Hold on, Minivan Enthusiasts - Don't Hoon That Chrysler Pacifica Just Yet

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

We all know minivans bring out a driver’s inner beast. Here at TTAC, hardly a day goes by where we’re not discussing which minivan is best suited for an impromptu spin around the track. Seriously.

However, if exploring the limits of your minivan’s handling abilities tops your short list of things to do today, Chrysler Pacifica drivers had best hold off — at least if you’ve got a crowded backseat. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles doesn’t want owners driving aggressively until they’ve taken their van in for a voluntary recall.

The automaker claims 47,927 2017 and 2018 Pacificas equipped with the optional three-person second-row seat contain a flaw that can cause the left outboard seatbelt to become unbuckled during very spirited driving. The culprit? The center seat seatbelt buckle.

“This defect may, in certain cases, result in a compromised safety system for a buckled left second-row passenger,” FCA stated in its recall. “In certain passenger seating and vehicle situations, the second-row center seating position seat belt buckle could cause the left outboard seat belt to become unlatched.”

The situation? During “extreme handling manoeuvres.”

Seven-passenger Pacificas aren’t affected by the issue for obvious reasons. FCA claims the affected models were built from the beginning of production until August 24th of this year. The remedy involves installing a shortened second-row buckle.

While it’s not likely an occurrence a Pacifica driver is likely to see, it would occur at a moment when a passenger will really need that seatbelt. FCA engineers first noticed the issue on May 12th, when a water ballast dummy broke free during testing. The company’s U.S. Vehicle Dynamics Group staged a repeat of the test, and the dummy again found itself unharnessed.

According to FCA, the buckles shouldn’t pose an issue during regular, or even spirited, driving. Speaking to the Windsor Star, FCA media relations manager Eric Mayne said, “sporty driving does not describe the extreme nature of the manoeuvre that was performed for this to happen.”

This actually isn’t the first seatbelt-related recall for the Pacifica. Last year, FCA recalled a small number of early production models after discovering that the “center overhead seat belt stow clip may fracture and prevent use of the seat belt in the third-row and/or second-row center passenger seat.”

[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Garrett Garrett on Sep 21, 2017

    Does trying to avoid an accident count as driving aggressively for purposes of the recall?

  • Hamish42 Hamish42 on Sep 21, 2017

    I'm stuck with a Sienna. I have 2 hockey players in the family, mounds of hockey gear and (usually) a couple of friends or more bumming a ride. It actually isn't that bad. It's a pig on gas, but it gets around pretty well. It is actually a pretty good highway car for when the future stars are off to another city for a tournament. I wouldn't buy one if I didn't need it, but I'm happy with what I've got. And, the quality is great. Not a single complaint.

  • TheMrFreeze That new Ferrari looks nice but other than that, nothing.And VW having to put an air-cooled Beetle in its display to try and make the ID.Buzz look cool makes this classic VW owner sad 😢
  • Wolfwagen Is it me or have auto shows just turned to meh? To me, there isn't much excitement anymore. it's like we have hit a second malaise era. Every new vehicle is some cookie-cutter CUV. No cutting-edge designs. No talk of any great powertrains, or technological achievements. It's sort of expected with the push to EVs but there is no news on that front either. No new battery tech, no new charging tech. Nothing.
  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
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