Analysis of Reported Incidents for Chrysler Vehicles
1.0 Introduction
This report synthesizes and analyzes a collection of consumer complaint data for various Chrysler models to identify, categorize, and examine recurring mechanical and electrical failures. The primary purpose is to highlight significant and widespread incident patterns that may indicate systemic quality or design issues. Understanding these trends is of strategic importance for guiding quality assurance efforts, ensuring safety compliance, and prioritizing areas for engineering investigation. The scope of this analysis is exclusively based on the provided set of consumer complaints, and the findings are presented with a professional and objective tone. This document will begin by classifying the identified issues according to their reported frequency to establish a clear framework for the analysis.
Get complete access to this detailed incident analysis
Get complete access to this detailed incident analysis
Get complete access to this detailed incident analysis
This report synthesizes and analyzes a collection of consumer complaint data for various Chrysler models to identify, categorize, and examine recurring mechanical and electrical failures. The primary purpose is to highlight significant and widespread incident patterns that may indicate systemic quality or design issues. Understanding these trends is of strategic importance for guiding quality assurance efforts, ensuring safety compliance, and prioritizing areas for engineering investigation. The scope of this analysis is exclusively based on the provided set of consumer complaints, and the findings are presented with a professional and objective tone. This document will begin by classifying the identified issues according to their reported frequency to establish a clear framework for the analysis.
2.0 Complaint Categorization by Widespread Level
To systematically prioritize the most critical failure patterns, all identified incidents were categorized based on the "Widespread Level" classification provided in the source data. This system—ranking issues as High, Medium, or Low frequency—is essential for focusing investigative resources on the most significant and commonly reported problems. The distribution of distinct issues across these categories is summarized below.
Widespread Level Number of Distinct Issues Identified
High 21
Medium 11
Low 53
The following sections provide a detailed examination of the incidents within each category, beginning with the most frequently reported issues.
2.1 High-Frequency Incidents
Complaints classified with a "Widespread Level: High" represent the most frequently reported and potentially systemic issues. These incidents affect core vehicle systems, including visibility, safety restraints, and electrical integrity, posing significant concerns for vehicle reliability and occupant safety.
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM (Issue 86, Chrysler 200) A significant number of complaints describe a consistent failure of the HVAC system, specifically a lack of heat on the passenger side of the vehicle. This defect directly impairs driver visibility by preventing the defroster from clearing fog, ice, or snow from the passenger-side windshield. Several consumer reports link this failure to potential contamination in the cooling system, citing observations such as BUILDUP UP SLUDGE IN COOLANT EXPANSION TANK. One consumer noted that Chrysler is allegedly aware of the issue, stating it is due to a CHEMICAL THE ADD TO COOLANT PLUGGING HEATER CORE.
SEAT BELTS (Issue 54, Chrysler 200) This category contains numerous reports of critical seat belt malfunctions. Failures range from mechanical jamming and failure to retract to insecure latching, creating a severe safety risk. Specific reported incidents include jamming (PASSENGER SIDE SEATBELT HAS JAMMED UP TWICE), retraction failure (DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT), and insecure buckling (THE DRIVER SEAT BELT HAS SOME ISSUES WITH BUCKLING. ULTIMATELY, IT DOES BUCKLE BUT IT IS NOT SECURE). Rear seat belts are also implicated, with one report noting: THE REAR SAFETY BELTS BEGAN LOCKING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE LOCK WAS SO HARSH THAT THE BELT WOULD HAVE TO BE REMOVED AND REAPPLIED.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (Issue 12, Chrysler 300) Widespread electrical failures are reported for the Chrysler 300, leading to dangerous vehicle behavior. The most critical complaints involve vehicles stalling at low speeds or while turning, as well as complete and unexpected shutdowns while driving. One consumer described the experience as the VEHICLE JUST SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING WITH NO INDICATION, resulting in a total loss of steering and brakes. Other related issues include intermittent rough idling and malfunctions of power windows and the passenger airbag light.
TIRES (Issue 136, Chrysler 300) Owners report premature and unusually rapid tire wear. Multiple consumers state their tires were SEVERELY CUPPED AND DOWN TO TREAD WEAR INDICATORS at mileages far below typical replacement intervals, with some needing new tires in under 19,000 or even 12,000 miles.
SERVICE BRAKES (Issue 95, Chrysler 300) Complaints related to the service brakes on the Chrysler 300 describe a range of hazardous failures. These include LOUD SQUEALING AND GRINDING NOISE during operation, brakes engaging unexpectedly and causing the vehicle to halt immediately, and instances where the brakes failed to stop the vehicle.
POWER TRAIN (Issue 27, Chrysler 300C) A recurring issue involves the gear shifter becoming locked in the "Park" position, rendering the vehicle completely immobile. One report states, THE GEAR SHIFT HAS LOCKED IN PARKED TWICE. Consumers report this happening without warning, stranding them in various locations.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING (Issue 14, Chrysler 300C) Numerous reports detail failures of the exterior lighting system while driving, creating a severe visibility hazard at night. Complaints describe headlights, dashboard lights, and interior lights flickering or shutting off completely. As one owner stated, I CAN NOT DRIVE IT AT NIGHT BECAUSE THE LIGHTS KEEP GOING OFF.
Other High-Frequency Issues Additional high-frequency complaints were identified across various other models and systems, indicating patterns of failure that extend beyond the individual issues detailed above.
2.2 Medium-Frequency Incidents
Issues categorized with a "Widespread Level: Medium" indicate recurring problems reported by a notable number of consumers, suggesting potential component or design flaws that warrant closer examination.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT (Issue 79, Chrysler 300) A consistent failure reported for the Chrysler 300 is the inability to shift the vehicle out of the "Park" position. This renders the vehicle undrivable. Consumers have attributed this problem to a specific component failure within the shift assembly, described as a PINK PLASTIC PIECE THAT HAS A SPRING TO PULL OUT OF GEAR THE SPRING BECOMES DISLODGED THEREFORE NOT ABLE TO GET OUT OF PARK GEAR.
STRUCTURE:BODY (Issue 42, Chrysler 300C) There are multiple complaints regarding failing exterior body components, most notably the door handles. Consumers report that the handles are loose or have broken off entirely during normal use. One report states, DOOR HANDLE HAS BROKEN TWICE.
SEATS (Issue 91, Chrysler 300) Reports detail several seat-related malfunctions. A key safety concern is the seat warmer overheating to the point of BURNING THE DRIVER'S SEAT. Other issues include failures of the seat track mechanism, preventing the seat from moving correctly.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS (Pacifica) Complaints for the Chrysler Pacifica (Issue 13) describe failures of the infotainment system that directly impact safety features. Owners report the system crashing or freezing, which causes the backup camera display to become unavailable when the vehicle is in reverse.
2.3 Low-Frequency Incidents
Incidents categorized with a "Widespread Level: Low" represent a diverse range of issues across numerous vehicle systems and models. While not as frequently reported as High or Medium-level problems, they contribute to the overall picture of vehicle reliability. These complaints include critical failures such as stalling due to faulty Power Train Control Modules on the Chrysler 200 (Issue 49). They also cover visibility-related defects, such as inoperative low beam lights and passenger-side heater vent failures, also on the Chrysler 200 (Issue 84), which mirror the higher-frequency HVAC complaints noted for that model.
3.0 Cross-Model Analysis of Critical System Failures
This section consolidates the findings from the complaint categorization to analyze systemic failures that appear across different Chrysler models. By examining recurring problems that are not model-specific, it is possible to identify potential shared component weaknesses or design flaws. This cross-model perspective is of high strategic importance for conducting a comprehensive quality and safety review. The following subsections detail these cross-model failures, beginning with Power Train and Transmission faults.
3.1 Power Train and Transmission Faults
Critical power train and transmission failures represent one of the most common and disabling categories of complaints across the Chrysler 200, 300, 300C, and Pacifica models.
3.2 Systemic Electrical Failures
A diverse range of electrical system complaints was identified, pointing to potential systemic vulnerabilities in vehicle electronics, wiring, and component reliability.
3.3 Visibility and HVAC Deficiencies
Complaints related to driver visibility highlight a critical failure pattern linked to the HVAC system, which has direct safety implications.
4.0 Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations
This final section distills the most critical and recurring patterns observed across all analyzed complaints. It provides a consolidated overview of potential systemic weaknesses in Chrysler vehicles that are relevant for a comprehensive quality assurance and safety review.
The distinct patterns of failure identified in this analysis, particularly those classified as high-frequency and those appearing across multiple vehicle models, warrant further engineering and quality control investigation.