Used Chrysler 300 review

Exterior:

If you notice a few interesting discrepancies, don’t be surprised. We’re not talking about Tesla levels of shoddy build quality but plenty of owners have mentioned that the panel gaps even between the four doors can all be noticeably different. Actually, this is something we really noticed within the owner’s groups and forums, there seems to be some huge inconsistencies when it comes to build quality and reliability.

There are countless other owners that have had a range of stupid issues, like the boot latch actuator sensor playing up to the point that it randomly triggers the car alarm… not embarrassing at all.

Loads of owners are starting to experience issues with the windows failing to open or close. The issue here seems to be the window motors or the plastic components of the window regulators can fail over time.

Fixing this requires the door card to come off and you’ll need replacement parts, which can be a challenge to get.

Now something that isn’t a fault as such but you need to be aware of it if you’re in the market, this is a serious performance car but it is bloody heavy, we’re talking nearly 2 tonne, and combining fast with heavy generally accelerates wear and tear on consumables. Premium performance tyres will obviously be on the expensive side and being Bremobos, so can the brakes.

plenty of owners recommend fitting aftermarket rotors and pads as they’ve found quite often they’ll not only perform just as well, they’ll last longer and cost less

Interior:

If the model you’re looking at has the Carbon Fibre trim, so not the SRT Core models, the carbon trim can lift and peel off, not just on the doors either, all of the carbon trim. Annoyingly, owners have reported that the replacement parts are bloody expensive for what they are and on examples where their dealership have “fixed” this, the trim just starts to lift and peel all over again. Actually the record we came across was that one owner that claimed Chrysler had to fix the problem under warranty, eight times!

The same can be said for some of the leather trim, owners have reported that the leather on the dash and sometimes on the armrests can lift and peel. Some owners mentioned that some of the plastics can become brittle and best case scenario rattle a bit, worst case scenario actually break. A few owners have had an issue where the passenger side window switch cubby hole can break. The factory part is $118, or you could have it 3D printed or find a part from a wreckers, because parts availability can be an issue.

Just on rattles and weird noises, loads of owners have complained of a squeak or rattle from the front of the dash, it’s actually from a 10mm bolt near the front quarter panel, easy to fix, check the owner’s groups and forums for tutorials.

Older models can suffer from a chattering sunroof. The brace across loses its padding but it’s incredibly cheap and easy fix, get those padded furniture skids and install them where the worn-out pads would normally be Again, owners groups to get the details.

However, the biggest interior issues all surround electronics and U-Connect infotainment system. Electronics first, if you’re looking to buy one of these, try every single function, and then try it again, then try it a third time to make sure it works.

Owners have reported everything from seat adjustment and heating and cooling failing, window switches failing, lighting issues, certain modules and ECUs failing, HVAC functions not working, basically anything with electricity running to it can have an issue. But remember, there’s also an extremely high possibility it won’t have an issue too, it’s all a bit of a gamble.

Then onto the bloody U-Connect infotainment systems. We should mention that post-2017 models received the 4th-generation of U-Connect and it is apparently an improvement plus it also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Earlier systems can have this level of phone connectivity integrated but loads of owners suggest binning the factory-fitted stuff and fitting a quality aftermarket system.

But, if you’re determined to stick with the factory system, don’t be surprised if you experience Bluetooth dropouts, screens can delaminate or lock up or turn blue or black, and functionality issues are pretty common like the entire system fails to turn on for about 20 minutes, even the satellite navigation, depending on where you’re watching this from, can be near impossible to get updates for.

Of all the infotainment systems we’ve covered on ReDriven, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Jeep or a Chrysler or a Fiat, U-Connect is on par with the older Toyota interfaces for being the absolute worst.

Although, quick tip, if you put the car into reverse and the screen has a tantrum, there’s a chance it’s not U-Connect, check the connections to the camera itself, these can come loose, it’s a super easy fix, check the owners groups for advice on how to fix it.

Mechanical:

Mechanically speaking, good news here. They actually are pretty reliable and that’s because these 6.1 litres are a pretty simple engine.

They don’t have variable valve timing, and they don’t have MDS, which is their multi-displacement system. That’s just where it cuts out a cylinder when it’s not required. So there is much less to go wrong.

One of the things that can go wrong, though, is a hydraulic lift failure, which is a pretty widely reported issue. What happens there is the roller on the bottom of the lifter the bearing fails, and then the lifter destroys itself on the camshaft.

Although it’s not hugely common in the 6.1-litres, it’s more common in cars that are highway patrol cars, which is the case here in Australia. An issue here is that these cop cars are idling for long periods of time, those roller bearings in the lifters just don’t get adequate lubrication, then the bearings just fail. This is what actually happened to the two cars we had booked in prior to the one we reviews. They were both cop cars, and they both had a very similar problem. So yeah, maybe don’t buy an ex-cop car.

Now, oil consumption is a known issue in these as well, although it’s not a severe problem that you will have to top it up between services, and speaking of services, every 45,000 kilometres on these things, they’re due for spark plugs.

Now if you don’t know, these Hemi engines have 16 spark plugs. So if you’re doing good quality spark plugs like an NGK brand plug, you can expect to pay just for plugs about 650 bucks.

Other things to look out for are just age-related issues here and high-mileage problems. They do suffer some oil leaks, but overall, pretty good.

Now, the transmissions in these, the NAG1 transmission that’s used in a bunch of Dodge, Chrysler, and Mercedes products, overall, they’re okay. They do have an issue where the electrical connector into the gearbox leaks oil, but that’s not a huge problem.

They can also have some torque converter clutch issues where they just get shot in them, they can also have some valve body issues. Some of those problems with a torque converter in the valve body, they can be a little bit expensive. But the good news here is this gearbox is pretty well supported in terms of spare parts and a good knowledge base too. The same can be said for the whole driveline, really. There is a really good community with these cars as well.

Aside from cop cars, other versions of these, you should avoid ones that are heavily modified because some of the mods on these are just terrible.