Chrysler is recalling 2,017 minivans because a cracked capacitor inside the brake pedal position sensor can knock out the vehicle’s electronic stability control. The recall covers the 2025 and 2026 Chrysler Voyager, the 2025 and 2026 Chrysler Pacifica, and the 2026 Chrysler Voyager PHEV. Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, reported the defect to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on January 9, 2026, under campaign number 26V561000.
Unlike a wiring failure that would trip a warning light the moment it happened, this sensor fault can develop quietly, meaning a driver may not know stability control has gone offline until the system is needed in a skid or a sudden lane change. Chrysler’s remedy addresses the part directly rather than the software running it, and it applies across all three affected nameplates regardless of whether a given minivan runs on gasoline or the plug-in hybrid Voyager PHEV drivetrain.
A cracked capacitor severs the link to the brake pedal
NHTSA’s defect summary for campaign 26V561000 states plainly that “the brake pedal position sensor capacitor may be cracked, which can cause a loss of electronic stability control.” The sensor tells the vehicle’s computer how and when the brake pedal is being pressed, information the stability-control system needs to blend braking force with steering input during an evasive maneuver. When the capacitor fails, that data stream can drop out, and with it the system’s ability to intervene.
The consequence, in NHTSA’s own recall record, is stated just as directly: “A loss of electronic stability control increases the risk of a crash.”
Why stability control carries so much weight on a minivan
Electronic stability control has been mandatory on new light vehicles, including minivans, since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 126 reached full compliance on September 1, 2011. NHTSA’s 2007 rule creating that mandate projected the technology would prevent between 5,300 and 9,600 fatalities a year across all crash types once it was standard fleet-wide, including a 71% reduction in rollover crashes for passenger cars.
Those projections were built on the assumption that the system works every time a vehicle needs it, which is exactly what a failed brake pedal position sensor undermines. Standard No. 126 requires the system to apply braking force to individual wheels and monitor yaw rate and sideslip across a vehicle’s full speed range, correcting a skid the moment the computer detects one starting, and it also requires a dashboard telltale that is supposed to light up if the system detects its own malfunction. A minivan carrying a full load of passengers sits higher and shifts weight differently than a sedan in a sudden maneuver, which is part of why regulators treat stability-control loss in any light vehicle, not just SUVs, as a real crash-risk factor rather than a minor equipment lapse.
NHTSA’s filing does not say whether a cracked capacitor reliably triggers that warning light before the system actually drops offline, an open question that leaves owners with no reliable way to self-diagnose the fault before a dealer inspects the sensor directly.
Chrysler’s own paperwork frames the fix as a parts problem rather than a design flaw: dealers are replacing a specific sensor, not reflashing software or redesigning a system, which is consistent with a defect traced to a batch of capacitors rather than to how the stability-control system itself was engineered. That framing also explains why the recall applies evenly across the gasoline Voyager, the gasoline Pacifica and the plug-in Voyager PHEV, since all three share the same brake pedal position sensor regardless of what powers the wheels.
Free inspection, a September notification date and a recall number
Dealers will inspect the brake pedal position sensor on every recalled Voyager, Pacifica and Voyager PHEV and replace it at no charge to the owner, according to carpro.com’s recall roundup and NHTSA’s own filing. Chrysler expects to begin mailing owner notification letters on September 29, 2026, and owners can reach FCA customer service directly at 1-800-853-1403 using the manufacturer’s internal recall number, 69D.
Vehicle identification numbers tied to campaign 26V561000 became searchable on NHTSA’s website on September 9, 2026, ahead of the mailed notices, giving owners of the 2,017 affected minivans a way to check their status before a letter arrives. NHTSA’s campaign data lists no crashes or injuries tied to the defect so far, leaving the brake pedal position sensor as a component Chrysler is replacing on a fixed schedule rather than one already implicated in a documented failure on the road.
The 2,017-vehicle population is small next to Chrysler’s overall Voyager and Pacifica production, which is consistent with a defect traced to a specific batch of capacitors rather than a design flaw spanning every minivan Chrysler builds. NHTSA’s vehicle-specific recall page for the 2026 Pacifica lists campaign 26V561000 alongside the model’s other open recalls, giving owners a second way to confirm whether their specific minivan falls inside the affected range before the September 29 mailing goes out.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
More from Morning Overview
- Amazon’s Prime refunds are rising to $200 as millions more customers become eligible
- A handful of car engines are so tough mechanics say they almost never wear out
- The NSA is again telling phone owners to switch off one location setting
- Supplements now rank as the fifth-leading cause of death from liver disease.
