Model Year Index

Which Chrysler Pacifica Plug-IN years to avoid

Across 5 scored model years, the 2018, 2017 and 2020 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Chrysler Pacifica Plug-IN Full report
F
Grade 2017–2021
2018 vs model median 3.8×
Model median3× median
Fuel System 50
Engine 46
Electrical 45
Avoid

2017 · 2018

Best

2019 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2017
1.00× 54 D
2018
3.85× 237 F
2019
0.80× 58 B
2020
1.61× 96 D
2021
0.51× 38 B
2022 P
4.06× 219 F
2023 P
1.30× 77 C
2024 P
0.93× 48 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2017 D 54 reports · median 8,000 mi

  1. Engine 11

    New 2017 chrysler pacifica hybrid with 270 miles stalled on a busy intersection and won't turn on. The vehicle was in motion when it lost power and came to a complete stop. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 11

    Had the car for 23 hours. Less than 5000 miles. After pulling the car to the end of the driveway and 3/4 of the way into our road it began to shake violently, so much so that one of our daughters burst in to tears (the… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Drivetrain 9

    Driving on interstate when the car basically lost forward drive in the middle of the highway. Was in traffic, going approximately 5mph with the adaptive cruise control on, braked for slowing traffic and on trying to… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

2 crash · 3 fire · 2 injuries

2018 F 237 reports · median 5,000 mi

  1. Fuel System 50

    We were driving car at 25 MPH on busy city road in gas mode (not electric mode) when the power steering and accelerator stopped working. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Engine 46

    I purchased the 2018 chrysler pacifica hybrid in december 2018. In february 2018 at about 3500 miles, the vehicle's engine light turned on and the engine sounded loud. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 45

    I was passing a slow moving motor home on state road 19 ocala national forest . In the middle of my pass the engine cut off. I had enough speed to finish my pass safely and pull to the side of road. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

5 crash · 15 fire

The best year for the Pacifica Plug-IN

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring Pacifica Plug-IN model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 83.9 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 0.51× 38 B
2019 0.80× 58 B
2020 1.61× 96 D

Recalls

6 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Treat that as a minimum. NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name, so its campaigns are collected one trim at a time and the list may be short of the full count.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
19V143000 SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM 2018 47,771
20V334000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH 2017–2020 23,079
22V077000 Park it HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM 2017, 2018 16,741
18V740000 HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM 2017, 2018 10,260
17V371000 HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER 2017 1,375
17V375000 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS 2017 100

Recall work is free at any franchised dealer, whoever owns the car and however old it is. Check a specific car’s VIN on NHTSA’s register before you buy — an unrepaired campaign is among the most commonly missed items on a used vehicle. One campaign here carries a Park It or Park Outside warning, which means NHTSA advised owners to stop driving or parking the vehicle indoors until the work was done.

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2018 were reported at a median of 5,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Chrysler Pacifica Plug-IN years should you avoid?
2018, 2017, 2020 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Chrysler Pacifica Plug-IN model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Chrysler Pacifica Plug-IN?
2021 is the best-scoring Chrysler Pacifica Plug-IN model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 83.9 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Chrysler Pacifica Plug-IN have?
At least 6 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Chrysler Pacifica Plug-IN model years — a minimum, because NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name and its campaigns have to be collected one trim at a time. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2018 Pacifica Plug-IN
Complaints in window
237
Severity-weighted
409.5
Model median (weighted)
107
vs model median
3.85×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
6
Open investigations
2
Score 3.3 F