Chrysler 300: Problems & Solutions

Karen_S

Talk about 300 problems and share any solutions here.

jcz1

Anyone else have this problem? The outdoor temperature indicator occasionally gets stuck, so far at either 74 or 76 degrees. I originally thought that this was the temp of the garage (which is unlikely, as it is un-cooled), and then it doesn't notice the change.

However, just now I was parked outside in 90+ degrees, and it stayed at 74 for the entire 15 minute drive home. On longer drives, it usually gets un-stuck at some point, but I haven't noticed a pattern.

Guess I'll have them check this out when the fix for pulling to the right comes in.

texas bob

Yes, I have had the same problem 5 separate times. The dealer has my car for a transmission problem and have told me that they have not been able to duplicate this problem, thus they have not fixed it. As far as they are concerned it is not a problem because they are calling a no fault found. This is my first ever Chrysler and I hope this is not typical Chrysler service.

texas bob

Right now my 300C has been with Chrysler for 20 days out of the 49 that I have "owned" it. Transmission speed sensor internal to the transmission has failed and the transmission has defaulted to second gear. Part is on back order with no date from Chrysler as to when the part will be in or when my car will be fixed.
AM reception is very poor and they have already replaced the AM modulator (did not fix) and now they are waiting for a new antenna base to see if it will fix the problem.
Also, outside temp reading locks onto a setting and does not update until 15 or 20 minutes into a drive. Chrysler tells me that they can't duplicate this while it has been in their hands so they can't fix it, they told me to bring it in again when it happens.

Please let me know if you are having these same problems.

bigmike5

The input and output speed sensors were a major first year build problem on the 300M. It took many warranty claims to get DC to get the part manufacturer back on track. The sensors on the M cost about $15 each. I recommend that you do what I have done, and when they become available at the dealer buy an extra set and keep em in the glove box along with a diagram of where they go so the AAA guy can put them in when they quit next time. I never had em quit on me, but I changed them out as preventive maintenance on my 2nd tranny service. I still got the spares tho. Hope your problem is an aberration and not the start of a wave.

texas bob

Mike,

Thanks for the info and advice. Tough part now is I am told that the sensors with this new transmission have been moved to the interior of the housing and they can no longer be removed and replaced without pulling the transmission apart.

Time will tell where this is headed?

bigmike5

Bummer. If that is true,instead of a half hour fix it might be days. Hope it is rare to say the least.

cater

Anyone else have a 300 not starting problem?
Intermittant problem, took 10 tries over a few hours to start the car. Then the problem went away. The car was serviced and a broken module was found and replace ... hmmm ... however, the 300 has done this a few times since.
Interesting ... I am waiting to see if the problem returns on a more permanent basis as these cars are beautiful and who wants to have it in the garage

showboat

Bought a 300 C a month ago..Satin Jade, very cool...
Unfortunately, has been in the shop most of the time due to faulty coolant temp. gauge. Intermentially drops to zero and engine cooling fan comes on. Happen to anyone else?
Also does pull to the right!

Thanks for the info!!

gwrprinret

I learned my lesson when I bought a 1993 mazda 626ES for my wife. She loved the car, and it was quick, quiet and comfortable, but it was plagued with electrical problems and a tranny that would not kick down unless you hammered it. That was the first year of that new model. Right now I would love to get a 300C, but I'm waiting at least a year for them to sort out all the gremlins you guys are talking about. It shouldn't happen with a car costing around 35K, but it does.

fastdriver

you all might like to make use of:

http://www.dealerrater.com/search/search.asp

It might help others BEFORE they get stuck.

fastdriver

mabergin

Has anyone had there thermometer problem fixed?I would like to know what the problem is.

todd1

Just bought a 300C for my wife three weeks ago. She puts allot of miles on her cars so this has racked up over 1500 miles already. Several problems we have experienced in these three weeks include vehicle pulling to the right, auto-up/down window on drivers side stuck for about an hour then mysteriously began working again. The radio/NAV also stopped working for about an hour and mysteriously came back on. Finally, the a/c would not turn on. Just blew warm air. She immediately took the car back to the dealership wand miraculously the a/c came on when they inspected the car. Another complaint is with the the rubber trim around the power window/locks which appears to be coming lose. The gap is growing bigger by the day. This is the first domestic car I have owned and given the our experience with it in the past three weeks I am growing very very very nervous

dkrhardy

My dealer - 6 stars in my mind - told me that all of the fuses (in the trunk) come not installed. Well, sorta but not pushed all the way in. If you have any issues, quick check to see if they are seated properly. I KNOW - it should be done correctly, but that min wage guy/girl just wants to get it done. My $.02

fastdriver

jlm-

Look for any of kinglabs's posts and click on his profile. E-mail him and have him forward my e-mail to you.

You won't get much satisfaction from the "5-STAR" OR the "factory reps"! It never changes. New model, same old crap! Having them take half your car apart trying to solve the problem won't help because they have NO clue what they're looking for!

fastdriver

texas bob

Had my 300C in for several problems including the outside temp, C could not duplicate the problem and thus could not fix it. I have had the car back for a week now and have not seen this problem pop up again yet. I wish I had some advice for you but until it comes up again I just have to assume it's fixed?

My hideous AM reception remains after replacing the AM Modulator, the antenna base and the radio. Is anyone else having this problem?

jeep

Did you have an electrical problem that they corrected by doing this?

jeep

I posted recently where my red airbag warning light would stay on along
with the "passenger air bag off" light occasionally. I took it to 5 star and of course they initially found nothing. The first bad vibe I received was when the grease monkey tech came to talk with me and stated that"gee this was the first time I sat in a 300 much less worked on one". In his infinite wisdom he told me that he was told the "passenger air bag off" light should be on unless there is someone in the seat. I let him know in a somewhat disgusted tone that he was told wrong.

Anyway, he went back inside to attempt to find the problem. About 20
minutes later, the asst. manager came out to tell me that they finally determined how to use the new scan tool to read any problems in my computer. He told me that they found numerous error codes and that they had no info as to what to do. I was told that they would literally have to spend numerous hours on the phone with Chrysler to fix the problems. I said that as far as I was concerned, there was only one problem, my air bag light. I was told that was an obvious problem but the computer is showing many more.

Here we go. It sounds like this is a deal whereas I would have been better off leaving well enough alone. I am so concerned that they will screw other things up.

Anyway, I have an appointment for Thursday. Of course, I had to remind the dealer that they have to give me a loaner car since that is part of Chryslers commitment to the 300.

The icing on the cake was when I got back into the car and discovered that thegrease monkey couldn't care less about dirtying my carpet and kicking the sill plate getting in and out of the car.

dkrhardy

Yes - radio/CD head unit was dead one day. Nothing lit or on, dark, dead. Checked the fuse (in the trunk!) and it was good, so I replaced it. The radio/CD worked! Hmmm So I asked the service mgr and he then told me about the fuses being not completely installed when delivered. Again, it SHOULD be checked/seated at the new car prep. At least my service people are honest.

cobragmike

My car was built on May 25th and was in Inspection until June 9th before it shipped. Can not confirm, but my thinking is Chrysler held onto it to make sure they weren't sending out a car with any known problems. It takes another 2 weeks to get it to the dealership here in the Kansas City area. Let's hope that it shows up without any of the problems listed in this forum. And no new ones.

chrome58

I just bought a 300C on June 1. I didn't really notice any pulling until this weekend, and it seems to be rather severe. Did anyone else who has the pulling problem experience it from Day 1, or did it progressively worsen?

Also, where can I go to find the TSB description? And finally, the door sticker says the month/year built, but not the day. Where can you find the build information for the car?

Any help will be appreciated!!

kvilleboy

Near the bottom of the sticker you are looking at on the door you will see the letters "MDH" and then a series of numbers. That is "month, day, hour" - 2 numeric digits each.

jeqq

I test drove two different 300c's and really liked the feel of the car all around. While driving under forty mph, the steering and handling always felt great. When I drove over forty mph, if I hit a bump in the road the steering wheel shimmied very quickly back and forth. Even though I never felt the car loose control, the shimmy made me feel less secure about the car's road hugging ability.

On the first test drive, the salesman said I was the second person to tell him this. I went to another dealer and found the same thing happened again.

Does anyone else have a similar experience? Anyone know why this is happening?

mhe_xpehobo

what car do you currently drive? it all could be the matter of getting used to how your current car drives.

jeqq

I drive an Audi A6 2.7 quatro - 4 wheel drive and the steering is dead on. I've driven many other cars and did not get the "shimmy in the wheel" effect. When hitting bumps, alot of times you feel the back end skip or move over, without a shimmy in the steering.

The 300c's I drove stayed planted to the road, but the shimmy in the steering was there. Something needs to be addressed there, it sounds like the car needs a better steering linkage.

Bottom line for me on my test drive was the car hugs the road, but the shimmy made the car feel like it was loosing control. I know you are used to it , but it shouldn't be there.

lowrider

I have about 550 miles on my 300C now. I have noticed a pop when opening/closing the front passenger door. At first, I freaked and though that it was exterior metal hitting something. Luckily, nothing was interfering. After playing with this more, I have noticed that the top hinge is making the noise (or at least is the major item near the noise). Dealer will check it out on Tuesday next week but has anyone else noticed this door pop? Any guesses on what it is? I think perhaps a slightly miss aligned hinge...not a body man so I do not know how they fix this.

Thanks for the comments.

scipio

Part of this may be attributable to Chrysler's unibody construction, which transmits more road feel than some people are accustomed to. Also, IIRC, the 300 doesn't have speed-sensitive power steering, so the amount of power-assist doesn't vary. That may also contribute to the shimmy effect.

I have a 1996 Eagle Vision TSi that has very tight steering (as did my 1995 Chrysler Concorde).

mhe_xpehobo

your Audi is AWD, maybe that has something to do with a different feel?

docmark1

I've had quite the experience in the 1st few weeks after buying my 300C.
1. Car pulled to the right. Locar 5 star said "crown in the road" I brought to their attention there was a TSB on it. Their fix was an alignment. They made no mention of the cam bolt issue. Car still pulls but not as bad.

2. Cd player reads "error' when it get to the end of a cd and ejects it. They aledgedly played 6 cd's and couldn't reproduce it. I had to go down to the dealership and show their lackies myself. They weren't playing the cd to last song where problem occurs. They said they would have to order a new radio and it would take 4-6 weeks to get. Asked if they would upgrade it to a 6 dics chamger if I paid the difference. They said they were "not allowed" to do this by Chrysler.

3. Outside Temp readout gets stuck at 73. They said they could not duplicate it. Drove back while it was happening, showed the service manager myself on a 85 degree day. Their servce people looked at it and I picked it up with an invoice stating "problem could not be reproduced" they stated they were not aware of any other people having this problem.

4. Yesterday, had sunroof open, and when closed, a 1 in. wide piece of weatherstripping pulled out and stuck to the top of the roof. Took it to dealer today. They had it fixed in less than 2 hours, invoice stated "weatherstipping replace to correct position. Only problem is that the piece came from well inside the roof and would have required either removing the sunroof or taking down the headliner to get at. The piece was actually pulled out and not replaced. I have not gone back to them about that yet. Would like to hear your thoughts on how to approach this.

Part of my problem, I think, is that I did not buy the car from my local dealer who I have been taking it for service rather that the dealer I purchased it from who is 150 miles away.

I would appreiciate any thought or comments on what I should do, how I should approach the weatherstipping issue, etc.
Thanks

cobragmike

I would suggest taking your car to another Chrysler dealership in your area, and explain the problems you are having with the service dept. at your current dealership. I would not bring up where you purchased it unless they do. Then be honest. Just say "With the popularity of the 300C, you had to buy form a dealership 150 miles away". And that your looking for a good local dealership for your long term business.

hardhawk

Your experience is exactly why you should purchase from the dealer you intend to use for service. Why did you purchase 150 miles away?

jeep

The same reason that many of us did. It's because we couldn't get what we wanted at our local dealer. I had a problem with mine and took it to a local dealer, even thought I didn't buy it from them. They fixed the problem and treated me with respect, the way that any other dealer should, period. If you don't get it, raise the flag.

mikec1

I purchased my 300C at a dealership about 60 miles from my house for similar reasons to Jeep. The closer to home I tried to purchase, the more arrogant the dealers were. Between trying to get me to purchase 300C's that were less than what I wanted, wanting $2,000 over list, to shifty dealing, working with the Suburban Chicago dealers was a very unpleasant experience. I found a dealership outside the area that was enthusiacstic, appreciative and reasonable just off the beaten path.

There is no excuse for sub-par service by any 5-star dealer regardless of where the car was purchased. Chrysler pays them the same for the work either way. I would suggest a complaint to Chrysler about the local dealership. That is BS!

mikec1

Has anyone noticed an audible sound from the front disc brakes similar to a very soft grind when the brakes are applied. I am not sure I would call it a grind, more like a SHSHHHH. It may be that they were hot coming off a 40 minute stop and go commute (0-50mph). I thought the lower part of the front bumper was designed to direct cool air to the brakes through venting where the solid black panels are, in front of each wheel well? Anyone thought of taking a dremmel to the panels to allow air to pass into the wheel wells. Am I friggin nuts?

arnoldw

I think if you look at the bottom of you're front bumper you will see there are channels about 4 in. wide directed towards the front rotors

docmark1

The local deaker wanted $500 over MSRP, were I bought it was $200 under invoice! A good enough reason for me to drive 150 mi.

hardhawk

I agree that all dealers should treat you the same in a perfect world. We do not live in such a world. If there is a big price difference between a local dealer and an out of town one, then that local dealer knows it will probably never get your sales business, so why knock themselves out on warranty work they don't get full reimbursemnt for? I don't personally agree with that logic, but I can sure understand how they could feel that way. My philospohy would be to sell to everyone at a fair price, then treat everyone well in service, hoping to convince the out of town buyers that it would be worth more to buy it locally because they are treated so well for service. Build a good long term relationship with each customer. If the local dealer treats you shabbily for service, the money you saved buying out of town may well not be worth the increased aggrivation you will suffer or the added cost you will incur by having to take your car to the selling dealer for service. I would never take a car in for warranty service to anyone other than the selling dealer unless I was out of town and an emergency arose. Some of the dealerships that lo-ball on price to customers who live a ways away know they will never see the cars again, so they can make less on each sale because they will not have to take the financial hit for warranty work. When I order my new vehicles, I always buy from the same dealers. Could I save more buying elsewhere? Perhaps, but the service I get is well worth the extra cost. My Chrysler van is 7.5 years old and far out of warranty, yet my sales person still will come by my house, pick it up, and leave his demo for me to drive while the van is being serviced. He brings the van back when it is fixed with a bill, which I then send in a check for. What kind of price can you put on service like that?

dennis

My thermometer sticks at whatever the garage temp is. After a few miles it starts to register the outside temp. It always "kicks in" at the same driving location.....weird.

Anyone else notice the trunk is kind of difficult to shut on the first try? Needs a handle on the inside. That's about it.

dkrhardy

Well, if you put it that way - I guess my thermometer "sticks" too. I just figured it takes a minute or so to cool off or warm up before it registers correct. I'm pretty sure my '01 R/T did the same. Hmmm

jeep

My '01 Grand Cherokee therm. also sticks, however, my 300C seems to stick for a much longer time.

heman2000

my 300c has problems starting. after 300 miles. every now and then it takes three turns of the key to start. this happens mostly after i fill up the tank. i already took it in and they kept my car for 3 days and told me they could not find the problem. now after 900 miles the engine light is on and it still doesn't want to start right away. and it pulls to the right. i wish i never bought this car. i havent drove it in a week. i have two other cars to get around in. i have notified chrsyler threw certified mail. i'm exercising my lemon law right. wish me luck. i want my money back.

esp95

Took delivery of my 2005 chrysler limited on May 26 2004. From 1st day car pulled to the right. To me it felt that it didn't have any toe in as you had to keep steering to go straight.
Took it back to the dealer, they drove but didn't know what to do for it.
Took a 300C off the lot and it also pulled to the right. Still waiting for a fix.

esp95

My Chrysler Concorde had a leather strap to pull when closing the trunk. Took an old belt and made one for my Chrysler 300. It works good. Bob in Mi.

yak54

Sorry to hear of your problems. What was the build date on your car before or after April 25. Just trying to see if they have had the same problem after 4/25/04.
Thanks!

esp95

I ordered my car on April 28. Was delivered to me on May 26, so was built somewhere between those dates. Been waiting for a fix from chrysler. Thanks for asking. Other than that car is good.

jlm

after several trips to the dealer and no correction in this issue, Chrysler called and said they would buy the car back. they made it sound like it will be a simple process. anyone ever gone through this process? our 300 only has 1500 miles on it. this issue was brought to their attention the first week of ownership. wondering how this buypack process will work. will they give me exactly what i paid for the car along with taxes and fees? my goal is to find another 300.

hardhawk

You should be refunded the full price less a per mile charge for the 1500 miles you used the car. At least that is how most buybacks work. Maybe you should offer to have them just replace the car with another one just like it fresh off the line?

jcsganga34

I also have the same problem of the thermometer sticking at 73 degrees. What I noticed though is that if I take the car on the highway, it unsticks relatively quickly. It only seems to stick on hot days. So what I am wondering is if the sensor/thermometer is next to something that heats up extremely hot and until it cools down from the wind while the car is moving at high speed that an accurate reading can not be taken. Does anyone know where the actual sensor/thermometer for the outside temp is? Maybe that will give us some clues...

quietflyer

I have a '99 300M and its thermometer does the same thing. I looked at the owners manual and it states that the thermometer only updates once every 15 minutes when road speed is less than 35 MPH. Above 35 MPH it updates much faster (I don't remember the rate). On my 300M the sensor is mounted to the radiator bulkhead behind the bumper.

jeep

I purchased the catalog listed wheel locks # 82208724 for my C. They went on easy enough, however, the center lug nut cap would not snap flush where the lock was. Has anyone else had this problem, or do you know of a different part #? I figure with the 18" wheels and the self sealing tires, it would only be a matter of time before a low-life would be tempted to make them theirs, thus my attempt at securing the wheels.

daphod74

I purchased my 300C a couple of weeks ago and have exceeded 500 miles on the odo (I had to drive it from the dealership I made the purchase at in Columbia, SC to my home near Raleigh, NC). Needless to say, I have spent a lot of time in this vehicle already and am very impressed so far.

The ride quality is firm and sporty, never floaty. The 5.7L Hemi is outstanding and more refined than I expected. Once it is warmed up, you can't even feel it idle. The transmission shifts smoothly and the autostick feature is a blast. I keep finding myself surprised that a 4000+ pound vehicle feels this light on its toes and nimble around turns.

So far, I have experienced no problems, issues or annoyances with this car. I am very impressed with this being a first year car and having the fit and finish that it does have. The interior is tight with no squeaks or rattles and all the panels are aligned properly with no rough edges.

As with any new car model, it's good to share problems and solutions with everyone else. I will post again if I find something, but so far my hopes for reliability are being met. Just in case, I purchased the 7/70k bumper to bumper fully anticipating at least some issue with a first-year model. I previously had a '97 GTP (another 1st year) that had a few minor annoyances but nothing major and ended up being a reliable car for 7 years.

Before someone posts a message completely trashing the reliability of the 300C, Chrysler or American cars in general, I would like to say that any car from any manufacturer, regardless of reputation or price, can be a gem or a lemon. My father in law is taking a substantial loss trading in his '03 Infiniti G35 (highly rated in initial quality and reliability) due a major brake problem that the shop can't diagnose.

Thanks for reading.