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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  Many issues - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By 19joe66 - August 14 - 5:22 pm

  Vehicle purchased as new and have had many issues. Honestly, do your homework before purchasing this car. 1)Brakes squeaking horribly within the first 3000 miles. 2)Transmission slams into gear intermittently from park to reverse or from park to drive. 3)Transmission has intermittently hung in fourth gear on highway at any speed. 4)Extremely noisy in cabin. Sound from behind driver almost like the rear windows are slightly open. 5)Has surges badly when cold from day one. 6)As of two weeks ago stalled twice when coming to a stop. 7)Driving at night very difficult. Headlights do not display enough light on the road surface. Road lamps do help.

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  Poor fit and finish - 2012 Chrysler 200
  By bradleyb2 - June 14 - 10:43 pm

  Purchased a 2012 Chrysler 200 touring three weeks ago and took it back to the dealer and traded it off. The car needed to have its door taken apart to replace the seals around te doors. Back windows leaked likea waterfall. Called Chrysler and they were no help. I did like Chrysler products but no so sure now. Especially since they dont seem to care about their customers. BEWARE!

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  Decent car - 1999 Chrysler Sebring
  By brier94_um33 - April 3 - 9:49 am

  Compared to the other cars that you could get for the same price with a convertible top and all the features this car comes with, its almost unbeatable...almost. Unless you can do your own work or have a second car to drive while your Chrysler Sebring is in the shop, I would recommend looking around before you buy this car. This is an unreliable car and will need serviced more then you may like. The good side of that is replacement parts are cheap and easy to find. For the people that do their own work, you may need to try a few times to be able to get to where you need to be. Considering the front wheel drive, the engine compartment is very cramped. I still enjoyed my Sebring.

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  Stay away from this car - 1999 Chrysler Sebring
  By mikeson1 - March 2 - 11:48 am

  While the car may look great and fun to drive, it will always be in the shop. I have had the car in the shop 4 times, since I bought it 1 month ago. The car has been severely random misfiring and they have replaced the computer, spark plugs, valve cover, manifold, distrubuter, and they are now changing the EGR. In addition to this the car squeaks terribly at low speeds. Not only this the car has electrical problems, the cruise quit working, lights turn on and off when they want to and the remote keys only work when they want to any will randomly set the car alarm off. The car is not even junk yard worthy!!!

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  Ugh I am so glad its over. - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By luvtoyota10 - February 20 - 1:42 pm

  Okay this was my fathers car. And it was such a piece of junk one day I was in the car on the highway and the steering wheel was vibrating and shaking. There were many issues with things that my father assumed were fine, but he traded it in for a Toyota Avalon. It handled like a turd and the interior was crap. But i have to admit it looked sharp in black and it rode smooth and had a quiet ride.

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  2008 chrysler 300 touring - 2008 Chrysler 300
  By billida300 - February 18 - 2:07 pm

  I have had nothing but trouble with my car and the dealers in northeast Ohio dont know what they r doing!!Leather seats cracked at 28,000 miles,crank sensor seal leaked and had to be replaced 2 x.Lumbar adjustment broke after dealer replaced the leather seat covering, dealer ordered 4 seat covers before I finally got my color.Then motor starts ticking and its the Valves so the dealer fixes and then says a new valve stuck and replaced whole top end of motor,water pump because of their poor work,take car home and it leaks oil so take back for another crank sensor seal :(Very unhappy with quality of car and dealers

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  Gas tank problems - 2007 Chrysler 300
  By thelio - February 3 - 8:07 am

  My Chrysler 300 2007 Check Engine Light can on a couple months back 2011. I took it to several shop and got opinions that I was not happy with. So I took it to the dealer where I purchased it. The dealer told me the gas tank had a hole in it from rubbing on the frame and it was $1100.00 dollars to repair. They are saying do to the age and miles on the car they will not repair it. It want pass the Ohio aim test because of the check engine light being on. The 30 day temp plate has expired. Moreover its a very poor and un-safe design if the gas tank rubs on anything. I refuse to drive a car that may explode. A gas tank should never rub anything. I have no car now. what can I do.

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  BEWARE OF ELECTRICAL ISSUES!!! (but Im going to miss it!) - 1999 Chrysler 300M
  By ekasser11 - January 25 - 6:49 pm

  I first bought this car at an auction at 195,000 miles and it was overheating and the lights were not working, cost me about $250 to fix. Later on, it kept randomly shutting down on me and ended up being the fuel sensor which cost me another $230. I got the car all checked out an drove it from Texas to New Hampshire up through Canada with NO PROBLEMS! Then a couple months after I got here, it shut down on me again, not to ever start back up...the guy now says that the problems are so extensive because of the electrical issues that even if I were to get them fixed it would just break down again in the future, BUYERS BEWARE!

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  Shop Around!!! - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By jeanne29 - January 25 - 6:07 pm

  The cars great to look at but not so great to drive. The transmission shifts hard and makes a hard bump noise. But as the Chrysler dealer repeatedly tells me, " Thats normal for that model". NOT OK WITH ME!! The windows make a noise like they are cracked, even though Chrylers informed me before buying, " They take pride in the fact that their Chrylers are now smoother and quiter than any other make. The center console moves while your arm is resting on it. The voice attivaction on the radio continues to not register correctly. The seats are not confortable to sit in especially on road trips. And the dealer just tells us that all of these things are normal for this model.

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  Beautiful+Fast -- Buggy+Unreliable - 2011 Chrysler 300
  By 300toll - January 11 - 8:35 pm

  Beautiful american sedan with style, design, and power to draw attention! Bad paint quality (look-up paint chipping off of hood and body panels) Electronic Quirks (look-up problems with stereo, and blind spot system) Reliability Issues (see popular quality awards) Poor Build Quality (look-up issues with front lights pooling water, and problems with powertrain) The negative problems and Chryslers continued lack of attention to quality and consumer preference unfortunately far outweigh the beauty and power.