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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  04 Pacifica - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Jay09 - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Troublesome vehicle, lots of electrical problems, problems the dealer has not been able to fix. Have taken it in 4 times now. Engine is underpowered for and does not feel very refined. Seating is not as flexible as I was hoping. Enormous blind spots.

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  Only looks pretty - 2012 Chrysler 200
  By Becky hafner - December 11 - 11:26 pm

  Had this car for 3 years. Things fall off this car! Plastic parts,hoses,front bumper...bumper snaps back in, though. Cheap plastic accessory parts that break off. Rubber seals popping out around windows and convertible roof. Windshield seal is separating, causing floors to be wet. Infamous water in the dash from ac. Ac fan is now making noise. Dash lights flicker on and off. Rear tires continue to have cupping, despite alignment. There is a whistling sound when windows are up, probably another faulty seal. Power windows USUALLY work. If you are a smoker, there is no way to crack windows in the rain without interior doors getting soaked. Extremely windy when roof is down. Have to take off tires and other stuff to replace headlights. Finally found the battery! Have to take off tire to get to it. Really? I feel that all the great technology went into the engine and the sound system/computer (which is actually impressive) but no where else. Very cheaply built, probably why it was listed as the most affordable convertible. The car is a beast,very disappointing :/

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  Looks Are Deceiving!!!!! - 1999 Chrysler 300M
  By Bad Choice! - December 7 - 2:00 am

  The car only looks nice. I would never buy another Chrysler in my life.Everything that can go wrong, did go wrong.The car is in the shop every other month.Windows, Speed sensors, fans, modules, mirror controls, brakes parts, speakers etc. there are no warnings! the car just quits anytime, anywhere. One time I had not been out of it 30 minutes,I got back in,it would not start. (modules).One day I was one my way home from the repair shop and it quit, you fix one thing and something else goes bad!!! Chrysler needs to have a lifetime warranty on this car.

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  Watch out over 100K - 1995 Chrysler Concorde
  By Ugly1 - November 13 - 2:00 am

  Good car up to about 100K miles. Had numerous nagging and expensive issues starting at 90K miles. Air conditioning issues abound with a very expensive climate control panel failure. Front end problems resulting in numerous repairs but none prohibitively expensive. Car is fun to drive and handles well with more road noise than expected from this size vehicle.

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  Nice ride horrible transmission! - 2014 Chrysler 300
  By Jim - October 20 - 11:55 pm

  Purchased the car used with 4500 miles on it and only had it a year and sold it with 26k miles. During this time the ride of the car was outstanding, very smooth with very little road noise and a great interior with everything in reach. The AWD was the best I have driven in the western new York snow. However, there were a few things that were pretty annoying about the car. First, if you were using the navigation system, it would just start to reset itself at the most inopportune time for no reason. Once the navigation came back on it would pick right up where you were and continue. Second, the heated seats is not a button, you have to go onto the display into climate and press the heated seat. I would expect it to be a button right there on the dash or gear shifter area (petty I know). Third and most important, the transmission is horrible. I had the car in the shop 3 times during the year of ownership because of the shifting of the car. The first issue with the transmission was first thing after starting it. The car would rev up and finally shift into third gear with a very heavy shift, into the shop for a reprogram of the transmission. Service tech at the dealer says that this is common with the car and they need to re-program to learn your driving style. It was fixed and no issues for 3 months. Second issue came when I started to slow down. Every time I would come to a stop the car would jerk forward on every down shift. Back into the shop again for a reprogram for a fix. That one lasted 3 months and then another issue came up while driving at highway speeds, while traveling 65 plus MPH the transmission would decide to down shift for no reason and then after about 5 min would go back into 8th gear. Back to the shop for that, and the comment by the tech was “this is odd never heard of the highway speed issue, the other two are known issues”. Good bye car before the warranty expired. The transmission ruined the entire car experience (duh). The car is beautiful and comfortable inside, great features for a “base” car and it was depressing to have to trade in, but the transmission issues would have cost $450 to reprogram outside of the warranty; no thank you.

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  No so Good - 2016 Chrysler 200
  By pkdamistro@gmail.com - October 10 - 1:34 pm

  11 day after owing the car, i had to send to the dealership because the "push-start button and engine light came on". the vehicle decelerates when i drive. I have read reviews of people having the same issues. I m very worried about the owning the car now. I am just waiting for the dealer to finish what they have to do and i will make my decision as to keep it or return it. Chrysler can do better

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  Never Again - 2000 Chrysler Voyager
  By trivetthelton - September 28 - 2:00 am

  I have replaced numerous wheel cylinders, had the transmission pulled to replace the seal, and replaced the condensing unit for the A/C. None of which were covered by warranty, and the A/C compressor is going out, so it will also need to be replaced! I will never, I repeat never, purchase a Chrysler product again!!!

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  Never purchase a Chrysler - 1996 Chrysler Sebring
  By dolfinfl - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Had this car for 6 years and from month 3 had problems. Complete lemon. This car has had over 35 problems and lives in the shop. But the lovely Chrysler service people explain that "all cars have problems"..Wow 35 problems must be the norm? It only has 61,000 miles and has been nothing but headache and misery. I will never by a Chrysler product again. I am afraid to drive it most of the time!

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  High cost/&high repair cost - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Mike C - September 11 - 9:16 am

  The overall value of the car is far less than the value of the car. Ratio of 1/5. Because of the many problems, an hard to service per mechanics, an cluster panel failure, this car should be restricted to hobby driving to grocery store, but not suitable for city an high traffic driving. You will end up paying for it twice based on repairs.

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  Dont Expect Too Much - 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By techshark - September 5 - 11:33 pm

  We have a 2001 PT Cruiser. While its fun to look at it is seriously underpowered and has lots of issues. Despite that we have a "bumper to bumper" extended warranty, it never seems to cover any of the issues and each service is several hundred dollars a time and at least $100 to diagnose. The car has a VERY dangerous blind spot so you must adjust the mirrors exactly and take your eyes off the road to look behind you in both directions to change lanes. The car is so underpowered that it cannot make more than 60 mph up a hill with 2 people in it. The gas mileage is on its best day 20 mpg highway so dont buy this for fuel economy. If all you want is styling, this is the car for you.