Chrysler Pacifica reliability by year
41 recall campaigns and 6,124 owner complaints across 14 model years. Best year to buy: 2008. Year to avoid: 2018.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 6 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2005, 2008, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 14 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 94, more than the 41 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Pacifica aggregated across 14 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Chrysler Pacifica?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2008 Chrysler Pacifica scores 7.8/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2026 range. 102 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Chrysler Pacifica year should I avoid?
The 2018 Chrysler Pacifica scores 4.4/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 859 owner complaints with NHTSA, 12 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2018 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Chrysler Pacifica should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2018 (avoid — the electrical system — 7 fire-related complaints and 4 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2007 (avoid — the steering — 5 fire-related complaints and 1 crash-related complaint on the steering); 2023 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 4.8/10 — below the segment average); 2019 (high-risk ownership — electrical system: 78 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 13,860–48,000 mi); 2017 (high-risk ownership — cruise-control: 43 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 10,000–32,000 mi); 2006 (high-risk ownership — electrical system: 39 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 48,000–150,000 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2008, 2025, 2024, 2022, 2021, 2020. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Chrysler Pacifica are tracked?
14 model years (2005 through 2026) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 41 distinct recall campaigns and 6,124 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 94 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Chrysler Pacifica?
powertrain is the most-reported category — 1,210 complaints across 13 model years. Average shop repair runs about $2,500.