CarComplaints.com Notes: Engine cradle rot is a serious problem in the 2004-05 Chrysler Pacifica. Chrysler admits they didn't apply enough coating to the vehicle's sub-frame during assembly, but only offered to cover a very small portion of the vehicles they messed up.
So what happens when your engine cradle rots? Well, the engine could fall out for starters. It could also cause problems with the suspension and other components but did I mention THE ENGINE CAN FALL OUT? The worst part is you might not know because there's no way to see the problem without getting under the car.
If you have a 2004-05 Pacifica, make sure to have your mechanic inspect your sub-frame for rust and corrosion.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
101,319 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Engine stalls for no reason indicated by engine codes. Vehicle was coming to a stop. Was backing up once. Just idling and stalled. Sometimes when driving it feels as if nothing is happening when I attempt to accelerate. Has done this before the date submitted. Different dates.
I have a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica had new brakes struts done was told my engine cradle is rusted so bad one pothole bump in road my engine could drop out of car endangering my family
Took a short drive. Turned off the vehicle. After a couple minutes smoke and flames were coming out of the hood. Grabbed a fire extinguisher opened the hood and put out the fire on the passenger side. The air filter housing was melted.embers were still spreading along the insulation attached to the hood. Manually removed the spreading embers with some tools. Not sure the cause. Also why is the insulation made of a material that is not fireproof?
The front chassis cross member has rotted out. My 2004 Pacifica has been parked in my driveway over 5 years because the corrosion is so bad I'm afraid to drive it. I've been waiting for a recall to fix this obvious factory defect. The rotted front cross member was pointed out to me during a state inspection in June of 2012
Car started on fire under engine and burned completely down to steal frame. Was driving to akron Ohio from cedar springs mi. Half way through our five hour trip I filled up my gas tank in luna pier oh to continue on. Checked all fluids N temp was fine as well got back on hwy went less then 3 miles and smelled something burning and two poof's of smoke cane from under dash on drivers side and I immediately pulled over to side of hwy, my bf got out N looked under car and there was a small fire, the fire spread very swiftly and was unable to save any personal property we had taken for our weekend getaway. 911 was called N firemen were dispatched as well as paramedics for my bf that had been burned during the incident trying to put the fire out.. we onky had plpd insurance and did not get reimbursed for personal property at all. Not only did we lose the entire vehicle but we lost several personal items we had taken with ys, the Pacifica was packed full.
Sub frame engine cradle rusted to the point the mechanic advised it was not safe to drive any longer. Japanese metal coating issue or Chrysler recall needed? I brought the vehicle in thinking I have a cv shaft going out as it made noise when turning. The mechanic showed me the frame on both side are rusted through and the frame is twisting. The repair would cost more than the worth of the vehicle. We have owned this vehicle since brand new and taken very good care of it. Even the body is rusting badly. Check out the attached news investigation on this issue. www.wfsb.com/story/26363027/problem-Pacificas-A-danger-despite-lack-of-recall
Bought my 2004 Pacifica from a dealership used on June 5 2017 at that time I had the oil changed at the dealership the next day. Nothing said about the cradle almost rusted off on right side. Took Pacifica to get tires cause I planned a 1500 mile trip in a few days and wanted good tires. Needless to say besides $400 in tires I had to put $1800 into parts and labor for struts, tie rods, arms, brake pads, rotors and valve stems. Was shown the rusted cradle that was 3/4 rusted through and told it should get changed but the vehicle was safe to take on my trip. While driving when going 25-35mph with my foot on the gas pedal it chugs like its not getting gas and have also noticed it now when going 55 and taking my foot off the gas pedal it doing the same thing. There's been 4 or so times the fuel indicator has gone down to empty and back up again once while idling in a construction zone and almost died twice. Needless to say brought the vehicle to the dealership for an oil change October 3, they changed oil and did an inspection- my vehicle is no longer safe and need to talk to the dealer who sold me the vehicle. Right side of cradle totally rusted off. So why did they even sell the car when they knew it was unsafe or even sell me part because it was unsafe? dealerships and tire dealerships taking advantage of older people and women! I will be going into both these places and needless to say still paying on the repair with their credit card. I cannot drive an unsafe vehicle and put a few more thousand dollars into it. I also had a new battery put in cause not even a week after purchasing it it wouldn't start and needed an interstate battery! I cannot believe Chrysler is being so negligent about putting a recall on these vehicles. I've only owned Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth vehicles the 44years I been driving.
While going down the highway at 70mph to pick up my son from school the vehicle stopped accelerating (just after putting a half a tank of gas in) and sputtered a bit like it was running out of gas. It would not start back up again and after my husband inspected it and tested the fuel system, says it is not getting fuel to the motor! if I weren't driving where I was and able to pull off on the side of the road I could have killed someone else (like my small child or someone else) or been killed myself. Very scary and awful!
About two months ago I noticed the passenger side floor carpeting was getting wet every time it rained. I took the car to my auto mechanic and determined that the sub frame is coroded from rust and the floor is also damaged with holes in it also caused by rust - the mechanic told me the car could not be salvaged and should be taken to the junk yard since "the car is a ticking time bomb and is extremely unsafe to drive as the sub frame could brake at anytime causing death or serious bodily injury" - I decided to get a second opinion so I contacted an auto body specialist and was given an estimate for $5000 - $6000 to replace subframe and repair the floor damage - I then checked the internet to see if anyone else was having similar issues and discovered there are thousands of chryler Pacificas built from 2004 to 2008 that also have sub frame and cradle rot issues that can cause the engine to drop out of the car but there has been no safety recalls - in conclusion, I dont understand how there are so many of these cars that clearly have a manufactures defect but aren't being recalled due to the serious safety issues found and why Chrysler hasn't had to do anything about it - finally, please note that I am the original owner that purchased the car new in Feb 2005 - the car only has 64,000 miles and is driven locally with only 5,000 miles put on it each year - the body of the car is very good condition and is also very well maintained - I have all service records including $4400 worth of work done in just the past three years alone including new tires, brakes (pads and rotors), exhaust system (cataytic convertor and muffler) tie rods, battery, oil pan, hoses, belts and more. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Engine motor mount, cradle rot, rusted, just found this out when taking in for a brake check up, unrepairable and can no longer drive, just purchased in December 2016.
Our car has been very well taken care of and is in otherwise great condition, but the shop said undercarriage is rusting out so they won't pass it for inspection. I do not even have it paid off so I def. Cannot afford another car! it is so sad that so many are affected and nothing is being done about this issue. Chrysler was negligent and should have to be held liable.
My 2004 Chrysler Pacifica has been taken care of to the max. A resent observation my mechanic revealed the front undercarriage is rotted out and not safe to drive. Being a single women the expense to fix this problem is very disturbing. My vechicle has 120,000 miles on it, and of course it does not meet warrenty requirements. I cannot believe Chrysler did not stand by their products being the fact that so many car owners have had the same issue. A car with 120,000 miles on it should not have a rust problem like this.
The engine cradle rusted and had to be replaced so that the engine did not fall out of the car. Evidently, there was a technical service bulletin for this problem to extend the warranty but that was superseded by another tsb indicating that only Pacifica's manufactured from Feb 23, 2004 to March 31, 2004 are covered. Our Pacifica was manufactured in April, 2003. This is a very common problem with this vehicle and is a safety hazard. The vehicle had a vibration and when I had it checked the mechanic indicated that the engine cradle was rusting through and needed to be replaced or the engine would fall out of the car.
Takata recall vehicle will not stay fired up as soon as soon as throttle is relased car dies immediately, sometimes not starting back up for 15-40 minutes, replaced idle air control, replaced throttle postion sensor, replaced all spark plugs, ran a fuel cleaner, and replaced alternator, car still will not stay turned over and still will nnot idle, if throttle and RPM drop car wil die in traffic sitting in drive way hasn't matterd where happens everywhere
Severe engine cradle perforation due to corrosion which has made operating the vehicle unsafe. The engine cradle (sometimes called the K-member) is corroded to the extent that the stresses and loads from driving and braking are likely to cause the engine cradle to fail catastrophically. The attached photos show the corrosion and perforation damage. This is not a customer maintenance issue.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Holyoke, MA, USA