Chrysler Pacifica 2004–2008
1st generation (crossover) · Chrysler CS
NHTSA data through 13 August 20264,826 complaints, 4,024 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 4,024
- Median of reported failures
- 96,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Body structure (20.3%)
- Recalls
- 0
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 58,000 and 128,000 miles.
Figure 1 · Chrysler Pacifica 2004–2008 · 4,024 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 5,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 212 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 82 complaints (2.0%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 21,150
- 25%
- 58,000
- Median
- 96,125
- 75%
- 128,000
- 90%
- 155,797
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5,000 | 190 | 4.7% |
| 5,000–10,000 | 62 | 1.5% |
| 10,000–15,000 | 61 | 1.5% |
| 15,000–20,000 | 62 | 1.5% |
| 20,000–25,000 | 79 | 2.0% |
| 25,000–30,000 | 60 | 1.5% |
| 30,000–35,000 | 70 | 1.7% |
| 35,000–40,000 | 75 | 1.9% |
| 40,000–45,000 | 87 | 2.2% |
| 45,000–50,000 | 87 | 2.2% |
| 50,000–55,000 | 104 | 2.6% |
| 55,000–60,000 | 100 | 2.5% |
| 60,000–65,000 | 114 | 2.8% |
| 65,000–70,000 | 109 | 2.7% |
| 70,000–75,000 | 117 | 2.9% |
| 75,000–80,000 | 137 | 3.4% |
| 80,000–85,000 | 173 | 4.3% |
| 85,000–90,000 | 149 | 3.7% |
| 90,000–95,000 | 125 | 3.1% |
| 95,000–100,000 | 150 | 3.7% |
| 100,000–105,000 | 212 | 5.3% |
| 105,000–110,000 | 132 | 3.3% |
| 110,000–115,000 | 169 | 4.2% |
| 115,000–120,000 | 148 | 3.7% |
| 120,000–125,000 | 160 | 4.0% |
| 125,000–130,000 | 137 | 3.4% |
| 130,000–135,000 | 149 | 3.7% |
| 135,000–140,000 | 66 | 1.6% |
| 140,000–145,000 | 107 | 2.7% |
| 145,000–150,000 | 107 | 2.7% |
| 150,000–155,000 | 115 | 2.9% |
| 155,000–160,000 | 59 | 1.5% |
| 160,000–165,000 | 76 | 1.9% |
| 165,000–170,000 | 39 | 1.0% |
| 170,000–175,000 | 37 | 0.9% |
| 175,000–180,000 | 24 | 0.6% |
| 180,000–185,000 | 28 | 0.7% |
| 185,000–190,000 | 22 | 0.5% |
| 190,000–195,000 | 17 | 0.4% |
| 195,000–200,000 | 27 | 0.7% |
| 200,000+ | 82 | 2.0% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 4,826 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004–2008 Chrysler Pacifica, and 4,024 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 58,000 and 128,000 miles. The median is 96,125 miles.
The most-reported areas are body structure (20.3% of complaints, typically around 112,000 miles), the engine (12.6% of complaints, typically around 114,000 miles), the engine and its cooling system (9.9% of complaints, typically around 59,000 miles).
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2004–2008 Chrysler Pacifica last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2004–2008 Chrysler Pacifica were filed by 96,000 miles and 90% by 156,000 miles — figures drawn from 4,024 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
82 reports (2%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Pacifica reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2004–2008 Pacifica: the 3-minute check
Generated from 4,024 mileage-tagged complaints, 4 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Check engine — rocker arm shaft on 2004–2008 cars. A broken retaining pin on the rocker arm shaft blocks the oil passage, producing a loud top-end ticking noise and eventual valvetrain wear. Affects the 3.5L, 3.8L and 4.0L V6 across the whole run; the single…
- Check transmission (41te/41ae 4-speed) on 2004–2008 cars. Failure of the externally mounted input/output speed sensors and of the solenoid pack, dropping the transmission into limp mode (locked in 2nd gear) with a P0700 stored. Common enough that P0700 is the signature code…
- Check structure — front engine cradle/subframe on 2004–2008 (salt–belt vehicles) cars. Front engine cradle corrodes and can split apart in salt-belt states, in severe cases allowing the powertrain to drop. A structural rust failure mode, not a wear item.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 58,000 and 128,000 miles, with a median of 96,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, body structure and the engine are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Body structure in particular shows a median failure mileage of 112,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Chrysler Pacifica 2004–2008
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Engine and its cooling system479 reports59,00027,000–89,000Engine and its cooling system: 479 reports, median 59,000 miles, middle half 27,000 to 89,000 miles.
- Electrical system341 reports78,00026,000–119,000Electrical system: 341 reports, median 78,000 miles, middle half 26,000 to 119,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline449 reports80,00041,000–114,000Transmission and driveline: 449 reports, median 80,000 miles, middle half 41,000 to 114,000 miles.
- Suspension431 reports110,00082,000–134,000Suspension: 431 reports, median 110,000 miles, middle half 82,000 to 134,000 miles.
- Body structure981 reports112,00088,000–138,000Body structure: 981 reports, median 112,000 miles, middle half 88,000 to 138,000 miles.
- Engine608 reports114,00091,000–140,000Engine: 608 reports, median 114,000 miles, middle half 91,000 to 140,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise219 reports119,00091,000–141,000Problems owners could not categorise: 219 reports, median 119,000 miles, middle half 91,000 to 141,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body structure | 981 | 20.3% | 112,000 | 88,000–138,000 |
| Engine | 608 | 12.6% | 114,000 | 91,000–140,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 479 | 9.9% | 59,000 | 27,000–89,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 449 | 9.3% | 80,000 | 41,000–114,000 |
| Suspension | 431 | 8.9% | 110,000 | 82,000–134,000 |
| Electrical system | 341 | 7.1% | 78,000 | 26,000–119,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 219 | 4.5% | 119,000 | 91,000–141,000 |
| Steering | 194 | 4.0% | 84,000 | 50,000–121,000 |
| Fuel and propulsion system | 175 | 3.6% | 122,000 | 90,000–152,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 159 | 3.3% | 72,000 | 46,000–100,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Chrysler Pacifica 2004–2008 · 4,024 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 26% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 46% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 69% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 98%: the remaining 2.0% of reports (82) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
26% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 27,000–89,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 41,000–114,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 26,000–119,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Body structure — middle half 88,000–138,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 91,000–140,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 82,000–134,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 91,000–141,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
46% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine and its cooling system — median 59,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Body structure — middle half 88,000–138,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 41,000–114,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 82,000–134,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 26,000–119,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Engine — middle half 91,000–140,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 91,000–141,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
69% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine and its cooling system — median 59,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 80,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 78,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Body structure — middle half 88,000–138,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 91,000–140,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 82,000–134,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 91,000–141,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 96,125 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
Body structure accounts for 20.3% of complaints (981 reports, 848 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 112,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 88,000 and 138,000 miles.
The engine accounts for 12.6% of complaints (608 reports, 532 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 114,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 91,000 and 140,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 9.9% of complaints (479 reports, 416 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 59,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 27,000 and 89,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 9.3% of complaints (449 reports, 379 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 80,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 41,000 and 114,000 miles.
The suspension accounts for 8.9% of complaints (431 reports, 349 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 110,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 82,000 and 134,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 7.1% of complaints (341 reports, 274 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 78,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 26,000 and 119,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2005 model year drew the most — 1,802 complaints — while 2008 drew the fewest at 155. The median year sits at 1,056.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 4,826 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 138 (2.9%)
- Fires
- 89
- Injury reports
- 83
- Fatality reports
- 5
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Engine — Rocker Arm Shaft 2004–2008
A broken retaining pin on the rocker arm shaft blocks the oil passage, producing a loud top-end ticking noise and eventual valvetrain wear. Affects the 3.5L, 3.8L and 4.0L V6 across the whole run; the single most-reported engine complaint for this generation.
Transmission (41te/41ae 4-Speed) 2004–2008
Failure of the externally mounted input/output speed sensors and of the solenoid pack, dropping the transmission into limp mode (locked in 2nd gear) with a P0700 stored. Common enough that P0700 is the signature code for this platform.
Structure — Front Engine Cradle/Subframe 2004–2008 (salt–belt vehicles)
Front engine cradle corrodes and can split apart in salt-belt states, in severe cases allowing the powertrain to drop. A structural rust failure mode, not a wear item.
Engine — Intake Valve Carbon Deposits 2004–2008
Carbon buildup on the intake valves of the 3.5L and 4.0L V6 causing misfires and check-engine lights.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1,332 | 1,101 |
| 2005 | 1,802 | 1,489 |
| 2006 | 1,056 | 889 |
| 2007 | 481 | 409 |
| 2008 | 155 | 136 |
What owners reported
Purchased Chrysler Pacifica 2004 6-4-04. Immediately after purchase began to make a loud chirping/squeaking noise. Bought in for repair 6-10 (144 miles). Service advised defect had been repaired ( new belt ). Picked up car on 6-14-04 noise was still very evident/not fixed. On 6-15 reported defect was still not fixed.…
2004 · Steering
Does the nhs care about all the complaints on the Chrysler Pacifica to have the million dollar company pay to fix this family car right or recall the car in general. I called the company and because where my car was manufactured its not entitled to replacement because it shouldn't have rusted subframes which is…
2004 · Body structure
When my Chrysler Pacifica gets to 1/2 tank of gas, the car starts to stall. Especially when slowing down or turning a curve. I've taken it to the dealership twice (each time i was told that they could not replicate the problem, but i was out of gas -- each time i had 1/2 tank of gas -- when i turned a curve, it showed…
2004 · 5 miles · Fuel system
The blower switch is stuck on the highest mode and i am unable to turn off the blower and the blower will continue to run for about 10 seconds after engine is shut off. Thus when i start my car the blower is on high . The car is a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. Has there been any reports from other owners with this issue?…
2004 · 80 miles · Electrical system
Built from 4,024 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page