A used Chrysler 300 comes from one of two generations, the 2005-2010 original and the 2011-2023 redesign, and 2023 was the final model year before Brampton Assembly stopped building it in December 2023. For most shoppers the better buy is a 2015-or-newer car with the eight-speed automatic behind either engine, and you choose between the 3.6-liter V6, which is the only way to get all-wheel drive on later cars, and a rear-drive Hemi V8. Before you pay, prove by VIN that the air bag inflator recalls are closed and that the title has never been branded.
We pulled the 300's recall file from NHTSA and decoded more than a dozen VIN patterns through vPIC on October 14, 2026. Every Chrysler 300 pattern we tried started 2C3 and came back as Brampton, Ontario, the same plant that built the Charger and Challenger, so the sedan shares a lot of hardware and a lot of recalls with its Dodge siblings. Our Chrysler VIN decoder walks through each position, and the Dodge VIN decoder helps when a seller insists a car is a 300 and the make field disagrees. If you are cross-shopping the four-door Dodge, read the used Dodge Charger buying guide too, since the two cars split mostly on styling, trim and how sellers drive them.
2005-2010 versus 2011-2023
The second generation is the one we would put money on. Consumer Reports says the 2005 car replaced the 300M with two V6 choices or a 340-hp V8 in the 300C, and that its styling hurt outward visibility and made the cabin feel closed in. CR also says IIHS side-crash results without the optional side air bags were poor, and curtain air bags did not become standard until 2010. So on an early car, check the window sticker or the build sheet for the side bags before anything else. CR calls the 2011 redesign much improved, praises the quiet cabin and the Uconnect 8.4 touch screen, and notes that the eight-speed automatic reached the V6 in 2012 and the V8s three years later. So a 2011 V6 or a 2011-2014 Hemi still has the older automatic, which works, it just is not the gearbox reviewers liked.
Hemi or V6, and where AWD fits
The Pentastar V6 is the standard engine and the one you will see most in listings. Car and Driver rates it at 292 hp in the 2023 car, says all-wheel drive was offered only with that V6, and lists EPA ratings of 19 city and 30 highway for rear-drive cars and 18 and 27 with AWD. The 5.7 Hemi drops to 16 and 25, and the 6.4-liter 300C to 15 and 24. Honestly, the V6 300S that C&D timed at 6.3 seconds to 60 mph is quick enough for most people. The first-generation rules were different. Our vPIC pattern for a 2008 300C decoded as all-wheel drive with the 5.7 V8, and a 2007 SRT8 pattern came back with the 6.1-liter V8, so an AWD Hemi exists on the older car and not on the late ones.
The 2023 300C is a special case. Stellantis says the 485-hp 6.4 Hemi car was a limited run of 2,000 for the U.S. and 200 for Canada, that the last one rolled off the Brampton line on December 8, 2023, and that 300 production would end no later than December 31, 2023. We are not quoting a price on these, so check recent sales before you believe an asking number. If a seller calls an ordinary 300S a 300C, the VIN and the engine code settle it fast.
Recalls to clear by VIN
Older cars carry the scariest items. 15V-313 covers 2005-2010 300s whose driver air bag inflator can rupture, tells owners not to drive until it is fixed, and says cars that already had the driver bag replaced need it done again under this recall. 16V-352 covers passenger inflators on 2005-2012 cars, with the year range depending on where the car was sold or registered. For AWD buyers, 13V-610 covers 2013 300 AWD cars whose ZF transmission output shaft may fracture, and 17V-097 covers 2014-2017 AWD cars whose front driveshaft bolts can loosen. 16V-240 is the monostable shifter rollaway software fix on 2012-2014 cars, and NHTSA notes some cars needed the update a second time. Newer cars are not clean either. 24V-198 replaces both curtain air bags on 2018-2021 300s because the inflators may rupture, with letters mailed starting February 20, 2025. Run the full 17 characters through our NHTSA recall check by VIN walkthrough rather than trusting a model-year list.
Title, history and price
A big rear-drive sedan with a Hemi is exactly the kind of car that gets crashed, rebuilt and resold with a fresh coat of gloss. Look for salvage, rebuilt or flood brands, a theft-recovery record, and ownership lines that say rental, fleet or lease, because a 300 that spent three years in a rental fleet is a different car from a one-owner Limited. A recall screen tells you nothing about any of that. CARFAX says its reports draw on title, odometer, accident and ownership records. Look, if the seller hands you a report PDF with no VIN on it or a date from last spring, pull your own, since fake and stale PDFs are the oldest trick on these cars. As of mid October 2026, a CARFAX report through us runs about $5.50 as a guest or about $4.50 as a member, and a CARFAX plus AutoCheck bundle is about $6.75, versus roughly $39.99 to $44.99 at retail. Confirm at checkout. We are a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, or Experian.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
Log in to leave a comment.