Overview & Reviews

Chrysler is generally considered part of the Big Three, a title that refers to the traditional triumvirate of domestic automakers. The current accuracy of this classification is open for debate, but there's no debating the fact that Chrysler has experienced a revival of sorts over the past few years.

Chrysler Corporation was founded in 1925 by Walter P. Chrysler, a noted machinist; he'd purchased the Maxwell Motor Corporation of Detroit and used it as the foundation for his new company. The automaker quickly earned a reputation for advanced engineering. In 1928, Chrysler Corporation expanded with the purchase of Dodge and the creation of the DeSoto and Plymouth divisions.

The 1930s saw Chrysler boldly looking toward the future with the introduction of its revolutionary Airflow. Powered by a front-mounted inline-8, the car was one of the first to be designed with aerodynamics in mind, and featured swooping lines and a prominent grille. Perhaps a bit too ahead of its time, the Airflow was a flop with the public. Chrysler was able to survive the lean years of the Depression thanks to strong sales of its entry-level Dodge and Plymouth brands, whose vehicles boasted more traditional designs and much lower price tags.

Chrysler shined postwar. For a period in the late 1940s, it even surpassed Ford as the No. 2 U.S. automaker. The company's storied "Hemi" V8 engine debuted in 1951. Offering 180 horsepower, it was a significant improvement over Chrysler's previous 135-hp V8. The Hemi engine was meant to trounce the V8 offered by Cadillac, Chrysler's rival, and it kick-started Detroit's horsepower race of the 1950s and '60s. The '50s also saw the debut of treasured Chrysler classics like the handsome Town and Country and the sleek 300C.

By 1961, Chrysler had trimmed its line of brands by dropping the DeSoto nameplate. New technologies were also afoot, such as unibody construction (Chrysler was the first of the Big Three to introduce it) and the replacement of generators with alternators for a car's charging system. In the latter half of the '60s, Chrysler was heavily involved with NASCAR and producing performance-oriented cars.

At the same time, however, dark clouds were gathering. As with other domestic automakers, the 1970s proved to be a difficult decade due to the oil crisis, new government regulations and changing consumer tastes. A costly and ineffective overseas expansion further hurt the company's bottom line. By the late '70s, the company was in such financial disarray that it petitioned the government for $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to save it from bankruptcy.

Thanks to impressive public campaigning by then-chairman Lee Iacocca, the debut of the well-received K-car platform and the creation of the modern minivan, sales had improved dramatically by the mid-'80s. The government's loan was paid off seven years early. The picture further brightened in the late 1980s with Chrysler's purchase of American Motors Corporation (which netted the company the Jeep brand) and a joint venture with Mitsubishi known as Diamond Star Motors.

Success continued through the early 1990s. In 1998, German-based Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler to form DaimlerChrysler. At the time, this deal was presented as a merger of equals. But it quickly became apparent that it was more of a purchase, with Daimler being the dominant partner.

Less than a decade later, that merger was no longer, as Daimler sold Chrysler (and Dodge) to a private equity firm in 2007. However, that merger had borne some worthwhile fruit, most notably in the form of the Chrysler 300 full-size sedan. The latter shared some chassis components with an older Mercedes-Benz E-Class platform.

As such, the 300 was a highlight for Chrysler that had a pleasingly solid feel to its driving dynamics that was further sweetened via an available powerful V8 engine. But soon after the split, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy and the federal government intervened with bailout loans. Eventually Chrysler came under control of Italy's Fiat.

Today, the lineup has been pared down to a pair of sedans, a convertible and a minivan. However, after years of having lackluster entries in the very important midsize car category, Chrysler made major improvements in the performance, design and quality of its midsize sedan entry, the 200. The latest 300 also stands as a prime choice for a premium full-size sedan. Still, it remains to be seen as to whether this and future product releases will be enough to restore the company to its former glory.

User Reviews:

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  Great Car - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By rodneystri - August 10 - 3:55 pm

  I bought this car new in July 2006 and have had no major issues that were not covered by the warranty, I only have just over 36K original miles and just replaced the tires and that was only because the tires had age cracks on them, the tread was still in good shape and probably could have gone another 36k but didnt want to take the chance. I Love this car.

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  2 month of Ownership Review - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By ggunderson3 - August 10 - 12:02 pm

  Gas mileage on target, 4 cyl is not overpowered but drives fine if you are not a NASCAR racer, but could use more horsepower. Smooth ride and quiet. Interior is very nice, top notch. Back seat will hold two adults, trunk is truly massive, I doubt any human can fill it up. Large screen option is fantastic, very easy to use.

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  Lemon!! - 2009 Chrysler Aspen
  By jweb909 - August 8 - 4:27 pm

  Bought my aspen hybrid used (2nd owner) in end of 2013. Drove it for less than 1000 miles and it started draining the batteries when it was parked. Been in the shop for over 80+++ days and chrysler refuses to take responsibility and own up to its flaws and buy me out of it. Tried over and over to get it repaired and finally the dealership may have the right part to fix the problem. Really stinks that they only made a handful of these cars, beautiful and very fast, but when they break down no one knows how to fix it. ARRRRgggh! I would never have bought it if I knew how expensive it was to repair it. Lemon car for sure in my book. Anyone else have issues that cost them thousands $$?

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  2014 chrysler 300 problems - 2014 Chrysler 300
  By espi5631 - August 6 - 11:50 pm

  bought my new chrysler back in march of this year and i loved it. But this past month has made me think twice about buying another one it has 6000 miles on it and it already needed battery and alternator replaced and by the end of this month they are going to replace the whole transmission and re program the whole car. Hope this is not one of chryslers lemons

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  GREAT CAR SO FAR - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By viko1 - August 5 - 10:05 am

  I am the second owner. It had 40k miles on it when I bought my car. Now it has 112k , and only problem I had was the EGR valve around 85k miles....I had to get it replaced and the problem is fixed. Its not the best luxury car nor has the best performance. But you get what you pay for and it does the work. My friend thinks that it is better than BMW 335 xDrive, for the long highway trips..you go figure...If you take care of your car it will not fail or break ...IMHO American made cars are more reliable than the European cars...plus the money you spend at the mechanic/dealer is always less if you go for the American...be smart if you dont have a million...

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  Dont let this be you - 2011 Chrysler 300
  By traveled2011 - July 28 - 9:19 pm

  I purchased my Chrysler at the end of 2011 brand new. One year in at 40k miles (I drive for a living its my work car) I had a check engine light come on. Brought it into the dealer and found out there was damage to a valve. They refused to cover the repair even though it was nothing I had or could have done to cause this. This car was in for every oil change and service mind you.Now here I June 2014 I was on the highway at 65MPH when my car suddenly made a loud pop and locked up.I had it towed two hours back to my dealer to find out the engine had a recall on the timing chain and it had broken and blown the motor. There are no motors and they want to rebuild it after 70% catastrophic damage

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  Warning if you purchase - 2005 Chrysler Pacifica
  By aheflin - July 28 - 7:50 pm

  We fell in love with our Pacifica when we first got and would probably still love it if we did not keep having issues with it. First it was in the shop, free of charge, for most of the first 30 days we had it. The check engine light came kept coming on every 3 days after we bought it. After that we put in a new alternator. Now it needs new tie rods and ball joints. I was told we did not buy a lemon but a bad make/model. I am now trying to decide if we should put more money into it or buy a better make/model. I was told that the next issues could be struts and transmission. Oh, and the electronic seats and passenger air bag are messed up due to a one time change in positions.

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  Chrysler 300 Poor Choice - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By drewcarr - July 28 - 4:16 pm

  Hi - I bought a Chrysler 300 Touring Edition with 63,000 kms on it. I bought the car from a salesman friend and he swore up and down that car never missed a service and was ultra-reliable. I have owned the car for just over two years (now has 109,000 kms) and have done the following since I owned it - replaced two front end ball joint and two front end control arms - replaced alternator - replaced battery - serpentine belt "exploded" had to be towed. The front left wheel bearing had to be replaced. ERG valve replaced.Knuckle joint is gone in the steering column. I cant buy the joint must buy the entire steering column at a cost of over $900.Air conditioning compressor replaced.LEMON LEMON

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  Love my Sebring - 2006 Chrysler Sebring
  By tstas - July 28 - 3:33 pm

  Ive had my 2006 Sebring Touring Edition since August 2011. I did have to replace an O2 sensor and heat sync sensor as well as the alternator last year. The car has over 90k on it. It was under 70 when I bought it. Mine has handled nicely and is fun to drive on curvy roads with the top down. Aside from the above mentioned issues Ive had no mechanical problems and keep up with routine maintenance. Im not getting the mileage some others are getting. I get maybe 25 MPG city. All and all, I have no complaints about the car.

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  U-dont-Connect - 2013 Chrysler 300
  By vakmere1 - July 16 - 1:27 pm

  Ill rate the car an B-. As for the Uconnect phone system it gets an F. My cell phone is compatable according to the Chrysler website however the connectivity is poor. Phone un-pairs by itself, text box opens and scrolls thru all my contacts without me initiating it and I can get it to turn off after repeatedly pushing the cancel or X button. Takes up to 8 minutes to dial out and get not connected messages. The list goes on. My Buick never had an issue with bluetooth. Ive heard everything from "its my phone" to "well replace the Uconnect" to "it needs an update". None of which it needs. Forums are loaded with people who have connectivity issues with this system. There is no fix.