Buyer Research

2020 Chrysler 300 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $20,000–$27,000. 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

Ten complaints. That is the whole public record on the 2020 300, and ten filings cannot tell you anything about how this car holds up — only that few people have felt the need to write to NHTSA. What the record does hold is two recalls that matter: side-curtain airbag inflators that can rupture (24V198, with parts slow to arrive), and a windshield that may not have been bonded properly at the factory and could come out in a crash (21V516). Two of the four airbag complaints are curtain bags going off in a parked car, which is exactly what a bad inflator can look like. Mechanically this is the same 3.6L or 5.7L and ZF eight-speed as the 2018 and 2019, so read those pages for the faults that are likely to carry over. Buy with both recalls closed on the VIN and treat the thin record as a reason to inspect, not a reason to relax.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 10 owner complaints for the 2020 Chrysler 300, and 2 recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under airbags (4), the transmission and drivetrain (1), the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

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 2020 Chrysler 300

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

Side-curtain airbag inflators can rupture — and two owners found theirs deployed in a parked carHigh — wallet impact

Recall 24V198 covers 2018–2021 300s: both side-curtain airbag inflators may rupture from a manufacturing defect and throw metal at the occupants. Dealers replace both curtain bags free; owner letters went out from February 2025 and parts were short for months. Of the four airbag complaints on this year, two describe a curtain bag deploying on its own with the car parked and nobody in it, and two are crashes with no deployment, one of them a 40 mph rear-end. Run the VIN on NHTSA's lookup before anything else; an open 24V198 is a reason to delay the purchase until a dealer confirms the parts and a date.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (4); 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Windshield may not be bonded properly and could separate in a crash (recall)Medium

Recall 21V516 covers 2020–2021 300s: during manufacturing the windshield urethane may not have bonded correctly, so the glass can detach in a crash, which fails the federal windshield-retention standard. Dealers remove the glass, replace the sealant and reinstall it free. Letters went out in August 2021, so most cars have had it, but check. If the car has had an aftermarket windshield since, ask who fitted it and whether they used a full-cure urethane — a replacement done in a parking lot with the wrong adhesive puts you back where the recall started.

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

Source: 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Rotary shifter grinding and vibrating in cornersLow

One owner filed the same event twice, under power train and under forward collision avoidance: at 23,800 miles the shifter dial on the console began grinding and buzzing in sharp curves as though the transmission were trying to select Park or Reverse, and the dealer took several visits to address it. One car is not a pattern, but the dial shifter is a module with its own history on this platform, so on the test drive take a few tight corners with your hand resting on the knob and feel for any vibration.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$700 for a shifter module

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (1), the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (1).

Uconnect 8.4 screen delamination and ghost touches — a 2018–2019 pattern to check for hereMedium

Nobody has filed it against the 2020 yet, but the 2018 record is 45% this fault and the 2019 carries it too: the touchscreen's top layer separates and the unit starts pressing its own buttons — heat changing, radio hopping, calls hanging up. The 2020 uses the same head unit family, so look for it. In sunlight, check the screen surface for bubbles or a rainbow edge, then let the car idle with your hands off for a minute and watch whether anything changes on its own.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$1,800 for a replacement head unit

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Recall 24V198 open on the VIN with no confirmed parts or appointment
✗Windshield recall open, or an aftermarket windshield with no receipt
✗Shifter dial that buzzes or grinds in a tight corner
✗Touchscreen with a bubbled or rainbow-edged surface, or settings that change by themselves

Good Signs

✓Both recalls shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup, with the curtain-airbag work dated
✓Original factory windshield, or a replacement with the installer's invoice and adhesive named
✓Touchscreen that sits still through a full minute at idle with hands off
✓Oil and transmission fluid changes documented on schedule with receipts
✓Smooth, quiet shifts through every gear on a warm drive