Buyer Research

2014 Chrysler 300 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $8,000–$13,000. There are 3 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

The last year before the 2015 refresh, and the record is smaller than the 2012 and 2013 (236 complaints, 4 fires against 34 and 16) but shaped the same way: electrical and power train are 60% of it between them, and both are recall stories. Three alternator recalls now apply to a 2014 (14V634, 17V435 and a 2014-only 17V741), the rollaway software fix for the eight-speed shifter is here with 10 crashes in its cluster, and AWD cars add a front driveshaft that can unbolt itself. Eight recalls in all. The engine cluster has moved on from the early Pentastar head failures to a leaking plastic oil-filter housing, which is a much cheaper problem. Buy a 2014 with every recall closed on the VIN, a charging-system test, a hill test in Park, and a look under the intake for oil — and it is one of the better-value big sedans of its age.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 236 owner complaints for the 2014 Chrysler 300, and 8 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. 31% 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.

8 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 2014 Chrysler 300

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

Alternator failure — stall at speed, burning smell; three recalls now apply to this yearHigh — wallet impact

72 electrical complaints, 31% of the record, and the two fires on this car are both here: owners describe losing all power at 50–60 mph, coasting to the shoulder and smelling smoke. Three campaigns cover it. 14V634 replaces the 160-amp alternator on 3.6L cars built through January 2, 2014; 17V435 inspects and replaces alternators on 3.6L and 5.7L cars with electro-hydraulic power steering; and 17V741 is a 2014-only campaign that replaced the 160-amp unit on 3.6L cars again because the earlier fix had not caught them all. Several 2015 complaints are owners told the recall part was on backorder for months. Run all three on the VIN and have the charging system load-tested — under 13.5V at idle with headlights and A/C running is a failing alternator. A separate thread in this cluster is the oil-pressure sending unit reading 99 psi or throwing a light; that is a $150 part.

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 (72); 8 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Shifter that leaves the car out of Park (rollaway recall), AWD driveshaft bolts, and a valve body that strands the carHigh — wallet impact

69 power train complaints with 10 crashes, and the word owners use most is 'park'. The eight-speed's electronic lever pivots back to centre after every selection, so a driver can believe the car is in Park while it is in Reverse or Neutral; recall 16V240 adds software that puts the car in Park if the driver's door opens with the engine running. Owners report cars still rolling after the update, so treat the recall as necessary rather than sufficient. On AWD cars, recall 17V097 replaces eight front driveshaft bolts that can loosen and let the shaft drop — sudden loss of drive, and one owner's 'growling over 50 mph' turned out to be exactly that. The expensive end of this cluster is the transmission valve body and TCM: the car will not take a gear, the dash says to change gear, and the part was on months of backorder in 2024. Confirm both recalls, park on a slope, release the brake and watch; then on the drive feel for a hard or delayed 1–2 shift.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $1,200–$2,500 for a valve body and TCM outside it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (69); 8 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Pentastar oil-filter housing leak and persistent single-cylinder misfiresMedium

By 2014 the 3.6L had revised cylinder heads, and the 28 engine complaints reflect that: instead of the 2011–2013 head failures, the recurring item is the plastic oil-filter housing and cooler assembly at the top of the engine, which cracks and leaks oil down the back of the block. It shows as a burning-oil smell after a drive and wet valley under the intake. The other thread is a misfire on one cylinder that survives new plugs and coils — a possible injector or, less often, a valve problem, so do not accept 'it just needs a tune-up'. Look under the intake with a flashlight and ask for the misfire counters on a scan tool.

Repair cost (estimate): $500–$1,200 for the oil-filter housing; $300–$900 for an injector

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (28).

Cruise control that may not cancel — software recall on the powertrain moduleMedium

Recall 18V332 covers this car: a fault in the powertrain control software could keep the cruise control holding speed or accelerating when the driver tries to cancel it, if a short circuit happens at the same moment. The remedy is a free software flash. The 12 speed-control complaints on this year are a mix of that and hesitation from a stop. This is a five-minute VIN check and a five-minute dealer visit; there is no reason for it to be open on a car you are buying. A related recall (18E053) applies only to aftermarket Mopar performance PCMs and will not affect a stock 300.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under throttle and cruise control (12); 8 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Takata passenger airbag inflator recallHigh — wallet impact

Recall 19V018 puts the 2014 300 in the Takata population: the passenger frontal inflator can rupture on deployment and throw metal into the cabin, and Chrysler's advice was not to drive the car until it was replaced. Of the 17 airbag complaints, 8 are crashes with no deployment, which we note but cannot give you a way to inspect for. Run the VIN on NHTSA's lookup and make a closed 19V018 a condition of the sale.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (17); 8 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

HID or halogen headlights and tail lamps failing earlyLow

17 complaints about exterior lighting: headlights flickering or going out one at a time, and taillight or turn-signal circuits failing. On the 2014 the HID ballast is the usual expensive part on cars that have them; on halogen cars it is often the connector or a corroded ground. Check every lamp at night before you buy — a failed ballast is a $300–$500 part per side.

Repair cost (estimate): $50–$500 per side

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the lights (17).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Battery light, or headlights that dim and brighten with engine speed
✗Burning smell after a highway drive
✗Car that rolls when you believe the shifter is in Park
✗Oil residue under the intake manifold or a hot-oil smell at idle
✗Growl or vibration above 50 mph on an AWD car
✗Any recall still open on the VIN — there are eight

Good Signs

✓All eight recalls shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup, especially the three alternator campaigns
✓Alternator replaced with a dated invoice and a charging test at 13.8–14.4V under load
✓Oil-filter housing already replaced with the aluminium aftermarket part, receipt in hand
✓Car holds still on an incline with the brake released and the lever in Park
✓Firm, prompt shifts through all eight gears on a warm test drive
✓Every exterior lamp lit on a walk-around at night