AI Damage2001 Chrysler 300M: common problems
Owners of the 2001 Chrysler 300M filed 91 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 91
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Steering 32% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 12% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 11% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 7 Equipment 7% of all complaints
- 8 Seats 7% of all complaints
- Steering: 29 complaints (32% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 11 complaints (12% of all).
- Air bags: 10 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 8 complaints (9% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 7 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 91 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 29 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Vehicle started on fire and was totaled on the right passenger side. Inner tie rods and bushings were replaced not even two weeks before along with two tires and brakes. Vehicle pulled to the left while in an intersection.
Is there any defect that I should be aware of that would cause the seat belt not to lock up or the car to loose such control on the ice?
While driving at 40 mph the consumer was involved in a head on collision and none of the front air bags deployed. The cost of damages to the vehicle is about 7-8 thousand dollars. Contacted dealer.
During inclement weather, the vehicle stalled. The contact had to shift the vehicle into neutral while depressing the accelerator pedal and turn the engine off in order to restart the vehicle.
There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Very very strong gas smell while driving cannot find leak afraid of fire found suggestions on forum on line says near driver side exactly where it smells. Still smells 35 min after driving.
When the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
While driving the vehicle at 30 mph, I got a check engine light. The vehicle transmission would not shift to the next higher gear during acceleration. Note: this was also evident by an increase of engine rpm's on the tachometer. This vehicle was purchased new by myself in 2001. It has only 17,508 miles on it!.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 3,786 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 10% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 300M has 99 complaints (9 years in the data). This year has 91, about average.
What to check before buying
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Chrysler 300M?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, powertrain, air bags. Total complaints: 91. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: steering or power steering problems (10%), knocking, grinding or other noise (9%), vibration (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 Chrysler 300M?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2001 Chrysler 300M from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2001 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.