What 627 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chrysler 200

While driving, my driver seat headrest deployed. There was no collision to activate the headrest to deploy. It did so spontaneously. This could have caused a major accident due to me being startled. I am concerned for my daughter’s safety and mine. There were no recalls for the headrests reported in my vehicle. There was no indication that the headrests in my vehicle would be an issue. I will be taking the vehicle to CarMax, where I purchased it and to the Chrysler dealership to seek a solution

NHTSA ODI 11547274

I had all 3 recalls completed from the Chrysler dealer but only 2 now show complete on NHTSA and Carfax. Could you please check on this for me See attached service record from the dealer for the recalls that were completed.

NHTSA ODI 11541913

The active headrest restraint system deployed for no reason in the passenger side headrest while driving down the road at 35 mph. It sounded like a gunshot! The passenger was hit in the back of the head but thankfully not injured. I took a picture of it and my son told me that's a safety feature in case you get rear ended, which didn't even happen because I was still driving when and after that happened with no cars in front of or behind me. There was and is still no warning lights indicating any type of problem with anything.

NHTSA ODI 11535314

The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated the vehicle was parked at a Walmart, upon entering the vehicle, the contact noticed the front passenger’s side headrest had inadvertently deployed. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V282000 (Electrical System, Air Bags). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the previous owner had the recall repair performed March 12, 2013. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,429.

NHTSA ODI 11529157

When my son was adjusting the seat to his height and reach, the headrest (commonly known as an AHR from my research) popped open. I was not hurt but could have been if I wasn't leaning forward at the time. I understand Fiat Chrysler is under a class action lawsuit for this very defect, yet my car is not part of the recall. Does this mean they are not liable? Do I have to join the class action lawsuit to get them to repair my headrest at no cost to me? I can take photos but I'm using an i-phone and my computer does not recognize the file extension. Thank you for your guidance in this matter, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11528127

The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that while driving, the horn was continuously making an abnormal blaring sound. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the TIPM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under a recall and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V668000 (Seat Belt, Air Bags). The failure mileage was approximately 200,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11523971

The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The oil warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic for multiple undisclosed failures; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then inspected by another independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the failure was related to the NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V552000 (Engine). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was included in an unrelated recall. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11522875

I was parked in a parking lot backing out of a space. I was too close to the right curb so I put the car in drive to go forward to straighten out the tires. The gas accelerated abruptly and would not stop when I pressed the brake. The car jumped the curb/sidewalk and plowed into the parked car in front of me. The gas continued to accelerate pushing the vehicle in front of me about 5 feet back. The car did not stop until I jammed it into park. My bumper was ripped off when backing up was caught in the grill of the vehicle it collided with. I had both feet on the brake pad trying to stop the car and it would not stop. A very frightening experience. I have read several posts on this acceleration problem and believe there should be a recall. Not a good experience to remember Chrysler by.

NHTSA ODI 11522531

The driver head rest deployed while sitting and turned off. The safety pin sheared off.

NHTSA ODI 11522570

The car was losing power while being driven. It was towed to the dealership. Mechanic stated the engine was leaking oil and something is loose inside the engine. My only option would be to replace the engine.

NHTSA ODI 11520084

The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, he noticed that the front passenger’s side headrest had deployed without impact. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V640000 (Seats, Air Bags). The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that when he entered the vehicle, the failure reoccurred with the driver's side headrest. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11518876

Everything was fine I get my oil changed regularly, I get fluid top offs, I keep it well maintained. The other day while driving on the freeway my car slowly started to die out, the rpm was hitting at 4-5 but my speed was only 30 mph. This is my only vehicle I'm my mother's soul provider, taking her to after chemo check ups, to her liver doctor appointments. I was told this car has this problem alot. I was hoping something could be done to help me out..

NHTSA ODI 11518512

The vehicle shuts off while driving at any given time. It started about 4 months ago while I was on the freeway in the fast lane. No warning lights or sounds came on. I costed over to the left shoulder because it was rush hour. When I tried to restart it, it sounded like it was stalling and I couldn't jump it either. It was like the engine got hot even though the gauge didn't say it was. After I let it set for about 30 minutes it started right back up. I thought it was a one time thing, but it's been doing it a lot more and I've had to sit and wait for longer periods of time. I searched online and found the symptoms of what it's doing and it appears there was a recall and investigation about the issue. If I remember correctly there was over 13,000 vehicles recalled for the powertrain module or something like that but when I searched my vehicle it says no recall.

NHTSA ODI 11517408

My first complaint is that my car stalls as I am actively driving. Whether I am using cruise control or physically pressing the gas pedal, the car just stalls out and I lose control of all steering function & have to try to get to the shoulder before I get slammed into on the highway. This happens at least twice weekly, all hours of the day or night, regardless of the weather or how much gas is in the tank, and I almost always have my children with me.There are not one, but TWO recalls for this specific issue which I just found today after months of Internet searching because I never received any notices.The recalls are Chrysler campaign N52 and NHTSA campaign 13v043000 - so how is it that those recalls don't apply to MY particular 2013 Chrysler 200? My second complaint is about the horn, and I'm not the only person who has dealt with this one either, there are several online forums... When I manually press the horn on the steering column, nothing happens. No sound, no beeps, no honks, nada. If I need to alert someone of my presence, I can't.(This actually caused me to get hit by another driver who was on her phone last December, and I saw her coming at me but I couldn't alert her). Now just because I can't manually make the horn go beep, doesn't mean it does not work. Oh it works. There's a horn in there some where that just randomly honks, every day, sometimes I'm driving, sometimes I'm in my house. The honks can be little blips or short beeps, but most of the time, it's just one very, very long continuous honk. When I'm driving and this happens people think I'm having an emergency and all start to move over to the far right lane, which is just dangerous. If I cause a wreck over distracting other drivers it wouldn't be good. I did have it looked at, the mechanic plugged in the diagnostic computer & said there was no error code and he couldn't see anything immediately that would cause the issue, so it was most likely electric and he'd need a code to know more.

NHTSA ODI 11517169

After starting the vehicle and going from reverse to drive the vehicle stalls out. After the initial stall and traveling a few miles, while stopping at a traffic signal the vehicle stalls out again and more times than not can accelerate at a speed higher than prompted. This is a frequent occurrence and other owners of the same make model and year that I have spoken with have the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11515390

The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer to have the catalytic convertor replaced under an emissions recall notice. The contact stated that after he parked the vehicle, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact made the dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 149,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11500445

The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that water was leaking inside the vehicle and the water leak originated from underneath the glove compartment on the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11499010

My airbags not working and the light is on

NHTSA ODI 11497240

I’ve had to replace the alternator twice in 7 months. The car has turned off both of these instances while I was driving. I’ve spent a lot of money on parts, labor, and towing. When I am parked, the RPM goes up and down, it sounds like I am accelerating but I am not. When I come to a stop, the RPM jolts up. When I am at a complete stop, and ready to drive, the car jolts forward as if it were pushed.

NHTSA ODI 11496177

My son was driving his car which is a 2013 Chrysler 200 when the engine suddenly began to knock loudly and then the car shut off in traffic. There were no breaks or steering which nearly resulted in my son having an accident. He was able to get the car pulled to the side. Then we had the car towed to the shop. The mechanics said the dipstick showed no and that the knock was the result of an engine failure due to no oil in the oil pan. There was excessive debris in the small amount of oil that remained in the oil pan. The mechanic said that the debris came from bearings that have worn away. The engine is not repairable. It was noted that there was a recall on 2013 Chrysler 200 vehicles for this very same problem. However the recall for some reason excluded this specific car. Apparently the recall did not go far enough to cover all the cars affected.

NHTSA ODI 11492246

As I was driving down a slight slope while braking to try to come to a stop, the car died / shut off. Within the few seconds that I was trying to slow to a stop, the brakes stopped working, various lights turned on the Dash (I can't remember which), and then the car shut off entirely. If there was a car or something in front of me, I would not have been able to stop because the brakes weren't working. This problem has been reported numerous times through various online forums/sites. There was no warning, message, or other symptom to indicate this would happen. This car also has stalling issues that has been complained of by other Chrysler 200 owners as well. Both stalling and shutting off poses a serious concern to all drivers.

NHTSA ODI 11492123

Driving down the street and the car just stalls out of nowhere with no warning and then after a while will restart mechanic has no idea what could be wrong

NHTSA ODI 11491325

Car stalled while going down highway. Engine light not on, has gas, no over heating. 3rd time this has happened. Wait a couple hours and it starts with no problem. I was told by mechanic it was probably just bad gas and not to worry. Cause no codes came up. Then today i was almost hit.

NHTSA ODI 11482483

My driver side headrest deployed while I was driving

NHTSA ODI 11481304

The contact's son owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated while her son was driving 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts though the vehicle had a quarter tank of a gasoline left in the tank. The contact contacted a tow truck driver who added gasoline and the tank was half full. The contact's son was able to drive to his residence; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact's son added gasoline in the vehicle and was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure occurred whenever the vehicle had a quarter tank of fuel remaining. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V043000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) which she associated with the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she needed to pay diagnostic and repair fee. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000. The manufacturer stated there was nothing they could do and NHTSA's responsibility to include their vin in the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11481082