Buyer Research

2013 Chrysler 300 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $7,000–$12,000. There are 4 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 13 Chrysler 300 years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Same story as the 2012, a little quieter: 306 complaints, and 43% of them are the electrical system — which on this car means the alternator, with every one of the record's 16 fires sitting in that one cluster and two recalls (14V634, 17V435) behind it. The rollaway recall on the eight-speed's electronic shifter is still here, the Takata passenger airbag is still here, and 2013 adds one of its own: an AWD transmission output shaft that can fracture (13V610). Six recalls, every one of them a stall, a fire, a rollaway or a shrapnel risk, so the VIN lookup is not optional. Do that, get the charging system load-tested, park it on a hill with the brake off, and this is a big comfortable V6 or Hemi sedan at a used-Camry price. Skip any example where the seller shrugs at the recall list.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 306 owner complaints for the 2013 Chrysler 300, and 6 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. 43% of them are about one thing — electrics and electronics. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

6 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 300

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

Alternator can fail mid-drive, stall the car, or short and catch fire — two recallsHigh — wallet impact

131 electrical complaints and every fire on this car's record — all 16 — are in this cluster, and the word owners use 92 times is 'alternator'. The pattern is a battery light, then the dash flashing, wipers coming on by themselves, the steering going heavy and the car dying at speed; a few describe smoke and a burnt smell from the front of the engine. Recall 14V634 replaces the 160-amp alternator on 3.6L cars built through January 2014; 17V435 inspects and replaces alternators on 3.6L and 5.7L cars with electro-hydraulic power steering because a diode can fail from heat and short-circuit. Many 2015–2016 complaints are owners waiting months for recall parts, so plenty of cars had the fix late or not at all. Check both on the VIN, then have a shop load-test the charging system: below 13.5V at idle with headlights and A/C on is an alternator on its way out.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $500–$1,100 for an alternator outside it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (131); 6 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Electronic shifter rollaway recall, plus an AWD output shaft that can snapHigh — wallet impact

Two separate transmission recalls on one year. 16V240 is the rollaway fix for the eight-speed's spring-loaded electronic lever: drivers thought they were in Park, were not, and the software update now shifts to Park if a door opens with the engine running. 13V610 is 2013-only and AWD-only: the ZF 8HP45's output shaft can fracture, which means a sudden loss of drive and a car that can roll if the parking brake is not set; dealers inspected and replaced transmissions. The 58 power train complaints include 4 crashes and owners describing the car dropping into Neutral at 50 mph, shifting itself into Park, or refusing to leave a gear with a 'Wrong Gear/Change Gear' warning. Hemi cars kept the old five-speed and a normal lever, so the shifter issue is V6-only; the shaft issue is any AWD car. Confirm both recalls, then park on an incline, release the brake and watch it hold.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $150–$600 for a shifter module or TCM reflash outside it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (58); 6 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Pentastar early cylinder-head failures and Hemi lifter or timing wear — stalls and misfiresHigh — wallet impact

The 3.6L Pentastar's 2011–2013 left-bank cylinder head problem — a persistent single-cylinder misfire, rough idle and check-engine light, typically between 40,000 and 80,000 miles — is still in play on a 2013, and Chrysler's extended head coverage on these early engines has lapsed by now, so it is the buyer's bill. On the 5.7L Hemi the failure to fear is a collapsed MDS lifter chewing the camshaft, and one 2013 owner reports broken timing-chain guides under 100,000 miles. The 38 engine complaints include 4 fires and several stalls with the car unable to restart. Start it cold and listen for a tick that does not fade in the first minute; then have a shop read the misfire counters and pull the oil filler cap to look for sludge.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,000–$3,500 for a cylinder head; $3,000–$5,500 for Hemi cam and lifters — around 58% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (38).

Takata passenger airbag inflator — two recalls, and a do-not-drive noticeHigh — wallet impact

Two Takata campaigns cover the 2013 300: 18V021 for cars sold or registered in the hot, humid states listed in the recall, and 19V018 for the rest. The passenger frontal inflator can rupture when the bag deploys and throw metal fragments at the occupants; Chrysler's own advice was not to drive the car until the inflator was replaced. Of the 32 airbag complaints, 11 are crashes where the bags did not fire — a thing we note but cannot help you inspect for. What you can do is run the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup and refuse to pay until both campaigns show closed.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (32); 6 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Traction and ABS warning lights from a failing wheel-speed sensor or steering-angle sensorMedium

18 complaints put the ESC, ABS and traction lights on together, often with the brakes grabbing or the car cutting power for a moment at low speed. The usual cause on this platform is a wheel-speed sensor or the steering-angle sensor losing its calibration; less often it is the ABS module itself, and that is where the bill gets serious. A scan tool reads the specific sensor code in a few minutes. Ask for one if any of those three lights is on or has been on recently.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 for a sensor; $1,200–$2,000 for an ABS module

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under stability control (18).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Battery light on the dash or headlights that dim and brighten with engine speed
✗Burnt-plastic smell under the hood after a drive
✗Car that creeps when you believe the shifter is in Park
✗Single-cylinder misfire or rough idle on a cold start
✗ABS, ESC and traction lights lit together
✗AWD car with a whine or clunk from under the centre of the floor
✗Seller who cannot say whether any of the six recalls were done

Good Signs

✓All six recalls shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Alternator replaced under recall or with a shop invoice, and a charging test at 13.8–14.4V under load
✓Cylinder head replaced under Chrysler's extended coverage, with the dealer paperwork
✓Steady, quiet idle in the first minute after a cold start
✓Car holds still on an incline with the brake released and the lever in Park
✓Oil changes documented on Chrysler's interval, with receipts