BUY WITH CARE

The head problem was not fully solved on the second-generation engine. On the 2017-2019 Chrysler Pacifica -- where the Pentastar 3.6 is the only gas engine -- ENGINE is the #1 complaint component, and 174 federal ENGINE complaints describe the same cylinder-head failure pattern: multi-cylinder misfires and ticking, with owners reporting failures clustered around 80,000-120,000 miles and out of warranty. Treat a 2017-2019 Pacifica's engine as a known risk, not a settled design.

Check — Same signature as the early cars: cold-start tick, a flashing check-engine light or rough running under load, misfire codes. On a Pacifica near or past ~80k miles, get a pre-purchase misfire scan or compression/leak-down check and budget for a possible head or engine repair.