Home · 2012 Chrysler 200 · Complaints

What 638 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Chrysler 200

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (638)Crash / fire / injury (37)Engine (146)Electrical system (140)Airbags (136)Visibility & wipers (81)Seat belts (71)Transmission & drivetrain (54)Steering (45)Brakes (41)Lights (36)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (26)

54 of 638 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters · page 3 of 3

Nov 23, 2012SteeringEngine & coolingTransmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHRYSLER 200. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING BETWEEN 16-22 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS CHANGING GEARS AS IT WAS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VERY DAY THEY PICKED THE VEHICLE UP, IT STALLED IN THE ENTRANCE WAY. THE DEALER CLAIMED, THE VEHICLE RAN OUT OF GAS. AS HER SON DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME, HE NOTICED WHEN COASTING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD KICK BACK. THE MECHANIC STATED THE JERK/KICK WAS FROM THE ENGINE SHIFTING GEARS. THE KICKING WOULD GO AWAY, WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS PRESSED. WHEN HER SON TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND THEN STRAIGHTENED IT OUT, BY TURNING THE WHEEL TO THE LEFT, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. HE PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. HE TRIED TO RE-START THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE ENGINE WOULD REV UP TIGHT UNTIL IT WAS ABOUT TO START, BUT WOULD IMMEDIATELY SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY FOUND A CODE, BUT IT HAD NOTHING TO WITH THE PROBLEM, THAT WAS BEING EXPERIENCED. UPDATED 01/16/13

NHTSA ODI 10485842

Nov 22, 2012SteeringTransmission & drivetrain

CAR STARTED KICKING BACK, HAD TO ACCELERATE TO STOP THE KICKING. THEN WHILE PARKING THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND ENGINE DIED. KEPT STARTING AND IT KEPT STALLING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10485788

Aug 21, 2012SteeringTransmission & drivetrainBrakes

WHEN SLOWING DOWN ALMOST TO A STOP, THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTS HARD. IT CAUSE A SHUTTER OR JERK AND YOU CAN FEEL EVEN IN THE BRAKES. FEELS AWFUL AND CANNOT BE NORMAL. ALSO, WHEN ACCELERATING, THE VEHICLE PULLS HARD TO THE RIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10471724

Jun 1, 2012Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

THIS CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW WITH APPROX 300 MILES BROUGHT FROM A DEALER'S INVENTORY IN KOKOMO, IN TO ONE IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY, WHERE IT WAS BOUGHT 11 MAY ,2012..IT HAD BEEN ON THE PREVIOUS DEALER'S LOT, AS PART OF INVENTORY, I BELIEVE SINCE SEP,2011. IN TOTAL IT HAS STALLED WHILE STOPPED AT A LIGHT 2 SEPARATE TIMES..TWICE IT HAS EITHER QUIT WHILE SLOWING OR DOWNSHIFTED CAUSING QUITE A VIOLENT THROW FORWARD OF PERSONS IN THEIR SEATS WHILE AT A RELATIVELY SLOW SPEED COMING TO A STOP...IN THE OLD DAYS IT WOULD BE THE JERK YOU GET WHILE POPPING A CLUTCH TO GET A CAR STARTED WITH A BAD BATTERY.. THE THIRD TIME IT STALLED WAS BACKING OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY...WE ARE NOW APPROACHING 1000 TOTAL MILES ON THE CAR WITH LESS THAN A MONTH OF OWNERSHIP...MADE FIRST VISIT TO A DEALER SERVICE 30 MAY 2012,..PCM CODE WAS UPDATED,BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM..HAVE HAD ONE JERKY DOWNSHIFT SINCE THEN ..THIS HAS BEEN THE RECURRING THEME OF MANY OF THESE INSTANCES WRITTEN UP ON BLOGS CONCERNING THIS MODEL OVER LAST 2 YEARS.. SIDE NOTE..THIS CAR HAS REMOTE START CAPABILITY ON THE KEY FOB..I NOTICED A RECALL LAST YEAR FOR SOME VEHICLES WHERE THEY NOTICED THE CIRCUIT BOARD INSIDE A FOB HAD VIBRATED LOOSE, AND SOMEHOW WAS SENDING SIGNALS TO SOME COMPONENT IN THE CAR WHICH WAS CAUSING IT TO STOP...IE. NO CODES ASSOCIATED WITH A MALFUNCTION LIKE THAT...MIGHT BE SOMETHING TO LOOK AT TOO. TWICE ALSO, THE HINT OF AN ELECTRICAL SMELL HAS BEEN DETECTED...SAME SMELL I EXPERIENCED WHEN THE PCM ON MY 1993 FORD VAN COOKED ITSELF A COUPLE YEARS AGO..AT FIRST I WROTE IT OFF AS A NEW CAR THING..BUT COMBINE THAT WITH PRESENT AND PAST EXPERIENCES...WELL, THE CONNECTION MAY NOT BE COINCIDENTAL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10460311

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Working with the data? Download all 638 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 24, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Chrysler 200 verdict →