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NHTSA Probes Unexplained Stalls in Chrysler Pacifica

March 7, 2006
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the 2004 to 2006 DaimlerChrysler Pacifica following consumer complaints of "multiple stalls without warning under a variety of circumstances."

This would sound familiar to James of Ellicott City, Md., a U.S. Navy officer who recently bought a new Pacifica for his wife to use while he is deployed overseas.

"The Pacifica stalled twice while driving it. After these stalls, we received a notification of a national recall on Pacificas for this issue," James said in a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com.

"Another safety issue arose when all the electronics in the car stopped working, denying my pregnant wife the ability to safely drive the vehicle. This problem happened to correlate to another national recall, of which we were never notified," James said.

According to NHTSA, DaimlerChrysler dealerships are unable to reproduce the stalling condition which does not set off a fault code or illuminate a warning light.

"After a non-stop series of problems, often dangerous ones, and very poor service received, I no longer trust the Pacifica as a safe and dependable car for my family," James said in his complaint, which detailed several other problems.

As many as 34,561 DaimlerChrysler Pacificas are involved in the investigation.

The NHTSA probe is a follow up to a previous Pacifica recall. On March 2, 2004 DaimlerChrysler reported a safety defect that could cause the Pacifica engine to stall while driving.

The recall stated that the stalling was most likely to occur during low speed cornering with a cold engine and closed throttle. The Pacificas, which were built between January 16, 2003 and July 1, 2003 were recalled and the engine control software replaced.

The NHTSA investigation is based on consumer complaints reporting a similar problem in Pacificas built after the recalled vehicles.

NHTSA also is investigating consumer complaints of road debris causing fuel tank punctures on the Pacifica.

NHTSA reports 217,000 model year 2004-05 Pacificas are under review in that probe. The agency is assessing the frequency and safety consequences of the possible defect.

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