Buyer Research

2019 Chrysler 300 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $17,000–$24,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue 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

Sixty complaints is a thin record, and most of it was filed in 2024–2025 about one thing: the side-curtain airbag recall (24V198), whose parts were slow to arrive, so 37% of the record is owners waiting for a fix rather than reporting a failure. The other third is electrical — a handful of stalls with every warning light at once and the power steering going heavy, plus Uconnect units bricked by a failed update. Two recalls, no fires, five crashes. A record this size cannot tell you the 2019 is a reliable car; it can tell you that in NHTSA's 60 complaints we found no repeating expensive fault, and that the 2018's screen-delamination flood has largely not followed it here. Verify both recalls closed on the VIN, ask for a scan of stored codes, and price it against a 2018 knowing you are paying a little more for a year of fewer complaints.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 60 owner complaints for the 2019 Chrysler 300, 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. 37% of them are about one thing — airbags. 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 2019 Chrysler 300

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

Side-curtain airbag inflators can rupture — recall parts were scarce, so many cars are still openHigh — wallet impact

Recall 24V198 covers 2018–2021 300s: both side-curtain airbag inflators may rupture from a manufacturing defect and throw metal fragments into the cabin. Dealers replace both curtain bags free. Letters went out from February 2025, and of the 22 airbag complaints on this year nearly all are owners told the parts were not available, some for months, with no loaner offered. Two are crash reports with no deployment. Before you buy, run the VIN on NHTSA's lookup; if 24V198 is open, call a dealer with the VIN and ask whether parts are in stock now, and make the appointment part of the deal.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (22); 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Stalls with a warning-light cascade and heavy steering; Uconnect bricked by a failed updateMedium

21 electrical complaints in two groups. The more serious: the engine cutting out in traffic with 'service power steering', 'service ABS' and 'service electronic throttle' messages together, the shifter's D indicator flashing and a 30-minute wait before it restarts — a low-voltage event or a module dropping off the network, sometimes traced to a wiring harness, sometimes to the battery and its connections. One owner describes the steering locking on the freeway. The second group: the Uconnect update failing with 'Error 20', leaving the radio, backup camera, climate controls and mirror dimmer dead until the head unit was replaced. Ask for a scan of stored codes and a battery and charging test; on the drive, cycle the ignition off and on twice and watch every screen come back.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$900 for wiring, ground or battery work; $400–$1,800 for a head unit

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (21).

Headlights failing one side at a time — fuses, then the lamp assemblyLow

Five exterior-lighting complaints, small but pointed: headlights failing on and off, a dealer replacing fuses at $90 a visit, and the fault coming back on the other side. On the 2019 it can be a fuse, a connector or, on LED-equipped trims, the sealed assembly, which is where the cost jumps. Turn every lamp on in a dark garage before you agree a price, and ask whether either headlight has been out.

Repair cost (estimate): $30–$900 per side

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the lights (5).

Instrument cluster may not light its warnings — software recallMedium

Recall 19V203 is 2019-only: the instrument cluster software could fail to illuminate driver warnings, which puts the car out of compliance with the federal standard for controls and displays. Dealers update the cluster software free. One 2021 crash report on this year blames a glitching instrument panel on the freeway. It is a quick VIN check; on the test drive, turn the key to run without starting and confirm the full sweep of warning lamps comes on and then goes out.

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

Source: 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Recall 24V198 open on the VIN with no dealer appointment booked
✗Any stall, or a moment where every warning light comes on together
✗Uconnect screen black, stuck on a logo, or missing the backup camera
✗Headlight that flickers or is out on one side
✗Warning-lamp sweep that does not complete when the key is turned to run

Good Signs

✓Both recalls shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup, with the curtain-airbag work dated
✓Uconnect updated and every function — camera, climate, mirror dimmer — working on a cold start
✓Battery and charging test at 13.8–14.4V under load, on a dated printout
✓Clean scan with every module answering and stored codes cleared with a reason
✓Full warning-lamp sweep at key-on that clears within seconds of starting