Stall/Loss of Motive Power

By 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