Got a scratch, a chip, or a dent that needs color-matched paint? Finding the right color starts with one thing: your Chrysler paint code location. Miss it, and you’re guessing — and guessing gets expensive. This guide covers every spot to look, how to read what you find, and what to do when the label’s gone.
What Is a Chrysler Paint Code — and Why Does It Matter?
A Chrysler paint code is a three-character alphanumeric string that tells a paint technician the exact pigment formula for your car’s color. It’s not the color’s marketing name. “Granite Crystal Metallic” sounds great, but the mixing system doesn’t care about that. It needs PAU or LAU.
Here’s why this matters: Chrysler has recycled color names across different model years while using completely different formulas. The code is the only reliable anchor. Without it, you’re gambling on a match that might look fine in the shade and terrible in sunlight.
Where Is the Chrysler Paint Code Location on Modern Vehicles?
Driver’s Side Door Jamb — Start Here
For virtually every Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Ram built from the late 1990s onward, open the driver’s door and look at the door jamb. You’re looking for the Vehicle Certification Label — a rectangular sticker packed with alphanumeric data.
The paint code sits at the bottom left or bottom center of that label, right after the prefix “PNT:” or “Paint”. It’s usually just below the VIN barcode. The label may be on the B-pillar (the post behind the driver’s seat), on the door latch pillar, or on the trailing edge of the door itself.
This label exists because federal law requires it. Title 49 CFR Part 567 mandates that every vehicle sold in the U.S. carries a certification label in an accessible, readable location before its first retail sale. The paint code hitches a ride on this label alongside weight ratings, tire pressures, and the VIN.
Under the Hood — Your Backup Location
Can’t find it on the door jamb? Head to the engine bay. Several locations are worth checking:
- Firewall — The metal wall separating the engine from the passenger cabin. Check the passenger side, center, and driver’s side.
- Radiator support — The crossbar running across the front of the engine bay, above the radiator.
- Strut towers — The domed housings that anchor the front suspension. Check the flat upper surface of both sides.
- Inner fender apron — The sheet metal running along the inside edge of the wheel well.
Fair warning: tags in the engine bay get buried under grease, grime, and road debris over the years. Bring a flashlight and some cleaning rags.
Trunk, Interior, and Other Rare Spots
Some Chrysler models — particularly those built on shared platforms during the DaimlerChrysler era — carry paint code labels in less obvious places:
- Underside of the trunk deck lid
- Trunk side walls (sometimes hidden under carpeting near the spare tire)
- Inside the glove box
- Beneath the driver or passenger seat
- Front floor pan
These locations are rare on domestic models, but worth checking if the door jamb and engine bay both come up empty.
Model-Specific Paint Code Locations
Different Chrysler platforms put the label in different spots. This table cuts through the guesswork.
| Chrysler Model | Where to Look First |
|---|---|
| Chrysler 200 | Driver’s door jamb; radiator core support; front strut tower; front floor pan |
| Chrysler 300 / 300C / 300M | Passenger side firewall; center firewall; driver’s door jamb |
| Chrysler Pacifica (modern minivan) | Driver’s door jamb |
| Chrysler PT Cruiser | Passenger or center firewall; driver’s door jamb |
| Chrysler Sebring | Passenger, center, or driver’s side firewall; door jamb |
| Chrysler Town & Country | Driver’s door jamb; radiator support; front of radiator (passenger side) |
| Chrysler Crossfire | Driver’s door jamb; right frame rail in engine bay |
| Chrysler Concorde | In front of radiator; passenger side firewall; inner fender apron |
| Chrysler LHS | Passenger side firewall |
| Chrysler New Yorker | Inner fender well (either side) |
| Chrysler Prowler | In front of radiator, driver’s side |
| Chrysler Grand Voyager / Voyager | Driver’s door jamb (next to the PNT prefix at the bottom of the VIN sticker) |
| Chrysler Imperial | Radiator support bar at front of engine bay |
| Chrysler Le Baron / Fifth Avenue | Check all standard locations — firewall, door jamb, and radiator support |
How to Read a Chrysler Paint Code
The Three-Character Structure
Once you’ve found the label, you’ll see something like PW7 or PAU after the “PNT:” prefix. That’s your paint code — three characters, always a mix of uppercase letters and numbers.
The label won’t say “Bright White.” It just says PW7. You cross-reference the code with a paint database to get the formula and the color name.
What the First Letter Actually Means
The first character is an administrative prefix, not part of the color formula itself:
- P = Primary exterior body color
- Q = Secondary color (used on two-tone finishes, lower body cladding, or contrasting bumpers)
So PX8 means the primary color is Black Crystal. If the same car has a contrasting lower body panel, that secondary code might read QS2 for Bright Silver Metallic.
Here’s the key insight: the actual color formulation lives in the second and third characters. The codes PS2, QS2, and WS2 all point to the same formula — Bright Silver Metallic. When you’re ordering touch-up paint or running a formula through a mixing system, the core code is S2, regardless of the prefix in front of it.
One Color, Multiple Codes
Chrysler regularly updates paint formulas due to supplier changes, environmental regulations, or production shifts between assembly plants. That means one color name can have several valid codes. Here’s a quick reference:
| Color Name | Associated Paint Codes |
|---|---|
| Bright White | PW7, GW7, W12, W7 |
| Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl | PXR, AXR, XR |
| Granite Crystal Metallic | PAU, LAU, 095A, 099 |
| Velvet Red Pearl Tricoat | PRV, NRV |
| Black Crystal / Black | PX8, DX8, X8, FX8, X13 |
| Bright Silver Metallic | PS2, WS2, QS2, S2 |
| Flame Red | PR4, QR4, R4 |
| Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearl | PRP, JRP |
| Phantom Black Pearl | PXT, LXT |
| Jazz Blue Pearl | PBX, KBX |
Classic Chrysler: The Vintage Mopar Fender Tag
If you’re restoring a Dodge, Plymouth, or Chrysler from the 1960s or 1970s, forget the door jamb sticker. It doesn’t exist on those cars. Instead, look for the fender tag — a stamped metal plate riveted to the driver’s side inner fender in the engine bay, or occasionally mounted on the radiator support.
How to Read the Fender Tag
The fender tag reads bottom-to-top, left-to-right. The bottom row contains the vehicle line and body style, the build date, and the order number. Moving up the tag, you’ll find the headers “TRM” for interior trim and “PNT” or “PAINT” for the exterior color.
Look for the adjacent grouping “UBS” near the paint section:
- U = Upper body color
- B = Lower body buffed paint
- S = Factory stripe or accent color
These tags were installed early in production, so many got painted over with the car’s body color. Clean the tag carefully before you write anything off as illegible. Some also have an “S”-shaped punched hole — that’s just a factory quality control inspection mark, not a code.
If the paint section reads 999, that’s a special-order color. The only way to confirm the original spec is to decode the factory broadcast sheet, which assembly workers often tucked under rear seat springs, beneath floor carpeting, or above the glove box during production.
High-Impact Colors: The Most Famous Fender Tag Codes
From 1969 through 1973, Chrysler produced a series of ultra-saturated paints for muscle car models like the Dodge Challenger, Plymouth Barracuda, and Dodge Charger. These High-Impact Colors used the same chemical formulas across both Dodge and Plymouth — but each brand’s marketing team gave them entirely different names.
| Paint Code | Dodge Name | Plymouth Name | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC7 | Plum Crazy | In-Violet | Saturated metallic purple |
| EV2 | Hemi Orange | Tor Red | Intense red-orange |
| FM3 | Panther Pink | Moulin Rouge | Bright magenta |
| FJ5 | Sublime | Lime Light | Fluorescent yellow-green |
| FJ6 | Green Go | Sassy Grass | Deep saturated green |
| FY1 | Top Banana | Lemon Twist | Bright tropical yellow |
| EK2 | Go Mango | Vitamin C | Saturated tropical orange |
| EF6 | Bright Green | Rallye Green | Vivid green (very rare) |
Does the VIN Contain the Paint Code?
No. This is one of the most common misunderstandings in auto repair. The 17-character VIN carries information about the country of origin, manufacturer, engine type, model year, assembly plant, and serial number. It does not encode paint color.
What the VIN can do is act as a key. Take it to a verified Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Ram dealership and ask the parts department to query the Stellantis factory build database. That lookup pulls the original digital build sheet for your specific vehicle — including the exact primary and secondary paint codes, trim codes, and factory options.
This database lookup is your best option when:
- The driver’s door was replaced after a collision
- A prior owner painted the car a different color and covered the label
- The certification sticker is too faded or damaged to read
Applying the Color Correctly Once You Have the Code
Finding the Chrysler paint code location is step one. Getting a good result takes a few more.
Basecoat/clearcoat systems — Nearly every Chrysler built since the 1990s uses a two-stage system. The paint code covers the basecoat only. You still need a quality clearcoat over it for gloss, UV protection, and durability.
Metallics and pearls — Colors like Granite Crystal Metallic (PAU) require constant agitation during application. Metallic flakes settle fast in the suspension. If they’re not aligned correctly, you get a phenomenon called metallic flop — where the repair looks drastically different in color depending on the viewing angle.
Tricoat pearls — Velvet Red Pearl (PRV/NRV) and similar finishes require three stages: an opaque ground coat, a translucent pearl mid-coat, and a clearcoat. The final appearance depends heavily on how many mid-coat layers you apply. Always do spray-out test cards first.
The “Chrysler Bubble” — Late-model Chrysler minivans like the Town & Country and Pacifica use aluminum hoods and liftgates. Aluminum doesn’t rust red like steel — it oxidizes white and blisters under the paint. If you see bubbling along the hood’s leading edge or door seams, you can’t just paint over it. Sand to bare metal, apply an aluminum-specific etching primer, then re-coat with your color-matched basecoat.
Your Chrysler Paint Code, Decoded
Finding your Chrysler paint code location takes two minutes if you know where to look. For modern vehicles, the driver’s door jamb is where you start and, most of the time, where you finish. For classic Mopar builds, the fender tag is your guide — read it bottom-up and watch for the PNT column.
Once you have the three-character code, drop the prefix and search by the core two characters in your paint database. Order the right product from a reputable supplier, prep your surface properly, and your color match will hold up the way the factory intended.
