This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
In rush hour traffic going 60mph on the highway my car started losing power, the radio flickered on off and my car was still going but my gauges the radio, nothing worked. I was in the far left lane and was almost hit by a mac truck, trying to cross over three lanes to get to the service road. The engine stalled, it was hard to steer and luckily there was a gas station nearby. Three people tried to give me a jump and nothing woked and there was no prior warnings. I had to call a tow truck only to find that my alternator and battery were fried. The worst thing is I called Chrysler to tell them about the P60 recall and they did not own up to the default until the second time I called from doing my own research. This could have been really bad for me because there was nothing that I could do after the engine stalled. I have owned three diffrent 300S over the last ten years and this will be my last. Someone should do something before someone loses their life and family members to issues that deserve immediate attention. Additionally, I have spent all day on the phone trying to replace this part and the only place that carries the part is Chrysler, what a ripoff. This will cost me over a thousand dollars for a car that I have not had a year and currently still making payments on.
On morning of 10/24/14 when vehicle was started a message came on stating "battery saving mode" looked at manual there was no instructions as to what that meant. Then the vehicle was driven, while driving the RPM indicator would move up on its own and then the brake light, traction and ABS warning light came on and stayed on. After the warning came on the car despite pressing on gas pedal would not accelerate then a rattling noise came on so I quickly proceeded to attempt to exit the interstate freeway. As I tried to do that the steering started locking up, I had to push very hard on the brake to slow the car down and stop it. The vehicle completely shut off, unable to turn on or operate anything. The vehicle could not be jump started. When the vehicle was towed to the Chrysler dealership they were unable to charge up the battery and now they believe an alternator failure may be the reason for the engine to stall.
I was driving when I smelled a "burning marshmallow" smell coming from my car. Almost immediately, the ABS light, a car with zigzags icon, and the brake light flashed on my screen. Followed by the radio, air vents, and power steering shutting itself on and off. Within 1-2 miles my car was done. My alternator was toast. Chrysler refuses to acknowledge the recall on the 3.6 L engine, 160 amp alternators. So under my extended warranty they put another oem alternator in my car. I asked the service manager at the dealership that Chrysler sent me to, replace the alternator with a different one that isn't recalled. They refused because Chrysler hasn't "launched" the recall yet. How ridiculous is this? when the recall is launched I will have to again replace the alternator. Approx. Nov. 28, 2014. Hopefully I won't experience a frying out alternator before then. VIN [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
On October 11, 2014 I had driven my car twice that day. That evening while dropping my little cousin back home, my car started sputtering, lights started blinking and the car cut off and would not turn back on. It was completely dead, no power or nothing. I am highly disappointed in Chrysler. I have had this car not even five months and this has happened. Now it's just sitting in my yard and I am having to catch a taxi to work. It to beautiful of a car to just sit there. I took it to the dealership and they completed a diagnostic and said it was the alternator and they want $800 to repair. Can't afford to fix it, because all of my money is going towards taxi fare, and the warranty doesn't cover repairs. Just imagine if I were driving with my kids in the car and this happened.
Driving 40 mph when battery light illuminated and a burning smell coming from car, I immediately opened the door and began to veer off the road. All the lights illuminated on the dash, the radio shut off, gauges stopped working, power steering stopped, brakes were not functioning, wipers came on and car came to a complete stall and began to vibrate. All doors locked and windows were not functioning. The car was completely dead and I almost got trapped in it. Took it to the dealer and they said it was a bad alternator which ruined my battery. Was charged nearly $1,000.
- Hauula, HI, USA
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The contact owns a 2011 Chrysler 300. While driving approximately 60 mph, the collision, ABS, and traction warning indicators illuminated. Additionally, the power steering failed and the wipers activated independently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000. Updated 10/31/14 updated 4/28/2015
The contact owns a 2011 Chrysler 300. While driving 30 mph, all the electrical components of the vehicle failed and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
While driving on a freeway at about 10:30 pm my headlights shut off. My console went black and unresponsive, the brake light kept flashing, the car was dinging before any of the emergency lights came on, the windows weren't working consistently, the A/C stopped working, and eventually the check engine, ABS, and traction control lights came on. I was able to exit and get the car to a gas station. The car would not restart after I turned it off. The car was towed to the closest dealer that night. The immediate response the next morning was that this was probably the alternator because they had seen a lot of similar problems. Four days later the dealer confirmed that the alternator was gone and that the battery would also need to be replaced. At my request Chrysler was contacted and the nearly $1000 repair bill was reduced to a third with Chrysler picking up all but the diagnostics and the cost of the battery and the labor to install it.
The contact owns a 2011 Chrysler 300. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, who stated that the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,500.
I was on interstate 40 when I noticed a whining noise coming from my vehicle just as I took my exit. I was able to make it to my destination when I noticed a burning smell coming from under the hood. I went to the nearest gas station and soon as I pulled in my vehicle began shutting down. The message said it could not detect my key and it was going into battery saving mode. Shortly after that, all power was lost and I was unable to restart the vehicle, I was unable to roll up my windows and lock my doors. It was after midnight when this occurred and the gas station was closed I had to enlist help from strangers to try and figure out the problem to no avail. I ended up staying at a hotel overnight and the next morning I was able to get a jump and get to the nearest auto parts store where they tested the battery and determined the alternator was failing. I am now in a position where I cannot drive my vehicle with the lights on, which means I cannot drive at night I can't use the ac and it is July, or drive with the radio on until I am able to replace the alternator. I am running off of battery power alone until this problem gets fixed.
First noticed a "whining" noise when idling that increased as I accelerated. I had a burning smell, not sure how it was related. Next sign of trouble was "battery saver mode" message on electronic display. Soon after, reverse camera stopped working, the radio turned off by itself, rear defroster and other electrical components didn't work. Last sign was traction control & ABS lights flashed on and off randomly. Right as I pulled into the dealership, car completely lost power (no steering, wipers came on, all lights on dash flashed and headlights were flashing). 2 dealerships told me they haven't heard of this but online searches seemed to indicate a problem with alternator and battery.
The first occurred 4 days earlier and it had burnt out my battery. I was told by the dealership that it was the alternator and they could not repair it until next week and had no loaner car for me. I had the battery replaced and the electrical system checked. They told me the electrical system checked out on the computer, was working as designed and must of been the battery. While driving on interstate 4 days later, battery indicator light illuminated along with the ABS and anti-skid lights. Windshield wipers came on, radio cut off and then lost power and acceleration. Coasted to side of highway and opened the hood where there was the odor of electrical short and burning. This is the same thing that happened 4 days earlier. When I took it back to the dealer was told by service personnel that they have been having the same problem with this same year and model vehicles. Mileage is 36,800.
While coming a stop, the instrument panel showed a 'system error' light and the vehicle shut down. It would not restart and was completely dead. Traffic was impeded and a series of accidents were narrowly avoided. After towing it to the dealer, I'm told that the likely culprit is the alternator which "are known to go out on these cars, right around the expiration of the warranty, " according to the service technician. Warranty on this part is 36,000 miles and my car was at 36,650 miles. After yelling and screaming, the technician said he could lower the cost from $1,100 to $900. When pressed, he said the price for the alternator alone was $600, excluding any labor. I am furious that this is a 'known problem' and yet there has been no recall and from the list of other complainants on this site, it's obvious that this is a consistent and dangerous problem. I believe that the NHTSA needs to review this problem and address it. My options are limited. I need my car back. Hopefully, when I get it returned to me, the problem will be gone. Buyer beware, apparently, this is a dangerous and pervasive problem.
My radio shut off while I was driving and then the battery saver mode came on the dashboard. I called the dealer while I was driving. They said they never heard of that issue and bring it next day to be checked. While I attempting to turn my car lost all power and locked up in the intersection. I had no steering and every light turned on in the dashboard. I was then stuck in the middle of an intersection on an 8 lane highway. A separate accident was caused by this because I couldn't even get the flashers to work. Luckily the dealer was right up the street and they were able to push it out of the intersection and get it to the dealership. I was called the next day and told the alternator was bad and it would cost $800 to replace it. How does this happen on a newer car and obviously this is a problem based on what I have read about others exact same experience.
Radio shut off. All of a sudden there was a picture battery light on the dash. It was raining hard, therefore, I had to pull over because the wipers did not functioned properly due to the problem (it went to a slow motion). As soon as I pulled over, the car shuts off. Had to get my car pushed by a cop and my boyfriend out of a dangerous spot where it left me stuck, towed, taken to the dealer for them to tell me that it is the alternator and repairs are around $800, and a 63$ diagnosis fee! really!? no one has it in stock, and one store told me "there must be something wrong with those alternators because the factory doesn't have them either, sorry you need to call the dealer."
While traveling on the highway at 65 miles per hour the radio automatically shut off and the battery saver mode message came on the gauge cluster. Upon my research I found many websites where owners of 2011 Chrysler 300 vehicles reported the same issues. The end result was a bad alternator. The consensus among the complaints is at approximately 40,000 miles the alternator goes bad. As of 05/30/2014 I have not been able to drive my vehicle. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership and the service technician did state that they have been receiving many calls regarding this issue. On this site as of today there are about 7 complaints which were reported recently and wonder if their vehicles also have the same mileage as mine.
Today my car didn't want to open with the remote control nor start. I went to the truck because I was going to put some items I had bought and the truck didn't want to open either I had to open the car manually. The battery save mode illumination was on.
After being repaired 3 times of the battery save mode illumination on the panel and the part repaired was the alternator the battery save mode still continues to come on and off and a weird loud noise comes from the front engine. I took it in to have it checked and they told me to make an appointment because they didn't have time to check it that date I asked if I could still drive it around and the service repair specialist said their was no problem, I stated that the manual said the car should not be operated. It is a concern because they are not willing to work with me on my schedule to take the car in nor they offer to give me a rental and that is because I have the extended warranty and it covers a rental.
My car has been illuminating the "battery saving mode" in the dash board for the past 3 months. They have repaired it saying that I have a bad alternator. Well it has been in the shop and again the light is on. I took it to the shop and they said they didn't have time to check it for me to make an appointment and that it was save to drive.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Arlington, TX, USA