1999 Chrysler 300M review from North America

Rear Passenger Window does not work.

Map light went out.

Positive battery cable internally corroded.

Overall, we are very happy with this car and plan on staying with Chrysler products for years to come.

This car is very stylish and fast. I installed a K&N air filter in it and immediately noticed an increase in power, although I installed it for the gas mileage benefit. Car is also very comfortable on long rides.

About the problems... the map light I consider normal wear and tear, easily replaced. The positive battery cable internally corroded, that's what the dealership tech told me. He said they see it quite a bit with those types of cars (i.e. 300M, Concorde, LHS, etc.), although it is not a TSB or a recall. Total repair bill for that was $275, which included a $50 cable, plus a new Mopar battery... which brings me to another point...

There was moisture on the inside of the passenger side headlight, and I tried on more than one occasion to pull out the headlight assembly to allow the moisture to evaporate. Evidently, you have to take off the front fascia of the car to get the headlight assembly out, which is quite the job. When taking the car in for service, I asked them if they could do this for me, and they told me they could, but it would be more than I wanted to pay b/c of the time it would take to get it out. When the battery cable had to be replaced, they had to replace the battery as well (which is located underneath the passenger headlight assembly - not very smart) so they had to do it then. In any event, there is no more moisture in the headlight assembly.

The placement of the battery is dumb, in my opinion. If the battery ever died and I wanted to replace it, sounds like I would have to have it towed to a dealership to get it done, as there is much work involved just to get to the battery. Just some minor gripes I have with this car and Chrysler.

Overall, a great car, and we plan on keeping this car for a long time. I didn't rate the car a 10 on reliability because of the battery cable deal... ended up dying on the side of the road and had to get it towed. The Dealer has always treated me fair, except I think the service managers are trained to never blame problems on Chrysler, as I have an 8/80,000 warranty and thought maybe the battery cable would be covered under that, but weren't (plus I've had problems with my Jeep I thought should be covered too and weren't, have the same warranty with that). Running costs seem to be fairly low, but seems every once in a great while something will break that will warranty a dealer visit, where you are guaranteed at least a $300 bill. (i.e battery cable).