Chrysler defect petition DP17003
Stall/Loss of Motive Power. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this defect petition about the gasoline on 1 model year (2017). Opened Dec 1, 2017, closed Mar 1, 2018 after 3 months. It led to safety recall 18V049000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedBy letter dated November 30, 2017, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requesting it open an investigation into allegations of engine stalling in the model year (MY) 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, a new vehicle platform. In support of its petition, CAS cited 57 NHTSA complaints alleging an engine stall in the subject Pacifica vehicles, in addition to other information it provided. On December 1, 2017, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition 17-003 as requested by CAS. ODI sent an information request letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the manufacturer of the subject Pacifica vehicles, on December 12, 2017 requesting information related to engine stalling in Pacificas. The letter requested FCA provide the information by January 23, 2018. On January 11, 2018, and after technical discussions with ODI, FCA filed a defect information report advising the agency that it would conduct a safety recall of certain MY2017 Chrysler Pacificas to address a condition resulting in engine stalling without warning. The recall would address nearly 154,000 MY2017 Pacificas manufactured with engine control software that did not contain a routine intended to address loss of crankshaft position information required to keep the engine from stalling. FCA noted the condition could lead to a stall without illuminating a Malfunction Indicator Lamp, and without setting any Diagnostic Trouble Code. Given these conditions, dealer technicians would be unable to properly diagnose, much less correct the cause of the stalling, which resulted in additional stalling events and significant consumer frustration. ODI reviewed consumer complaints it received through the date of FCA's recall filing and identified 88 alleging engine stalling. The ODI complaints generally describe stalling that occurs at low engine (RPM) and/or vehicle speeds, and are consistent in that regard with most of the 445 reports FCA provided. Also both the ODI and FCA reports note that the engine could be readily restarted after stalling. Both circumstances are consistent with the root cause FCA identified and is conducting a recall to address. Additionally, FCA was able to identify an older vehicle population that used the same engine as the MY2017 Pacifica, however the vehicles were manufactured with the remedy level software; according to FCA reports of stalling in this population were significantly lower. No crash or injury reports were identified in either the ODI or FCA reports. Certain MY2017 and all MY2018 Pacificas were manufactured with the remedy level software and are thus not included in the recall action. In view of the recall action FCA has announced, ODI considers the petition moot and is closing the action without a grant or deny decision. The closing of the petition does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. Reference (ODI) numbers for the above NHTSA complaints:11060960, 11060808, 11060711, 11057809, 11057520, 11057493, 11057171, 11057169, 11057025, 11055566, 11055031, 11054808, 11054746, 11054717, 11054274, 11054085, 11053669, 11053588, 11053553, 11053322, 11052905, 11052892, 11052654, 11052336, 11051390, 11051158, 11048832, 11048728, 11048720, 11048661, 11048626, 11048175, 11047936, 11047831, 11047793, 11047687, 11047684, 11047399, 11045061, 11042619, 11040610, 11040502, 11040294, 11039494, 11035468, 11034698, 11033417, 11032016, 11030729, 11029903, 11025266, 11025119, 11023691, 11023539, 11022835, 11022154, 11021223, 11019457, 11016083, 1101
A Defect Petition is a petition from a member of the public asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; the agency grants or denies it and publishes the reasons. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themA vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs DP17003 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 18V049000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is DP17003 still open?
No. It closed on Mar 1, 2018 and led to recall 18V049000.
Which vehicles does DP17003 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 1 model year: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.