Pacifica Hybrid Owners Pursue Lawsuit Against Chrysler Over 2023 Recall Despite No Reported Issues

Dozens of Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid owners are pursuing legal action against the automaker over a 2023 recall they claim was unnecessary, as none of the named plaintiffs reported experiencing the issue that triggered the recall.

In January 2023, Chrysler recalled more than 67,000 Pacifica Hybrid models after identifying a faulty wiring connector in the transmission that could cause the minivans to shut down without warning. The proposed solution involved dealer-performed software updates to the Power Inverter Module and, in some cases, the instrument panel.

Just two weeks after the recall announcement, a class action lawsuit was filed against Chrysler. The case involves more than 30 Pacifica Hybrid models and remains active, though its scope has been significantly narrowed.

Judge Dismisses Nationwide Class, Lawsuit Continues in 18 States

Chrysler’s parent company, FCA US LLC (now part of Stellantis), sought to dismiss the case as a nationwide class action. According to court documents, Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey recently ruled in FCA’s favor, limiting the lawsuit to customers in 18 U.S. states. The specific states involved have not been disclosed.

Owners Demand Vehicle Buybacks at Pre-Recall Values

The lawsuit argues that Chrysler should be required to buy back affected vehicles at their Blue Book value from January 2023, the day before the recall was announced. Notably, none of the named plaintiffs reported experiencing the transmission shutdown issue that led to the recall.

FCA countered that the lawsuit should be dismissed entirely, stating that when the case was filed, the company had only issued temporary software updates to alert drivers to a potential problem. At that time, a permanent repair solution had not yet been developed.

Court Finds No Evidence of Prior Knowledge of Defect

In a related ruling, Judge Grey agreed with FCA that there was no evidence the company knew about the defect before announcing the recall. The decision cited 16 customer complaints, 242 warranty claims, 59 field reports, and 6 customer assistance records as the basis for FCA’s awareness of the issue.