10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 26
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 1
Average Mileage:
57,393 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Chrysler 300 electrical problems

electrical problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2012 Chrysler 300:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2012 Chrysler 300 Owner Comments (Page 5 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #106

May 272017

300

  • 92,648 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2012 Chrysler 300 3.6L V6 went in battery save mode as I was driving then shut off. It would not start so I boost it off and was able to get it started. I drove a circle around the apartment complex and the car begin to smoke. The 180amp alternator was smoking and burning up. I changed the alternator and replaced the battery. Now the car cranks and stay running but will not drive. No dash lights are working and I can not put it into gear. If I turn the wheel to the right or left completely then the A/C and dash lights N radio work but the car still will not go into my desired gear. I have lost a lot of time and money because of this issue and nowhere online is there answers for this problem.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #105

May 222017

300

  • 76,000 miles
While driving with my children, the cars warning lights lit up and alarms started beeping. The service engine light came on as well as the fcw off message, I smelled smoke and heard a whiring sound. After pulling in my driveway, I popped open the hood and found nothing out of the ordinary. 20 minutes later I started up the car and started driving, again without any issue. When coming back home (4 mile round trip), I heard a whiring sound again, smelled smoke and lights and alarms again. Fortunately, I was pulling into the driveway. At this point, I could see smoke coming from under the hood. I popped the hood and saw smoke billowing from the area of the alternator. After the smoke stopped I attempted to start the car to move it and roll up windows but could not, the car had no power. After researching the issue, I was glad to see that there was a recall on the alternator for my car. However, I was disappointed to learn that my VIN was not included in the recall. After further research, I determined that the recall was only for the 160 amp alternator, my car has the 180 amp. This alternator failed in the exact same way as the 160 amp alternators. I was very lucky that this happened while turning into my driveway and not a busy intersection. Since this was not part of the recall, I am now out $1000. I have read similar stories of the exact same issue with the 180 amp alternators. This is a safety issue, please help.

- Perrysburg, OH, USA

problem #104

May 172012

300

  • 81,000 miles
Vehicle not recalled on P60 recall due to 180 amp alternator but all symptoms are same. Traction control lights came on then radio shut off, service trans flashed, ABS came on, battery save mode came on, no power, wipers came on, while slowing trans went into park. Opening hood I had a strong burning electrical smell area of alternator, it was hot to touch I checked voltage at battery 1.42 instead of 12+ seams this problem goes past the 160amp alts.this happened on a city street vehicle went about 1 mile from start to total stop in middle of street blocking traffic, could not release parking brake to move to side of street. Had repairs made at shop where it was towed. They had to replace alt and battery and an information tag on alt was burned also. The shop checked to see if it was part of the recall which it wasn't.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #103

May 022017

300

  • 88,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have a 2012 Chrysler 300 limited with a 3.6L V6 and 180 amp alternator. Failure occurred at 88000. Show very similar symptoms for recall number 14V634000 (low power mode, battery light, complete electrical system failure) was told by Chrysler that they would not cover it since the recall was for the 160 amp alternator. I had to replace out of pocket with total repair cost at 1200.

- Copperas Cove, TX, USA

problem #102

Apr 262017

300

  • 98,600 miles
Alternator and battery compliant - on Wednesday, May 26 while driving on a city street I noticed that my car had a burning odor and a whining noise coming from the engine. After driving approximately 7 miles I noticed the battery saver mode light came on. At that point, I drove another approximate 2 miles before parking my car in a parking lot. After returning to my car an hour later my car started but the radio did not come on. I attempted to drive my car to the dealership but after approximate 0.2 miles it shut off completely without warning. After doing research this appears to be the same problem as the 3.6L Chrysler 300 had a recall on. My car is a 5.7L hemi 300S. It has been a death trap from one day and at this point I'm afraid to drive it because of the alternator issue.

- Cedar Hill, TX, USA

problem #101

Apr 262017

300

  • 134,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 300. The contact stated that while driving at 55 mph, the battery save mode illuminated and the brake light began to flash while the engine stalled. The vehicle was merged to a shoulder lane. The vehicle was unable to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the alternator failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired as of yet. The manufacturer was called and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign: 14V634000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

- Blanch, NC, USA

problem #100

Apr 222017

300

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

It was a recall worked on my car for automatic shifter, then my car been having a kind of problem.on the 4/23/17 day after my birthday got in my car to started, my car start smoking and completely shut off..went on the internet to see if anyone relating to my problem, then was a recall for 300 2012 on electrical..I think the dealer or Chrysler not reporting the problem. More people reporting the same problem.

- Gibsonton, FL, USA

problem #99

Apr 172017

300

  • 101,784 miles
While driving a red low battery light comes on while driving on the highway...car starts to shut down and I find a sage location....as I pull to a sage location car losses control...the steering wheel locks up and it will not shift into park...this goes on for 5 min as the car is turning wind sheild wipers on and radio flickers on by it self...so I replace battery and proceed to drive home...I get about 20 min down the road and it proceeds to happen agin...not only does the headkights cut iff at night...but mph read 0 and I was going over 50 mph

- Bear, DE, USA

problem #98

Apr 022017

300

  • 77,699 miles
The car lost power and stalled. Crash caused buy faulty altenator and lead positive power wire

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #97

Apr 012017

300

  • 94,000 miles
Experienced total electrical failure after replacing alternator and battery- electrical failure affects everything- unsafe to drive

- Houma, LA, USA

problem #96

Mar 192017

300

  • 46,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car would nor go into any gear, (D, R, N) it kept popping into park and after it set for an hour, it shifted into gear and I was able to drive it home.

- Evansville, IN, USA

problem #95

Mar 122017

300

  • 64,450 miles
On March 12, 2017 I was driving Chrysler 2012 300 vehicle on a busy highway, the vehicle then went into battery power save mode, without warning the vehicle stalled and the breaks locked on me, the car did not let me stop and I was on a busy street route 30 in merrillville, in with my 2 year old daughter in the back seat, the vehicle rolled at approximately 20 mph for 15 feet and made an abrupt stop, after wards I was unable to turn on vehicle and was left stranded on busy street, luckily their were no cars in front of me at the time or it could of been worse, after doing research I called Chrysler and asked if this could of been due to faulty alternator and mentioned recall P61 and was told the recall was for a 160 amp and mine was 180 amp, the cause of this situation was clearly due to a recall on a recall of a different Chrysler model and should be looked into immediately, I have always been a customer of Chrysler and my reasoning behind buying Chrysler is because of their wonderful safety features, and feeling secure while driving my 2 young children, it is unfair and after this I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. Their needs to be immediate action taken to avoid injury or possible death.

- Merrillville, IN, USA

problem #94

Feb 242017

300

  • 77,000 miles
While driving on a busy street my Chrysler 300 stalled without warning.the vehicle was towed to a independent dealer to be diagnosed.the dealer informed me that the alternator failed plus the battery was damaged.vehicle was repaired.the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, the vehicle was not included in NHTSA recall campaign number#14V634000{electrical system}the failure mileage 77,000.some recall sites say the 2012 Chrysler 300 vehicles were from 2011 -2014 but, the manufacturer say my vehicle was not on the list.

- Castle Hayne, NC, USA

problem #93

Jan 282017

300

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 300. While driving 15 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was pushed to the contact's residence and later towed to the dealer. It was diagnosed that the alternator failed and needed to be replaced. In addition, while driving various speeds, the check engine indicator illuminated and there was a clunking noise coming from the front driver side seat. When depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate and the gear shifter failed to shift into park. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the valve body of the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number:14V634000 (electrical system) and stated that the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Dowson, GA, USA

problem #92

Jan 162017

300

  • 80,000 miles
The battery saver mode indicator light came on in my Chrysler 300 while my wife was driving on a city street and then the engine started smoking. She had only been driving the car for about 15 minutes. She was able to pull into a parking lot and then the car completely shut down. The car continued smoking for at least 15 minutes. This is terrible and dangerous!! the dealer says the alternator and battery need to replaced. There is a recall on the Chrysler 160 alternator for this problem. This car has a 180 alternator and Chrysler has not recalled it even though it is the same problem!

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #91

Dec 312016

300

  • 71,642 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 300. While driving 20 mph, the battery safe mode warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact turned off the vehicle and was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the battery and alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,642.

- Luling, LA, USA

problem #90

Dec 222016

300 6-cyl

  • 87,000 miles
On 12/22/16, I used my car for work and later christmas shopping with no problem. At 9:00 pm, my husband, granddaughter and I were on the freeway traveling about 60-65 mph when the battery save mode light came on. I smelled smoke so my husband merged over to the far right, still traveling about 50-55 mph. The car began to shut down, first the radio, then inside panel lights, headlights, airbag warning lights, brake lights, windshield wipers up, and car slammed into park while moving. Felt like we were rear ended. Very scary. Luckily, we were able to coast downhill off the side of the freeway, barely making it off, with the backend of the car in jeopardy of being hit. The three of us were stranded there on the side of the road until 1:30 am, in a not so lit area, until aaa arrived. None of us knew how to put the car in neutral so it had to be forced on and off the flat bed. The next day, I notified Chrysler and found out there was a recall on the alternator for this same make, model and year. My care # is 30764006. However, I was told that my car was not covered because it had a 180 amp alternator instead of 160 amp. I was told by [xxx] to have my car towed to motor village la for an official diagnosis and that she (Chrysler) would try to help me get it approved to be fixed under the recall. Motor village quoted me $1200 to fix and denied the recall claim. My family and I almost lost our lives that evening, and I wasted time with Chrysler recall. I had to get the car towed elsewhere because I could not afford $1200 for repair. Furthermore, when I called back, I was not able to speak with [xxx] and of course, the story had changed. They no longer offered help, only apologies. As a result, I lost time off work and was without a car for a week. I am requesting reimbursement for my $130 diagnostic charge paid to motor village. Thank you. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Compton, CA, USA

problem #89

Dec 262016

300

  • 79,500 miles
First sign was it kept saying low power mode activated. I took it in to dealership but they said everything was fine. A month later I was driving on the highway and everything electrical turned off (steering, ABS, battery, etc.) and the car started smoking heavily. My car stalled out in the middle of the highway and I had to push it to the side of the road. Very very scary to lose all control of your car all of a sudden when driving at high speeds. I pulled over and got car towed away only to find out that the alternator was messed up causing the battery and serpentine belt to go out as well. I asked if my 300 was covered part of the faulty alternators but apparently my VIN doesn't cover the recall so here I am hoping to cause awareness so I can get my $1500 bill covered especially since the car only has 80,000 miles on it. 2012 Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep are known to have faulty alternators but my VIN is not part of the "bad batch" so please expand this recall.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #88

Sep 242016

300

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 300. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle lost all power. The vehicle was towed to a repair facility where it was diagnosed that the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V634000 (electrical system), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

- Mandeville, LA, USA

problem #87

Nov 152016

300

  • miles
I was on my way home from the grocery store with my son, I was stopped at a red light when the light turned green I pressed on the gas to go and the car would not move the ABS light came on. The end car finally started to move slowly, then all the lights started to flash and everything went black, no power! I tried to get as close as possible to home, at that point I had no power steering no nothing and all the while the dashboard kept flickering and it said service transmission, malfunction indicator was lit up. This all happened in rush hour traffic. Smh I was going about 25mph and miles on vehicle was 55,900

- Inglewood, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?