The Chrysler 300M was produced from 1999 through 2004. This otherwise luxurious car had one severe, well-documented flaw. The power steering rack was notorious for failing, per the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) log of customer complaints.
There were several main symptoms customers would complain about prior to the rack failing. They would complain of a clunking noise on bumps, the car self-steering and loose-feeling, or non-responsive steering.
The final rack failure was severe. The most-documented failure, per NHTSA, is that the bolts securing the steering rack to the subframe would break, causing the steering rack to no longer function.
Chrysler and NHTSA never issued a recall on any 1999 through 2004 300Ms. It is documented on NHTSA's website that owners were repairing this through their own means or under Chrysler's warranty program.
There are other documented and less severe steering complaints, per NHTSA. These complaints include: loose tie rod ends and leaking steering racks.
