1999 Chrysler 300M from North America - Comments

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).

I have a 2004 300M and I had similar problems with the battery and cables. This car has only been serviced by Chrysler dealers. The battery died and I was able to jump start and make it to the dealer. I was told that the battery cables had indeed become corroded and need to be replaced, as well as the battery itself. $ 415.00 dollars! The battery itself is not serviceable by owners, as it is hidden underneath the wheel well on the drivers side. VERY DISAPPOINTING! I asked the service manager why the battery is not checked during regular service checks, and I was told they just started doing it because it was happening on the PT Cruiser as well.

I have a 2004 300m that constantly kills the battery.

I have brought it back to the dealer 7 times.

They replaced the battery 5 times. by accident i

discovered that if I leave my car idle (don't start it up)

for 2 days the battery goes dead. I finally convinced

the dealer to keep the car (with my complaining to Detroit)

and find the problem. they kept the car for 7 weeks and

the conclusion they came to was a faulty radio.

By the way their computer testing never finds a problem.

I really am not comfortable with this car. does anybody

else had this problem?

I have a 1999 Chrysler and for the most part, it has treated me well. Although, the battery cables and the battery have given me head-ache after head-ache. Is Chrysler doing anything to fix the problem. Before I knew the cables were corroded, I was having the battery replaced. I bought an expensive battery that was supposed to last five years, and it hasn't been two years, and I'm replacing it again!

I have a 99 300m that has for the most part been a good car. I have noticed however some occasional weirdness in the electrical that causes concern... Sometimes my lights will come on and blink a few times when the car is parked and the dash lights have done similar things while driving. I am on my third battery and the replacement is a total pain to do. However it is still better to do it myself than spend the hundreds of dollars and days that it takes to get it done by Chrysler or anywhere else.

A "seven" year battery seems to be good for about 3 years in these cars... not sure why... but combine that with the difficult replacement and it is annoying. Other than that the car has been a dream... and the styling still holds up today after 8 years.

This is a response to the last reviewer: the problem that you have with the dome lights together with the instruments cluster flickering rest in dirt accumulated on the dimming adjuster (actually is just a potentiometer) so by moving the wheel up and down for few times, you'll clean it. I had the same problem in my Chrysler Intrepid (the cheaper brother of 300M) and I found the source. Maybe it is better to change the position where the wheel rests. And if you want to do a great job, you can replace yourself the whole assembly (easy). As well, you can dismantle the assembly and use some contact cleaner (cheaper).

One more thing: after five years of normal usage, I decided to sell the Intrepid and go for the 300M Special. I was pretty satisfied with the Intrepid's behaviour, just some small annoyances, but I did not expect after I bought this one that I would smile every time I'm climbing into the cockpit: my point is that I changed the battery of the Intrepid myself after 8 years and when I did some maintenance to the 300M, I saw that I had to deal with the same procedure, when it comes to replacing the battery. You don't have to remove the headlight assy to do this (will ease the job), it's only necessary to remove the wheel and the mud cover and you will have enough room to slide out the old one and to put the new one back in. So do not go to the dealer if you want to save big. A good suggestion may be to put some grease on the battery connectors ON THE BATTERY to protect them against corrosion and to check also how well they are tightened.

I bought a 1999 300M when it had 27,000 miles on it from the original owner. The battery went dead literally when I went to pick it up which was not a good omen I thought. Overall it has been a wonderful car for me and I would say the most comfortable one I have ever owned. I now have 173,000 miles on it as of 7/19/2007. It is still running very strong for the most part and still looks very good. Things that did happen during those 140,000+ miles I put on (so far) :

1. Electrical problems, meaning lights going on and off such as interior door lights and instrument cluster. I went to a dealer where they spent two hours on a diagnostic machine and told me they couldn't find anything, but determined the problem was in the wiring inside the drivers door (cost me $200.00). They "rerouted the wiring" in the door meaning their solution was to move some wires; they didn't fix anything, just moved some wires. Needless to say the problem remained. I then went to a local electrical whiz who operated a repair shop out of his garage in an alley in town. He actually knew how to fix things and not just replace them until he got it right. He took one look at the extremely corroded battery cable clamps and told me "that's yer problem" whereby he cut off the old skimpy clamps that came with the car and replaced them with the old fat lead ones that used to come standard in cars. The electrical problems disappeared immediately. Cost including labor, new battery and two lead clamps placed on existing cables: $130.00. The clamps themselves were about $2. My suggestion to everyone who owns a Chrysler; if you have those thin battery cable clamps that are the thickness of a dime, replace them immediately with the fat lead ones, it will in my opinion save you a lot of time, aggravation and money. They cost about $2 a pair. I told a friend of mine about this experience and he told me he had the same type electrical problems with a different Chrysler model. He replaced the battery cable clamps and his electrical problems also disappeared. Just my experience anyway.

2. Transmission: When my car had about 110,000 miles on it I was driving at about 25 miles an hour just coming to a stop sign when I heard and felt a very loud "clunk", The trans went into 2nd gear and stayed there. I was certain that my transmission had just imploded and that I would be buying a new transmission. I drove to a local transmission shop owner who I knew and he put on a diagnostic meter and it came up within 2 minutes that there was a small electronic part at the front of the trans that was bad. I was astounded that a little switch could make my trans act like it was totally shot. He also told me there was one on the back of the trans that was still okay, but suggested I replace them both which I did. The parts were about $25 each and the labor was about $100.00. After they were replaced the trans was operating again perfectly. If I had gone anywhere else and they had told me the trans was shot and I needed a new one I would have bought one. I am still using the same transmission and have had no problems with it whatsoever except for that little switch. I have wondered many times how many people had the same thing happen and bought a new trans instead of a $25 electronic part.

I love the car and would buy another in a heartbeat.

As I said in my previous Post, my 1999 300M has over 170,000 miles on it. Out of the blue, I was at a midwest Casino last week when I parked next to a twin to my 1999 300M and it only had 43,000 miles on it. The owner was leaving as I drove up and we struck up a conversation and I am buying his 300M as a back up to my present one. His is showroom pristine and he is the original owner. Been in a garage for 8 years except for Florida trips. His car rides and drives like mine did 130,000 miles ago. I plan on keeping both of them. My wife and I both feel the 1999 300M is by far the most comfortable car to travel in that we have owned during the last 40 years.

He had the same problems that I have repeatedly seen posts on, bad battery, battery cable and speed sensor on the front of the trans. All three things happened to him in the first 40,000 miles. I have to believe poor engineering as these things seem to happen over and over on the 1999 model.

Still a great car.

I really appreciate everyone's comments on the 1999 chrysler 300m I too have had similar problems and now have great instincts and awareness about my 300m! I've come across my car not being able to start right away, usually after 2-3 times turning the key over! When I listen I can hear a fluid moving around the engine when it does start and it does stutter! any ideas? I really think it is the fuel pump! does anybody know if the fuel pump is in the gas tank or between the engine and fuel tank because I would like to replace it! Thanks Again!

Amazing to read of others with the flickering lights, battery problems and all. We've had them too, I just put in our 3rd battery - definitely no fun - all heavy duty that lasted just long enough to make the warranty not worth cashing in on.

But we also still love the car. I am tall with long legs and it is one of the few cars I can fit in halfway comfortably.

We have less than 50,000 miles on ours and I am now getting ready to replace the starter. Sometimes it just clicks loudly, but the starter does not engage. After a little research I believe it to be the solenoid. I jumped the relay switch and had the same problem. Sometimes it cranks right over and starts right up... sometimes it will have the loud click, 2 4, 5, 8, 10-12 times and then suddenly engage and start. I am a little concerned because there have been times when I just turned the lights on and off, or played with the interior dimmer switch and the car seemed to "miraculously" start right after doing so. I am hoping the starter is the problem and not some impossible to find electrical problem.

I have always been concerned that someday I could be driving on a winding mountain road at night and that all my lights could just suddenly go out... gulp! I have never lost lights, but have had the flickering of the dash and headlights for absolutely no reason that I could see which makes me wonder how secure the electronics are in the car.

It is now relegated to 2nd car "light duty" in the household, but can't see getting rid of it or ever finding something I like better at a reasonable cost.

I have a chyrsler 300m 1999. I was having problems with the interior lights coming on as well as flickering whenever it wanted too. I put it in the shop and found out it was the alternator belt it was damage as well as another belt that controled the radio as well as fan. it was only 130.00 to replace. i'am having trouble with my car battery. I just had a new battery put in 3 months ago. it is not doing well with my car so the same auto shop that replace my alternator belt will be looking at my battery and corrosions on my car tomorrow.

I do like my car it's a great car... however I do not like the fact that my car won't start unless it is jump start. the jump starting took place 3 weeks after I had the new battery installed.

Well, I finally had my battery looked at on my Chrysler 1999 300M. And to my surprise, the new battery was installed with bad cables, which were draining my battery acid & causing it to not start at all. It would only start if jumper cables were on it. So now I have a new battery as well as new connection cables. It is running fine.

I would love to add some comments about my 1999 300M. I have also had several of the same problems such as the rear passenger window not working, the interior lights blinking off and on while driving down the street, and moisture in the headlights. My battery situation must be the exception here since I just recently replaced the original battery and my car now has 105,000 miles on it! I did this job by pulling off the wheel well. Also replaced the cables and connectors. I believe this stopped the lights flickering.

However, the main problem I have had (that I am surprised no one else has mentioned here) is the fact that when my 300 was 4 years old, the dash started cracking open. It is now cracked in a complete parallel outline around the entire passenger side airbag. I originally called Dr. Vinyl to see about having it repaired and he said it would be 50.00 to repair what was at that time a 2 inch split, but that he would not guarantee it because "All those cars did that, and the repair will not hold". He said that it is a "design flaw". I contacted Chrysler about it at that time and they told me they "Are not aware of any such problem". It is $700.00 to replace this dash assembly. I let it go until now. Then my air conditioner quit last summer. I had my mechanic do a dye test and found the evaporator coil is bad. Since it is located under the dash, this cracked dash will have to come off. I am sure it will finish tearing up when it is removed. The dealer told me that the dash is on National Back order which tells me that this problem is very widespread. I sent Chrysler another email about this, but so far no reply. I also told them of reading on the Internet where quite a few individuals had posted comments about having the very same problem with this car. I don't think they want to back up the product because of the cost of such an expensive part, and it sure takes away from the looks of the interior. Comments on this issue will be appreciated.

I have had my 300m now for about 6 years. I have been happy for the most part, but have had some problems that I will share with you today. My dash board was also cracked about 2 inches when I bought it, dealer said it was normal, and as it starting cracking more I took it back and they say it was not under any warranty, so I still have the same dashboard cracked completely across the dash.

The car starting overheating a few summers ago and smoke was coming out the pipe, it looked kinda blue. Shop said my heads were cracked and needed a new engine overhaul. I took it dealership and they said I just needed new fan motors put in, and that was it.

Wobbling and noise coming from the front pass end? This went on for years. Finally figured out I just needed my tie rod bushings replaced, no big deal.

Air conditioning went out and had a funny smell very stinky actually. Rotten water/fumes in the lines, there was nothing to do because I am not paying 2,000 to have it fixed. I am looking into fixing it this summer perhaps.

Headlights cover scratched and plastic ruined. I have read that you should not wipe plastic with cloth, oops too late. I am looking into buying a plastic repair kit, hope it works.

Now my car just stalls for no reason after driving for a half hour or so, then starts right back up again??? Someone says it may be fuel pump clogged, or sensor out, I don't know I am going today to investigate.

I had problems with battery and cables too, I just fixed it recently and now it works great. New battery and found a alternator at a junk yard that is awesome, had to cut and tape a portion of battery cable and put on 2 new cable ends to connect to battery, it has been working great now for one year. FINALLY!!!

Wheels and tires, Oh boy. Tires always going flat. Must have tire man grind the inside of the rim to remove corrosion so the tire can grip, he can also apply some chemical stuff to help it stay better. The rim caps are falling off too, so when I bought new ones I sealed the connection with super glue and painted the back side with rust proof clear paint to help them last longer.

That's it for now, ciao~

Jen.