2017 Chrysler Pacifica: Costs and Issues After 1 Year of Ownership

CARS.COM — It is time for the curtain to come down on our Best of 2017-winning 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The minivan had a good run in our hands, but it needs to make way in our fleet for our Best of 2018-winning 2018 Volkswagen Atlas SUV. To paraphrase Will Smith in “Men in Black II”: Old and busted always gives way to new hotness. Except, the Pacifica isn’t really old and — despite the best efforts of our staff and the greater Chicago area — it isn’t really busted, either.

Related: More Long-Term Test Car News

When we name a car our Best Of for a particular year, we put our money where our mouth is and buy an example. It then hangs, upside-down, in our lobby until the next year. Wait, no, scratch that. We drive it all over Chicago and the rest of the country, racking up miles, running over potholes and carrying carloads of people, luggage and equipment. Sometimes we even dress it up for Halloween. We keep track of any repair issues, problems and gripes we have with the car, and at the end of a year we sell the car and move on.

Such was the case with the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. After racking up more than 17,000 miles while in our hands, the Pacifica yielded mostly minor complaints. We’ve changed the Chrysler’s oil twice, had the tires rotated once and replaced a burnt-out taillight bulb. Those costs added $233.41 to the $2,089.31 we’ve spent on fuel. But what kind of problems have encountered with our Pacifica?

Overall, the issues with our Chrysler Pacifica have been few. There have also been two pieces of recall work done on this car: one Fiat Chrysler Automobiles-initiated recall reprogrammed the powertrain control module to prevent damage to the exhaust gas recirculation valve in the Chrysler Pacific; the second fixed a seat belt latching issue on the Pacifica’s second-row seat.

Additionally, the last problem that required a dealership visit was almost a rebuke of our plans. As we began to shop our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica model around to local dealerships, the rear wiper blade began to hang loose from its mount on the rear windscreen. Almost as if our Chrysler Pacifica were trying to control and sabotage our plans to sell it.

A quick visit to our nearest Chrysler vehicle dealership got the wiper blade tightened for us, as well as the Pacifica’s oil changed and tires rotated, and it was good as new. Problem solved! And then it occurred to us: Why not hang onto the Pacifica? After all, this model has been good to us.

We’ve covered our feelings on the Pacifica as a people hauler and a cargo hauler vehicle before. With a multimedia team constantly hauling around gear from location to location, wouldn’t a large van be useful? Our photo and video team agreed.

So, everyone, say goodbye to our Best of 2017-winning 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, and hello to our newest photo and video team vehicle … the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica.

Editor’s note: This story was updated July 8, 2019, with a revised figure for out-of-pocket expenses.

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