2008 Chrysler 300C: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2008 Chrysler 300C
On the 2008 Chrysler 300C, the failure owners report most often is other electrical problem, with 12 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 120,000 miles. Overall it scores 53 out of 100, elevated risk for a 2008.
Elevated risk for a 2008 — 356th riskiest of the 356 2008 vehicles we can rate. 36 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 11 named failure modes on the 2008 Chrysler 300C, and the three most-reported carry 50% of everything filed.
Other electrical problem leads with 12 reports and about 0.2 per 1,000 vehicles.
Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure follows with 4 reports, median 140,000 miles.
Radiator or coolant leak follows with 2 reports, median 275,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into electrical (16), fuel (5) and cooling (2).
When these failures get reported
15 of the reports on the 2008 Chrysler 300C came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 120,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 13% by 50,000 miles, 20% by 100,000 miles and 67% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 1 filed above the top of the chart.
The busiest stretch is between 110,000 and 120,000 miles, which alone holds 27% of the dated reports.
7% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, so this is mostly a story about older, higher-mileage cars.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 1 report came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Nothing in the reports on the 2008 Chrysler 300C mentions a crash, a fire or an injury. That is the ordinary case and it is worth stating: most defect complaints are about a car that stopped working, not one that hurt somebody.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.31, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other electrical problem at $250–$2,000, ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure at $250–$1,500, radiator or coolant leak at $350–$1,900 and fuel pump failure at $600–$2,600. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
14% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 12 | 4 | — | 78k | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 4 | 4 | — | 140k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 2 | 1 | — | 275k | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Fuel leak or fuel odor | fuel | 2 | 1 | — | 145k | — | 0.0 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Airbag inflator rupture | airbag | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| Complete engine failure or seizure | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 167k | — | 0.0 | $4,500–$12,000 | Critical |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 127k | — | 0.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 43k | — | 0.0 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 7 | 2 | — | 137k | — | 0.1 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2008 Chrysler 300C draws about 0.6 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 71st percentile of complaint rates among 2008 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 57,424 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2008 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other electrical problem
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chrysler 300c. While backing out of the driveway at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle started to lose power and sputter without warning on several occasions. The vehicle regained power, but the failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14v567000 (electrical system) however, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000. Updated 7/21/15*cn
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chrysler 300c. The contact stated that while attempting to turn the vehicle off, the ignition failed to turn to the off position. The vehicle was able to turn off after several attempts but the key failed to eject. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition needed to be replaced. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v567000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 115,000. The VIN was not available.
Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure
Recalled ignition had become locked in "off" and "accessory" position. Dealer had to take ignition apart in order to get the key fob released from its locked position. Vehicle has sat on dealership lot since 7/6/2015, waiting for replacement ignition that has been released since 8/26/15, but was originally to be released 7/28/15.
Recalled ignition had become locked in "off" and "accessory" position. Dealer had to take ignition apart in order to get the key fob released from its locked position. Vehicle has sat on dealership lot since 7/6/2015, waiting for replacement ignition that has been released since 8/26/15, but was originally to be released 7/28/15.
Radiator or coolant leak
Pulling into driveway, I later noticed fluid on the ground. Opened up hood and found out radiator fan blade broke off and punctured the radiator resulting in having to replace both radiator and fan assembly. Chrysler issued a csn (customer service notice) that this may happen, but no safety recall issued.
Recalls on the 2008 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2008 Chrysler 300C, affecting an estimated 57,424 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
4,077,169 vehicles 2015-05-26- Defect
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8, 2006-2010 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Magnum, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
- Consequence
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners. Dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began for Chrylser on June 8, 2015. The recall for Mitsubishi started on June 24, 2015. Chrysler and Dodge owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Mitsubishi owners may call 1-888-648-7820. Chrysler's number for this recall is R25. Note: This recall supersedes recall…
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2008 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
Elevated risk for a 2008 — 356th riskiest of the 356 2008 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
Across the 9 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2008 comes out best at 53 and 2006 worst at 67, with 2008 itself at 53.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2008, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2005–2013 generation specifically, 2008 is the strongest year at 53 and 2006 the weakest at 67.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2005-2013 generation, 2008 Chrysler 300C scores best at 53 and 2006 Chrysler 300C worst at 67.
Where these figures stop being useful
36 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 36 reports, 15 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 42% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Chrysler 300C?
The most-reported failures are other electrical problem (12 reports, median 80,000 miles), ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure (4 reports, median 140,000 miles) and radiator or coolant leak (2 reports, median 275,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2008 Chrysler 300C reliable?
It scores 53 out of 100 on our risk index, which is elevated — 356th riskiest of the 356 2008 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2008 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Chrysler 300C is best?
Within the 2005–2013 generation, 2008 scores best at 53 out of 100 and 2006 worst at 67. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed