2017 Chrysler Pacifica Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Rating, But Only on Updated Version

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the Chrysler Pacifica a Top Safety Pick+, the organization's highest safety award. It is the first minivan to earn a 2016 accolade from the IIHS. But the IIHS award applied only to Pacificas manufactured after August 2016.

If at first you don't succeed, regroup, redo, and try, try again is exactly what Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had to do when the Pacifica was first crash-tested by IIHS. The small-overlap crash test proved to be a challenge, causing the driver's-side front-door hinges to be torn away. That resulted in the door opening, exposing the driver to the risk of being ejected from the vehicle. The result of the breakaway door was a Marginal rating from the IIHS for the new Chrysler Pacifica.

Not surprisingly, FCA wasn't satisfied with the Marginal rating and asked IIHS for an opportunity to change the hinges and the inner body panel in front of the pillar and to be retested. The minivan door stayed shut the second go-around, which resulted in a Good rating. It is not uncommon for a manufacturer to make running changes to improve safety after receiving less-than-stellar test results.

In the first round of IIHS tests, the Pacifica received a Good rating in moderate overlap, side, roof strength, head restraints, and seats, and a Superior rating for its active front crash protection (unfortunately only optional on higher trim levels).

In addition to the challenge of the small-overlap test, there was an exception: The Pacifica scored Poor in child-seat anchors (LATCH) for ease of use. Those were also updated for the second round of testing by IIHS but still managed to rate only a Marginal score, but the small-overlap performance improved to a Good score. 

This new rating does mean that 36,941 Chrysler Pacificas manufactured before Sept. 1, 2016, have either been sold or are on dealer lots with Marginal small-overlap protection, plus child-seat hardware that is hard to find and use.

FCA Media Relations Manager Eric Mayne told us that both tested versions of the Pacifica "attained the same level of intrusion protection in the event of a small-overlap frontal collision." When asked whether FCA would be able to retrofit the new hinges on Pacificas built prior to Sept. 1, 2016, Mayne said there were "no plans to do it because they meet or exceed all regulatory requirements."

The Pacifica did well in our road test, but because of reliability concerns and active safety being available only on upper trim levels, it received a modest Overall Score.

We often tell consumers to steer clear of the first production year of new and redesigned vehicles while the early kinks get worked out, and this highlights the reason we give that advice. We recommend that if shopping for a Chrysler Pacifica is in the cards, check the window sticker for the manufacturing date and buy a Pacifica made only after Sept. 1, 2016.