1998 CHRYSLER SEBRING Complaints

CONTINUAL FRONT END PROBLEMS INCLUDING THE COLLAPSING OF THE LEFT FRONT CONTROL ARM. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A "FATAL" DEFECT IF THE CAR WERE TRAVELLING AT A FASTER RATE OF SPEED. EXPENSIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY DID NOT COVER REPAIR.. WHEELS JUST DO NOT COLLAPSE FOR NO REASON.

I PURCHASED THIS CAR ON NOV 2, 2003. WHEN I PURCHASED IT, THERE WAS A RATTLING NOISE WHEN YOU GO OVER BUMPS, AND ALSO WHEN THE CAR GOES UP TO 70 YOU COULD HERE A GRINDING LIKE NOISE IN (WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE ENGINE). THEY TOLD ME TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE CAR AND THEY SCHEDULED ME FOR SERVICE THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY. WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR IN, THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T WORK ON CHRYSLERS AND SENT THE CAR TO TUFFY. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO PICK UP THE CAR, THE GUY TORE UP THE BILL OF SERVICE AND SAID YOU'RE ALL SET, SO I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS DONE. WHEN I ASKED FOR A COPY HE SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE IT, BUT COULD IT ORDER IT FOR ME. WHEN I DROVE HOME, THE RATTLING NOISE UNDER THE FRONT LEFT SIDE WAS GONE, BUT WHEN I GOT OFF THE FREEWAY AND TRIED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, THE CAR PULLED AWAY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND DIDN'T WANT TO TURN. I ALMOST RAN INTO A TREE. I CALLED AND TOLD THEM ABOUT IT, SO THEY HAD ME BRING IT IN THAT FOLLOWING MONDAY FOR SERVICE. WHEN I PICKED IT UP AGAIN, THEY SAID THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE BEARINGS, THAT THE BEARINGS WERE BAD. AS I DROVE OFF THE LOT AND ONTO THE FREEWAY, YOU COULD HEAR A GRINDING NOISE UNDER YOUR FEET AS THE WHEELS TURNED AND ALSO ANYTIME YOU TRIED TO APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES, THE CAR WOULD GRIND LIKE THE THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN THE WHEELS, BRAKES AND STEERING. I WAITED 3 DAYS TO MAKE SURE IT WASN'T JUST ME. BUT WHAT APPEARED IN THE BEGINNING TO BE A SLIGHT GRINDING WHEN YOU GET UP TO A CERTAIN SPEED EVOLVED INTO A PROBLEM THAT WAS MUCH WORSE. A PROBLEM THAT YOU COULD HERE MORE CONSISTENTLY, EVERY TIME YOU APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES, OR JUST SOMETIMES DRIVING ALONG THE STREETS YOU COULD HEAR THE GRINDING IN THE WHEELS, LIKE SOMETHING HAD RUSTED OR GONE BAD, WHICH CAUSED THE CAR TO DRIVE HARD. IT TOOK A LOT MORE POWER TO ACCELERATE, SO MUCH SO THAT IT FEELS LIKE THE OVERDRIVE DOESN?T WORK (IT TAKES THAT MUCH POWER TO GET THE CAR GOING, AND IT WASN?T THAT WAY BEFORE.

THE PAINT IS DISAPPEARING ON THE SPOILER, TRUNK, TOP, QUARER-PANEL AND NOW THE HOOD OF MY BLACK 1998 SEBRING. MIRRORS ARE DULLING. DEALERSHIP OFFERED TO PAY $600 AFTER WE HAVE THE CAR PAINTED AND TAKE IT BACK TO THEM. THIS WILL NOT COVER THE EXPENSE OF A QUALITY PAINT JOB (THAT WE PAID FOR WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CAR). ESTIMATE TO FIX VISIBLE DAMAGE (EXCEPY HOOD) WAS $2404, BUT UNLESS THE CAR IS RESURFACED THE PAINT WILL FAIL AGAIN.

DON\\\\\\'T KNOW EXACT DATES BUT HAD WINDOW TRIM REPAIRED FOR LEAKING ON LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE WINDOWS AND INTERIOR COVERS UNDER DOOR HANDLES REPLACED FOR PEELING AWAY UNDER ORIG. WARRANTY. CALLED DEALERSHIP W/I 10 MOS. BECAUSE SAME PROBLEMS CAME BACK AND WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL COSTS (INCLUDING RENTAL CAR) AND THEN I COULD SUBMIT MY CLAIM TO SEE IF I WOULD EVEN BE REIMBURSED. CAR NOW HAS APPROX. 65,000 MILES AND TOOK IT TO BE DIAGNOSED SINCE I PURCHASED A 75,000/7 YR. EXTENDED WARRANTY. PAID $75 FOR DIAGNOSES AND APPROX. $30 FOR RENTAL CAR AND AM STILL TOLD \\\\\\TOUGH LUCK\\\\\\ ON MY REPAIRS AND THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE BEEN REPAIRED PREVIOUSLY. OH, AND COME TO FIND OUT IF I HAD BEEN INFORMED CORRECTLY THE FIRST TIME THAT MY REPAIRS WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BECAUSE THEY ARE WARRANTIED FOR TWELVE MONTHS!! OF COURSE I RELIED ON AN ANSWER FROM AN EMPLOYEE AT CHRYSLER/JEEP IN SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN AND SINCE THEY MISINFORMED ME I AM SOL. I HAVE ALSO GONE \\\\\\'ROUND AND \\\\\\'ROUND WITH CHYSLER CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY HAVE BEEN VERY UNHELPFUL.

TRANSMISSION AND BRAKES ARE TERRIBLE. BRAKES SHAKE AND SHUDDER AND BARELY STOP THE CAR. TRANSMISSION HUMSS AND SHIFTS BADLY

SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON OCT 2003. TOOK IT TO THE GOODYEAR (GY) SERVICE CENTER PUT ON A DIAGN. MACHINE. INDICATED MISFIRES. MAJOR TUNE-UP PERFORMED. PICKED CAR UP 4:30 P.M. SERVICE ENG LIGHT WAS OFF. BY 8:00 P.M. IT WAS ON AGAIN. TOOK BACK NEXT DAY & ANOTHER TUNE-UP DONE W/ CHRYSLER POINTS & PLUGS THIS TIME. PICKED UP THAT AFTERNOON. LIGHT WAS OFF. CAR RAN ROUGH & MADE LOUD ROARING NOISE. NEXT DAY LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK CAR BACK. NOISE STOPPED. LIGHT OFF FOR A FEW HOURS & CAR WAS STILL RUNNING ROUGH. COST INCL. TIRES - $1480.00. IN RICHMOND, VA FOR 5 WKS FOR TRNG FOR NEW JOB. DEC 4, CAR IDLED ERRATICALLY. EVERY TIME SLOWED DOWN IT CUT OFF. TOOK IT TO MEINEKE SERVICE CENTER IN RICHMOND. DIAG. INDICATED ERRORS W/ FUEL INJECTORS & MISFIRING. TOLD ME TAKE BACK TO GY FOR THEM TO CORRECT. THAT DAY TOOK TO GY SERVICE CENTER. THEY CONTACTED WARRANTY PERSON & GY SERVICE CENTER IN DANVILLE, VA & TOLD ME DANVILLE GY SAID WHEN I BROUGHT CAR TO THEM IT DIDN'T HAVE INJECTOR PROBLEM & WARRANTY PERSON SAID ID HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY WORK. MADE AN APPT. HAYNES CHRYSLER JEEP IN RICHMOND TO CHECK CAR 12/9. INVOICE STATED "5 DIFFERENT CODES PRESENT. MULTIPLE MISFIRE, INJECTOR #2, #4 & #6 CONTROL CIRCUIT, MAP SENSOR WON'T CHANGE ON START UP. PERFORMED DIAG TEST W/SERV MANUAL 4 EVERY SINGLE CODE. NO PROB FOUND. CALLED ED TECCONECT FOR HELP. WE FIGURE THAT EGR VALVE WAS CAUSING ALL THE PROBLEM. REMOVED & REPLACED EGR VALVE. TEST DROVE. CAR RUNS NORMAL." THE COST WAS $452.43. MADE APPT. WI/CHRYSLER SERVICE HOME FOR RECALL WORK ONBALL JOINTS. 12/18-HUSBAND LEAVING FOR WORK CAR WOULDN'T GO IN GEAR AT 1ST. "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT BACK ON. THE CAR HESITATING BEFORE GOING INTO GEAR HAS OCCURRED 2 OR 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS. TRIED TRADING VEHICLE. OWE APPROX $12,000 ON IT, TRADE IN VALUE ABOUT $5,000.DEALERS WANT $9,000-$10,000 DOWN PAYMENT. *AK

I AM SO DISGUSTED. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER CHRYSLER VEHICLE, NOR WILL I ENCOURAGE ANYONE ELSE TO DO SO. I PURCHASED A 1998 CHRYSLER SEBRING LXI ON 6/29/2000. SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE HAD THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS: KEY WON'T WORK IN TRUNK ALL THE TIME. LACK OF AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT - 2 DIFFERENT INCIDENTS (REPORTED IN A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT) PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT WILL OPEN IF YOU JUST PUSH AGAINST IT - I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE CERTIFIED SERVICE AGENT (OVER A YEAR AGO) WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO ORDER THE PART AND CONTACT ME WHEN IT ARRIVED. HE NEVER DID AND NOW THAT DEALERSHIP IS NOT THE SERVICE AGENT ANYMORE.*AK DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT TWISTS INSIDE THE COVERED AREA ATTACHED TO THE INTERIOR WALL OF THE VEHICLE. HIGH-PITCHED WHINING SOUND COMING FROM FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE AREA. HAVE REPLACED ROTORS TWICE. HAVE HAD TO PURCHASE THOSE EXPENSIVE ($600 - $800) GOODYEAR TIRES ABOUT 4 - 6 TIMES. ONE DAY, ABOUT 18 MONTHS AGO, I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY DRIVING TO WORK, GOING UPHILL AND MY CAR JUST SLOWLY DIED. ALL THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, I COULD NOT GIVE IT ANY GAS, I COULD BARELY STEER IT AND IT JUST ROLLED TO A STOP. I KEPT TRYING TO CRANK IT AND NOTHING HAPPENED. I WAS STILL PARTLY IN THE ROAD, SO I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND TRIED TO BACK IT ONTO THE SHOULDER. AFTER DOING THAT, I TRIED TO CRANK IT AGAIN AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I DROVE IT TO A GARAGE NEARBY, BUT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. HESITATION WHEN GOING FROM PARK TO DRIVE. MORE COMPLAINTS ARE BEING SUBMITTED IN A SUBSEQUENT FORM.

DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH BALL JOINT AND VIBRATIONS WHEN TRYING TO STOP VEHICLE I RAN INTO THE BACK OF A TRUCK AND PUSHED THAT TRUCK INTO THE BACK OF A MERCEDES. THE IMPACT WAS SIGNIFICANT AND RESULTED IN A HOLE IN THE FRONT OF MY 98 CHRYSLER SEBRING LXI. LUCKILY, NO ONE WAS HURT. THE DRIVER OF THE MERCEDES WAS ANXIOUS TO LEAVE THE SCENE AND SINCE THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE TRUCK I HIT, EVERYONE AGREED NOT TO STICK AROUND FOR THE POLICE. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO MY SON, WHO WAS 18 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME, WAS DRIVING AND WHEN HE FAILED TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN HE RAN INTO THE SIDE OF SOMEONE ELSE'S CAR. THIS INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE POLICE AND THERE WAS A COUPLE THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE TO MY CAR, NOT COUNTING THE DAMAGE TO THE OTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. MY SON BUMPED HIS HEAD, BUT THANKFULLY, WAS NOT SERIOUSLY HURT.*AK

I PURCHASED PRECEPT TOURING TIRES AT DISCOUNT TIRE IN JULY. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE 10 OF THEM REPLACED SINCE THAT TIME. THEY ARE TERRIBLE TIRES AND I HAVE WASTED NOT ONLY A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY BUT TIME AS WELL. EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM HAS A BAD SPOT IN IT--THEY HAVE ALL VIBRATED--AND MY CAR HAS PERFECT ALIGNMENT. I EVEN HAD EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT BY MY OWN MECHANIC AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS TO DISCOUNT. MY MECHANIC SAID HE REFUSES TO SELL GOODYEAR BECAUSE THEY HAVE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES. A MECHANIC FROM SAM'S CLUB SAID THE SAME THING--DON'T BUY GOODYEAR. I ONLY WISH I HAD KNOWN THIS BEFORE I PURCHASED THE TIRES; THE CONSUMER PRODUCTS WEBSITES DON'T HAVE THIS INFORMATION...YET. AM NOT EVEN SURE THE TIRES ARE SAFE.PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY OF MY CONTACT INFO FOR ANY TYPE OF ADVERTISING OR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES.*AK

TRUNK LID SUPPORTS (NEUMATIC SUPPORTS?) FAILED TO KEEP TRUNK OPEN, CAUSING THE TRUNK LID TO FALL CLOSED ON THE BACK OF MY HEAD WHILE I WAS SECURING THE SPARE TIRE WHILE PARKED AT A GAS STATION. CAR ONLY HAS 55,000K MILES. THE TRUNK LID CAME CRASHING DOWN AS IF IT HAD NO SUPPORT AT ALL. IF THIS IS A MODEL WIDE DEFECT, I THINK THIS HAZARD COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY, ESPECIALLY TO CHILDREN. *AK