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:

• 

  Chrysler Conconde - 1994 Chrysler Concorde
  By ERMA PATTERSON - July 13 - 10:29 am

  This 1994 Chrysler had major problems and recalls when I bought it in 2002. It had (2) recalls clucth and gear shift. also cv axles problems. It look like it was in and accident, but the dealer fail to tell that story.

• 

  Goodbye Chrylser - 2000 Chrysler Sebring
  By Suz - June 29 - 7:53 am

  I have had nothing but problems with this car since I purchased it. The speed sensor went three times, in addition to other repairs - control arms replacement, door lock attenuator, replaced all the rims (got money back in the Class Action Lawsuit), headlight is foggy (from inside), etc. I have been adamant on keeping up with the maintenance book but have run out of room to write in all the extras that were needed. I am maticulous with the exterior (looks new) but have been battling rust that is coming from the inside of the hood leaching out. Most mechanics do not want to work on Chryslers and the parts (Mopar only) are difficult and expensive. My next car? Something foreign!

• 

  Very Disappointed - 2008 Chrysler Sebring
  By Disappointed - June 17 - 7:24 am

  We had numerous issues with the car since Oct. 2008. My husband almost got into an accident because the car stopped on him. The mechanics said a piece flew off something inside and went into the motor. Pick up the car on my way out of town the car stops again and has a really bad burning smell. According to the mechanics not the same problem. Car always seem to want to shut off when you are in stop and go traffic. Driving and heard a noise like a belt or something was about to pop or something was off. Took the car in the mechanics had to change numerous parts. Pick car up from being repaired it shouts off while we are driving it at night. Shuts off steering wheel locks hit sign. Nt reliabl

• 

  Pretty Junk - 1995 Chrysler Cirrus
  By Tracy - June 15 - 10:38 pm

  I would love to tell you about my driving experience but the car is always broke down. I see why Chrysler is bankrupt. Their cars spend more time with the mechanic than the owner.

• 

  Worst car I ever owned!! - 2006 Chrysler Sebring
  By Roadmanh - May 24 - 10:20 am

  I bought my first new car in 1968 and since that time I have owned 23 new cars everything from compact to luxury, foreign and domestic.From a reliability and performance standpoint I will give it a zero and Im being kind. It is so unreliable my wife, for whom I purchased the car, will no drive it and because it performs so poorly I will not take it on a long trip.

• 

  Dangerous Brake Problem - 2002 Chrysler Sebring
  By pinehead - May 20 - 4:47 pm

  I bought this car new. With 2 weeks or purchase I noticed that the brakes were sketchy when the roads were wet. You could slam the pedal to the floor and the car just wanted to keep on going. The worst issue was when there was snow or ice on the road. I brought this car in to the dealership twice to have them check the brakes. They claimed there was nothing wrong. The back wheels would slip horribly in the snow. There was almost no control of this vehicle in those conditions. I went off the road twice with it driving 5 miles and hour. Chrysler refused to admit to a problem or do anything about it. I has 3 others drive the thing in snow and they all agreed that there was a problem .

• 

  Curse of a car - 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By juliarose - May 18 - 1:27 am

  I got this car in 2006 from my aunt who had bought it new in 2001. Before she gave it to me (luckily I didnt pay anything for it), she had MANY things replaced. The car is poorly engineered, any work done to it is a pain because of the constricted space in the engine. Since I have had the car, every 2-3 months something huge goes wrong with it. The things I have had done since I have had it: 2 radiators, 2 coolant fans, new wheels because they were leaking and causing my tires to go flat, shocks, timing belt, brakes, head gasket, fuel pump, water pump, thermostat (engine overheats, AC broke, fog lights wouldnt go out (removed the fuse box), hatch broke twice. Gas mileage sucks too! Awful.

• 

  run dont walk - 2008 Chrysler Aspen
  By weemax - April 29 - 11:38 am

  We bought our Aspen in Nov at a dealership 600km from where we live. During the first 100km we noticed a very anoying humming / virbration noise coming at highway speeds. It has progressed to the issue happening all the time. this truck has been in the shop for over 50 days and now chrysler is advising it is a known issue. We are in litigation for a FULL BUYBACK. stability on the SUV is very poor and now with the over extensive work done Im sure the integrity of the vehicle has been compromised. The latest noise since its last return from the shop )kept for 30 days!!) is a very loud clunking sound from the rear end. Like I titled this review RUN dont walk away from this vehicle

• 

  Not for me... trading in for a grand caravan GT. - 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Paul - April 9 - 10:31 pm

  My wife always leased a town and country and we have always loved them. Well Chrysler decided to kill off their best selling car and replace it with this and I knew I should have just bought out of old van. First of all, we do a lot of traveling. The town and country had overhead storage bins that we used all the time and it also had halo lighting like a limo above our heads. It was pretty cool. I was already disappointed that they dropped that feature. Another feature I miss from the town and country is the power vented 3rd row windows. This van cost so much more money and it already is missing 2 features I frequently used. Next, the 9 speed transmision (which I already know is a disaster) is awful. It will be totally fine for a day then the next it is shifting all weird and hard. When this happens the car literally will jump forward and it scares the daylights out of us. Have taken to the dealer 3 times for this and they tell me it is 100% fine and there is nothing wrong with it. This is very aggravating because I do not trust this vehicle on a long road trip or even driving in general. Also, another thing this van is missing is the 3rd row tailgate seats and flashlight from my old van are missing. I dont understand why they dropped some of the best features from the old van. The uconnect system works ok, but freezes every once in awhile which is aggravating. Also I dont know what they did for this van but it is not nearly as insulated as the old town and country. I hear every road noise, every chip, every sound on the outside. Its almost like you cant even enjoy driving it because its so loud. I do know about the active noise cancellation but it truely does nothing. I had the dealer look into this too and they told me everything is working as it should and it is normal for Pacificas to have "some road noise". Its like they admitted this car was loud inside. And reading about the sunroof letting in all the noise is absolutely true. Its terrible. I basically do not like this car at all. Even the way it looks is ugly compared to the town and country. Now for the good: the sound system is great despite the loud noise while driving. If Im on break at work I like to sit and listen to music in it and it does sound pretty great. Also the ventilated seats are nice in hot weather. It is nice to have a big touch screen compared to the smaller one on the town and country. And having a 3rd row charging port is great too. Also having a button to move the driver seat forward for stow and go is very convenient. Second row seats are very comfortable also. Overall, this car feels like an expensive downgrade from my town and country. My wife wanted another town and country because we have never had any reliability issues with them and we also like the look and features much better. We were disappointed to find out they killed it off. I did complain to the dealer about this car and they did tell me many people are going from the town and country to grand caravan because its not for them. I just dont like the huge bulky look of the Pacifica either. I know its a minivan but they really could have done better with the looks on it. I am taking a huge loss but I would rather drive a grand caravan then this van. Ordered a grand caravan GT and should have it by early spring. Cant wait to get away from this vehicle.

• 

  UnReliable - 2007 Chrysler Sebring
  By Joyce - April 1 - 8:49 pm

  Car stalls randomly when stopped. Dealer can find "nothing" wrong. Car occasionally drivings at 5000 RPM when doing only about 60 MPH. Again, dealer can find no cause, says there is "no code" so they cant help you. Offered me the option to turn it into the bank or use it as a trade (less than 1 year later for greatly less than I paid.) Would NEVER purchase form this dealer or this car EVER again.