In January 2014, Fiat scooped up the remaining shares of Chrysler and assumed full ownership in a deal worth $3.65 billion. It represented yet another intriguing chapter in the story of Chrysler. The American brand was first established in June 1925 and grew to be known as one of the ‘Big Three’ in the American automobile market; with the others being General Motors and Ford.

With many tumultuous times in its past, Chrysler often struggled to stay alive, but each time, the company managed to pull through. During those trying times, the company released cars that failed miserably and almost finished off the automobile behemoth. However, on the flip side, there are many great cars sporting the Chrysler badge launched models that turned out to be a big hit on the market, providing the much-needed boost that guaranteed survival of the company.

10 Almost Killed Them - 2007 Chrysler Sebring

Chrysler-Sebring
via wikipedia

The Sebring was a mid-size sedan that was sold from 1995 to 2010. The car was the recipient of generally unfavorable reviews and few people missed it when it slipped into oblivion. To be fair, the Sebring wasn’t particularly bad, it just wasn’t particularly good either. To compound its woes, it was launched at a time when the market was already saturated with average cars. The bland exterior design didn’t do the car any favors too and it struggled, mostly unsuccessfully, to win any significant portion of the market.

9 Almost Killed Them - Chrysler TC By Maserati

Chrysler-TC-By-Maserati
via wikipedia

This one is strange because it was launched at a time when Chrysler seemed to have found it footing with its hugely successful K-Platform. The car was widely panned as a laughable attempt by Chrysler to create a true American sports cars with Italian heritage. Chrysler tried to market the car as a premium offering but that didn’t work either. In the end, the company only managed to make 7,300 units in the 3 years the car was in production; against an estimate of between 5,000 to 10,000 per year.

8 Almost Killed Them - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica

Chrysler-Pacifica
via conceptcarz

The early Pacifica models were nicknamed ‘engine-dropper’ which though sounds incredulous, was actually a reference to the very real possibility of having the engine fall out of the car. The engine cradle was actually highly prone to rust and it could reach a level when it simply could not support the weight of the engine. This enraged customers and actually led to more than a few lawsuits against the company. Rust issues aside, the first Pacifica models were simply average vehicles that didn’t do very well on the market.

7 Almost Killed Them - 2007 Dodge Caliber

2007-Dodge-Caliber
via carspecs.us

The 2007 Dodge Caliber came at a time when Chrysler was in a deep financial mess and maybe this explains why it looked so bland and uninteresting. The SUV was also criticized for being unusually loud, regardless of what engine option you went for. The noise would have been forgivable if it was commensurate with the level of performance on offer but sadly, that was not the case. The visibility also came in for a lot of criticism leading the car to be branded as, ‘an insurance deductible waiting to happen’.

6 Almost Killed Them - Chrysler Aspen Hybrid

2009-Chevy-Aspen
via caranddriver

The Chrysler Aspen Hybrid was so pointless and few people were surprised when it didn’t even survive the first year of production. It was a little more than a rebadged Dodge Durango with loads of plastic and fake wood finishing. There were reports that the Chryslers were even built at a loss which makes it even more puzzling that the company executives decided to go ahead with the production. Sales were stagnant and when the 2009 economic recession bit harder, Chrysler had no choice but to pull the plug on all Chrysler Aspen models.

5 Kept Them Afloat - Dodge Caravan

1984-Dodge-Caravan
via hagerty

The first edition Caravan has been described as not only the car that saved Chrysler but also one that marked the dawn of a new car segment – the minivan. The minivan concept was an idea Chrysler CEO, Lee Iacocca had first put forward at Ford but it was rejected. At Chrysler, he was able to bring his idea to life and it turned out to be a huge success in the form of the 1984 Dodge Caravan. Over 14.6 million units (including various rebadged models and export versions) have been sold from 1983 to date.

Related: Fallen Planets: 10 Cars That Sunk Mercury (And 10 That Sunk Saturn)

4 Kept Them Afloat - Dodge Omni

Dodge-Omni
via motor1

The Dodge Omni was a compact car that had a 13-year production run, from 1977 to 1990. It was modeled after the European Chrysler Horizon and was actually one of the first front-wheel-drive economy cars built and sold in the United States. The Omni helped bailed Chrysler out, when it needed government support because it was presented as evidence it was making cheap cars to compete with imports that were flooding the market at the time. The Omni ended up being Chrysler’s best-selling car in the years leading up to the introduction of the famous K-cars.

3 Kept Them Afloat - Dodge Aries

Dodge-Aries
via bringatrailer

The Dodge Aries was based on the hugely popular K-Car platform and enjoyed tremendous success based on it. The K-Car platform in layman’s terms refers to an automobile platform designed to accommodate 6 passengers across 2 bench-style seats. The conventional arrangement at the time could only seat 5 passengers and this was one of the reasons why the K-platform became a big hit. Initially, customers balked at the high price tag but then Chrysler quickly reacted by releasing a stripped-down version that was more acceptable to the market.

Related: 10 Cars That Killed Off Pontiac (And 5 That Ruined Mercury)

2 Kept Them Afloat - Dodge Challenger

2010-dodge-challenger
via motor1

Chrysler hit a home run with the Dodge Challenger and it remains one of the most successful cars ever produced by the company. The Challenger continues to ride strong despite the multiple changes in the ownership of the parent company. The first Challenger was introduced for the 1970 model year and there have been three generations since then that continue to provide a much-needed cash flow into the company even in the face of fierce competition from Ford mustang and Chevrolet Camaro models.

1 Kept Them Afloat - 1982 Chrysler LeBaron

1982-Chrysler-LeBaron
via bringatrailer

The 1982 Chrysler LeBaron is one of the ultimate K-cars that helped prop Chrysler up during challenging times. It helped relaunch Chrysler into the convertible market after an extended absence. Using the K-platform on the LeBaron helped shave 2 feet off the length of the car compared to its predecessor. It also took off a whopping 362kg from the weight, resulting in a much-improved gas mileage which at the time, was a welcome development in the automobile market.

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