Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-48
The suspension gave a very noisy and rather rough ride after about 40000 miles. Until that point, it had been outstanding.
Four out of six speakers failed, and we don't exactly play the radio that loud.
At 58000, we ran into a problem where the car would just stall after driving about 10 minutes. You would coast to the side of the road and wait a few minutes before it would start again. Over the course of about 2 months and multiple visits to the mechanic, the problem just keep getting worse and worse until it would take up to 30 minutes to start after it stalled.
This was all we could take. After work to the tune of $1200 that did not fix the problem, I traded it for a Subaru.
It was extremely stylish and great looking, very quick, and extremely comfortable interior. The controls were laid out well and everyone thought this car was a real class act.
My wife loved the 300M, but I couldn't risk her or our daughter breaking down further. She really misses that 300 M, but I figured it was going to get a lot worse before it got any better.
Chalk it up to first year model maybe...
I've heard about this from others. That the Chrysler makes a good looking car, but they just don't hold up & are pretty UN reliable.
$1200 and no fix is not a car problem, but a ignorant mechanic. Any car that will not run for 30 min. should be easy to diagnose and repair (I am a Master ASE certified Auto Tech.)
Fully electronic fuel system are bound to have intermittent failures no matter what brand.
1999 300m 80,000 miles
I am having the same intermittent "turn off" condition. The car always starts after 30 minutes and runs fine. Trouble codes are p0171+p0172 Lean condition bank a+b. and p1684, battery disconnect. I am suspecting a fuel pump. Any ideas? My wife loves the car, I have 2 kids in college and don't want to upgrade yet.
Thanks Ken.
Just something to look at regarding the car dying. I had a 2000 Concorde that did the same thing. It died twice for no reason - had we been trying to make it across a busy road - I don't even want to think about it. One day by accident my mechanic was messing around the engine compartment while the engine was running - the car stalled. We started to look around the engine compartment and found that the battery terminals where you connect a jumper cable was loose. Don't know how the nut got loose. Tightened it and the car never died again. Check all the connections along the battery cables - may help, may not. Just something to think about.
Wow, that's strange! A car shouldn't die just because the battery cable is loose, unless new cars are made substantially differently from cars of just a few years ago. When the alternator replaced the generator in automobiles (in the late 1950s), one of the selling points was that the inventor drove around town with the battery cables disconnected to prove that the engine would continue to run off the alternator without the battery. Maybe the modern computers need to retain the battery connection to keep the car running.
"That the Chrysler makes a good looking car, but they just don't hold up & are pretty UN reliable."
Depends on what kind of Chrysler it is. From my experiences, it seems like the Dodge/Plymouth Neon, the 1995-1998 Dodge Stratus/Plymouth Breeze and the LH-cars with the 2.7 L engine are the most unreliable. Everything else is just fine, IMO.
What other cars are you talking about? Only the PT Cruiser has good reliability ratings, and the Chrysler minivans have never ever been reliable since their introduction in 1983.
" (I am a Master ASE certified Auto Tech.) "
Just because you're a "Master" doesn't mean a mistake was made by another mechanic. This simply sounds like the throttle body/fuel pump needs outright replacement (the same exact thing occurred with my 2000 Focus).
I have a 99 300m and I changed the engine w/55,000 miles. New fan, water pump, time belting kit and thermostat. But my car is now over heating.
After I put in the water pump and the timing chain, I then started to filled it up with antifreeze through the reservoir. But it's not draining, so that I can keep filling up the system. I know I'n not supposed to do this, but I started filling it up through the radiator and nothing. I turn on the car, running for about 20 minutes and it started heating up. I bled it correctly. The hose that is connected to the reservoir and goes to the back is cold. Should it be hot when the car is running? Please someone help me.
Check your thermostat, may be you need to replace it. or water pump (you did replace that) or thermostat. and try to adjust your belt. that should solve the problem. or disconnect your hoses and clean them, may be they are clogged. nothing else can be a problem. good luck!
We just purchased a 1999 300M. It has higher miles (80,000) but it drove nice on the test drive and my husband is auto engineer. He checked it over and didn't seem to find anything wrong. 2 weeks after purchase the speedometer fails and the car down-shifts. She now will not come out of 2nd gear. My husband limps it home, and the check engine light comes on. He turns the car off and lets it sit for a minute or two, attempts to restart it. Nothing. The car will not start, doesn't want to turn over. He finally gets it running after 15-20 minutes and the mapping is all off: sputtering and missing, running really rough. That problem seems to have gone away after a trip around the block, how ever the engine light is still on and it won't shift out of 2nd (not even with auto-stick). She will go into reverse, so it isn't the trany. It has to be something electrical. Anyone have any ideas?
The problem is easy (and cheap) to solve. All the symptoms point a single culprit: the output speed sensor. Is around 35 dollars (dealer) and 0.5h labor. Don't be angry, the car overall is very well rated. And don't forget to reset the computer after the sensor replacing. I would suggest as well to replace in the same time the input speed sensor (for the same price, and you save the labor) just to avoid further headaches. Good luck.
kostiko1@yahoo.com.
Where is the thermostat located on my 1999 300M?
Hello! I have a 99 Chrysler 300M. IT has about 120k on the mileage. Since I bought the car (around 80k) it has been known to slip up after it rains. The car in park will read anywhere from 50-90mph and the engine will rev, without any assistance. Normally I just shut the car off and it fixes it, but this time the check engine light turned on (it is solid not blinking so this is a plus!) I'm not sure what could be causing this problem. The old owner told me that there was an electrical harness that wasn't properly sealed, and Chrysler refused to fix it under the warranty... Any suggestions on why the check engine light could be on?
Wow... I hope that never happens to me... I just bought one with 135000 miles.