Buyer Research

2013 Chrysler 200 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $4,500–$8,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 7 Chrysler 200 years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Five recalls on one model year, and 627 complaints that are mostly about them: 27% airbags and another 14% seat belts are owners chasing the restraint-controller recall, and a quarter are the engine — which on the 2.4L four-cylinder includes a balance-shaft recall for a stall from lost oil pressure. Underneath the recall noise is the same car as the 2012, TIPM power module and all. The V6 is the better engine here; on either, the buying rule is the same: every one of the five recalls closed on the VIN lookup, a TIPM that behaves through a full switch test, and an idle that holds steady for ten minutes. At the right price that is a lot of car for the money. At any price with open recalls, it is not.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 627 owner complaints for the 2013 Chrysler 200, and 5 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. The largest single group is airbags at 27%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

5 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2013 Chrysler 200

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Restraint controller short can switch off the airbags and belt pretensioners (recall)High — wallet impact

The biggest cluster on this year by a distance, and most of it is one recall: 16V668 replaces the Occupant Restraint Control module on 2011–2014 200s because it can short circuit and disable the frontal airbags, side airbags and seat belt pretensioners. Parts took Chrysler the better part of a year to supply, so the record fills with owners holding a letter and an airbag light with nowhere to take it. A separate 2017 recall replaces the same controller so the active headrests fire in a rear-end hit. One 2026 report describes a passenger airbag deploying with no crash. Pull the VIN on NHTSA's lookup before you look at anything else; the airbag light must be off with both recalls closed, or a dealer will charge to diagnose what is left.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$1,200 for a fault outside the recall

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (171), seat belts (86); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Stalls while driving — 2.4L balance-shaft recall, TIPM, alternator, and a car that will not restart for hoursHigh — wallet impact

150 engine complaints, and the sentence that repeats is the car shutting off at speed with no warning, then refusing to crank for an hour or two before starting as if nothing happened. Recall 13V552 covers the 2.4L: abrasive debris in the balance shaft bearings can drop oil pressure and stall the engine, and the fix is a new balance shaft module. Where the recall is done and the car still stalls, look at the TIPM's fuel pump relay, a cam or crank sensor, or an alternator that shorts internally and drags the electrical system down. Three fires sit in this cluster. Check the recall, then start the car cold, let it idle with the A/C on, and take it on a road where a stall would be survivable.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $150–$600 for a sensor or relay; $400–$800 for an alternator

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (150); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

TIPM power module — horn honking by itself, wipers that will not shut off, dead in trafficHigh — wallet impact

The Totally Integrated Power Module is the under-hood fuse box that runs this car's fuel pump, wipers, horn and lights, and the 102 electrical complaints read as its greatest hits: the horn honking at random, wipers running with the key out, the throttle and traction lights coming on as the car decelerates and dies at 50 mph. One owner was told by a shop that its failing is normal for the design. Recall 13V282 flashes the module on cars built through December 13, 2012, but only for the active head restraints — it does not fix the relay. Sit in the car and run every switch: wipers on all speeds, lights, horn, locks. Anything that lags or acts alone is the module.

Repair cost: $900–$1,800 for a TIPM; $0 with the recall — verify it was performed — about 29% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (102); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Active head restraints that will not deploy — the controller recall, and the airbag light it leaves behindMedium

81 seat complaints, and they are the active headrests: the front head restraints are meant to snap forward in a rear-end crash, and a failing part in the occupant restraint controller stops them. Recall 17V640 replaces the controller on 2012–2013 cars. A pattern in the record is the airbag light coming on right after the recall work and the dealer wanting to charge to clear it — a legitimate thing to push back on, since the light is the module they just touched. A headrest that has already fired sits forward and cannot be pushed back; that is a used part that costs real money.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $250–$600 per deployed headrest

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under seats (81); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Fuel tank control valve can break — stall or fuel leak on a four-day build window (recall)Medium

Recall 13V043 covers 2013 200s built October 30 to November 2, 2012: a control valve inside the fuel tank assembly can break, which can stall the engine or leak fuel. Dealers inspect the tank and replace the valve. A narrow window, so most cars are outside it — but the fuel system cluster is 56 complaints, and beyond the recall it holds the fuel pump relay in the TIPM, the usual no-start, and a raw-fuel smell some owners report. Smell around the rear of the car after a drive and check the build date on the door sticker.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$900 for a fuel pump outside it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (56); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Transmission harsh shifts and limp mode — the four-speed on base cars, the 62TE six-speed on the restMedium

The 2.4L base car uses Chrysler's old four-speed automatic, the V6 and most trims the 62TE six-speed, and 62 owners report hard engagement into drive, a bang on the 1–2 shift, shudder at 35 mph, or the car stuck in one gear until it is switched off and on. A solenoid pack or a software update clears a good share of 62TE complaints; dark, burnt fluid on either box means the expensive kind. Drive it from cold and pay attention to the first three upshifts.

Repair cost (estimate): $250–$700 for a solenoid pack; $2,200–$3,800 for a rebuild — around 61% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (62).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Airbag light on, with or without a story about the recall
✗Horn, wipers or lights doing anything you did not ask for
✗Stall or stumble at idle with the A/C running
✗Seller who cannot show recall 13V552 done on a 2.4L car
✗A raw fuel smell behind the car after the test drive
✗Hard bang into second gear on the first cold upshift

Good Signs

✓All five recalls closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Balance shaft module replaced under the recall with the dealer paperwork
✓A new TIPM with an invoice
✓Airbag light that goes out after the bulb check and stays out
✓V6 car with a steady idle and a clean scan after a cold start
✓Transmission fluid still red with a service receipt