CARS.COM — Chrysler has reinvigorated the minivan class with its all-new 2017 Pacifica. From standard Stow ‘n Go second-row seats that can collapse into the floor to an available vacuum, the Pacifica has lots of amenities to make kids and parents happy. However, caregivers who are installing child-safety seats into the Pacifica may not be as happy because of a few issues we found while conducting our Car Seat Check.
We tested a Pacifica Limited with captain’s chairs in the second row and a three-seat bench in the third row. The Pacifica can be had with a second-row bench, increasing the total seats to eight.
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two
How many car seats fit in the third row? Two
What We Like
- The Pacifica has four sets of lower Latch anchors with two sets in each of the second and third rows. The third row’s Latch anchors are exposed and easy to connect to, and the second row’s tether anchors are well-marked and easy to use.
- Both the rear-facing infant and convertible seats fit well in the Stow ‘n Go seat; there was no need to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate either car seat.
- The forward-facing convertible fit well in the second row, though we struggled to connect to the Latch anchors; in the third row, it installed easily.
- Our high-back booster fit well in both rows. The captain’s chairs have stable seat belt buckles, making buckling up independently easier for kids in boosters, but the third row has floppy buckles.
- Third-row access is excellent; there’s a large walkway between the seats to the third row and the Stow ‘n Go chairs can be stowed in the floor.
What We Don’t Like
- The lower Latch anchors in the captain’s chairs sit just inside the space between the back and bottom cushions. We had to work to connect to the anchors with both our infant seat and our convertible seat because of fabric that envelopes the anchors.
- Although the two tether anchors in the third row are marked with icons, they sit at the base of the seatbacks and are hard to see because they’re small and the same color as the plastic backing. Thankfully, there aren’t any cargo hooks right next to the tether anchors, but some parents might be confused and connect the car seat’s tether strap to the cargo hooks that are in the cargo area’s lip.