The Pacifica has had several recalls – we discuss only 2 of the 5 below. 1/16/2018: Chrysler is recalling 154,000 2017 Pacifica’s (gas-powered models only) for “unexpected stalling” while driving caused by a problem with the engine control module. The recall fix consists of an update to the vehicle’s engine control software. Chrysler will notify owners when the update is available, and dealers will install the update for free. Click here for more information on this recall.
As of 1/16/18 there are 95 complaint reports filed with NHTSA from owners of the 2017 Pacifica (gas-powered model) that the minivan shuts down without warning while driving. When the vehicle shuts down the driver must steer the vehicle – without power steering or brakes – to a location where the vehicle can come to a complete stop, and then can be restarted… a dangerous and difficult task to accomplish. 1/4 of the incidents have happened while driving on the highway! Another 1/4 have happened at intersections. For those wanting to read the reports from Pacifica owners, please see this spreadsheet which we created (all data taken from NHTSA’s complaint reports – which are publicly accessible). We are relieved to see this issue come to recall as this was a disaster waiting to happen. When we became aware of this serious safety issue in late October we reached out to the NYTimes about it – and they ended up writing a fabulous article about the problem, as well as a recent follow-up announcing the recall.
How to tell if your 2017-18 Pacifica is affected by the recall?
The Pacifica comes in a 7 or 8 seater version – with the difference being the addition of a center seat in the 2nd row on the 8 seater version. The 7-seater version is NOT affected by this recall. The 8-seater version IS affected.
What is the recall?
During testing, Chrysler found that when the seat belt in 2C (center seat in the 2nd row) is in use it can accidentally unbuckle the seat belt for 2D (driver’s side seat in the 2nd row). As you can see in the picture, the buckle for 2C is directly on top of (and touching) the buckle for 2D which seems to be how this accidental unbuckling can occur. If you want all the nitty gritty details on this recall, see here.
What is the remedy for this recall?
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a shorter seat belt buckle in 2C, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 20, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler’s number for this recall is T54.
What should you do in the meantime if you have an 8-seater Pacifica?
If you are using the seat belt in 2C for anything – a car seat, a booster, a big kid or an adult – do not use anything in 2D that needs a seat belt.
Here are some ways to get around this problem if you need to have people in 2C and 2D:
Option #1: Install a car seat in 2C using LATCH, which will allow you to keep 2C’s seat belt buckle tucked down and out of the way where it can’t do any harm to 2D. Use seat belt or LATCH for whatever you are putting in 2D.
Option #2: Install a car seat in 2D using LATCH. This gets rid of the risk of accidental unbuckling of 2D as you aren’t even using the seat belt in 2D! Use seat belt or LATCH for whatever you are putting in 2C.
2017-2020 Chrysler Pacifica
Thinking of buying a Chrysler Pacifica? Wanting to fill it up with kids? Here’s what you need to know!
After spending 5 hours in 90 degree heat outside in a Chrysler Pacifica with 13 different car seats and boosters trying different ways to fit 6 kids in this vehicle… here’s what I found.
First, you need to know the abbreviations we’ll be using:
We strongly recommend getting the 8 seater. What’s the difference? The 8 seater has a full seat in the 2nd row center – it’s even got LATCH (lower anchors AND tether anchor) as well as a shoulder belt and head restraint!
If you get the 8 seater and want to take out the 2nd row center seat you can do this easily and store the seat in your garage (this is the only seat that doesn’t do stow-n-go). Sadly, the hybrid models only come in the 7 seater version.
The lower anchors in 3C are overlapped into 3D in a way that if you install a car seat in 3C with the lower anchors you can not put anyone or anything in 3D. So long as you are OK giving up 3D, you may install a car seat in 3C with the lower anchors. However, you can not use the lower anchors to secure a booster in 3C as the booster will sit on top of the seat belt it needs.
The Pacifica has 5 tether anchors and 4 usable lower anchor positions in the 8 seater model. The 2011-2018 Honda Odyssey still beats the Pacifica in this category – as the Odyssey has 6 tether anchors and 5 lower anchor positions (all of which are usable as they are properly aligned with the seat and not halfway into an adjacent seat as Chrysler did in the 3rd row). The Pacifica is better than the current Kia Sedona and Toyota Sienna minivans in that the Sedona & Sienna both have only 3 usable lower anchor positions and 4 tether anchors – and do not offer either lower anchors or a tether anchors in their 2nd row center seats.
If you need to have kids or adults sit in a 3rd row, the minivan is the way to go – and the Pacifica doesn’t disappoint. The most common part of the body injured in a crash is the head – and a key source of injury is the head hitting something hard like the seat in front or the door frame. The 3rd row of most SUVs will carry an increased risk of head injury compared to the 2nd row in that same SUV – as your head is much closer to the seat in front of you in these tight 3rd rows compared to the normally-spaced 2nd rows. The fabulous thing about minivans is that the 3rd row is typically just as roomy as the 2nd row – which means there won’t be an increased risk of head injury. The 3rd row in the Pacifica is just as roomy as that of the Honda Odyssey (a favorite minivan of ours as well). We easily fit a rear-facing Clek Foonf and Nuna Pipa in the 3rd row of the Pacifica & Odyssey (although who in their right mind would want to put a baby in an infant seat, like a Nuna Pipa, in the 3rd row and have to drag the carrier + baby in and out is beyond us). Adults will have lots of leg room in the 3rd row of the Pacifica thanks to the cantilevered 2nd row seats.
Many safety features come standard in ALL Pacifica models – including electronic stability control (ESC) as well as side curtain airbags that cover all 3 rows. Yes, you want side curtain airbags – even with children, even with children in car seats.
There are 3 must-have safety features on the new Pacifica that are options (i.e. not standard equipment) – and they are only available on some, but not all, of the Pacifica trim levels. Please don’t think of these as must-have safety features as optional – make sure to get them as they as they will decrease your likelihood of getting in a crash – and in cases where the crash is unavoidable will decrease the speed of the crash – and represent the most important safety technology we’ve ever seen. The Pacifica earned a Top Safety Pick + from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (their highest rating) specifically because it has the Forward Collision Warning WITH Active Braking.
Forward Collision Warning (FCW) with Active Braking
This will slow, as well as in some instances fully stop, the Pacifica to help prevent a crash. This is the MOST important safety feature to get – as it will do the most to prevent a crash from happening.
This identifies vehicles driving in front of yours and maintains a set distance between you, including Full Stop functionality if necessary. If you do a lot of rush hour driving, this is a game changer!
Important Note: The Hybrid model does NOT have this easy tilt 3rd row access feature (which we refer to as a “car seat safe” tilting feature).
2D and 2P tilt forward for 3rd row access. If you have a car seat installed with LATCH in 2D or 2P you can still tilt the seat forward for 3rd row access!!! This is in contrast to most other vehicles where the mechanism used to gain access to the 3rd row – typically the 2nd row seat slides or tumbles forward – is blocked when you install a car seat in this 2nd row seat.
The easy tilt 3rd row access will NOT work if you install a car seat in 2D or 2P using the seat belt – it will ONLY work if the car seat or booster in 2D/2P is installed with LATCH. Since there are weight limits to the lower anchors, consider choosing a car seat that allows you to install it with LATCH with the heaviest child possible if you will need to keep a car seat in 2D or 2P for a bigger kid and tilt these seats for 3rd row access. The IMMI Go has the highest forward-facing LATCH capacity – allowing a LATCH installation up to a child’s weight of 55 pounds. The Graco Extend2Fit & Tranzitions both allow up to a child’s weight of 45 pounds. In the sections below we’ll discuss the potential problems a car seat in 2C may pose when trying to tilt 2D or 2P.
While the tilting feature is great, the vehicle is limited by the fact that the center seat is narrow and very close to the side seats… which means that most car seats in the center will block the side seats from tilting for 3rd row access. What the Pacifica needs is a wide mode like the Honda Odyssey (2011-2017) offers…
The wide mode in the 2011-2017 Odyssey allows you to put 2 car seats side by side (2D & 2C, or 2C and 2P) and use the empty side seat for easy 3rd row access. There are even a few seats on the market – the IMMI Go & Nuna Pipa & Peg Perego Flex 120 being the best examples – where you can keep the car seat installed in 2D or 2P of the Odyssey and still get the seat to slide for 3rd row access. Here’s a video showing the trick with the Nuna Pipa – and here’s a video of it with the IMMI Go
I brought along 13 seats to try out in the Pacifica. I specifically chose seats that are some of the narrowest on the market as I knew this minivan was narrow on the inside. And before you tell me that all the seats I chose are expensive… I didn’t have much of a choice as the narrow seats tend to be more expensive (I don’t design the seats or set the prices, I can only work with what we have). For families looking to fit fewer children in the minivan, you can likely use wider seats in the outboard seats, but not in the center.
**Important note on boosters shown in this vehicle:
Since doing our evaluation of the Pacifica, we have had more experience with the Peg Perego Flex 120 booster – and we are now not recommending the Peg Perego Flex 120 as in some vehicles the lap belt sits across the child’s belly – which is the exact spot the lap belt should never be. Those same children, in those same vehicles, had excellent belt fit from a Maxi Cosi RodiFix.
Since doing our evaluation of the Pacifica, we have seen research presented at conferences in both the US and Europe and are no longer recommending the Bubble Bum (and do not recommend the Mifold either). Instead, we recommend using the Graco RightGuide as it is similarly narrow but does not have the same concerns as were seen with the Bubble Bum and Mifold.
If I were to re-do this, I’d bring along a few seats that weren’t on the market (or that I didn’t have available at my disposal) in 2016 when I did this:
Stow N’ Go is a standard feature for the 2nd row seats in all models except for the hybrids; Stow N’ Go is not available in the hybrids. With Stow N’ Go, the 2nd row seats can tumble and hide into a compartment under the floor between the front row and 2nd row seats.
https://youtu.be/RCPC7vjopog
2C does not offer Stow N’ Go – but can be easily removed from the vehicle and stored in a garage. Our only complaint about the 2nd row Stow N Go is that because it creates a hollow floor, you can not use a load leg in any of the 2nd row seats. Therefore, when installing the Nuna Pipa or the Cybex Aton2 we had to keep the load leg tucked under the base. In the 3rd row the floor is solid as the Stow N’ Go compartment is behind the 3rd row seats (as opposed to in front of the seat as it is for the 2nd row) – which allowed us to use the load leg when we tried installing these infant seat bases in the 3rd row. However, we aren’t sure who would really want a baby in the 3rd row as getting the infant seat in and out of the 3rd row is a sure way to break your back!
We have a love-hate relationship with 2C. You’ll love 2C as it gives an extra seating position not offered in most other minivans and allows 3-across (with lots of caveats) in the 2nd row. You’ll be ready to kill it because it’s very narrow which means that many car seats installed in 2C will prevent 2D and/or 2P from tilting forward for 3rd row access. We’ve concluded that 2C is best for infant seats using a base, and big kids/adults not needing a booster.
The seat belt buckle for 2C is located right next to the buckle for 2D – in a way that when a car seat is installed in 2C using the seat belt, it will prevent 2D from tilting forward for 3rd row access. Therefore, we recommend a LATCH installation for the seat in 2C if you want any chance of 2D possibly tilting forward.
What did not work in 2C?
Even with a LATCH installation in 2C you probably won’t be able to get either 2D or 2P to tilt at all as most car seats – even the narrow ones – are wider than 2C. The Graco Tranzitions installed securely with LATCH in 2C… but prevented 2D & 2P from tilting. Even the Diono Radian – a narrow seat at just 17 inches – when installed forward-facing with LATCH in 2C prevented both 2D and 2P from tilting.
The Radian did not install securely rear-facing in 2C as the foot on the Radian couldn’t sink into the seat crack of the Pacifica since there was no seat crack in the usual spot.
We found that with the Chicco Key Fit 30 base in 2C with LATCH, while 2P tilted all the way forward, 2D only tilted partially as it caught on the Chicco base.
What worked in 2C?
For example, a Cybex Aton2 installed in 2C with LATCH allowed both 2D and 2P to tilt fully for 3rd row access. When the Cybex Aton2 was installed in 2C with the seat belt, 2D would not tilt at all, while 2P would tilt fully.
With an IMMI Go in 2C installed with LATCH, both 2D and 2P tilted fully but they both scraped the sides of the Go’s arm rests creating friction and increasing the difficulty of tilting 2D and 2P.
So, if you need someone in 2C AND you need both 2D and 2P to tilt for 3rd row access, here’s what you should install in 2C:
Nothing – meaning you should put a big kid who no longer needs a booster or an adult here.
Backless booster:
The Boostapak worked nicely in 2C. There may be other plastic backless boosters that work in 2C – but certainly not the wide ones like the Graco Turbo Booster. Please know that the Safety 1st Incognito was too wide for 2C (and 3C too). We have not tried these, but they are narrower than average: Harmony Youth Booster, Cosco TopSide, Dream on Me Coupe.
Forward-facing 5-point harness:
Clek Foonf forward-facing with rigid LATCH (and the tether, obviously) for a child under 35 pounds works, and will allow 2D to tilt (with some difficulty) and 2P to tilt easily – BUT you can not tilt 2D and 2P at the same time. The Clek Fllo can use LATCH until 40 pounds forward-facing, but we didn’t bring this seat along with us so can’t say whether this will work or not here. Also, for kids over 35 pounds in the forward-facing Foonf you need to add the seat belt in addition to the rigid LATCH – which Chrysler currently does not allow (we’ve emailed them to see if they’ll consider changing their policy and allow the simultaneous use of the lower anchors and the seat belt in the cases where the car seat manufacturer allows this). If Chrysler does start to allow the use of the lower anchors + seat belt at the same time, the forward-facing Foonf installed in 2C with LATCH + seat belt will prevent 2D from tilting (because the 2C buckle overlaps into 2D), but will still allow 2P to tilt fully. Importantly, the Foonf rear-facing in 2C blocked both 2D and 2P from tilting.
IMMI Go – but know that 2D and 2P will scrape the IMMI arm rests making it harder than usual to tilt 2D & 2P for 3rd row access
Rear-facing Convertible:
Honestly, there may not be a rear-facing convertible that works in 2C and allows 2D and 2P to tilt. The rear-facing Diono Radian did not install securely in 2C (this would apply to all Radians and the Olympia, Pacifica, and Rainier as well). While the rear-facing Clek Foonf did install securely in 2C, it completely blocked 2D and 2P from tilting. The Radians and the Foonf are 2 of the narrowest convertible car seats on the market – at just 17 inches wide.
The Combi Coccoro is 15 inches wide, so about 2 inches narrower than the Radians & Foonf – but we didn’t bring the Coccoro along to try so can’t say whether it will work or not. Also, because the Coccoro is very short in the seated height, most kids won’t last in it rear-facing beyond about 2 and a half… so it isn’t a seat for extended rear-facing.
The Cosco Scenera NEXT is also narrow – at about 17.5 inches at its widest point. I did not try this seat out and so am not sure if it will install securely in 2C, or allow 2D or 2P to tilt.
Infant Car Seat
The Nuna Pipa & Cybex Aton2 both installed securely in 2C and allowed 2D and 2P to tilt. We forgot to try the Baby Jogger City Go in 2C (oops!). The Chicco Fit2 also worked nicely – and this is a great option for those looking to extend their time using an infant seat – as it fits the 75th% kid until 24 months (about a year longer than kids fit in most other infant seats).
There was plenty of room to install a large rear-facing convertible (like a Clek Fllo with its anti-rebound bar) in either of these seats and still allow a tall adult sufficient leg room in front.
If you are looking to tilt 2D or 2P for 3rd row access and have installed a rear-facing convertible or infant seat + base, you will need to move the front seat up in order to make the 2nd row seat tilt. If your vehicle has “Stow N’ Go Assist”, this will at the touch of a button move the front seat up sufficiently. This button (called out in green in the image below) is available as a standard feature on the driver & passenger seats on the Touring L-Plus & Limited versions – and is a standard feature just on the driver’s side for the LX, Touring, and Touring-L versions.
These vehicle seats are well suited to car seats using a LATCH installation – as it is only with LATCH that you can tilt these seats for 3rd row access. We did try a seat belt installation with the Diono Radian RXT forward-facing in 2D and 2P and when we used the seat back recline trick we were able to get an easy and very secure installation (see video below of the seat back recline trick).
With a Clek Foonf forward-facing in 2C, we could not get a Nuna Pipa to fit in 2D, but we could get a Cybex Aton2 to fit in 2D.
When installing the Cybex in 2D, we noticed that if we pushed the base as close to the outboard lower anchor as possible before we lowered the Cybex’s belt tensioning plate we were able to keep the Cybex a little farther away from the center seat, and improve our chances of 2D tilting for 3rd row access without interfering with 2C.
With a Nuna Pipa in 2C we could tilt 2P for 3rd row access – but tilting 2D required having a narrower seat in 2D like a Cybex Aton2 and with other wider seats it required taking the infant seat out of the base in order to tilt 2D.
The 3rd row is let’s just say “interesting” for car seats. Compared to the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans that preceded it, the Pacifica’s addition of a full LATCH position (lower anchors AND tether anchor) for 3P is a huge improvement. However, problems still exist.
Chrysler continues to put a set of lower anchors in the 3rd row that are literally smack dab in the middle of both 3D and 3C – meaning that if you install a car seat with these lower anchors, you will obliterate 3D and 3C with one car seat. Another key problem is that there are 3 seats in back, but only 2 tether anchors – one designated just for 3P, and the other one halfway between 3D & 3C that can be used for one of these seats but NOT both. This means that at most you can put 2 forward-facing car seats (where the child uses a 5 point harness as their restraint) safely back here, but not 3 – as 5 point harness forward-facing car seats really need tethers to keep the child’s brain and spine as safe as possible. A tether will decrease how far a forward-facing child’s head moves forward in a crash by at least 4-6 inches!
Another important thing to keep in mind – which is sadly not unique to this minivan – is that 3D & 3P are NOT mirror images of each other. 3P is wider (it is the 40 part of the 60/40 split of the 3rd row bench) than 3D. 3P also has both lower anchors AND a tether anchor.
The roof height was very good in the 3rd row – which allowed the 2 very tall high-back boosters we tried out – the Maxi Cosi RodiFix & Peg Perego Flex – to be used to their highest setting without the child’s head hitting the roof, as sometimes happens in other vehicles with taller kids in boosters.
We were able to fit quite a few different seats in 3C – including a rear-facing Clek Foonf, and the Maxi Cosi RodiFix booster. Notably the Peg Perego Flex booster was too wide at the footprint to fit in the narrow 3C. The Safety 1st Incognito – a low-profile belt positioning device for bigger kids who still need a booster but don’t want the look of a booster – did not fit in 2C or 3C as it was too wide for these narrow center seats. It did however fit in all outboard seats.
If you are installing a car seat in 3P AND want someone to sit in 3C, you will want to select a narrow seat for 3P. The IMMI Go installed with LATCH was a good choice. We found the Nuna Rava when installed with the seat belt also worked well – as due to its true tension door it was able to give a tight seat belt installation with it positioned closer to the door than other car seats could tolerate (and the closer to the door you put the car seat, the more room you have in the center).
When there was a car seat in 3C and I tried to sit in 3D I was able to fit, but I noticed that I had to scoot over such that my head was no longer aligned with the head restraint. If I leaned my head back, it completely missed the head restraint – which means that in a rear end crash I would be highly likely to suffer whiplash. Scooted over as I was, the shoulder belt was into my neck which was uncomfortable.
Why did the Maxi Cosi not fit in 3P if it was LATCHed in? When LATCHed in, the booster sat a little closer to the center seat – whereas when it was simply resting on the vehicle seat (the LATCH was not used) it could sit a little closer to the door and had enough room to fit. While it is great to use LATCH on boosters whenever possible – as it prevents them from becoming a projectile when the child is not in it – there are many instances when putting a booster next to another car seat or booster that you will have to forgo using LATCH on the booster in order to make it fit.
With regard to loading the rear-facing child, you can do this either from the trunk, or by sitting on either of the boosters in the 3rd row before the child riding in the booster climbed in.
With the Clek Foonf rear-facing in 3C, the Maxi Cosi RodiFix did NOT fit in 3D while the Peg Perego Flex 120 did (as shown in the above image).
**Important note on boosters shown in this vehicle:
Since doing our evaluation of the Pacifica, we have had more experience with the Peg Perego Flex 120 booster – and we are now not recommending the Peg Perego Flex 120 as in some vehicles the lap belt sits across the child’s belly – which is the exact spot the lap belt should never be. Those same children, in those same vehicles, had excellent belt fit from a Maxi Cosi RodiFix.
Since doing our evaluation of the Pacifica, we have seen research presented at conferences in both the US and Europe and are no longer recommending the Bubble Bum (and do not recommend the Mifold either). Instead, we recommend using the Graco RightGuide as it is similarly narrow but does not have the same concerns as were seen with the Bubble Bum and Mifold.
While not shown in the picture above, if the Peg Perego Flex 120 booster was placed in 3P it could have been LATCHed in with the rear-facing Foonf next to it in 3C – even though the Maxi Cosi in 3P did not have enough room to LATCH in with the Foonf next to it.
The vehicle head restraints in 3D and 3P are not removable and tip forward – in a way that the Peg Perego Flex 120 fit better with the head rest up, while the Maxi Cosi RodiFix fit best with the vehicle head restraint flipped down. It is critical to mention that these are 2 boosters that have rigid backs that do NOT require the vehicle head restraint to support the child’s head. Many high back boosters are flimsy in the back and do require the vehicle’s seat back to support the child’s head to prevent whiplash injuries.
It will be difficult to get your hands in to buckle the kids in the 3 boosters in back with this set up. You may want to have the child climb into a buckled booster.
The IMMI Go here is installed on top of the seat belt buckle for 3P – so it did not interfere with the 3C buckle as the two buckles are very close to each other.
I was able to fit in the center with the Go and RodiFix on either side as shown above. The seat belt fit me well in 3C.
With the IMMI Go in 3P it was not possible to fit the Maxi Cosi RodiFix next to it in 3C (even though the RodiFix fits in 3C when 3P is kept empty).
If an adult were to try and ride in 3C, they will want the Diono to be installed with LATCH – as we found that when we installed the Diono with the seat belt the seat belt buckle dug into our thigh when we sat in 3C. When doing a LATCH installation in 3P, we sat the Diono on top of the seat belt buckle so it wouldn’t stick into the person in the center.
Installing the Rava with the seat belt was beneficial as it kept the seat closer to the passenger side, which left the center a little wider than it would have been if the Rava was installed with LATCH. The true tension door on the Rava made it easy to get a really tight seat belt installation here.
With the Clek Foonf rear-facing in 3D, there was no problem getting 2D back to its regular position. There was also enough room for me to fit in 3C next to the rear-facing Foonf.
One thing we noticed is that due to how the buckle for 3D and lap belt anchor for 3C are attached in nearly the same location and are covered by this awkward piece of fabric, when you install a car seat tightly in 3D with the seat belt, it tents this awkward piece of fabric.
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