Chrysler Pacifica: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Chrysler Pacifica: 9 model years scored from 3,690 NHTSA owner complaints and 84 recall campaigns. Worst year 2017, best year 2020.
Chrysler Pacifica: which years to avoid
Across 9 scored model years the Chrysler Pacifica ranges from 26/100 in 2017 to 80/100 in 2020 — a 54-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Pacifica at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (521 of them).
Avoid: 2017, 2018 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2019, 2020, 2024, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
The Pacifica launched for 2017 with the nine-speed automatic and a new electrical architecture, and its first year carries nearly 1,500 complaints: stalling, the transmission, the sliding doors, the Uconnect screen and, on the plug-in hybrid, a recall for fire risk. The 2018 year is only somewhat better. The 2019–2020 cars score 70 and 80, and the 2022–2025 years are moderate. The plug-in hybrid has its own recall history and should be checked separately at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Read the guide
Used minivans compared: Odyssey, Sienna, Pacifica, Grand Caravan and Town and Country — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the Pacifica changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2017–2018
Mean score 27/100, about 138 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (892 complaints). 15 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2019–2025
Mean score 68/100, about 43 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (437 complaints). The record improves by 41 points against the years before it. 29 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2020 (score 80). Worst: 2017 (score 26, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 72 | BUY | $3,893 | 27 | 9 |
| 2024 | 72 | BUY | $3,910 | 41 | 11 |
| 2023 | 59 | CAUTION | $4,622 | 152 | 12 |
| 2022 | 62 | CAUTION | $4,778 | 206 | 10 |
| 2021 | 58 | CAUTION | $5,330 | 366 | 7 |
| 2020 | 80 | BUY | $4,612 | 168 | 5 |
| 2019 | 70 | BUY | $5,180 | 354 | 7 |
| 2018 | 28 | AVOID | $6,407 | 862 | 12 |
| 2017 | 26 | AVOID | $7,696 | 1,514 | 11 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Pacifica, through the years →
Pacifica sub-models & family
What goes wrong on the Chrysler Pacifica
Across every Pacifica model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine1,306 complaints across all Pacifica years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System1,111 complaints across all Pacifica years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train991 complaints across all Pacifica years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Steering519 complaints across all Pacifica years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Unknown Or Other516 complaints across all Pacifica years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Fuel/Propulsion System176 complaints across all Pacifica years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Chrysler Pacifica years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2017, 2018 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2017 is the weakest at 26/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Chrysler Pacifica years to buy?
2019, 2020, 2024, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2020 at 80/100, on 168 complaints and 5 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Chrysler Pacifica problem?
1,306 of the complaints filed against the Pacifica across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04