Buyer Research

2016 Chrysler 200 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $6,000–$10,500. There are 2 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

Three hundred and forty-four complaints, and 38% of them are the engine — owners describing the car slowing itself and cutting out mid-turn, and topping up oil between changes. That is the 2.4L Tigershark's known appetite for oil, and it is the first thing to test, not the last. Around it sit a nine-speed automatic that lurches and hunts, and a 'service airbag' light that dealers quote four figures to chase. This is a car to buy cheap, with a folder of receipts, after a long stop-and-go test drive and an oil-consumption check. Priced right and documented, it is a lot of metal for the money; priced like a Camry, walk.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 344 owner complaints for the 2016 Chrysler 200, and 2 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. 38% of them are about one thing — the engine. 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.

2 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 2016 Chrysler 200

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

Stalling while driving, and a 2.4L engine that drinks oil between changesHigh — wallet impact

The largest cluster on this car, and it reads the same way over and over: the car loses power or shuts off mid-turn or at low speed, sometimes with a 'shift to park' message first, and separately owners find the oil low — one or two quarts down — well before the next change. The 2.4L Tigershark burns oil through the piston rings, and an engine run low on oil is how a $600 problem becomes a $6,000 one. Before you buy: check the dipstick cold, then drive it 30 minutes in traffic with several slow right turns. Ask the seller how often they add oil. Four of these complaints involved a fire.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$900 for a MultiAir unit; $4,500–$7,500 if the engine is worn out from running low on oil — around 91% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (132).

No-start, dash lights all at once, and a battery that goes flat overnightMedium

The electrical cluster is a third of the record and mostly describes the car refusing to start, every warning light coming on together, or the whole system dropping out for a minute or two before it will restart. The usual suspects on this platform are the battery sensor on the negative terminal, a weak body control module connection, and corroded grounds. Have the charging system load-tested and ask whether the battery has been replaced — a car that needs a jump once a week is telling you something.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$1,400

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (112).

'Service airbag system' warning that comes back after every resetMedium

Eighty-eight airbag complaints, and the repeated story is the warning message illuminating — often tied to the front passenger occupancy sensor in the seat, sometimes triggered by hitting a pothole. Owners report dealers quoting around $1,500 with the car out of warranty and the light returning afterwards. Sit in the passenger seat with the ignition on and watch the passenger-airbag indicator change state. Fourteen of these complaints were filed after a crash, which an inspection cannot speak to.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$1,500

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (88).

Nine-speed automatic that lurches, hunts, and sometimes will not find parkHigh — wallet impact

The ZF-designed nine-speed in this car shifts busily by design and badly when something is wrong: a hard clunk from a stop, jerking forward without throttle, hunting between gears at 40 mph, and the 'shift to park' warning refusing to clear. Many cases are fixed by the dealer flashing the transmission control software, which is cheap; a failed unit is not. Drive it from cold through the full range of gears and insist on feeling 1st to 6th, not just highway cruise.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$300 for the software update; $3,500–$5,500 for a replacement transmission — around 67% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (63).

Chassis fasteners may be loose from the factory on a two-day build window (recall)Medium

Recall 16V589 covers 200s built May 24 and May 25, 2016 only: chassis fastener joints may not have been torqued properly, and a fastener that loosens or falls out reduces steering and handling. Dealers inspect and tighten or replace them free. It is a very narrow window, so most 2016s are not affected — but the check is free and takes a VIN lookup, so do it rather than assume.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (23); 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Cruise control may not switch off when you tell it to (recall)Medium

Recall 18V332 is a software flash of the engine or powertrain control module: in a specific fault condition the cruise control can keep holding speed or accelerating after the driver tries to cancel it. The remedy is free and takes under an hour at a dealer. Run the VIN on NHTSA's lookup before you buy, and if it is still open, make the seller book it — an open speed-control recall is not something to inherit.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under throttle and cruise control (16); 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Oil level below the minimum mark on a cold dipstick, or a case of oil in the trunk
✗Any stall, stumble or power loss during the test drive, however brief
✗'Service airbag system' or 'shift to park' message on the dash
✗A hard clunk or a jerk forward when the transmission selects a gear from a stop
✗Seller who jumps the car or has a battery charger nearby

Good Signs

✓Oil-consumption test documented by a dealer with a written result
✓Both recalls shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Transmission control software updated to the latest level, with the dealer invoice
✓Oil changes every 5,000 miles or sooner, with receipts
✓A 30-minute stop-and-go drive with steady idle and smooth pull from every stop