The Pentastar engine from Chrysler was first released in 2010 for the 2011 model year, and it’s still used today. You can find it in a huge variety of popular Stellantis cars like the Chrysler 200 and the Dodge Charger, as well as in SUVs like the Dodge Journey and pickup trucks like the RAM 1500.
Considering it’s still being used in new vehicles over a decade and a half since its release, the 3.6-liter Pentastar engine has proved successful. It’s often lauded as reliable and powerful, often also described as one of the most reliable Chrysler engines of all time. Most telling of all, the design has changed relatively little throughout the years. In fact, the Pentastar doesn’t officially have different generations.
Instead, Pentastar engines are distinguished by their different power levels and volumes. Nonetheless, as we’ll see, Stellantis did make revisions and modifications through the years, often in direct response to customer-reported problems.
Thus, it makes sense that the earliest Pentastar years make up the majority of the years to avoid on this list. As found on online forums and customer review aggregation sites like Edmunds, CarComplaints, and Cars.com, the consumer response to the earlier years had the most negative feedback.
2011: The Pentastar’s somewhat rocky launch
The 2011 model year meant the introduction of the new 3.6-liter Pentastar engine. Several Chrysler models had the Pentastar under the hood, like the Town & Country, the Dodge Challenger, Avenger, Charger, Durango, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the Ram Cargo Van. Because those models represented the engine’s debut, they also came with their fair share of complaints about issues that had yet to be ironed out of the design.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is the best example. On CarComplaints.com, the 2011 model has more complaints than any other Grand Cherokee model year since records started in 1993, with a whopping 793 in total. The most common of all is that it struggles to start. One owner writes, “the engine cranks but car does not start. Sounds like the motor wants to engage but doesn’t quite get there.” Another claims, “Vehicle would not start, just sits and cranks and cranks.” A third says, “Problem started by engine suddenly cranking but not turning over… feeling totally helpless.”
The Grand Cherokee isn’t the only 2011 model where the Pentastar would fail to start. On Edmunds, one owner of the 2011 Dodge Durango writes, “It won’t start. Changed alternator, starter, and relays [and it still] won’t start.”
Other common owner complaints surrounding 2011 Pentastar vehicles include bad cylinder valves, excessive oil consumption, and engine misfires. Chrysler would respond to many complaints in the following years by tweaking the design, making the 2011 Pentastar something of a trial year.
2012 and 2013: Warranty woes and sudden stalling
While some of the problems with the 2011 model year persisted into 2012, others emerged with greater frequency. For example, owners of 2012 Pentastar vehicles lament issues with the oil system and the cost of engine repairs. On Edmunds, one owner of a 2012 Jeep Wrangler wrote, “Dead on the side of a desert road, oil everywhere. The infamous oil filter adapter failing was the first culprit.” An owner on CarComplaints reported their Wrangler’s cooler blew up, and another’s oil cooler cracked and leaked.
Another problem was the exorbitant repair costs. A 2012 Ram 1500 owner describes struggling with a tenacious check engine light, eventually having to pay $6,000 to get it fixed. Owners were sometimes ineligible for service from the dealership, though others had luck with warranties. A 2012 Dodge Challenger owner complained of “engine problems that [occurred] before their predetermined service interval.” Interestingly, 2012 is also one of the worst years for the Dodge 5.7L Hemi engine.
By mid-2012, Chrysler was aware of the complaints. The biggest attention came from a poorly designed cylinder head, which caused misfires and knocking. Chrysler redesigned the engine and released warranties and service bulletins. With a strengthened left cylinder head, the 2013 model was expected to put reliability concerns to rest.
However, other issues emerged. Common problems included poor acceleration, camshaft failures, and engine stalling. For example, a 2013 RAM 1500 owner says, “Even the slightest hill and it loses speed… ” Another spent “over $5k to get the engine rebuilt due to the same camshaft failure… a very common issue.” Most alarming, the 2013 Pentastar had a tendency to stall while driving, especially for 2013 Jeep and Dodge models.
