Chrysler Pacifica Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2017 At least twice the 204 complaints of a typical Pacifica year. Most described: stalling.
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2019, 2020, and 2023 drew under three quarters of the 204 complaints of a typical Pacifica year. The 2019 and 2023 are each named in an open NHTSA investigation. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2017 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best rating for a gas version, 22 mpg combined, arrived in 2017 and has held since. The plug-in hybrid gets up to 32 mpg on gas alone. Includes the Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid.

Pacifica problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Pacifica year drew 204 complaints in its first three years: the median of its ranked years. Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year (204), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2017 Pacifica Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	669	1,625	17
2018 Pacifica Most described: stalling or shutting off	356	1,125	16
2021 Pacifica Most described: stalling or shutting off	207	407	8
2022 Pacifica Most described: stalling or shutting off	204	338	10
2023 Pacifica Most described: stalling or shutting off	132	196	14
2019 Pacifica Most described: stalling or shutting off	93	363	9
2020 Pacifica Most described: stalling or shutting off	55	234	7

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Pacifica for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Chrysler dealers.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	5	11
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	10	32
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	11	75
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	14	196
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	10	338
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	8	407
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	7	234
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	9	363
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	16	1,125
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	17	1,625

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately. MPG by year lists both ratings.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2017: 1,625 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Chrysler Pacifica
Model year	Complaints
2017	1,625
2018	1,125
2019	363
2020	234
2021	407
2022	338
2023	196
2024	75
2025	32
2026	11

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 22 mpg (every year from 2017 to 2026).

2026: gas 22 mpg

Show as a table

Chrysler Pacifica best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2017	22
2018	22
2019	22
2020	22
2021	22
2022	22
2023	22
2024	22
2025	22
2026	22

Every Pacifica year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Chrysler Pacifica vs Honda OdysseyMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Chrysler Pacifica years should you avoid?

The 2017 Pacifica is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 204 owner complaints of a typical Pacifica year in its first three years. Owners of the 2017 most often describe stalling. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Chrysler dealers.

What are the best Chrysler Pacifica years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2019, 2020, and 2023 drew under three quarters of the 204 complaints of a typical Pacifica year. The 2019 and 2023 are each named in an open NHTSA investigation. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Chrysler Pacifica years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2017 (669) drew the most, then the 2018 (356). Owners of the 2017 most often describe stalling or shutting off.

Which Chrysler Pacifica years have the most recalls?

The 2017 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (17), then the 2018 (16). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Five recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired, covering 2017 to 2023 models. Each year's recalls page lists them first.

What are the most common Chrysler Pacifica problems?

In the 4,406 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2017 to 2026 models, owners most often describe stalling or shutting off (975 complaints, most of them for the 2017, 2018, and 2022); loss of power or limp mode (554 complaints); and jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (356 complaints, most of them for the 2017). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Chrysler Pacifica year has the best MPG?

Among gas versions, the best EPA rating is 22 mpg combined, first reached in 2017 and matched by every year since. The plug-in hybrid does better: 32 mpg on gas alone, first in 2017, and up to 84 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.