NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Defect Petition DP17-003: Stall/Loss of Motive Power
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition DP17-003 on December 1, 2017 and closed it on March 1, 2018. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica for it and links recall 18V-049 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- DP17-003 (also written DP17003)
- Investigation type
- Defect Petition A petition asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; NHTSA grants or denies it, and granting one opens an investigation.
- Status
- Closed March 1, 2018
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Components
- Engine; Engine and Engine Cooling — Engine — Gasoline
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 18V-049: Engine Stall Due to Software Issue, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Defect Petition DP17-003.
By letter dated November 30, 2017, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requesting it open an investigation into allegations of engine stalling in the model year (MY) 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, a new vehicle platform. In support of its petition, CAS cited 57 NHTSA complaints alleging an engine stall in the subject Pacifica vehicles, in addition to other information it provided.
On December 1, 2017, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition 17-003 as requested by CAS.ODI sent an information request letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the manufacturer of the subject Pacifica vehicles, on December 12, 2017 requesting information related to engine stalling in Pacificas.
The letter requested FCA provide the information by January 23, 2018.
On January 11, 2018, and after technical discussions with ODI, FCA filed a defect information report advising the agency that it would conduct a safety recall of certain MY2017 Chrysler Pacificas to address a condition resulting in engine stalling without warning.
The recall would address nearly 154,000 MY2017 Pacificas manufactured with engine control software that did not contain a routine intended to address loss of crankshaft position information required to keep the engine from stalling.
FCA noted the condition could lead to a stall without illuminating a Malfunction Indicator Lamp, and without setting any Diagnostic Trouble Code.
Given these conditions, dealer technicians would be unable to properly diagnose, much less correct the cause of the stalling, which resulted in additional stalling events and significant consumer frustration.
ODI reviewed consumer complaints it received through the date of FCA's recall filing and identified 88 alleging engine stalling.
The ODI complaints generally describe stalling that occurs at low engine (RPM) and/or vehicle speeds, and are consistent in that regard with most of the 445 reports FCA provided.
Also both the ODI and FCA reports note that the engine could be readily restarted after stalling.
Both circumstances are consistent with the root cause FCA identified and is conducting a recall to address.
Additionally, FCA was able to identify an older vehicle population that used the same engine as the MY2017 Pacifica, however the vehicles were manufactured with the remedy level software; according to FCA reports of stalling in this population were significantly lower.
No crash or injury reports were identified in either the ODI or FCA reports.
Certain MY2017 and all MY2018 Pacificas were manufactured with the remedy level software and are thus not included in the recall action.
In view of the recall action FCA has announced, ODI considers the petition moot and is closing the action without a grant or deny decision.
The closing of the petition does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.
Reference (ODI) numbers for the above NHTSA complaints:11060960, 11060808, 11060711, 11057809, 11057520, 11057493, 11057171, 11057169, 11057025, 11055566, 11055031, 11054808, 11054746, 11054717, 11054274, 11054085, 11053669, 11053588, 11053553, 11053322, 11052905, 11052892, 11052654, 11052336, 11051390, 11051158, 11048832, 11048728, 11048720, 11048661, 11048626, 11048175, 11047936, 11047831, 11047793, 11047687, 11047684, 11047399, 11045061, 11042619, 11040610, 11040502, 11040294, 11039494, 11035468, 11034698, 11033417, 11032016, 11030729, 11029903, 11025266, 11025119, 11023691, 11023539, 11022835, 11022154, 11021223, 11019457, 11016083, 1101
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Defect Petition DP17-003. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Chrysler
Chrysler Pacifica
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Chrysler VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for DP17-003
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.