2004 CHRYSLER SEBRING Complaints

2.7L V6 ENGINE FAILURE IN OUR 2004 SEBRING WITH 48,300 MILES. THE ENGINE FAILED WHILE DRIVING, HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AND FIND A WAY BACK HOME 30 MILES AWAY. THE DEALERSHIP STATES THE CAUSE AS OIL SLUDGE WILL NOT COVER UNDER 7 YR/70000 MILE WARRANTY. WE COMPLAINED THAT THE CAR WAS NOT ACTING RIGHT ON 3-26-06 AND WAS TOLD NOTHING WRONG. *NM

AFTER DRIVING CAR AND LEAVING IT PARKED FOR 2 DAYS; WHEN GOING TO START IT AGAIN, THE HORN DIDN'T WORK PROPERLY (REALLY WEAK!), AND IT WOULDN'T START UNTIL SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AND GIVING IT GAS. ALSO......THE REAR RIGHT SIDE WINDOW DEFROST (WIRE HARNESS THAT IS SOLDERED TO WINDOW) POPPED OFF THE WINDOW WITHOUT REASON. WHEN REPAIRED AT DEALERSHIP, THE GUY SAID IT WAS THE 3RD ONE HE HAD FIXED RECENTLY AND IT WAS ALWAYS ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS COULD CAUSE WINDOW TO FOG UP. ALSO APPROXIMATELY JAN OF 2005 I WENT IN TO A DEALERSHIP BECAUSE A STRANGE NOISE WAS COMING FROM MY REAR LEFT SUSPENSION/WHEEL. IT MADE SQUEALING/GRINDING NOISE WHEN TURNING OR OVER BUMPS. THEY COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM......SUGGESTED TO GET ROTOR TURNED.....MAYBE IT DID HELP! *JB

2004 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE, 29,500 MILES. ENGINE RUNNING ROUGH. ENGINE LIGHT WOULD GO ON PERIODICALLY THEN GO OFF. TOOK TO DEALER. DID DIAGNOSTICS, CHARGE $84.00. FOUND CRACKED RESONATOR PIPE, REPLACED, NO CHARGE. CYLINDERS 3 & 5 MISFIRING. DEALER TELLS ME THAT THEY NEED TO TAKE OUT THE FUEL INJECTORS TO CLEAN, CHARGE WOULD BE $234.00. SO MUCH FOR 3 YEARS, 36,000 MILE WARRANTY. I HAVE NEVER TAKEN ANY CAR IN FOR THE INJECTORS TO BE TAKEN OUT AND CLEANED. I REPLACE THE SPARK PLUGS MY SELF AND PUT IN INJECTOR CLEANER IN THE GAS. CAR IS RUNNING BETTER BUT STILL MISFIRES ON OCCASION. SO MUCH FOR AMERICAN CARS AND THE WORKMANSHIP. THIS IS THE LAST CHRYSLER PRODUCT I'LL EVER LEASE. CALLED AND COMPLAINED TO DEALER. HE TELLS ME WHO DO YOU THINK WILL PAY FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS? OBVIOUSLY, NOT THEM. CALL DAIMLER-CHRYSLER IN DETRIOT. TOO BAD, NOT LISTED UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER IN CLEVELAND OHIO WAS CRESTMONT CHRYSLER FOR THOSE INTERESTED. DON'T BUY THERE!!!! I WOULD ASSUME THAT IF THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THERE IS A PROBLEM AND BEING UNDER MILEAGE AND THE 3 YEARS, THIS WOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF. *JB

THE PROBLEM BEGINS IN THIS ORDER OF OCCURRENCE: I CAN IMMEDIATELY FEEL A DRAG LIKE THE ENGINE IS WORKING REALLY HARD. THE TACHOMETER GOES UP TO 3 OR 3.5. SHORTLY THEREAFTER I FEEL A STRONG VIBRATION AND I CAN'T PICK UP SPEED. THE CAR STARTS BUCKING. IT JUST FEELS LIKE I AM BRAKING AND ACCELERATING AT THE SAME TIME. THE TACHOMETER STARTS FLUCTUATING FROM 1 TO 3 AND SOMETIMES UP TO 4. THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS START TO FLICKER. I START LOSING POWER AND BEGIN TO DECELERATE RAPIDLY AND THE SPEEDOMETER DROPS TO ABOUT 10 MPH WITHIN A FEW SECONDS. TRYING TO ACCELERATE DOES NOTHING EXCEPT MAKE IT BUCK EVEN MORE. THERE WERE TWO TIMES WHEN A WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED, ONCE WHEN I WAS DOING 55 AND SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND THE CAR BEHIND ME HAD TO AVOID HITTING ME BY GOING OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND ANOTHER TIME WHILE ACCELERATING IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING A LEFT TURN ON A GREEN ARROW, THE CAR LOST POWER AND 3 CARS BEHIND ME HAD TO SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES AND SWERVE OUT OF THE WAY. EVERYONE WAS APPARENTLY PAYING ATTENTION BOTH TIMES SO THERE WERE NO COLLISIONS, OR DAMAGE TO ANYONE'S VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM IS COMPLETELY INTERMITTENT. *JB UPDATED

WE HAVE TWO CHRYSLER SEBRINGS, ONE IS A LXI AND THE OTHER IS A CONVERTIBLE. BOTH ARE 2004 MODELS AND BOTH OF THE HOSES TO THE WIPER SPRAYER BROKE AT THE BEND WHERE THE HOOD CLOSES, NEXT TO THE WINDOW. THEY HAVE USED A PLASTIC TUBE THAT IS NOT FLEXIBLE, AND AFTER A FEW HOOD OPENINGS, IT BREAKS. I WOULD THINK THAT ALL OTHER SEBRINGS WOULD HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT WHEN I CONTACTED CHRYSLER, THEY JUST BRUSHED ME OFF. *JB

MY VEHICLE HAS A LOUD RATTLE/CLUNK COMING FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIREWALL. MY CAR HAS BEEN IN THE REPAIR SHOP TWICE WITH NO RESULTS. THE SERVICE MANAGER HEARD THE NOISE DURING A TEST DRIVE WITH ME, BUT NOW CLAIMS THAT THERE ARE NO NOISES IN MY CAR "OUT OF THE NORM". I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD BE SOMETHING SERIOUS, SINCE NO ONE GAS DETERMINED THE PROBLEM. CHRYSLER CORPORATION WILL NOT GET INVOLVED BECAUSE THEY ARE CLAIMING THAT IT IS A DEALER PROBLEM. *NM

SHORTLY AFTER I TOOK DELIVERY ON MY 2004 SEBRING SEDAN IN JULY, 2004, I RETURNED TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE CAR WOULD SHAKE AND STALL OUT AT LOW IDLE SPEEDS. THE DEALER ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM RECURRED AGAIN IN LATE 2005, BUT THIS TIME, IT DIDN'T ALWAYS STALL OUT. AT TIMES WHILE I WAS BREAKING OR EVEN STOPPED WITH MY FOOT ON THE BREAK, THE CAR WOULD SUDDENLY SURGE FORWARD WITHOUT MY TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN, AND IT WAS FIXED, I WAS TOLD, BY A COMPUTER UPDATE, AND I GOT IT BACK ON 12/1/05. I NOTICED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RECURRING AS I DROVE ABOUT 450 MILES ON JANUARY 3RD AND 4TH OF 2006. I PLANNED TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AFTER DRIVING HOME ON 1/6. BUT ON THE LAST LEG OF THE TRIP, AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES COMING UP ON CARS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE ENGINE SURGED AND THE CAR HURTLED FORWARD AS I YELLED AND TRIED TO GET THE BRAKES TO OVERRIDE THE ACCELERATION. I REAR-ENDED THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AT THE LIGHT, BUT ONLY KNOCKED OUT HER LEFT BRAKE LIGHT. THE SEBRING SUSTAINED OVER $5000 IN DAMAGES. I DROVE THE CAR THE REST OF THE WAY TO MY HOME, BUT ON REFLECTION, I WAS TOO AFRAID TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS, AND THEY CAME AND DROVE IT TO BE REPAIRED. WHEN THEY CHECKED FOR THE SURGE I DESCRIBED, THIS TIME THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE IT, SO THEY SAID THEY COULD DO NOTHING. I HAVE NOT ACCEPTED THE CAR BACK. TOO DANGEROUS. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL COMING FROM THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE NEXT DAY THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND FILED A REPORT. UPON INSPECTION THE INSURANCE COMPANY DETERMINED THE ELECTRICAL WIRING IN THE REAR DEFROSTER CAUSED THE FIRE. PREVIOUSLY, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR REPAIR BECAUSE THE REAR DEFROSTER, TURN SIGNALS AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS HAD FAILED.

ON A RECENT TRIP OUT OF TOWN I SMELLED SMOKE WHICH I THOUGHT WAS COMING FROM THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. AS I WENT FURTHER THE SMELL BECAME A BIT STRONGER AND I KNEW IT WAS COMING FROM MY CAR. I WOUND UP PULLING OFF THE INTERSTATE, PULLING INTO AN EMPTY LOT AND JUMPING OUT. WHEN I REACHED IN FOR MY POCKETBOOK I SAW SMOKE BILLOWING UP OUT OF THE PASSENGER SEAT OF MY CHRYSLER SEBRING. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THE CONTROL TO THE SEAT, WHICH HAD BEEN TURNED ON ACCIDENTALLY, THE SMOKE DISSIPATED. I TOOK IT TO THE GARAGE AND THEY IN TURN UNPLUGGED THE HEATING ELEMENTS AND TOLD ME THEY WOULD ORDER A NEW ONE AND A NEW SEAT CUSHION SINCE THAT WAS DAMAGED IN THE FIRE. MY HUSBAND CALLED TO CHECK ON THE PARTS HE WAS TOLD THEY HAD RECEIVED THE HEATING ELEMENT BUT WERE WAITING ON THE CUSHION. WHEN HE ASKED IF THEY WERE GOING TO REPLACE ALL THE ELEMENTS HE WAS INFORMED THAT ONLY THE FAULTY ONE WOULD BE REPLACED AT THIS POINT. I THEN CONTACTED CHRYSLER ONLY TO GET THE SAME RESPONSE FROM THEM. MY FEELINGS ARE THAT IF ONE ELEMENT WAS FAULTY THEN THE REST MOST LIKELY ARE. THE DODGE CARAVANS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS REASON. WOULDN'T IT SEEM THEY'RE USING THE SAME COMBUSTIBLE ELEMENTS IN THE SEBRING AS IN THE CARAVAN? I KNOW OF 3 OTHER PEOPLE IN OUR SMALL COMMUNITY THAT HAVE HAD THEIR SEATS GO UP IN FLAME. HOW MANY PEOPLE OR INJURIES DOES IT TAKE BEFORE THEY'LL DO A RECALL? THE WORST CASE SCENARIO WOULD HAVE BEEN IF MY OXYGEN-TOTING MOTHER-IN-LAW HAD BEEN IN THAT SEAT AS SHE IS ON MOST OCCASIONS! *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE CHROME DOOR HANDLE ON THE INSIDE OF CAR CUT A PASSENGER'S FINGER WHILE EXITING. THE PASSENGER'S FINGER SLID DOWN THE HANDLE. THE DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED. THEY SAID THEY COULD REORDER HANDLES AT CONTACT'S EXPENSE. THEY SUGGESTED THAT SHE COVERED THE HANDLES WITH TAPE IF SHE DID NOT WANT TO REORDER THEM. *AK