Chrysler 300 reliability by year
38 recall campaigns and 6,165 owner complaints across 19 model years. Best year to buy: 2021. Year to avoid: 2005.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 9 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 19 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 84, more than the 38 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the 300 aggregated across 19 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Chrysler 300?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2021 Chrysler 300 scores 7.8/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2023 range. 20 complaints on file, 2 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Chrysler 300 year should I avoid?
The 2005 Chrysler 300 scores 4.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 1,125 owner complaints with NHTSA, 7 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2005 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Chrysler 300 should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2013 (avoid — the electrical system — 15 fire-related complaints and 2 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2012 (avoid — the electrical system — 1 fatality report and 26 fire-related complaints on the electrical system); 2011 (avoid — the electrical system — 8 fire-related complaints and 1 crash-related complaint on the electrical system); 2008 (avoid — the engine — 8 fire-related complaints and 9 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2007 (avoid — the electrical system — 8 fire-related complaints and 1 crash-related complaint on the electrical system); 2006 (avoid — the electrical system — 6 fire-related complaints and 6 crash-related complaints on the engine). The cleaner years on the data are 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Chrysler 300 are tracked?
19 model years (2005 through 2023) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 38 distinct recall campaigns and 6,165 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 84 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Chrysler 300?
electrical is the most-reported category — 1,426 complaints across 15 model years. Average shop repair runs about $850.