2011 Chrysler 300: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Nov 1, 2016 · Electrical · 95,000 miles · NC

While traveling on the hwy 29 n (the four lane) the ABS, traction control and the battery indicator light illuminated. There was a burning smell and car stopped immediately and all the electronics were gone. I could not put on my emergency blinkers or get the car in gear to push off the highway. This incident put my life in danger and it really could have a tragic ending. With cars on all sides of me, not only was I in danger but I had four passengers in the car with me. Two of them being my small grandchildren. A police officer saw my dilemma and came to our rescue to and assisted us until we got the everyone on the side of the highway. My car was towed to the nearest dealership. At the dealership the service manager said that the alternator shorted out and destroyed my battery. The cost to repair was $1450.00 I called chrysler about the electronics and was told my car was not one that had a recall for this problem.. This automobile is totally unsafe to drive at high interstate speeds if the electronics can shut down with little warning.

Filed Jul 31, 2016 · Electrical · 40,000 miles · TN

"takata recall" today sunday july 31,2016 I was driving my 2011 chrysler 300 down the street in a lane of busy traffic with my family all of a sudden a red light came on it looked like a battery symbol.so I continued driving hoping to make it home safely with the kids all of a sudden when I made it to the curve in my neighborhood my radio shut down then the all lights lit up in the dashboard area and the car completely shut down in the curve.my car completely lost power and shut down.my emergency flashers wouldn't even work to even notify oncoming drivers pulling up behind me but thank god someone pulled up behind up and helped us by using their emergency flashers until my wrecker arrived.there was also a burning smell coming from my hood.I'm really disappointed by this incident it put my life and my childrens life in danger.I had the chrysler 300 towed to the shop and I am waiting on their report of what was the cause for my vehicle to fail me in such a dangerous curve and I wish someone would contact me directly about my findings cause this incident could have ended tragically.

Filed Jun 24, 2016 · Electrical · 71,000 miles · VA

Alternator burned up during operation disabling car and putting out strong burning smell. Not covered under previous recall.

Filed Jun 6, 2016 · Electrical · 82,600 miles · FL

Alternator burned up during operation disabling car, smoke pouring out from under hood with strong burning smell.

Filed Jun 3, 2016 · Electrical · 60,000 miles · MI

Chrysler has a safety recall (p60) for an alternator problem which can cause the alternator to fail causing sudden shutdown of the vehicle and/or fire. The recall specifically states the 160amp alternator is affected, however many drivers are experiencing the exact same problem with the 180amp alternators in the same affected vehicles. On june 2 2011, my car shutdown while I was driving on a very busy street. I then noticed a burning smell, and upon further inspection it appeared to be coming from the alternator. The location of the smell was also confirmed by the tow truck driver. I contacted chrysler about this but was given no assistance. The cost to repair the damage done to my vehicle exceeds $1000. The result of my vehicle shutting down suddenly could have ended in serious injury or death. Fortunately, my children were not in the car at the time. Chrysler is refusing to acknowledge that there is a problem with the 180 amp alternator in the 300 model.

Filed May 16, 2016 · Electrical · 119,000 miles · TX

For the past couple of weeks I've noticed that my vehicle would make a weird whining noise when I would crank it in the morning. So today while cranking my vehicle I noticed that it was hesitant to start then I received a message on the dashboard stating "battery saver mode". I then noticed the whining noise getting louder and louder and then I started to smell a burning smell that was coming through the vents. I noticed that chrysler issued an alternator recall for 3.6l vehicles only and I feel that one should be issued to cover those who have the 5.7l vehicles. I've noticed that several individuals have complained about this issue and chrysler should do something to fix it.

Filed Jun 26, 2015 · Electrical · 69,000 miles · TN

Car started smoking on passenger side with no warning and was getting ready to caught on fire..called chrysler dealership. I don't understand why a recall wasn't send to us on this problem with the alternator. This was very dangerous for me and my family . My husband and I are very upset with this problem not knowing about it . I google this imfor. Not even our dealership told us of this problem. And this is our 3rd one . There has been several complaint about this problem {even fires} . We bought all of our 300 brand new .. And we want to reinbursed for repairs ..

Filed Dec 18, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 46,000 miles · CO

On my way home from work today, I was driving about 40 MPH when I got a battery saver mode message. I had been getting the message a few days now and didn't know what to think of it. A little further into the commute, I started smelling a burning smell. All of a sudden, all of the vehicles systems start to shut down and the car just dies (while I'm driving it)! Luckily I was able to pull off into an empty parking lot using the momentum of the car, but I wasn't even able to use my hazard lights. It had completely died. Scary to say the least.

Filed Sep 16, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 52,000 miles · HI

Driving 40 MPH when battery light illuminated and a burning smell coming from car, I immediately opened the door and began to veer off the road. All the lights illuminated on the dash, the radio shut off, gauges stopped working, power steering stopped, brakes were not functioning, wipers came on and car came to a complete stall and began to vibrate. All doors locked and windows were not functioning. The car was completely dead and I almost got trapped in it. Took it to the dealer and they said it was a bad alternator which ruined my battery. Was charged nearly $1,000.00.

Filed Jul 21, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 51,000 miles · NC

I was on interstate 40 when I noticed a whining noise coming from my vehicle just as I took my exit. I was able to make it to my destination when I noticed a burning smell coming from under the hood. I went to the nearest gas station and soon as I pulled in my vehicle began shutting down. The message said it could not detect my key and it was going into battery saving mode. Shortly after that, all power was lost and I was unable to restart the vehicle, I was unable to roll up my windows and lock my doors. It was after midnight when this occurred and the gas station was closed I had to enlist help from strangers to try and figure out the problem to no avail. I ended up staying at a hotel overnight and the next morning I was able to get a jump and get to the nearest auto parts store where they tested the battery and determined the alternator was failing. I am now in a position where I cannot drive my vehicle with the lights on,which means I cannot drive at night I can't use the AC and it is july, or drive with the radio on until I am able to replace the alternator. I am running off of battery power alone until this problem gets fixed.

Filed Jul 16, 2014 · Electrical · 48,500 miles · IL

First noticed a "whining" noise when idling that increased as I accelerated. I had a burning smell, not sure how it was related. Next sign of trouble was "battery saver mode" message on electronic display. Soon after, reverse camera stopped working, the radio turned off by itself, rear defroster and other electrical components didn't work. Last sign was traction control & ABS lights flashed on and off randomly. Right as I pulled into the dealership, car completely lost power (no steering, wipers came on, all lights on dash flashed and headlights were flashing). 2 dealerships told me they haven't heard of this but online searches seemed to indicate a problem with alternator and battery.

Filed Oct 15, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 34,000 miles · TN · fire

Alternator caught on fire while engine was stopped\car parked while driving on interstate, the battery indicator came on, indicating a problem with the charging system. I continued on to my destination about 3 miles. When I turned the car off, there was an obvious smell of something being "hot" and I raised the hood to see if I could see it. The alternator was obviously very hot, and slightly smoking. Assuming it was ok now that I had turned it off, I went inside the building to call the dealer. Luckily, I changed my mind about trying to drive the car any further and decided to have the car towed and went outside to wait for the tow truck. When I got back to the car, the alternator had actually caught on fire and was blazing, dropping some melted materials onto a underbody air dam and appeared to be spreading. I was able to extinguish the fire before any more damage occurred. It appears that the alternator is severely damaged and there is some wiring damage as well as some damage to the surrounding wiring harness. There is no doubt that this fire would have spread to the entire vehicle in just a few minutes, as it appeared to be self-propagating and on its own would not have gone out.