North American Luxury vehicle brand, Chrysler, has certainly held its own in the luxury market as of late. Part of the Stellantis conglomerate, they have held their own against other key luxury automotive brands, and rightly so. With strong styles and luxurious interiors, these vehicles offer a unique driving experience, and owners are always keen to sing their praises. However, like all manufacturers, Chrysler has encountered various problems in their lifetime. From owner complaints to recalls, here are some of the most common problems with Chrysler vehicles.
Faulty Airbags
Chrysler has been one of a number of brands to voluntarily participate in a recall for their Takata airbags. According to carsguide.com.au, over 2.7 million vehicles have been recalled across 16 manufacturers including Chrysler as a result of a fault in Takata’s airbag system. CarsGuide state that “the fault in Takata-manufactured airbags could see the propellant degrade over time and with a build-up of moisture that can, in the event of a crash, misdeploy and expel metal shrapnel into the vehicle cabin.” (https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/defective-takata-airbags-trigger-mandatory-recall-of-23-million-vehicles-67651, 2018) While this is not an issue on Chrysler’s part, the recall has affected a number of their models so if you are a Chrysler owner, now is the time to check for recalls on your vehicle.
Electrical System
According to Carproblemzoo.com, a site that tracks complaints made about various manufacturers in the US, Chrysler’s vehicles are particularly prone to complaints relating to their electrical system. While a majority of these are simply listed as ‘electrical system problems’, the three following relate to the Alternator/generator/regulator, horn assembly and ‘car will not start’ problems (https://www.carproblemzoo.com/chrysler/chrysler-electrical-system-problems.php, 2022) These problems are listed and have been tracked since as early as 1996, so while the numbers can appear high at first glance, spread out over the years this isn’t nearly as worrying as it appears. Keeping an eye on your electrical system and ensuring that you have it checked if something doesn’t seem quite right can help you keep things running smoothly for longer.
UConnect System
Chrysler’s infotainment systems over the past decade or so have used Uconnect, a system that can be found in not just Chrysler, but Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Wagoneer and Fiat vehicles. Chrysler, however, has faced reports that their particular systems don’t work quite as well as they should. According to ChryslerProblems.com, the system “keeps freezing, becomes unresponsive to touch inputs and randomly reboots”. An update in February 2018 was expected to fix the issue, however, it reportedly “caused thousands of units to endlessly reboot every 45 seconds or so.” It would continue to reboot even after the car was off and could lead to dead batteries. (http://www.chryslerproblems.com/uconnect/, 2021).
9-Speed Transmission Faults
While not every Chrysler will have the 9-speed transmission commissioned by Fiat-Chrysler to the ZF Friedrichshafen Group (ZF), those that do may experience a less-than-stellar experience according to reports. ChryslerProblems.com reported in July 2021 that the 9-speed transmission had been experiencing issues. They stated that owners experienced “certain days [where] it felt impossible to get through the first 3 gears without constant hesitations and lurching.” This transmission issue seemed to come and go, but had been causing owners a headache. A recall was announced by ZF, where they recalled 505,000 transmissions that had “sensors that can suddenly shift the vehicle into neutral.” This affected the 2015 Chrysler 200 in particular. (http://www.chryslerproblems.com/zf-9-speed-transmission/, 2021)
Chrysler remain a luxury brand worth investing in and while the issues above can be a concern at first glance, they are often easily fixed. Whether part of a recall or a simple mishap in need of repair, we are on hand to help. Simply get in touch with a member of our team and we will run full diagnostics on your vehicle to find the source of the problem and get you back on the road as soon as possible.