The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the driver's side headrest had detached. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The contact was informed of a recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 132,739.
2012 Chrysler 200 seats problems
18 complaints (3% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 86,000.
- owner complaints
- 18
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 86,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Front assembly: head restraint4
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Chrysler 200 seats problems in other years
Related recalls
Seats: front assembly: head restraint
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2012 Jeep Liberty and 2012-2013 Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger vehicles. A component within the occupant restraint controller (ORC) may fail and prevent the active headrests from deploying in the event of a rear-end crash.
- Risk
- If the active headrests do not deploy in certain rear-end crashes, the front seat occupants have an increased risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ORC as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2017. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA's number for this recall is T56.
Recall number 17V640000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by the federal safety agency’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to
PE19014
What 2012 Chrysler 200 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that the seat belt warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front driver's seat headrest was defective. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who provided a cost for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V640000 (Seats, Air Bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
Driver's active headrest deployed while driving. There was no accident or collision of any kind. Just driving and it popped me in the back of the head. It hurt and caused me to swerve, almost caused an accident. There are no lamps or warning lights. I can see a broken plastic clip inside the active headrest.
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 200. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V668000 (Seat Belts, Air Bags) and 17V640000 (Seats, Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Active Head Restraint deploy on their own and without warning. Unable to reset AHR due to broken cheap plastic.
Driver side active head restraint deployed while vehicle was stopped a convenience store, with the engine running, hitting the driver on the back of the head and startling him. Vehicle was not involved in an accident of any kind. Head restraint could not be reset and broken plastic pieces could be seen in headrest.
The head rest is detached from the seat and is very unsafe
Both of my headrests popped open for no reason. The passenger headrest happened two years ago and the drivers seat headrest happened this week. The vehicle was not involved in any type of collision or impact when the headrests popped open. I was driving smoothly on the road when they happened.*dt
Chrysler 200 2012 has issue with headrest assembly on driver side. I had it diagnosed from chrysler dealership. I also read recalls regarding this issue in same cars but when I put my car's VIN # to check any recall it says 0 recall. Can you help to see if this can be fixed. It is a driving safety issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chrysler 200. The contact stated that within two weeks of owning the vehicle, the head rest restraint deployed without warning. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 13v282000 (electrical system, air bags), 16v668000 (seat belts, air bags), and 17v640000 (seats, air bags). The dealer (autonation USA corpus christi, 3115 s padre island dr, corpus christi, tx 78415-1815, 361‑217‑6733) was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.
Questions about the 2012 Chrysler 200 seats
Does the 2012 Chrysler 200 have seats problems?
Owners have filed 18 complaints about the seats of the 2012 Chrysler 200, 3% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2012 Chrysler 200 seats problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 86,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Chrysler 200 seats?
Yes, 1 recall: 17V640000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chrysler 200 have bad seats?
The Chrysler 200 model years with the most seats complaints are 2013 (82 complaints), 2012 (18 complaints) and 2015 (16 complaints).
Other 2012 Chrysler 200 problems
Engine 161Electrical 140Airbags 136Visibility 81Seat belts 71Transmission 54Steering 45Brakes 42Lights 36Driver assistance 29Acceleration 26Body 19Fuel system 18Suspension 17Wheels 4Tires 2Locks 1
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