U.S. public vehicle records

2008 Chrysler PACIFICA problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

102 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

78,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2008 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 90 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 24 of 102 complaints (23.5%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Engine operation	22	21.6%
Steering behavior	17	16.7%
Braking behavior	14	13.7%
Transmission and shifting	12	11.8%
Electrical and battery issues	11	10.8%
Fuel system concerns	5	4.9%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System

Engine

Power Train

Steering

Engine And Engine Cooling

Unknown Or Other

Structure:Body

Suspension

Electrical System: 24; Engine: 21; Power Train: 11; Steering: 10; Engine And Engine Cooling: 9; Unknown Or Other: 9; Structure:Body: 8; Suspension: 8

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 12; 25,000 to 49,999: 5; 50,000 to 74,999: 23; 75,000 to 99,999: 18; 100,000 to 149,999: 24; 150,000 and above: 8

100,000 to 149,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (24). 12 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2023

2026

2008: 4; 2009: 4; 2010: 7; 2011: 4; 2012: 7; 2013: 11; 2014: 16; 2015: 12; 2016: 11; 2017: 10; 2018: 8; 2019: 5; 2023: 2; 2026: 1

Pattern summary

Electrical System leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 22 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 17 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 14 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10238466 · 2008-08-16 (August 16, 2008)

2008 CHRYSLER PACIFIA, ALL WD, TOURING EDITION, PURCHASED, MAY 20, 2008 WITH 30 MILES ON VEHICLE - FROM SHOWROOM FLOOR - CASH PAYMENT - $33,000.00 +...... NO WARNING!!! (1ST TIME)JUNE 18, 2008, WHILE DRIVING, ENGINE DIED, LOSS OF POWER STEERING & BRAKES. (NEAR 1300 MILES) APPROX 1/8 MILES FROM ENTERING ROUTE 80 (MAJOR HIGHWAY) --NEARLY CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. CAR REFUSED TO STAY STARTED AND THEN NOTHING!! 2ND TIME - AUGUST 7, 2008, (APPROX 3000 MILES) EXACT SAME THING!!! ALMOST TO ROUTE 80...AND ALMOST ANOTHER ACCIDENT, DUE TO NO BRAKES AND…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10238466 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10241917 · 2008-09-11 (September 11, 2008)

VEHICLE PURCHASED NEW JAN 08, CURRENTLY HAS 21,000 MILES, WHILE DRIVING APPROX. 30 MPH, ALL POWER WAS LOST, CAR STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. ABLE TO RESTART AND DRIVE APPROX 300 FEET, CAR SHUT DOWN SECOND TIME. TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, WHERE FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REPLICATE PROBLEM. ALL POWER STEERING WAS LOST. WE HAVE LOST ALL PEACE OF MIND. TERRIFIED TO DRIVE CAR IN TRAFFIC. LONG LIST OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS CAN BE FOUND ON INTERNET ON PREVIOUS PACIFICA MODELS. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 21,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10241917 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10223210 · 2008-04-02 (April 2, 2008)

WE JUST PURCHASED A 2008 CHRYSLER PACIFICA. THE ELECTRIC DRIVER'S SEAT POSITIONING MODULE, LOCATED ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR, FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, MOVING THE SEAT UNCONTROLLABLY FORWARD, CRUSHING ME AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL AND DASH SO THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER OR TO PLACE MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. IT WAS SNOWING HEAVILY AND I COULD NOT IMMEDIATELY PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY. HAD I CRASHED AT THAT TIME, THE AIR BAG WOULD HAVE INJURED OR KILLED ME, SINCE MY CHEST WAS TRAPPED TIGHTLY AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL. I WOULD ALSO HAVE BEE…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,750 miles reported. Look up ODI 10223210 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10285131 · 2009-09-24 (September 24, 2009)

PURCHASED A 2008 CHRYSLER PACIFICA WITH APPROXIMATELY 32K MILES ON IT. THE CAR WAS "CERTIFIED" BY CHRYSLER. AT APPROXIMATELY 44K MILES THE ENGINE WOULD BANG WHEN SHIFTING OUT OF PARK TO REVERSE OR DRIVE. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER THE ENGINE MOUNTS WERE TORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD ENGINE MOUNTS ARE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE IT'S CONSIDERED NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND IT WOULD BE AROUND $700 TO FIX. I REVIEWED THE CHRYSLER OWNER'S MANUAL AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT MENTIONS MOTOR MOUNTS NEEDING INSPECTION FOR WEAR AND TEAR. THE S…

Owner-reported narrative. 46,420 miles reported. Look up ODI 10285131 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10288743 · 2009-10-17 (October 17, 2009)

YOU COULD ACTUALLY FEEL THE BUMP IN THE STEERING WHEEL AT INITIAL ACCELERATION AS THE MOTOR MOUNTS CONTINUED TO GET WORSE. GENERATED A VERY METALLIC NOISE IN THE TRANSMISSION AS WELL. MOTOR MOUNTS HAD TO BE REPLACED. IT'S HARD TO TELL WHAT RESIDUAL EFFECTS THIS WILL HAVE ON THE VEHICLE SINCE THIS HAS AFFECTED THE OVERALL ALIGNMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION, STEERING ETC. I'VE SPOKEN WITH OTHER OWNERS THIS HAS HAPPENED TO. APPARENTLY, THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE CAR MODEL, 04-05. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10288743 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10451072 · 2012-03-10 (March 10, 2012)

THE VEHICLE'S CHARGING SYSTEM INCLUDES A HEAVY GAUGE WIRE WHICH RUNS FROM THE ALTERNATOR FEED POST TO THE STARTER WIRING HARNESS, WHICH THEN CHARGES THE VEHICLE, AS THE STARTER WIRING HARNESS THEN RUNS DIRECTLY TO THE BATTERY. NONE OF THIS WIRING APPEARS TO HAVE A CIRCUIT BREAKER OR FUSE INLINE. THIS PARTICULAR WIRE WHICH RUNS BETWEEN THE ALTERNATOR AND THE STARTER IS ROUTED THROUGH SEVERAL BUNDLES OF OTHER WIRES, AND MAKES A HARD BEND IN ONE LOCATION WHERE A BUNDLE IS SECURED TO THE FRAME. THIS WIRE FORCED ITSELF OUT OF THE BUNDLE, AND THEN…

Owner-reported narrative. 40,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10451072 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10466975 · 2012-07-22 (July 22, 2012)

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE IN PUBLIC PARK, ENGINE STALLED AND BEGAN TO SMOKE WITH WHITE SMOKE. VEHICLE CUT OFF AND ALL ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS STOPPED. UPON EXAMINATION LOOKS AS IF THE WIRING BUNDLE JUST IN FRONT OF FAN HAD MELTED TOGETHER AND STOPPED BATTERY CHARGING COMPLETELY. VEHICLE WILL NOT HOLD A CHARGE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 22,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10466975 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10465691 · 2012-07-15 (July 15, 2012)

GAS GAUGE SHOWED 1/3 FULL & IT SUDDENLY DROPPED TO EMPTY. "MILESTO EMPTY" WENT FROM 142 TO 14, THEN 6. UPON STARTING THE CAR THE NEXT MORNING, FUEL GAUGE SHOWED 1/3 FULL THEN DROPPED TO EMPTY AGAIN. "MILES TO EMPTY" SHOWED 2. I DROVE 8 MILES THEN ADDED 14 GALLONS OF GAS TO FILL THE 23 GALLON TANK. IT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 5 TIMES SINCE THEN. ONE MECHANIC TOLD ME I HAD TO BRING IT IN WHEN IT WAS HAPPENING AS IT WAS A SENSOR ISSUE. ANOTHER TOLD ME THE CAR ACTUALLY HAS TWO GAS TANKS & THE FUEL PUMP VACUUM WAS PROBABLY NOT PICKING UP THE FUEL …

Owner-reported narrative. 50,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10465691 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10532649 · 2013-07-30 (July 30, 2013)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHRYSLER PACIFICA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REFUELING, FUEL SPEWED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYED INCORRECT FUEL LEVELS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE FUEL TANK HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 130,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10532649 at NHTSA ↗