Consumer Reports Ranks This Used Car Brand Least Reliable Due To Transmission Problems

Lately, Chrysler has fallen short of Consumer Reports' quality benchmarks, sitting in the bottom third of its brand-level ratings. At the same time, it's scoring badly on Consumer Reports' list of car brands' customer satisfaction. So, you know it's not just the experts who are unhappy with this Stellantis marque. While there are broader reasons for why this is happening to Chrysler, one obvious issue has been a group of recurring, stubborn transmission problems.

These transmission problems started in 2015, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) filings began linking the brand to transmission defects involving damaged internal components and debris left over from assembly. By 2016, the problem had grown into a larger recall involving transmission wiring faults that could make a vehicle suddenly lose power while driving. The issue did not fully go away after that, and Chrysler sent software updates meant to smooth out shifting problems and other transmission anomalies. Eventually, by 2023, another safety recall was initiated because of an internal transmission fault that led to a possible loss of drive power once again.

All these troubles have cumulated into really bad used-car reliability for Chrysler as a brand, with many of its older models prone to expensive powertrain-related problems. As such, Consumer Reports ranked Chrysler as the overall worst used car brand in terms of reliability, noting the 2018 Pacifica PHEV model in particular. 

If you happened to buy a used Chrysler outside recall coverage or warranty, transmission work can be brutally expensive. According to Chrysler Warranty Direct, rebuilding a faulty Chrysler transmission can set you back between $3,000 and $6,000. The Chrysler warranty booklet says the powertrain limited warranty protects parts and labor for covered components for five years or 60,000 miles, which means many older, used vehicles won't qualify for protection.

Take the affected 2015 Chrysler 200, for example. Kelley Blue Book (KBB) says the car originally started at $22,990 new, while today a used 2015 Chrysler 200 costs just over $6,100. So, even a $3,000 transmission job would eat up almost half of that 200's value, while a costlier transmission replacement could match or exceed its value. Similarly, a used 2017 Pacifica, a model year also affected by transmission issues, now costs around $10,450, while the original MSRP started at $31,220. If you apply the $3,000-to-$6,000 repair average, a transmission job could add up to between 30% and 60% of the vehicle's value on the used market.

That's why, thanks in part to its expensive repair costs, the Chrysler Pacifica has become one of the worst cars for retirees. Unfortunately, this trend also applies to the hybrid Pacifica, which likewise experienced a transmission-related NHTSA recall. These transmission-related issues are among the main reasons the hybrid Pacifica ranks low on Consumer Reports' reliability ratings.