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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  Poor Quality - 2001 Chrysler Voyager
  By Bob B - July 5 - 11:36 am

  At 60K miles: Three transmissions replaced,A/C replaced, stabilizer link pins replaced, rust bubbling through paint, P/S pump replaced, brakes all the way around. This has been a nightmare vehicle. I seriously maintain my vehicles to avoid these problems, but this car can not be helped! Next vehicle will be foreign.

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  WASTE OF TIME & MONEY - 2001 Chrysler 300M
  By BUYER BEWARE - June 30 - 8:10 am

  Bought used the car w/ 21k mil - Transmission went out at 49k, (thank god I bought extended warranty to 50k) a/c went at 52K (compressor & evaporator) $1,500 to repair- overheated at 62k had to have heads re- done - $3,000 repair - crank shft/bearings went at $71k -$1800 repair - interior dash lights flicker - cd player doesnt play-eats the cds & doesnt give back- crack in dashboard over passenger airbag - apparently common problem w/ these cars -my tires go low all the time due to rims - apparently they are known for getting spurs on the rims which make the tires slowly leak - the spurs have to be filed down - only 16.5 mpg but doesnt qualify for "cash for clunkers"

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  Last Chrysler - 2008 Chrysler Sebring
  By Frustrated - June 25 - 1:30 pm

  My wife and I are loyal Chrysler buyers until this vehicle came along. The styling is great and I like the convertible factor. Thats where the compliments end. The vehicle is just over 2 years old now and has been in for repairs 12 times! Thats an average of once every 2 months. Issues include, brake lights coming on intermittently, starting getting stuck, front- end/steering noise, stuck door locks, stalling, recalls and interior fit issues. I am currently working with Chrysler assistance to get rid of this vehicle as I feel the front-end problems make it unsafe to drive. Also, it is not worth now what is owed according to KBB. Another nice kick in the head.

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  Lemon Pt-Cruiser - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Pt-cruiser :( - May 26 - 9:50 am

  since I purchased this car, all Ive had is problems. -1st the door took air and was very noisy, had it looked at 5 times to be told, that Id have to like with it. -The the door take in water when in a carwash or when in heavy rain - Had had constant noise with the motor and of course when you take it in does not do it for them, grrr - Brakes needed to be changed 4 times - the bouching its a suspensing thing twice - I had to buy the extendeed warrenty at a cost of 1200$, was less expensive to take that then the repair cost I had to place on it at a lil over 60k - then the a/c stopped working and had to get all 4 tubings replaced and had to par a 100$ detection, yada yada yada

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  2007 Sebring - 2007 Chrysler Sebring
  By Chris - May 18 - 9:21 pm

  I purchased this vehicle used a year ago and since then had nothing but nightmares. After a month of having it the shifter was stuck in park and had to be towed to dealership. They had the car for a week because the part was not in stock. The engine sounds very whiny and the brakes make alot of grinding sounds. Now with 40k on it the alternator went out on me. I have been calling around and told it would take 3-7 days to get it in and the cost is almost $400. When I called the dealership and asked why this car is having so many problems they said I have never heard of them having any issues. I would never buy a chrysler again.

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  Dead Engine - 1999 Chrysler Concorde
  By Chargers - May 17 - 11:43 am

  Have loved this car for its size and comfort for many years, however have also lived with the problems for many years too! Bought in 1999 with 10,000 miles. Headlight grommets started coming off a long time ago, lived with it. Been hit on the head with the trunk after a few years, replaced lifts. Dash and lights have been flickering bright & dim for many years, figured it was not worth paying to have researched, so we have lived with that. Back and side windows stopped working a few years ago, lived with that, until my driver side completely died, put in over $1,000 last year to fix those, since the air died also. Now, now with no warning, the Engine just Died!

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  Wish I knew how expensive it would be to repair - 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By sim40son - May 15 - 10:42 pm

  I have had this car since 2007, it was fine for the 1st year but I had to put brakes on a fairly new car. Have to buy new tires all the time it wears them out, new brakes every year because of the ceramic brake pads bad design. wiring harness went and something else that was not suppose to ever go bad, chrysler paid for that. I have had to put new wheel bearings on, when the timing belt brakes it takes out the whole housing expensive, even a tune up is outrageous. I am reviewing cars this time. I like my PT cruiser, but I do not like the huge expense of repairs, chrysler parts are expensive. My mechanic told me that chylsers are very expensive to repair. wish I new ahead of time.

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  So far, so good - 2006 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Sean - May 14 - 1:51 pm

  Ours is 3 years and 45k miles old and has done well so far. No serious reliability problems to date. Yes, its heavy, meaning: fairly slow and thirsty. It was bought with safety in mind, so the weight is part of the package. Good in the snow, good on highways, nice interior, nice exterior and the 6 seats come in useful. My only reservations come from reading some of the other comments here about reliability, but this one has behaved and has a 100k extended warranty from a non Chrysler company.

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  Chrysler 200 is nice but it is a safety concern. - 2016 Chrysler 200
  By Dalia - May 9 - 3:18 pm

  I bought my car brand new from a well known dealership. It was the floor model limited edition. After 9 months of having the vehicle I started having electrical problems to the point it left me stranded on the side of the road. It was under warranty so I had that replaced. Then a few months later I started having transmission problems. Needless to say I am done with my Chrysler 200. I loved the car until it started having too many problems. I just cant do it anymore. I have a kid and thank God that both times that I was left on the side of the road he was not with me. It is now a safety concern of mine.

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  Love/hate relationship w/ my Pacifica - 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Gerald - May 7 - 12:05 am

  My 2017 Pacifica replaced my 2014 Odyssey. From a driving perspective, it’s a class or 2 above the Odyssey. It’s so much quieter and smoother to drive. However, from a functionality and reliability standpoint, it fails compared to the Odyssey. My Uconnect has many quirks and does not functionally normally. I’ve spent over 3 hrs on the phone w/ tech support but there are still many quirks that tech support can’t fix and they recommended that I take it to the dealer. Who has time for that?! The Pacifica’s interior is stylish, but it lacks many nooks and crannies for storage compared to the Odyssey. Also, all the seats are extremely difficult with car seat installation – seat bottom reclines too much, headrest protrudes too much, latch and tether difficult to use and limited 2nd row width to accommodate 3 car seats together comfortably. The Odyssey was 1000x better in this respect. So far I’m enjoying the drive. But I miss the day to day functionality of the Odyssey.