I’m looking at purchasing a 2007 Pacifica with ~25k miles. I drove it home to try out for the night.
One thing I noticed, when shifting (most notable from first to second) it pauses, almost feeling like I’m driving a manual transmission car.
It doesn’t slam into gear or slip, it just waits for a moment, then shifts.
Happens when accelerating from a stop light ‘normally’, not pushing it.
Anyone have a similar experience?
Chrysler has had “issues” with the automatic transmissions on their minivans for years, and the Pacifica is essentially a Chrysler minivan with a chopped roof–i.e., mechanically almost identical. But, that factoid aside–Why would you consider purchasing any vehicle that is already exhibiting symptoms of transmission problems?
Used vehicles are not exactly a scarce commodity, and if you keep searching, you should be able to find one that fits your needs and is not already giving indications of expensive mechanical problems.
There are known problems with torque converter shudder in some '07 Pacificas with the then-new 6-speed transaxle. I don’t believe it causes other problems, but I would have the TCM scanned for error codes and CVI values, however. It could be something else. Fluid level should be checked, but I believe these came without a dipstick standard.