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.

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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.

Best years to buy
Years to avoid
Most common Chrysler 300 problem: Electrical Faults1,386 complaints (1.8% crash-involvement rate).

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 faults1,386 complaints (1.8% involved a crash)
  • airbags1,146 complaints (11.3% involved a crash)
  • transmission / drivetrain766 complaints (4.0% involved a crash)
  • engine problems490 complaints (2.9% involved a crash)
  • fuel system248 complaints (1.6% involved a crash)
Severity Score
112.8
Complaints
6,461
US Units Sold
1,065,815
Crash Rate
5.5%
Fire Rate
3.0%
Injuries
285
Fatalities
14

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

2008
153.3 complaints per 10K sold · 36 crashes
62,352 units sold
2005–2006
81.0 complaints per 10K sold · 108 crashes
287,695 total units sold
2011–2013
74.0 complaints per 10K sold · 81 crashes
172,426 total units sold

Average

2007
51.4 complaints per 10K sold
120,636 units sold
2009–2010
35.0 complaints per 10K sold
75,722 total units sold
2014–2015
43.3 complaints per 10K sold
106,491 total units sold
2018–2019
36.3 complaints per 10K sold
75,807 total units sold

Better Years

2004
~3/yr complaints
2020–2023
7.7 complaints per 10K sold
60,391 total units sold
2016–2017
19.4 complaints per 10K sold
104,295 total units sold
Looking at a specific Chrysler 300?

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 $4.99 (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
ComponentComplaintsCrash %
Electrical Faults1,3861.8%
Airbags1,14611.3%
Transmission / Drivetrain7664.0%
Engine Problems4902.9%
Fuel System2481.6%
Steering Defects1845.4%
Brakes1647.9%
Unintended Acceleration15314.4%
Automatic Transmission1513.3%
Headlight/Taillight Failures1353.0%

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.

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.

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).

See also: Chrysler 300accident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Chrysler 300?

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