to those who may be dealing with the same issues and frustration. If your car experiences a ton of problems before the warranty even runs out, imagine the expenses you will forced to pay once you are out warranty and have to pay for both the repairs and, if necessary, a rental car while the dealer tries to diagnose the problem and then has to order parts!
Although I am sure there are many satisfied Chrysler owners out there, the true mark of any company is what they do for the customer when problems arise. From this standpoint I can tell you this is why I will never own another Daimler-Chrysler product and will be more than happy to tell my friends and family why I wouldn’t recommend any vehicle built by them.
I wish all current Chrysler (Pacifica) owners out there the best of luck and hopefully you have not experienced nearly as many issues as myself or some of the other folks I have read about on this board.
Sincerely,
A relieved former Pacifica owner
Any ideas?
I thought mine, at first, was maybe vapor lock. While driving on the Interstate at 70mph and going around a somewhat sharp left hand curve, the engine completely shut down, the car was on, but no gas, no steering, and I was able to make it to the shoulder. After stopping, it started back up and I got off the next exit, but after another left hand turn, it quit again. I also noticed that the fuel gauage had gone from half a tank to empty.
So as I coasted into the gas station, I proceeded to "fill up" but it would only take about 14 gallons.
Since then, no problems - until today. I tried to re-create the problem, going around a left hand curve somewhat fast and it died again. And again, after stopping it started again. I thought it might also be a transmission sensor.
But I do notice issues with power and also experienced the accelerator being stuck to the floor about a month ago while on the interstate - a wonderful experience.
This is not a safe vehicle. And calls to Chrysler and a dealership, they act like they have never heard any of this before.
Will continue my search here on the board, but any feedback somone has would be appreciated.
Sorry, I can provide no help in this issue, other than being very frustrated with today's electronics driven cars. Unfortunately the Pacifica is not an isolated case when it comes to the car/engine shutting off in the midlle of regular driving. My Saturn did the same a few weeks ago and was traced to a crank sensor going bad gradually. Some of the most respected//expensive cars of today are all having problems with stalling and other electronic hickups. I am sure that my problem of the Pacifica engine cutting off 1100 PRM below its redline, under only special circumstances, is also software driven.
What's really needed is someone clamping down on the unrestricted use of software and programming in vital areas of automobiles. Good luck for that. For the manufactureres it is much cheaper to produce such circuitries and I do not see us going back to the older, reliable systems. It is very dangerous to loose power in the middle of the road, not only for the fear of being run over but, for loosing control of the automobile as the steering tends to loose power and becomes very difficult to control in tight, turning situations.
Good luck and please let us know if/when you solve your problem.
that would cause an warning indicator.
I have the K&N filter installed for almost 1.5 years with no problems. just cleaned mine last month. presto good as new :-)
I would guess that some water found it's way onto those seat rails, (flooding?), and that would be about the only way that could ever happen.........I would say this is a unique situation, hands down.................
Go find another one..............
It really doesn't have anything to do with your transmission, the"clunk" occurs under a shifting load, as in braking to a stop..............
Anyone out there ever experience this problem or know of the location of fuses 9if any) for the headlights? The main fuse block does not contain any...as far as I can tell by reading the Chrysler code-speak printed on the fuse map inside the cover. :lemon:
THIS LINK and have your VIN number ready.
Found a tech directive for this, Bomber, it is 23-010-04A Sept 04. It says this bulletin applies to KJ vehicles that are Right Hand Drive, but maybe can help you and me. Title is: A/C water leaks onto passenger front floor. Solution involves sealing the opening for the evaporator hose/drain tube with RTV sealer.
Applies to several models, other than the Pacifica.
"Water may enter the passenger compartment between the HVAC housing and the bulkhead. A foam seal is used to seal the heater housing to the bulkhead. Condensation from the A.C. evaporator can run along the evaporator drain tube and enter the passenger compartment if the seal between the HVAC housing and the bulkhead is not sealed properly. This will result in wet passenger compartment carpet when the air conditioning is operating."
Hope this helps.
I've decided since I have 64000 on it, I'll just let it run itself into the ground, assuming I can keep it running. It continues to fall apart -- heating/air display fades out, Chrysler designed and installed Sirius Radio displays wrong information, FM reception continues to get worse and of course, none of the road thumps were ever fixed - it is the most annoying vehicle I've ever owned.
I am pleased to hear that at least one person escaped Poc ownership and received what sounds like a reasonable settlement for all their problems. Cheers
Thanks!
I purchased it new in January 2004, I took it in once for the dashboard rattle , and the rattle is still there, it seems to be better in the hot Houston summer, and it does seem to diminish as the car reaches operating temperature..............
jkae, any info would be appreciated............. :confuse:
What are you trying to do that cannot wait until the car is safely stopped? The last thing that I want my wife and kids to do while driving in the fast lane on I-70 is check out where the nearest movie theater is!
I'm convinced that these posts are mostly people who have had problems, however, they are a VERY small percentage of owners.
The majority of owners, like me, have had very few, if any problems, and these people don't post much.
If you based your purchase decision on forums, you probably wouldn't buy anything. There are problems with all vehicles.
I have searched this site previously, and it has been very helpful, so I hope that my TSB listings help someone else.
Go into your Service department after you have done your homework, it definitly saves time and aggrivationif you suspect what is wrong and come to them with the TSB in hand....Have a good day!
You may have a problem with your individual unit, my outside temperature routinely reads 103-107 deg. , and that's with me parking inside a garage. Within 7 minutes, everything is ok.............
My car meets all criteria for the LL and well... looking for advise.
If you are in California, I can give you a great referral for an attorney.
BBGGULDE you my want to check your evaporater. They said this has been a problem lately.
Any ideas? The dealer wants over $100 for one set of headphones alone. Does Radio Shack sell something that will work? Do I have to have the remote to be able to access all the settings (like listening to the radio while the kids watch their movie)?
I had stalling problems with my low milage 3.5 L Olds Intrique and also on my Saturn SW2. In both instances it was the crank sensor, that I replaced myself for pennies. Yet, from what I hear from my shop-owner/mechanic Brother In Law, all kinds of expensive European and Japanese cars stall regularly on the roads, as well. Welcome to the age of computers!
Thanks
Goldie was in the shop for 2 solid weeks! My service tech frightened me when I called him and he mentioned that they had the tranny out of my car and were waiting on parts?? I don't know if that was exactly the case, but I do know that he mentioned something about replacing the PTU and that they ordered some additional parts for the sway bar problem. I dropped her back off at the dealeship again today and he "promised" me that I should get the vehicle back today? That's what they said last time and had it for 2 weeks! Although I must say, I had a rental Grand Cherokee and it was pretty comfy!
As far as the A/C is concerned, for those of you who are experiencing problems, does your PAC have tinted windows? That could make a world of difference as well, hence I have seen many Pacs that do not have the rear glass tinted. Otherwise, my A/C gets uncontrollably cold after running for awhile. I thought about contacting Chrysler as well on this to see if they could do anything, but I'm just waiting to get the vehicle back to see if the problem has been corrected. My service advisor mentioned that due to the inclement weather this past winter, they are getting a lot of Pac's with the sway bar/bushing issue and the possible cause could be attributed to the salts and stuff used to keep the roads deiced? That is another concern for me because if that's the case, I'll be replacing those things every year?
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE GOLDIE! She gets lots of looks and a heaping TON of complements, however I am a little concerned with reliability at this point. Maybe I could even get Chrysler to move me into a 2006 model if the problem persists. Anyone know of any changes made on the 2006 models? How about a HEMI!!! :-)
Thanks!
IngeniousGuy
The car is not safe to drive, especially if it fails while driving!
How can we drive a car that stalls while it's running? Anyone have an idea on that? You are heading down the highway at 50MPH and the car stalls. It's real problem.
From my own personal experience this has nothing to do with inclement weather. We don't live in the snow, we just have your normal rainy seasons, and Chrysler bought back our car for this and many other sundry problems that went wrong with our car. We had the PTU replaced, lower control arms replaced, bushings, things tightened and lubed...the list goes on for the front end clicking noise. Even after the lower control arms were replaced, the problems never went away. Funny that I see that many people had problems starting around 10k miles. Our front end problem started around 8k, but there were many other problems that started early on.
I too really enjoyed this car, but could not deal with the weekly visits to the service department. My thought was if this many things went wrong now while it was still covered under the warranty, what were we in for when the warranty was up. Yes you can buy an extended warranty, but from my recent experience with our extended warranty on our other car, the dealership must diagnose the problem before the extended warranty will pick it up. This could take many hours of labor out of your pocket before they figure it out. Then you must hope that the problem is covered on your warranty to get reimbursed for all those hours of trying to diagnose the problem.
In my opinion, Chrysler has a great design with this car. Too bad they don't bother enough about fixing existing problems that are know problems nationwide or pay more attention to quality assurance. (Our control arms were on national back order before they were replaced and still did not fix the problem. This front end clicking/popping noise is a problem with many Pac's.) This could possibly eleviate a lot of their buy backs and have a lot more long time happy customers. I know from this experience that I will not purchase another Chrysler product again.
Hope you have better luck with yours!
I am disgusted because of this. My Pacifica is a dream car (never had other problems) but that rattle pissed me off every time I drove it. Fortunately my wife is the daily driver. She, like most people on the road, doesn't hear it and doesn't care.
Even if I love it, I wouldn't buy it again. Why in the world spend my life hearing about Chrysler front end engineers incompetence at every parking lot bump ?!? My brain cannot understand how they can fail at such a simple thing (a damn play in the suspension) after creating the nicest vehicle on the planet ?!? I mean technically too, not only looks. You are right, they loose incredible amounts of money by missing the last step. Perfection.
Ah ... by the way ... my dealer's assistant service manager says that only god is perfect !!! When looking at my Pacifica I agree with her.