Lemberg Law is investigating complaints that the 2017 and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV has a power inverter module that fails, causing the vehicle to lose all power. There is also an issue with the unavailability of parts for the repair. Vehicle owners report that while Chrysler has acknowledged the problem and recalled 1,375 2017 and 2018 hybrid minivans, the parts required to do the repair are not available
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There is a major problem with the inverter module in the 2017 and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV. Owners have complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the hybrid minivan suddenly loses power for no obvious reason. Most drivers aren’t able to restart the vehicle when this happens. A couple of early complaints state that dealers undertook repairs, but these haven’t necessarily been successful.
Additionally, following the June 2017 recall by Chrysler of 1,375 vehicles potentially affected by power inverter module failure, there are more problems. More than 5 years later, owners complain that they haven’t been able to get the free repair. This is simply because the parts needed for it are not available.
Essentially, the issue is that the PHEV’s power inverter module might fail. In its recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number 17V371000 dated June 9, 2017, Chrysler states that this is “due to overvoltage.”
Strangely, even though the recall affects 2017 and 2018 vehicles, it is not included on the NHTSA page for the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV. Nevertheless, 2 of the 39 hybrid propulsion system complaints about the 2018 model relate directly to power inverter module failure. Both complaints were made in 2019.
There are 9 hybrid propulsion system complaints about the 2017 model, and all of them relate directly to the power inverter module. While only 1 mentions failure, all 9 of them complain that the recall repair is not available. These complaints were made between August 2017 and August 2022.
They all state that the manufacturer has exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
Here are examples of complaints from 2017 and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV owners who have experienced power inverter module failures.
The owner of a 2017 PHEV from Arizona complained in July 2022 that while driving at about 50 mph the vehicle stalled. The charging malfunction warning light was illuminated. It took 1.5 to 2 hours before the owner could restart the vehicle. He didn’t take it to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired but was aware of the problem, having received the recall notification. However, the VIN tool confirmed that the necessary parts for repair were not available.
The owner of a 2018 PHEV from California was driving at 60 mph on the freeway when the “vehicle lost engine power without warning and was no longer responsive to (the) gas pedal.” The hybrid minivan was only two weeks old at the time. It was out of service for more than 2 weeks while the dealership did a software update. But 3 months later the issue occurred again. When the complaint was filed, the vehicle had been out of service for 19 days. The dealership had ordered a new power inverter module.
Lemberg Law is investigating the power inverter module failure and lack of parts to repair 2017 and 2018 PHEVs. The fact that there are vehicles with failing power inverter modules indicates that there are likely lemons out there.
So, if you had problems, either with the module failing or not being able to get the repair you may want to contacting us. All you need to do is complete our case evaluation form or call our Helpline. We will immediately evaluate your case to see if you qualify.
Remember, our services are free because the law states that Chrysler must pay the legal bills for all lemon law cases.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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