CHRYSLER 300C · model year

2012 CHRYSLER 300C

17 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012CHRYSLER300C carries 17 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2012 300C is electrical system with 7 filings, followed by engine (4) and unknown or other (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 88 investigation files overlapping the 2012 300C, and 7 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

17
Complaints
0
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

17 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM7
ENGINE4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1
WHEELS1
POWER TRAIN1
STEERING1

Recent Complaints

20190708STEERING

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH DOWN HILL ON A CITY STREET, WHEN MY CAR STARTED TO FLASH A POWER STEERING ERROR MESSAGE, I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO BRAKE/STEER THE VEHICLE AS NORMAL WHICH ALMOST CAUSED ME TO CRASH INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. THE VEHICLE ALLOWED ME TO GET TO A PLACE OF SAFETY WITH EXTREME DIFFICULTY STEERING AND BRAKING. THE VEHICLE STOPPED AND SHUT OFF STILL FLASHING THE WARNING MESSAGE. ONCE THE VEHICLE STOPPED I COULD NO LONGER START THE VEHICLE.

20190319ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE VEHICLE IN QUESTIONS BACKUP CAMERA FLICKERS IN REVERSE. IT ALSO SOMETIMES DISPLAYS THE CAMERA VIEW REVERSED AND WITHOUT GUIDE LINES ON SCREEN. MULTIPLE CHRYSLER 300 VEHICLES HAVE THESE BACKUP CAMERA ISSUES NEW, USED, AND PRE-OWNED.

Mileage: 130,000

20190312ENGINE

CAR STARTED MISS FIRING ONE COLD MORNING. SHAKES AT LOW RPM AND THROWS A CEL. BARELY OVER 100K MILES AND IT TICKING VERY LOUDLY WHICH MAKES ME BELIEVE IT IS THE ROCKER ARMS. NOW INSTEAD OF BEING COVERED THE COST TO REPAIR I HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET ON A CAR I AM STILL FINANCING. SIMPLY RIDICULOUS , NEVER OWNING A CHRYSLER EVER AGAIN.

Mileage: 100,410

20190312POWER TRAIN

CAR STARTED MISS FIRING ONE COLD MORNING. SHAKES AT LOW RPM AND THROWS A CEL. BARELY OVER 100K MILES AND IT TICKING VERY LOUDLY WHICH MAKES ME BELIEVE IT IS THE ROCKER ARMS. NOW INSTEAD OF BEING COVERED THE COST TO REPAIR I HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET ON A CAR I AM STILL FINANCING. SIMPLY RIDICULOUS , NEVER OWNING A CHRYSLER EVER AGAIN.

Mileage: 100,410

20190110ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ABS LIGHT MALFUNCTION AFFECTING STEERING AND SMOOTH RIDE AND VEHICLE CONTROL

Mileage: 65,000

20190110WHEELS

ABS LIGHT MALFUNCTION AFFECTING STEERING AND SMOOTH RIDE AND VEHICLE CONTROL

Mileage: 65,000

20180905UNKNOWN OR OTHER

MY COMPLAINT IS MY DASH BOARD IS ACTUALLY PEELING APART. I JUST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE MARCH 10,2018.

20180829ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE BLIND-SPOT SYSTEM HAS MALFUNCTIONED AND THE REMOTE KEYLESS SYSTEM HAS FAILED. THE BLIND-SPOT SYSTEM FAILED OVER TIME, IT WOULD SPECIFICALLY MALFUNCTION DURING RAIN/SNOW WEATHER EVENTS OR AFTER A CAR WASH. THE REMOTE KEYLESS SYSTEM HAS FAILED OVER TIME. AFTER THE CAR HAS STARTED I GET THE WARNING THAT THE KEY HAS LEFT THE CAR WHEN IT'S STILL IN MY POCKET. IT WON'T EVEN RECOGNIZE THE KEY FOB WHEN HELD TO THE IGNITION BUTTON.

Mileage: 52,000

20180829ENGINE

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. CAUSED MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE AND FAILURE. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55MPH AND THE CAR SUDDENLY STALLED AND WOULD NOT START. HAD IT TOWED TO THE MECHANIC AND LEARNED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN AND CAUSED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE/DAMAGE IN THE ENGINE. I HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE, COSTING NEARLY $7K.

Mileage: 50,000

20180724FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

INSTRUMENT PANEL STARTED FLASHING RADIO STARTED CUTTING ON AND OFF AT HEN MY WIFE WAS DROPPING KIDS OFF TO ME I SEEN SMOKE AND TOLD HER TO POP HOOD AND SEEN A FIRE STARTING IN ALTERNATOR TOLD HER TO CUT CAR OFF AND ALTERNATOR START SMOKING NO POWER TO CAR AT ALL HAD TO LEAVE WINDOW DOWN HAD IT AT CHRYSLER 07/24/ 2012

Mileage: 114,000

20180512ENGINE

"TAKATA RECALL" THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUES TO COME ON INTERMITTENTLY. THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE AN ACTUAL PROBLEM. THE LIGHT MAY COME ON AND STAY ON FOR A FEW HOURS OR A FEW DAYS.

Mileage: 99,000

20180222UNKNOWN OR OTHER

MY RECALL ON MY CHRYSLER 300C WENT OUT THE ALTERNATOR BEFORE THEY HAD THE PART TO FIX IT AND NOW MY MONITOR WENT OUT CAUSE OF IT. I WAS LUCKY IT WAS IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE WHEN IT DIED

Mileage: 50,000

20171201ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I REC'D A RECALL ON MY VEHICLE ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO AND WAS CONSIDERING TRADING IT IN FOR A NEWER VEHICLE; HOWEVER THE DEALERSHIP THAT I TOOK IT TOOK INDICATED THAT BECAUSE OF THE OPEN RECALL (NO CURRENT FIX), THEY COULDN'T GIVE ME THE BEST PRICE TO TRADE IT SINCE THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SELL IT UNTIL THE RECALL FIX WAS IMPLEMENTED

Mileage: 91,000

20170912ENGINE

THERE IS A RECALL ON MY CAR FOR ALTERNATORS FAILING/OVER HEATING EFFECTING CIRCUITRY, THAT CAN STOP THE CAR WHILE IN MOTION OR END UP IN FLAMES. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS I WAS NOTIFIED 3 MONTHS AGO AND STILL NO REMEDY I WANT MY CAR FIXED. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR.. MY CAR TRUNK HAS OPENED WHILE DRIVING. PART OF THE SAME PROBLEM?

Mileage: 48,000

20170727ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I HAVE A 2012 CHRYSLER 300C. YESTERDAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING AROUND 40 MPH THE ALTERNATOR AND THE BATTERY FAILED AT THE SAME TIME SO SUBSEQUENTLY THE ELECTRONICS IN MY VEHICLE QUICKLY BEGAN TO SHUT DOWN STARTING WITH THE RADIO, AIR CONDITIONING, AND THEN ALL OF THE VITAL ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS SUCH AS THE ABS BRAKES, POWER STEERING, AND IGNITION ( NO ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS ULTIMATELY). WITHOUT ANY ELECTRICAL POWER IN WORKING IN MY CAR I SOMEHOW MANAGED TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE OF THE MAIN ROAD INTO A PARKING LOT ( BARELY MADE IT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ACTIVE POWER STEERING AND THE BRAKING SYSTEM STOP WORKING AS IT SHOULD. HAD THERE BEEN OTHER VEHICLES IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA , I MAY NOT BE SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT . SO ONCE I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR STOP AND OUT OF THE HIGHWAY, I OPENED THE HOOD AND NOTICED WHITE SMOKE EMITTING FROM THE ALTERNATOR AND I ALSO THAT THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETED DRAINED BECAUSE THE THE INTERIOR LIGHTS, IGNITION, DOOR LOCKS, WINDOWS, AND ETC WERE NOT WORKING. HAS THER

Mileage: 84,500

20170718FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHRYSLER 300C. WHILE THE CONTACT'S HUSBAND WAS DRIVING 30 MPH, HE NOTICED SMOKE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S HUSBAND OPENED THE HOOD AND NOTICED THAT THE WIRES AROUND THE ALTERNATOR WERE GLOWING RED. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT CONTACTED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO WHITTEN BROTHERS OF ASHLAND (11409 WASHINGTON HWY, ASHLAND, VA 23005), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V435000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000.

Mileage: 73,000

20170717ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHRYSLER 300C. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ALTERNATOR FAILED AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNKNOWN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC IN LAMONT, ILLINOIS WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ALTERNATOR FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT SPOKE A WITH AN UNKNOWN CHRYSLER DEALER IN NEW YORK WHO STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V435000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

Mileage: 65,000

Compare 2012CHRYSLER300C to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 7 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 CHRYSLER 300C have?
The 2012 CHRYSLER 300C has 17 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 CHRYSLER 300C?
The most-complained component for the 2012 CHRYSLER 300C is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 7 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2012 CHRYSLER 300C safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.