NEW YORKER

The Chrysler New Yorker — a midsize car explained

The Chrysler New Yorker is a midsize car built from 1981 to 1997 across 13 generations. Most were assembled in the United States (53% of the cars in our records), though 1 other country builds it too.

Data · NHTSA & EPA · 1981–1997 · 17 model years · Updated Sep 10, 2026 · 4.0 ★★★★★★★★★★ ForCar Score
Quick answer

The Chrysler New Yorker is a midsize car built from 1981 to 1997 over 13 generations. Most were assembled in the United States — 53% of those on record. Engines offered: 4-cyl, V6. Worth buying? It holds up well, with the usual caveat about model years at 4.0/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).

1981–1997
Years
37
Recalls
22
Top MPG
—★
NHTSA
892
Complaints

What the New Yorker is

The Chrysler New Yorker is a midsize car that Chrysler built from 1981 to 1997 — 17 model years. Our measurements put it at 13 generations, the current one starting in 1994. It has been offered with 4-cyl, V6 power. Its closest siblings in the Chrysler range: 200, LeBaron, NEWPORT.

Where the New Yorker is built

A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 489 New Yorkers on record.

FIG.02·Where the Chrysler New Yorker is built
Assembled inShareVIN starts withYears seen
the United States53%1C31981-1993
Canada47%2C31983-1996
ROWS 2·SOURCE NHTSA records, grouped by VIN manufacturer code

Check your own: the first three characters of a Chrysler VIN decide which of these 13 lines your New Yorker belongs to. What every character in a New Yorker VIN means →

Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Chrysler New Yorker adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.

New Yorker generations, and what changed

These boundaries are not copied from a brochure — they fall out of the measurements. Where the New Yorker's length or wheelbase jumps between consecutive model years the platform changed: a facelift moves a bumper by centimetres, a new generation moves the whole car — for the New Yorker that gives 13 distinct generations below.

FIG.03·Chrysler New Yorker by generation
GenerationLengthWheelbaseWeightvs previousWeight change
1971-1972570 cm315 cm2021 kg--
1973586 cm315 cm2028 kg+16 cm+7 kg
1974-1975571 cm315 cm2127 kg-15 cm+99 kg
1976-1978587 cm315 cm2257 kg+16 cm+130 kg
1979-1981563 cm301 cm1773 kg-24 cm-484 kg
1982525 cm286 cm1634 kg-38 cm-139 kg
1983-1987472 cm262 cm1174 kg-53 cm-460 kg
1988484 cm264 cm1355 kg+12 cm+181 kg
1989492 cm265 cm1464 kg+8 cm+109 kg
1990499 cm272 cm1528 kg+7 cm+64 kg
1991505 cm278 cm1566 kg+6 cm+38 kg
1992-1993499 cm272 cm1542 kg-6 cm-24 kg
1994-1995527 cm287 cm-+28 cm-
ROWS 13·SOURCE Transport Canada vehicle specifications, 1971 onward

Chrysler New Yorker tire size, oil type & owner specs

The fitment New Yorker owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.

Wheels & tires
Wheel sizeby VIN
Tire sizeby VIN
Bolt patternby trim
Tire pressure32–36 PSI
Engine oil
Oil typeFull synthetic
Gradeon oil cap
Capacityby engine
Battery
Main battery12V · group by trim
Key-fob cellCR2032
Wiper blades
Front bladesby generation
Rear bladeif equipped
Fuses
Fuse boxeshood + dash
Diagramon box lid
Light bulbs
Headlightby trim
Tail / brakeby trim
Fogif equipped

Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.

What engines does the Chrysler New Yorker have? Power & range

The Chrysler New Yorker is offered with 2 powertrains — 3.5L 6-cyl, 2.2L 4-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 2 for the Chrysler New Yorker, against one or two on most rivals.

FIG.06·Chrysler New Yorker Powertrains
EngineDisplacementTransmissionDriveFuel
V63.5L · 6-cylAutomatic 4-spdFWDRegular
4-cyl2.2L · 4-cylAutomatic 3-spdFWDPremium
ROWS 2·SOURCE EPA + NHTSA vPIC

Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.

The New Yorker by the numbers

What the federal and market records say about the Chrysler New Yorker. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.

FIG.05·Chrysler New Yorker by the numbers
TopicNew YorkerDetail
Recalls37 campaignsNHTSA, all years
Owner complaints892 filedWhat breaks and when
Reliability4.0 / 5Best and worst years
Used value28 listingsWhat it sells for now
ROWS 4·SOURCE NHTSA, EPA, HLDI and market listings

Frequently asked questions

What kind of car is the Chrysler New Yorker?

The New Yorker is a midsize car, built from 1981 to 1997 across 13 generations. Engines offered: 4-cyl, V6.

Where is the Chrysler New Yorker made?

Across 489 cars in our records the split is: the United States (53%), Canada (47%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.

How many generations does the New Yorker have?

13 by our measurements, the latest starting in 1994. We draw the boundaries where length or wheelbase jumps between model years — a facelift moves a bumper, a new generation moves the whole car.

What is the Chrysler New Yorker warranty?

New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.

Is the New Yorker reliable?

It scores 4.0/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.

How do I check a specific New Yorker?

This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.

More in Chrysler

More Chrysler models
ModelYearsRecallsBest MPGForCar score
Chrysler 3001999–20268623 mpg4.5/5
Chrysler Pacifica2004–20269832 mpg4.5/5
Chrysler 2002011–20172627 mpg4.5/5
Chrysler Town and Country1990–201617421 mpg4.0/5
Chrysler 300C2005–2011821 mpg4.0/5
Chrysler Sebring1995–201010624 mpg3.5/5
ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA + EPA
Data sourced from NHTSA (recalls, complaints, safety ratings) and EPA fueleconomy.gov (MPG). Best/worst-year analysis is ForCar's own aggregation of complaint volume. Last updated Sep 2026. — ForCar Editorial Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.
Found this useful?

Mark ForCar as a preferred source and our data shows up first in your Google results. One click, no account.

Prefer ForCar →