The Chrysler Pacifica first hit the automotive market in 2004 and was born from a concept design that was created as a prototype in 1999. It was marketed by Chrysler as a sports tourer vehicle that is a hybrid between a large sports utility vehicle and a minivan. It’s overall design costs were among the lowest Chrysler had ever developed which made the Pacifica a huge money maker for a company that was desperate for profits. While the Pacifica remained a fairly popular car, financial issues would force Chrysler to stop production with the 2008 model.
One of the biggest reasons Chrysler was struggling financially was a faulty transmission design across many different models. The Chrysler Pacifica has one of the better designs but it is still known to need transmission repairs as early as fifteen thousand miles. In addition, the suspension of this vehicle is rated very low with Consumer Reports for needing repairs often. These two issues in combination can create a very rough ride in a vehicle if not repaired fairly quickly. Other known issues include rotor warping, excess oil burning, and air conditioner blower malfunction. Most of these issues are fairly common with Chrysler produced vehicles. Other less common problems include automatic window failure, faulty power steering, and muffler issues. All of these things in combination can result in very large repair bills.
There is a solution that many consumers overlook due to the initial investment required: extended warranties. Consumers have believed for a long time that extended warranties are a way for dealers to make a little extra money. This is simply untrue. Extended warranties are a way for dealers to help protect their valued customers from faulty designs. Manufacturers hire engineers to determine exactly when parts will fail on a car on average. Companies then set their manufacturer warranties to expire just before systems tend to fail. By using the extended warranty that dealers offer, a consumer is protecting their investment from potential issues of faulty design. If a part is designed to fail at thirty thousand miles then the best way for a consumer to protect that vehicle is through an extended warranty. The initial investment may be a few hundred dollars but that money is a far smaller number than the thousands of dollars that ultimately get poured into repairing systems like transmissions. Extended warranties are as important as insurance for vehicles.