2020 Chrysler Voyager Problems: 11 Known Issues

On the 2020-2024 Chrysler Voyager, the Voyager uses a shift-by-wire rotary dial with no mechanical linkage to the transmission: turning the knob sends a network request that the transmission control module executes with an electric actuator. When that network path is disturbed, the cluster displays 'Service Shifter' and the van may refuse to leave Park, refuse to leave Neutral, or fail to confirm Park when shut off. Chrysler continues to publish on the condition — STAR case S2408000065 (June 2024) covers 'Shifter Binding Or Service Shifter Message On The Cluster' with loss-of-communication codes U11E3, U0103 and U1267 — and the underlying causes are usually not the shifter itself. The two dominant roots are a poor CAN bus star connector behind the glove box area (the reason a sharp rap on the dash sometimes restores shifter function) and a weak primary or auxiliary battery dragging network voltage below what the modules need. This is distinct from the separately documented 948TE shift-quality and calibration complaints: the transmission is mechanically healthy and shifts fine, but the command never reaches it. The rollaway exposure is real — if the van does not actually reach Park, only the electronic park brake and the parking pawl logic stand between the vehicle and a roll. A separate bulletin, 9004481, covers vans that will not shift into Park because of a faulty manual park release cable.

On the 2020-2024 Chrysler Voyager 3.6L Pentastar V6, the 948TE 9-speed automatic paired with the 3.6L Pentastar V6 has well-documented calibration issues, including hesitation during light-throttle acceleration, delayed 2nd-to-3rd upshifts, and shuddering under load. FCA has continued to release TCM software flashes for shift quality on this minivan platform, including TSB 21-031-24 (May 2024), which was issued for 2024 Pacifica built through April 5, 2024; ask a dealer which current flash applies to your Voyager.

On the 2020-2021 Chrysler Voyager 3.6L Pentastar V6, the 3.6L Pentastar V6 has a documented valvetrain defect involving the rocker arms and their roller lift pins and the associated hydraulic lifters. The roller on a rocker arm can prematurely wear, loosen and drop, shifting the rocker out of alignment so it scrapes the camshaft and generates metal debris that contaminates the oil and circulates through the engine. Symptoms include a persistent ticking/tapping noise, misfires, hesitation/bucking, rough running and loss of power, and in severe cases catastrophic engine failure requiring a full engine replacement. A proposed class action against FCA US alleges the automaker knew of the valve-train defect in 2014-2020 model year vehicles (the complaint names the 2016-2020 Chrysler Pacifica, which shares the Voyager's platform and engine, but does not name the Voyager); ECM software governing lifter timing was also implicated.

On the 2020-2024 Chrysler Voyager 3.6L Pentastar V6, the Voyager's 3.6L Pentastar V6 uses a plastic oil filter housing that integrates the engine oil cooler, where hot oil is cooled by engine coolant. The plastic housing and its internal O-rings/gaskets become brittle from constant underhood heat cycling and crack or warp over time, producing simultaneous oil and coolant leaks. Because oil and coolant passages are adjacent inside the unit, a failure can allow coolant-oil cross-contamination. This is one of the most widely documented Pentastar defects across the Pacifica/Voyager/Grand Caravan/Durango/Grand Cherokee family. Owners typically notice it after 60,000-100,000 miles, though earlier failures occur if the oil filter cap is overtightened. Chrysler has never issued a recall for it.

On the 2020-2026 Chrysler Voyager 3.6L Pentastar V6, the Voyager is covered by several NHTSA side-curtain airbag recalls. In the first (NHTSA 24V-793 / Stellantis A8B, 2020-2023 Voyager/Pacifica), a side curtain airbag electrical connector that was not properly secured may prevent the airbags from deploying in a crash (only about 3 Voyagers plus ~23 Pacificas). Later recalls (NHTSA 25V302 / 06C and 25V573 / 82C, and then the larger NHTSA 26V-189 / Stellantis 06D, 10D and 11D, ~178,000 MY2022-2026 Pacifica and Voyager, of which ~23,879 are Voyagers) cover left and/or right side curtain airbags that cannot retain sufficient pressure during a side-impact deployment (a noncompliance with FMVSS 226). Both defects reduce occupant protection in a side crash.

On the 2020-2024 Chrysler Voyager, voyagers equipped with Engine Stop/Start use a second, small auxiliary battery alongside the main battery. It holds up module and accessory voltage during the auto-restart so the cluster, radio and body controllers do not reset every time the engine relights. The auxiliary battery is undersized for its duty cycle and commonly fails early — owners report it testing at a fraction of its rated cold-cranking amps well before the main battery is due. The first symptom is usually 'Stop/Start Unavailable - Battery Charging' or the auto-stop simply never engaging, which owners tolerate as a nuisance. The real risk is the second stage: a shorted or heavily degraded auxiliary cell can pull the main battery down with it, leaving a no-start, and low system voltage on this platform cascades into unrelated faults — shifter refusal, module communication codes, false warning lamps. Chrysler documents adjacent conditions on the 2020-2021 Voyager with bulletins S2008000075 RevA (no start and stop/start system service message) and S1408000384 (start-stop charging warning, intelligent battery sensor and charging system). Diagnosis is complicated by the fact that an out-of-spec Intelligent Battery Sensor, not a bad battery, produces the same message, and independent shops that do not know the van has two batteries routinely replace the main battery and see the fault return.

On the 2020-2024 Chrysler Voyager, the power sliding doors fail to open, close, or reverse direction unexpectedly mid-travel. The door latch sensor, track motor, and wiring harness in the door jamb are common failure points on the budget-oriented Voyager.

On the 2020-2024 Chrysler Voyager, the Uconnect infotainment touchscreen (Uconnect 4 7-inch on early vans, Uconnect 5 from 2022) suffers from capacitive layer delamination, especially near the bottom third. Screen becomes unresponsive in affected areas, requiring physical replacement. The same unit is used in the Pacifica.

On the 2020-2022 Chrysler Voyager, the active grille shutter (AGS) is a motorized vane assembly behind the lower grille that the PCM closes for warm-up and aerodynamics and opens for cooling airflow. On these minivans the integrated AGS actuator/module fails or drops off the vehicle network, setting U11E9 (PCM lost communication with the active grille shutter module) and illuminating the MIL. Chrysler issued dealer bulletin 9004138 (June 30, 2021) and revision 9004138A (July 21, 2021) covering AGS diagnosis and replacement with preliminary checks, and both are listed against the 2020 and 2021 Chrysler Voyager; a further bulletin, S2008000132 and its revisions, covers MIL illumination with AGS communication loss combined with ambient air temperature sensor codes. The vanes can also bind mechanically from road debris, ice, or a minor front-end impact. A shutter stuck closed restricts radiator airflow — most noticeable as weak A/C performance in traffic and rising coolant temperature when towing or idling in heat — while a shutter stuck open costs warm-up time and fuel economy. Diagnosis is muddied by the fact that the module, the wiring and the mechanical vanes all produce the same code, which is why the bulletin guidance exists to stop parts being replaced before the preliminary checks are done.

On the 2020-2024 Chrysler Voyager, fCA's information-only TSB 03-008-24 updates front halfshaft hub-nut torque to 310 N·m (228 lb-ft) for the specified Pacifica/Voyager platform built from June 24, 2017. It states that the lower earlier value can allow loosening. The bulletin lists no customer symptoms and is not evidence that every front-end click is caused by a loose nut.

On the 2020-2022 Chrysler Voyager, chrysler bulletin S2223000058 (dated 8/12/2022, applicable to 2017-2022 Pacifica and 2020-2022 Voyager) documents water entering the cabin through pin holes and voids in the factory seam sealer at the roof-to-body seam under the roof rack cover at the upper D-pillar. Water tracks down the inside of the D-pillar and appears as a wet headliner near the rear quarter, damp rear pillar trim, or standing water in the load floor well behind the third row. Because the entry point is hidden under the roof rack trim, the leak is routinely misdiagnosed as a liftgate seal, taillamp gasket or sunroof drain problem, and vans are often resealed in the wrong place more than once. Chronic wetting in the load floor well soaks the spare tire area and the wiring that runs down the pillar, and can lead to mold and to corrosion-driven electrical faults in rear body circuits.