Chrysler 300 Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
6,461 NHTSA complaints (2004–2023).Complaint rate: 60.6 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.
Should I buy a Chrysler 300?
Quick answer from 6,461 NHTSA complaints · 2004–2023
Chrysler 300 reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is electrical faults. Pick the right year and this 300 can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2022 Chrysler 300· 4.3/10K sold
- 2020 Chrysler 300· 6.1/10K sold
- 2023 Chrysler 300· 6.1/10K sold
- 2008 Chrysler 300· 153.3/10K sold
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- electrical faults — 1,386 complaints (1.8% involved a crash)
- airbags — 1,146 complaints (11.3% involved a crash)
- transmission / drivetrain — 766 complaints (4.0% involved a crash)
- engine problems — 490 complaints (2.9% involved a crash)
- fuel system — 248 complaints (1.6% involved a crash)
What Happened to 28,149 Chrysler 300s On the Road
Complaints record what owners reported. These are the outcomes actually recorded against 28,149 Chrysler 300 VINs built 2005–2023 — accidents, title brands and odometer flags from our vehicle-history database, not from the NHTSA complaint file.
Do the complaint spikes show up in real accident history?
The Chrysler 300 averages 33.2% accident history across all model years. Here is how the years flagged above compare on real records:
- 2008 — 31.2% of 343 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 33.2% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
Typical Chrysler 300 on record: 1.9 owners on average, 68,781 average miles.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold — normalized for production volume so low-sales years aren't falsely rated "good".
Bottom line: Avoid the 2008 Chrysler 300. The 2004 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Electrical System.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $8.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold
Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales
Show raw complaint counts
Common Chrysler 300 Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Faults | 1,386 | 1.8% |
| Airbags | 1,146 | 11.3% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 766 | 4.0% |
| Engine Problems | 490 | 2.9% |
| Fuel System | 248 | 1.6% |
| Steering Defects | 184 | 5.4% |
| Brakes | 164 | 7.9% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 153 | 14.4% |
| Automatic Transmission | 151 | 3.3% |
| Headlight/Taillight Failures | 135 | 3.0% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Rate | US Sales | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004NO DATA | — | 3 | — | — | 0 | — | View → |
| 2005AVOID | — | 1,062 | 73.7 | 144,048 | 47 | 22 | View → |
| 2006AVOID | — | 1,267 | 88.2 | 143,647 | 61 | 27 | View → |
| 2007 | — | 620 | 51.4 | 120,636 | 23 | 20 | View → |
| 2008AVOID | — | 956 | 153.3 | 62,352 | 36 | 11 | View → |
| 2009 | — | 114 | 29.5 | 38,606 | 5 | 2 | View → |
| 2010 | — | 150 | 40.4 | 37,116 | 19 | 6 | View → |
| 2011AVOID | — | 266 | 73.3 | 36,285 | 11 | 13 | View → |
| 2012AVOID | — | 620 | 79.1 | 78,417 | 34 | 59 | View → |
| 2013AVOID | — | 402 | 69.6 | 57,724 | 36 | 23 | View → |
| 2014 | — | 320 | 60.0 | 53,382 | 27 | 4 | View → |
| 2015 | — | 142 | 26.7 | 53,109 | 17 | 2 | View → |
| 2016GOOD | — | 100 | 18.9 | 53,058 | 10 | 1 | View → |
| 2017GOOD | — | 102 | 19.9 | 51,237 | 2 | — | View → |
| 2018 | — | 206 | 44.2 | 46,593 | 8 | — | View → |
| 2019 | — | 83 | 28.4 | 29,214 | 9 | — | View → |
| 2020GOOD | — | 10 | 6.1 | 16,473 | 2 | 1 | View → |
| 2021GOOD | — | 24 | 14.4 | 16,662 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2022GOOD | — | 6 | 4.3 | 14,087 | 2 | — | View → |
| 2023GOOD | — | 8 | 6.1 | 13,169 | 4 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (6,461 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 95% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 1,065,815.
On-road outcomes: Accident, title-brand, theft and odometer records for 28,149 Chrysler 300 VINs in our vehicle-history database. Independent of the NHTSA complaint file — a complaint is what an owner reported, these are what was recorded against the vehicle. Year-level figures are shown only for model years with at least 200 VINs on record.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
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