Used Chrysler 300M Buying Guide: 1999-2004 Years, 300M Special, Problems and Recalls

The Chrysler 300M is the 1999-2004 front-drive sport sedan, and every one of them has the same 3.5-liter V6 and four-speed AutoStick automatic, so you're choosing on condition and trim, not engine. The one to look at harder is the 2002-04 300M Special if you like a firmer car, or a plain 300M if you want a softer ride. It isn't the rear-drive 300 that replaced it for 2005, and parts, problems and prices don't carry over between the two.

I read Consumer Guide's used-car file, Car and Driver's 40,000-mile long-term test of a 1999 car and Hagerty's history of Chrysler's LH sedans, and pulled NHTSA's recall data for each model year on Oct 19, 2026. The newest 300M is 22 years old, which shapes everything below.

300M vs. the later 300

Consumer Guide says Chrysler launched the 300M as an early 1999 model, built on the same front-drive chassis as the Concorde and Dodge Intrepid but with its own styling and a shorter body. Hagerty adds that it started life as the planned replacement for the Eagle Vision and that the LH cars kept the AMC-era layout with a north-south engine, which explains the long nose. The 2005 300 that followed was a rear-drive LX car with Mercedes-era hardware, and our used Chrysler 300 guide covers that one. If a seller calls a 300M "basically a 300C," they're wrong.

The one engine, and the year changes

Consumer Guide lists a single powertrain: the 3.5 V6 at 253 horsepower with a four-speed automatic. There was no 2.7 V6 in the 300M, whatever an online listing says. The 300M Special, added midyear 2002, got 255 hp and 258 lb-ft, a lowered and stiffer suspension, 18-inch wheels and xenon headlights. Other changes worth knowing:

• 1999: a 118-mph speed limiter was removed during the first season, and Sentry Key anti-theft was added.
• 2001: front side airbags became optional, and a center rear 3-point belt became standard.
• 2003-04: satellite radio arrived, then a navigation option for 2004, when 17-inch wheels became standard on both trims.

To confirm trim and options, run the VIN through our Chrysler VIN decoder.

How they hold up

When new, they held up well. Car and Driver's long-term 1999 car went 40,000 miles without an unscheduled stop and cost $233 in scheduled maintenance, and the magazine called a record that clean rare. It wasn't perfect. The hazard lights turned themselves on several times, the shift lever sat between R and N while in reverse, and by 47,000 miles it needed anti-roll bar links ($305) and machined front rotors ($120). Car and Driver also found the ride stiff on broken Midwest concrete with the performance package.

Consumer Guide's trouble list for early cars is short and mostly about the front end: pinhole leaks in the steering gear bellows that cause a rattle (1999-2000), loose steering from worn inner tie-rod bushings (1999-2001), squeaky strut striker caps, and interior lights that flicker or stay on because of damaged wiring near the trunk light (1999). I couldn't find a reputable source documenting a specific 300M transmission defect, but these are 20-plus-year-old automatics, so check the fluid, feel for slipping or flare between gears, and ask for service records. A cheap 300M with a slipping transmission is usually a parts car.

One more data point is odd but useful. Consumer Guide lists the 300M's HLDI theft claim figure at 232, where 100 is average. Ask how many keys come with the car, and check the history for theft records.

Recalls by year

NHTSA lists these DaimlerChrysler campaigns under 300M:

• 03V035 (1999-2002): seat back recliner bolts could break and let the seat back recline suddenly.
• 00V034 (1999-2000): a badly made top bolt on the shoulder belt height adjuster.
• 04V021 (1999): the shifter's ignition-park interlock could fail.
• 99V343 (2000): a passenger air bag inflator with the wrong charge.
• 00V033 (2000): molding flash could stop some driver belt retractors from locking.
• 01V273 (2000-01, non-sunroof): interior head impact compliance; Consumer Guide says owners got a B-pillar storage bin.
• 03V332 (2004 in NHTSA's data): a cracked hood latch part could let the hood open.

NHTSA's VIN look-up only goes back 15 years, so it won't help on any 300M. Use the year lists above and ask a Stellantis dealer to run the VIN. Our Chrysler recall check has the steps.

Before you hand over cash

Most 300Ms for sale are cheap, and cheap cars attract curbstoners and rebuilt titles. Check the title on NMVTIS, then read a CARFAX report or AutoCheck for accidents, owner count and odometer readings.

A note on our prices: CarVins is a licensed reseller of CARFAX and AutoCheck and isn't affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, Experian or Stellantis. As of mid October 2026 a guest report was about $5.50, a member report about $4.50 and the pair about $6.75, while retail runs around $39.99 to $44.99. The checkout page has the current figure, so trust that over this paragraph.

Sources

• Consumer Guide: 1999-04 Chrysler 300M/LHS
• Car and Driver: 1999 Chrysler 300M long-term test
• Hagerty: The Eagle Vision and the story of Chrysler's LH cars
• NHTSA recallsByVehicle, make CHRYSLER, model 300M, checked Oct. 19, 2026, e.g. 2000 300M