Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Chrysler Pacifica Suspension Problems

1568101118

Comments

  • popsgirlpopsgirl Member Posts: 7
    Hi: I have a 04 Pacifica. My mechanic said the sub frame was rusted. I called Chrysler,still waiting on a reply. In the mean time. I stopped by a dealer today to see if my Pacifica was covered under the "10 yr /150000 mile warranty". The service manager said he has not heard about the warranty. I am in the USA. Does the warranty cover the USA and Canada? Side note: My Pacifica was made in Canada and sold in the USA. - If warranty was issued by Chrysler Canada - would my Pacifica be under the warranty?
  • faroutfarout Member Posts: 1,609
    All Pacificas were made in Canada, much like the Dodge Caravans and Chrysler Town & Country's of today.

    Your dealer is uninformed, and knows how to contact Chrysler and find out for him or her self. Insist they call Chrysler to find out forsure
  • popsgirlpopsgirl Member Posts: 7
    Farout: Thanks for the reply. I agree and not sure what is going on with the dealer. It appears in the US, people are not getting a good response from Chrysler on the rusted sub frame. I still have not made contact with the person who issued a case number for my problem at Chrysler.

    If the folks who received the letter about the 10 yr / 150,000 extended warranty could post the letter or give more details on the letter I would really appreciate it.

    If I could post the date of the letter; who (person who signed /department ) sent the letter; if there is a reference number (e.g. TSB#, etc); who should be contacted if the Pacifica has the rusted sub frame.

    I would appreciate anyinfo. Thanks.
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    I tried to post the letter but I could not copy paste to this web site. If I had an email I could send it but that is not safe for you unless you set one up just for this and don't use it again
  • popsgirlpopsgirl Member Posts: 7
    Hi Charger3: Here is an email you can send the info to nulf06@aol.com. I would really appreciate getting the info on the letter. THanks. ">
  • geno1398geno1398 Member Posts: 1
    Hi my pacifica is doing the same thing, can you send me a copy of that letter. Just email me and I can send you my address, I would be happy to pay you for your services as well. My email is geno1398@comcast.net.
    Thank you and god bless. Gene
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    I sent email of letter hope it helps
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    Email sent
  • popsgirlpopsgirl Member Posts: 7
    Charger3 - I received the email. Thank you very, very much. I think with this email, some red faces will be appearing at the dealership and Chrysler.

    Will let you know how I make out.
  • tazwalker728tazwalker728 Member Posts: 5
    Hi charger3...that was really nice of you to forward that letter to popsgirl! I was on the forum about a year ago....I have a 2004 with about 124,000 miles now....my right strut mount broke and the strut punctured a whole in my hood....I've also had a lot of trouble with motor mounts...the popping, etc... I had asked a long time ago for someone to send me a copy of the new warrenty or letter describing it and got no responses... If I set up an email for you, would you be willing to send it my way too..... I'd really appreciate it.....I love my pac and want to get a few more years out of it if I can... Thanks!
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    good luck
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    I could send you the letter but it only covers the rusting frame (engine cradle)
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    Much safer way of emailing... make your email address in your Forums profile public - use the "Forums Preferences" link in the Forums Tools menu on the right side of the page. Only members who are logged in can access it. Placing email addresses in your posts makes them visible to the entire internet, which is why we have the warning in the post box instructions.

    kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
  • popsgirlpopsgirl Member Posts: 7
    Charger3: Your forwarded letter did help. I called the number on the letter. The vin for my Pacifica is not "officially" under the warranty. Some how Chrysler did a slice on the good/bad sub frames. However, based on my Pacifica and others it appears the warranty did not cover all the rusted frames. I am taking my Pacifica to a different mechanic on Wed to see what this one says. Does anyone know of any identifying info on the subframe part (e.g. mfg date, serial number, etc)?

    I pulled info on my vin, it has a build date of September 27, 2003. The Chrysler rep I spoke to could not tell me how just certain Pacificas were chosen to be covered under the warranty. Interesting.

    Hope everyone has a good weekend.
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    I got my letter out and read it. To me it Say's 2004 and 2005 Pacifica's are covered. I called Chrysler and the women said my car is covered and hers is not. I would call an attorney and have them look at the letter it's worth over 3000 dollars. It doesn't say only certain vin numbers or if it was built in another plant I think their all made in Canada. I have the 80000 extended warranty on my wife's car and I will check the frame at 79000 if it's rusty they can replace it like they did on mine. File a complaint with Chrysler and NHTSA
  • popsgirlpopsgirl Member Posts: 7
    Charger3: I'll take a guess: The sub frame manufacturing process changed and Chrysler based their "warranty" on some info from their sub frame vendor. If true, Chrysler needs to reevaluate which vehicles are covered. What are the built dates for your car and your wife's car?
  • faroutfarout Member Posts: 1,609
    ALL CHRYSLER PACIFICA'S WERE MADE IN WINDSOR CANADA. Filing a complaint with NHTSA only alerts that agency there is a problem. NHTSA keeps a record of the complaint and IF there is enough problems with a certen vehicle , they may issue a letter to Chrysler asking them to consider a recall. Usually the vehicle company will make a call on their own or send a letter to have the vehicle inspected. A letter to NHTSA is helpful in the long run, but does little for you meed now.

    May I suggest calling 800 992 1997. Chrysler help line and go to the problem area. Your dealer should be willing to help. If you seem to get the idea you are being pushed aside, talk to the service manager. Tell him / her you want toe zone rep to be notified. If for any reason the service manager will not call the zone rep. go to the dealers manager or owner. Tell him the problem and ask for his assistance. I am sure that will help. A word of caution... be cool and polite these people are bullied all day and that will get you no where! Be as pleasant as you can. Be sure to call the phone # above after you do all of the above first.

    I have yet to tell someone this who followed this advice that dod not resolve their problem. The key to all this is butter your bread as you go. Be polite, give some kind remarks to anyone you can this wins them over often. Do NOT THREATEN A LAW INVOLVEMENT. Chrysler has enough Llawers that can keep an issue in court for the rest of your life. You don't have the money to fight that long.. Be wise and practicle and win. Hope this helps.
  • popsgirlpopsgirl Member Posts: 7
    Farout: Do you have an advice for getting a car covered under the "warranty"? When I have spoken to Chrysler, I give the VIN number and then told sorry your vehicle is not covered. I asked the customer service rep, how Chrysler chose which vehicles would be covered, he did not know. Any suggestions on who I should ask to talk to at Chrysler?

    Summary where I am at with my vehicle:

    (1) 04 Pacifica - VIN not covered under warranty,
    (2) Mechanic told me not to drive Pacfica due to rusted sub frame.
    (3) Took Pacifica to dealer - service manager - rust not too bad; sub frame was damaged in "impact"; car was never in accident. Said sub frame does not to be replaced, could be fixed by welding.
    (4) Have an appointmenr with a different mechanic. I do plan to get pictures of the sub frame at this appointment.

    Any suggestions on info I should get from this mechanic to work with Chrysler?
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,145
    Great advice, farout. Host kcram was impressed and kind enough to share your response with other hosts.

    IMO, the least productive and swift paths to resolution include petitions, NHTSA campaigns, and class-action lawsuits. Sure, you may get action, but probably long after you've already fixed it yourself or disposed of the vehicle, at which point you're probably looking at a $500 coupon off the price of a vehicle purchase from that manufacturer, or something similarly useless to you.

    If you've got a good dealership (don't blame them - no one there caused the issue), all the better to have help getting resolution from the manufacturer, but definitely working with the manufacturer is more likely to yield timely and pertinent results.

    I love your post. I'd like to copy it and credit you in the future!

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    Like it says in the letter if you fix it and have receipts and documentation they will probability cover it if they have a recall or they add more vin numbers of the cars they cover. So even if you get rid of the car there is a good chance you could get your money back in the future. I would check with Chrysler and see which ones they paid for.Like only dealer repairs or qualified shops. Even if it takes years there is a chance you could get your money back.
  • faroutfarout Member Posts: 1,609
    What you are saying is NOT the way to go about it. If you go back to my post # 371 you will find the way that works. Chrysler has bought back 2 vehicles from me, and gone the extra mile several times. I have had 15 Chrysler produced vehicles, I do have some information from a person who worked in the department that handled those issues. (now retired)

    But do it any way you want, I have posted this several times over the years and I have watched people with problems go to the Lemon law, and got very little. I have see people threaten Chrysler, and get no results. But good luck, I have said my last about how to get effective results.
  • tarrah123tarrah123 Member Posts: 3
    I saw in a previous post that you have a copy of the letter. Can you please email it to me at tarrah123@aol.com?

    Thanks.... and I agree with you... threatening lawyers and sueing is not the way to handle it. :)
  • jimsfastls1jimsfastls1 Member Posts: 10
    edited April 2011
    Hi folks. 2004 Chrysler owner. Owned since new in 2003. Lots of little problems through the years but I keep fixing them. This one scared the crap out of me though. Had the clunking problem like many others. Had inner tie rods replaced per suggestion on this message board. Mechanic assured me this was clunking source. $700 later (had inner tie rods done, sway bar links, alignment and a coolant flush that I paid for but didn't see my coolant level chance) and clunk was still there. This was November 2010

    Today, driving on the Henry Hudson parkway in NYC going north and going real slow over the crappy road there, I heard my front end clunk but this was different. Got home no problems but car felt funny. Weather is crappy today so I didn't notice until I went back to car get something an hoot looked like it was pried open slightly. Big gap on passenger side fender. Popped hood and saw strut poked itself through the strut mount! Here's the pictures:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimsfastls1

    Anybody have a copy of that letter? Is that regarding all suspension issues? Just curious. I don't think this affects me, but seeing this failure, I think I know where that clunking was from. I think the bearing was seized. Too wet out now, and only have a 1 car garage. Will pull strut tomorrow. 48,000 miles in city traffic. Probably time for new struts anyway.
  • tazwalker728tazwalker728 Member Posts: 5
    LOL....sorry....not really laughing....it's just that I've been there and done that!! It happened to me January of 2010. I had the strut mount replaced and also had one of the three bad motor mounts replaced, along with new tires. Baby felt like new...but noises are creeping back and the popping. I've been told I still need all three motor mounts replaced and both strut mounts...and God knows what else....I need that letter too, but no one's been able to get a copy to me...my pac is pushing 124,000 miles... I love it...let me know if you get any info regarding that extended warranty..Thanks
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    It's only for rust thru on the engine cradle and only certain vin numbers
  • djoemandjoeman Member Posts: 1
    Hi there, Charger03. Great post here! I have the same series of issues happening with my 05 pacifica. Think you could pass on this letter to me by email also? My email is jhughes97@live.com. Thanks a million!
  • faroutfarout Member Posts: 1,609
    WOW! Nice set of pictures. You might consider sending Chrysler these and ask them what they will do about it. I personally beleive in contacting Chryslers consumer help line. The least they can say is no. My 07 PAC has 97,200 miles on it and I will call Chrysler should I have such a problem. Under your circumstanced I would contact the National Highway Institute for Safety. There may be others who have had this issue but no one tells them. Might be a recall, who knows?

    I do believe Fiat is doing a better job of helping with problems than the other two companies that robbed the Chrysler name of money and a solid name.

    Please let us know how things turn out

    farout
  • flores77flores77 Member Posts: 1
    Hello Alltork.
    I just bough a 2004 Pac, And same problem, it has been more time with the mechanic that me with the doctor. Lol. Well
    We replace Inner and outer tie rods both sides, New breaks, New weels, aligment, Balance, Lower control arms both sides. but no luck.
    Do you have any updates?
    Thanks for the info.
  • tazwalker728tazwalker728 Member Posts: 5
    flores77...
    mine went away when I had my motor mounts done....but I only did one of the three....pac ran great...no more clunking....a year later it's returning....slowly....I know I need to get all the mounts replaced. Also the strut mounts....they cause a lot of rattling and if they break loose you'll end up with the strut poking through the hood of your vehicle. Good luck! We all need it with these cars....LOL!
  • jimsfastls1jimsfastls1 Member Posts: 10
    Finally fixed the strut mount last night (5/9/2011). Was putting it off and off because I just didn't want to deal with it....and the whole idea of getting the spring compressor to do it's job while in the car was just not appealing - plus my airgun setup was weak....(compressor was fine - but cheap gun and too small of a hose = no torque on the impact gun).

    Wife asked me on Mother's day when she was getting her car back (she was using another car of ours so she wasn't w/o a car)

    So here's the full set of pics I took. Did not replace with OEM because OEM unit failed where the holes are (see pics). There are 3 holes outside the circumference of the hole for the strut bolt and I feel this contributed to the failure. The aftermarket part did not have holes, so I went with that based on my observations (again see pics). I am usually a 100% OEM guy. I would like to think the engineers had a reason for those holes, but I feel they contributed to the failure.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimsfastls1/sets/72157626568942019/

    Car rides just great. Right side banging noise gone when making right turn and going up over a bump or small curb.

    I still hear some kind of chassis noise going over bumps. This I don't believe is anywhere in the steering/suspension. Did a hard stop once and now I heard this bang on the drivers side. I assume it probably has something to do with that strut mount as well. I will be replacing it as I don't trust it now.

    I hope these pics help you guys.
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    Good job. Did you just replace the bearing or the strut also? I'm going out right now and look at mine and my wifes car
  • jimsfastls1jimsfastls1 Member Posts: 10
    I only replaced the strut mount itself. It came with a bearing as well and installed that. But the OEM bearing was fine. I could have reused it with no issues. I installed the old spring and strut back into the car.
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    Thanks I checked both of my cars and they look fine. Was it hard to compress the piston to put the strut mount on top of the piston and release it to go up into position?
  • jimsfastls1jimsfastls1 Member Posts: 10
    The piston is always easy to compress. What's hard to compress is the strut spring. If you look in the set of pics I posted, the strut spring compressor tool is there. It clamps down the spring so you can bolt the mount to the strut piston.

    There's a way to do it as well with a jack under the control arm, bu I used the compressors.

    After you have the strut mount and spring all bolted up nice, you can remove the strut spring compressors and install the entire assembly back into the car.
  • jimsfastls1jimsfastls1 Member Posts: 10
    Oh and just my opinion based on this repair - that major "clunk" sound I was getting on my passenger side for years is gone. Only a few days, but it's night and day sound wise.
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    Hey thanks I did one on a chevy 10 years ago couldn't remember. I bought a set of heavy duty spring compressors a few years ago and have not used them.
  • jcabrajcabra Member Posts: 1
    Hey I was wondering how and where to tie the cv joint in chrysler pacifica
  • time4saxtime4sax Member Posts: 3
    Hi Charger3,

    Just hoping you don't mind sending one more e-mail? I'm just one of many that Chrysler doesn't seem to mind ignoring about any issue you bring to them. I will try your advice also and call the toll free number.
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    I need an email address to send it to
  • vmac1vmac1 Member Posts: 2
    to: popsgirl
    I just experienced the same problem that you did and live in the US. You can first call chrysler @ 800-992-1997 to see if there is the extended warranty for a "front engine cradle" (same as the subframe for me) for your model. If yes, keep calling different dealers in your area that are familiar with this and have repaired similar. I called the dealer where I bought the car - they knew nothing. Called another in the area and they will be repairing with only costs of $90 for an alignment. Repair savings of over $3500!
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    CHRYSLER DID COVER THE ALIGNMENT THAT IS NECESSARY BECAUSE THEY HAD TO REMOVE THE PART. SORRY FOR CAPITALS THAT'S HOW I LEFT IT THE OTHER DAY.
  • wmurphy1wmurphy1 Member Posts: 2
    I've been dealing w/the front end clunk for over two years now- have been to the dealer between 10-15 times- replaced motor mount, tie rods, shims here, tightened bolts there- the latest 'solution' was to replace a transmission valve. Every repair attempt has failed to fix the clunk and so I finally found this discussion board and opened up a case w/Chrysler at the 800 number listed- useless- they claim there is no such letter- they further claim that they have no evidence that this is a persistent and pervasive defect with the 2004 model year. As a token of their empathy they offered me free oil changes for the life of the car- I told them the life of this car is nigh its end in my household so keep the certificates thanks.

    I will now have to abandon a car w/less than 75000 miles on it, and I will not indeed go down quietly. I will be posting my story on boards such as this and firing off letters. Those advocating a more temperate approach are blowing smoke up your [non-permissible content removed]- Chrysler could care less about owning up to obvious defects w/lemons such as the Pacifica as they've already washed their hands of this car. As the saying goes, if Chrysler gives you lemons, don't make lemonade, smoosh it in their faces- it won't get you anywhere, but it will make you feel better : ) :lemon:
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    The letter is for a rusted engine cradle not a clunk
  • wmurphy1wmurphy1 Member Posts: 2
    & the two aren't related? Isn't the 'clunk' the thread that connects this front end suspension issue together here...
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    I can't remember how I found the frame rusted I saw it on a web site like this one and looked at it or I went under the car and did an oil change and found it. A clunk could be anything bad ball joints,struts,motor mounts,cv joints,transmission mount,bushings. A rusty frame, engine cradle if it rusted to the point of the engine hitting the ground that would be a clunk
  • time4saxtime4sax Member Posts: 3
    Can you please send a copy of this letter to nextleveltbd@cox.net?

    Thank you.
  • charger3charger3 Member Posts: 210
    letter sent
  • tarrah123tarrah123 Member Posts: 3
    Please send a letter to me at tara.krebs@ocps.net

    thanks so much!
  • smrbrownsmrbrown Member Posts: 1
    edited June 2011
    please email me the letter as well I have an 06 Pacifica with a knocking noise everytime my wheel is turned....smrbrown@yahoo.com
  • sue80sue80 Member Posts: 7
    I just found out from my mechanic that my engine cradle has a hole in it. I have contaced Chrysler and spoken with 3 different customer service specialists who have not been able to find anything about a 10yr/150,000 mile warranty. I was wondering if your letter has any reference numbers on it and/or the name of someone I might contact. Thank you in advance for any help.
Sign In or Register to comment.