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Comments
Also the sounds you may have heard like a clicking and clunking could be a motor mount. I had one replaced and so did my friend. Several others at the dealer too.
I love my car other than that. I will post after repair. :sick:
Instead of "Inspiration Comes Standard", Chrysler's logo should be "Clunks Come Standard". If you ever find the cause please let us know how. For now it seems Chrysler dealers don't know how to fix it. The noise is not excessive though. My wife can't hear it. Only mechanically inclined people can hear it. Chrysler test engineers are not mechanically inclined.
What you said about the "normal" noises rings true, since I've now heard this from two different dealers. This is very troublesome and probably means I'll be selling this thing in the next few days. Too bad though, because other than this I enjoy the car. This was my first experiment with buying an American car in 41 years, and I guess I was a bit too hasty.
Oh, and I don't work for Chrysler......I'm a dentist in Houston , Tx. getting ready to pack up my wife and 5 yr old son and head north ahead of Rita, in my Pacifica of course........
Can you please let us know what were the THREE items you had replaced ?
I know about:
TSB 02-007-04 = lower control arms (they replace them, to replace the bushings located inside them), but it doesn't apply to my Pacifica.
Which one is the 2nd TSB, and which one is the 3rd item you had replaced ?
Thanks
Thank you, Don McKinley
Is this the clicking noise that happens on reverse while turning? The reason I'm asking is that I had a clicking popping noise very similar to the TSB dcdchau posted last week. Yes, the sound I had was very annoying but specific in the sense that it only happened while reversing and turning the steering wheel to the right. I've had this clicking sound since I bought the car. I never brought it in for service and decided to monitor it to see what happens. You know what? 2600 miles later, it went away. I don't know what that means but I'm going to keep a watchful eye and ear to this problem. If it went away? Perfect. If it went away and I find that the PTU doesn't work? Problem. I don't know how ongoing this problem is for you. If you've had this problem for a while, print out the TSB and go to another dealer and see if they can help you. Good Luck.
PS On October 19th, my Pac stalled and I've yet to bring it in because I can't duplicate the damn problem and lord knows I tried. Fortunately it has not happened again. I'll see how that goes.
It's a good idea to report the problem to the dealer even if it went away after 2600 miles. If they can not duplicate the problem right now; at least there is a record showing that you complaint about this PTU noise. My PTU has not been replaced but I have a record that I took it in.
The noise is not too bad right now. It's intermittent during normal driving or maneuver in the parking lot. If the noise gets worse, they will have to replace it.
I find that by turning all the way to the right until you can no longer turn the steering wheel, and then shift forward to reverse & reverse to forward; I can hear something banging on the front wheel hub...
Yes, keep the TSB handy. You will need it.
I've filed my lemon law paperwork already anyway. I'm not monkey'g around with an unsafe vehicle. :lemon:
eliminate it. Took it back to dealer today with above problem and also a leaking rear differential. No update on its condition. Anyone else experience similar issues?
####################
Dear Mr. Rodut:
We have received your email of February 23, 2006, regarding your 2005 Chrysler Pacifica. We are sorry to learn of the concern currently affecting your vehicle.
Our dealer network is assisted and supported by DaimlerChrysler Canada to investigate the concerns submitted by our customers. As the manufacturer, we assure that there is no hesitancy on our part to comply
with warranty provisions in the case of an identified defect; however, in the absence of a confirmed abnormality by an authorized dealer, we cannot pursue any service under warranty.
We will continue to honor our warranty obligations; however, we must respectfully decline to grant your request for a refund of your purchase price.
While we regret that we cannot provide a more favorable reply, we appreciate you sharing your concerns with us.
For any future communications related to this email, please refer to the
following information:
REFERENCE NUMBER: 14641717
Sincerely,
Laurie Whitesell
Customer Service Manager
DaimlerChrysler Canadian Customer Assistance Center
###########################
I can't believe my eyes. They say:
" ... however, in the absence of a confirmed abnormality by an authorized dealer ...".
These guys really don't want to hear anything. My dealer tried anything they could, still they can't fix it !!! There is no confirmed abnormality ?!?!?!?! In my complain I had included all the dealer / service contacts, phone numbers etc. The service guys are OK, Chrysler is deaf.
Also Chrysler says:
" ... we cannot pursue any service under warranty ...". So, in other words, you were stupid and bought our defective car, now we wash our hands, we don't even want to service it (the 5th time)!!!
No refund.
It should be against the law to sell Chryslers, like it's against the law to sell other products who lower our quality of life (like drugs for instance).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
NO :sick:
Unfortunately, once you buy a car... you married your dealer service department!!!
I see my dealer more often than one would expect from owning a new car. The ownership experience is awful mostly due to the fact that it takes many many visits to fix one problem. And that is if you are lucky. There are still pending problems with my Pacifica after owning it for exactly a year... I know the feeling and your frustration "rodut". Do not waste your time with Chrysler, I get a dog and I feel better talking to my new pet.
It's time to move on and I just make sure that my next car is not a Chrysler!!!
1) I remember you posted long longtime ago about your front end clunking when driving on snow. If my memory still works, I think that later you posted that they replaced your lower control arms, and that solved the clunking !!! Do you still agree with that statement ? Is your clunking gone for good, or actually it's still there ?
2) Can you define "moving on" ? Do you mean trading the Pacifica for another car, so wasting about CAN$20,000 ? Or you have in mind something more money effective ?
3) What other problems you had with your Pacifica, and when was yours manufactured ?
4) Congratulations for your dog ! Can you please explain me how it helps you not waste time with Chrysler ? The only solutions I can see are the following:
a) buying a dog and simply forgetting about the clunking. Time, money and health effective.
b) Small Claims Court ($10,000 limit, so it could cover about half of the loss if winning. Waste of time and health if losing.
c) Arbitration (CAMVAP). It's funded by manufacturers (fishy), and you have to wave the right to sue. Doesn't sound good.
d) Hire a lawyer and sue. If winning recover most of the losses. If losing (add insult to the injury) the legal fees add to the loss.
Where is Laurheis ?? I must apologize to that lady. Chrysler's attitude completely changed my view about them.
Here is some update for you:
1) Yes and No. The clunking noise went away and come back. It's like intermittent depending on the road surface. The dealer tried everything with all TSBs. The latest visit they re torque the front axle and that that seems to quiet the front end a bit.
2) "Moving on" I meant... learn to live with it and plan for the divorce if you can (trading in, pass it on to another poor soul)
3) A lot, my folder is thick with all the r.o. from the dealer. I have had most of the problems this forum mentioned and more. I can't remember all of my problems, but if my memory is as good as yours, I have problem that is not discussed on this board here such as: Water leaks in the liftgate; water leaks along the roof line; Air bag light on/off as it wishes; a pool of water juggling around in between the firewall and body panel; hissing noise from the belt; drain battery; rattle on driver door; noise from the A-pillar on passenger side... The MDH on my car is 031212. Go figure... it must be the Friday before March break.
4) My dog has nothing to do with this. I just want to tell you how I feel about my dog. It's a very gooooood feeling. I never get angry (this is good for my health) I get angry and frustrated every time I talk to Chrysler (this can't be good for my health)
Well, it's time for me to "move on". Good luck to you.
So yours is a 2004, if March 12 was a Friday. Yes, you are right, it was the Friday before the March break !
I think I will stick around for a while. I still love the thing, and anyway I don't know what to do. And the dealership Service Manager is exactly the kind of guy I like to invite to lunch! Can you believe I miss him ?!? I just hate Chrysler's attitude.
Good luck to you too.
What I hear at low speed over little bumps is a jiggle sound in the front like there might be a loose shock. Had it to local dealer and guess what? There's no problem--everything tight. They had it for the whole day. Took another Pacifica on the lot out with the service manager and it has the sound too!
If I am wrong (and I hope I am wrong) please let us know if you ever get rid of that clunking. The noise doesn't bother me, because it's barely audible. What bothers me is the fact that I don't know what it is.
I have a love/hate relationship with this car. I was going to keep it 2 more years for our son to drive at 16, but I'm not so sure anymore.
If not, then call corporate. Being only 3k miles out of warranty, they very well may take care of it.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I know you post here since longtime ago, so I am amazed at your lack of knowledge ! Who cares when maxmom reported the clunking the 1st time ?! I reported my clunking when my Pacifica had 200 miles ! Who cares about the warranty ? Definitely not Chrysler ! Warranty or not, the Pacificas will continue to clunk for the rest of their lives ! You advise her to "call corporate" ?!?! She can call Chrysler till blue in the face, that won't change anything. I posted sometime ago the "f...k you" answer I got when I contacted Chrysler.
Dr. Z said yesterday in a commercial that they invented the automobile ! Well ... I would say that the previous generation invented the automobile. This generation can't make a silent suspension ! I stopped bugging my dealer service department. They are not guilty.
Maxmom,
I agree with you, because I never found somebody who was able to get rid of the clunking. The people who state that they have no clunking, actually don't have the right combination of: street bumps/potholes, low speed, and hearing accuracy. Like my wife for instance, who wouldn't hear if a wheel would be missing.
If the steering rack is faulty, you definitely should replace it, doesn't matter what. Steering is definitely something to be afraid of. I suspect that after replacing it, your Pacifica will go back to the initial "ignorable" level of clunking. Please confirm that, after you replace it.
Me, I have a love/ignore relationship, not a love/hate relationship. Except the clunking, it's the nicest car on the planet. If it would be available without the clunking as a standard feature, I would buy a 2nd Pacifica for myself. But unfortunately:
"CLUNKING COMES STANDARD" at Chrysler. When they say "Inspiration Comes Standard", they actually mean "Clunking" !
let's see... Chrysler, the dealer, the law. If you complain about something while under warranty, then its fixed under warranty (even if you are out of warranty by that time). If this was NOT the case, then dealerships could simply deny of any problems until the car goes out of warranty and then say, "oh, yeah, now we see all the problems. That'll be $3,000 please!"
You advise her to "call corporate" ?!?!
Yup. If you read around a bit, you'll find a great many people who have had problems fixed for free out of their warranty period by calling corporate. Car companies don't WANT disatisfied customers.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
gbrozen, you say: "... Chrysler, the dealer, the law ...".
Well, historically Chrysler didn't exactly care about customer satisfaction. Actually they sell "deals", not cars, so our satisfaction doesn't really matter.
About the dealer, yes, he cares, but they are unable to fix it. If a certain part is not perfect by design, there is nothing the dealer can do. Even if they would find it, they would replace a defective part with another defective part. Not effective, right ?
There is no lemon law in Canada. Here even if the Service Manager writes on the order that the 200 miles car clunks, nobody will care about it. Warranty ? What's that ???
Me, I think Chrysler knows what the problem is, but doesn't want to spend the money to fix it. If, as tristan1 says, 1 in 9 people can hear his Pacifica clunking, why Chrysler would bother fixing it ? Anyway 8 in 9, so 88% can't hear an obvious clunking, so 88% of the customers will be happy anyway, clunking or not !
I got an 04 PAC for my wife two years ago, and she/we loved it so much that we traded it in for a fully-loaded 06 PAC Limited back in February. We have NOT experienced any of the problems on either vehicle that many have complained here and I'm not hard of hearing (I'm a trained classical musician).
I believe this is more of a production problem than a design flaw ~ just my two cents!
Well of course your satisfation matters. If they did not have satisfied customers, they would be out of business. And I am not familiar with the history you refer to. If its your personal history ... well, that's your personal history. If they do happen to ignore you, it doesn't mean that's what they do for everyone.
I'm sorry to hear your countries laws do not require a manufacturer to stand behind their product. Makes shopping for anything there very difficult, I would think. Anyway, maxmom lives in the US, so my reply to her still stands.
Anyway, all of this talk has reminded me that we had a clunking noise for a little while. It went away on its own, though.
I then had a squeaking/grinding kinda noise. Turned out to be the driver's seat. That also went away on its own, though.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
DO NOT KEEP THIS CAR FOR MORE THAT 45000 MILES - You will thank me later. AWD system is still new and need to be proven in a 100,000 miles hard driven research!!!!!
:lemon: The clunking sound comes from the "CV joint" under the car. They have to take off all four wheels to tighten the "CV Joint". A $175 Quoted first and then $300 after the job, we paid the $175 but I never heard a CV joint getting loose in 2 years of having a car. Never heard the CV bar joint (Old school: Universal Joint) under a car getting loose period.
But apparently, Its that bar that connects the engine to the rear wheels. The problem is obvious in the AWD of ALL PACIFICA's. And FWD too. This problem will not go away, it will continue to be a problem for the long life of the Pacifica. Clear indication AWD is new and not proven for long-life duration.
The problem happens when the car hits a lot of BUMPS AND POT HOLES wherever you live. And even you don't have bumps, you will have a problem with the CV Joint.
I spent $500 in changing the two front brakes already and I know the two rear brakes will be soon to go too.
:lemon: Now here comes another problem, the stalling of the Pacifica at inopportune moments especially slowing at a "stop" light. The "gas gauge" does not read correctly.
Problem: When the gas gauge is half reading, it will suddenly drop to "E" for empty and you get the stalling again.
:sick: But the wierd thing though is when you fill it with gas to a Full tank. The car do not take the amount of gas you think it should take, it takes less and it is filled to the cover. At the station here in MA, gas is about $3.00 a gallon and you know in the mind to full a empty Pacifica it's around $56.00 but it actually will full for only $44.00, THE WIERDEST THING IN A CAR I ever encountered.
Its in the shop for a third time with this problem as I type.
Now I have heard people have a problem with the "Gas Tank" that when debris hit the gas tank it leaves holes in the tank that the naked eye can't see. But yet to be seen.
My wife loves the Pacifica but I will never hold this one after the LEASE is up in 2007.
Anyway, we leased ours because I don't trust the resale value or chrylser transmissions, but so far ours has been a pleasure. We've had it for 11 months now. 25 more to go. I'm hoping for a diesel Pac by the time we need to turn this one back in.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
How can it clunk, if it's not there ?!
I don't want to offend anybody, but I think that people without ELEMENTARY car knowledge should only post about color preferences, or stuff like that. It lowers the credibility of the Edmunds site, if readers read such ... opinions.
:P I don't hear it no more when shifting from park to drive. And guess what all other readers in here have had similiar problems. And FWD do have a bar but it is only smaller if you LOOK UNDER THE CAR YOURSELF, it might connect differently but others are having the same noise.
:sick: Now excuse me, I have a gas pump or tank problem now!!!!