1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING Complaints

DT: CONSUMER WAS AWARE OF MANUFACTURER'S RECALL, 967 ISSUED ON MAY 16, 2001. CONSUMER STATED THAT THIS RECALL REPAIRS WERE NEVER DONE. ON JUNE 23, 2005 SHE WAS TRAVELING, THROUGH SAINT CLARESHORES, MICHIGAN ON I94, GOT OFF AT EXIT AND MADE A RIGHT TURN AND VEHICLE CAME TO A DEAD STOP. RIGHT FRONT TIRE WENT INTO WHEEL WELL, WHICH DID A LOT OF BODY DAMAGE. FROM THERE MECHANIC HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO GARAGE AT WATERFORD AUTO, IN WATERFORD, MICHIGAN. MECHANIC THEN CALLED CHRYSLER TO FIND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL 967 ON PART THAT BROKE. CONSUMER DID NOT RECEIVE A NOTICE, HER EX-HUSBAND RECEIVED THE NOTICE. MECHANIC HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO CLARKSTON CHRYSLER 8105 BIG LAKE ROAD, PO BOX 1015, CLARKSTON, MICHIGAN 48347. DEALER LOOKED AT VEHICLE AND SAID THERE WAS A RECALL, BUT THEY NEEDED AN INVESTIGATOR FROM CHRYSLER TO LOOK AT VEHICLE. INVESTIGATOR CAME OUT ON JULY 6, 2005. CONSUMER HEARD FROM MANUFACTURER ON JULY 19, 2005. THEY DENIED RECALL REPAIRS BECAUSE THE PART HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED BY SOMEONE ELSE. HOWEVER THEY DID NOT HAVE A RECORD OF IT.*AK

DT: WAS DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED AND PULLED IN FRONT OF A BOWLING ALLEY TO PICK UP ANOTHER PASSENGER. TURNED THE ENGINE OFF WITH KEY IN IGNITION, WITHIN A MATTER OF SECONDS THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL FORWARD. THE CAR GAINED SPEED AND WAS TOO QUICK BEFORE THE CONSUMER COULD GAIN CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WENT DOWN AN INCLINE AND CRASHED INTO A PARKING LOT POLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. BOTH PASSENGER HAD SEAT BELTS ON BUT PASSENGER SEAT BELT DID NOT REMAIN LOCKED AND PASSENGER STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD, THIS DID NOT UNLATCH BUT A GREAT DEAL SLACK CAME FROM THAT SEAT BELT. HAD RECEIVED A RECALL ON THE TRANSAXLES FLOOR SHIFT(NO NHTSA RECALL CAMP ID# AVAILABLE) THIS RECALL HAD NOT BEEN PERFORMED. A INSPECTOR FROM CHRYSLER CAME OUT TO IMPASSES VEHICLE WHO LATER NOTED THIS INCIDENT WAS NOT DUE THE RECALL BUT CONSUMER DOES NOT KNOW HOW HE MADE THIS ASSUMPTION BECAUSE HE JUST LOOKED AT VEHICLE-THE VEHICLE WAS LOCKED UP AT THE TIME. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. DEALER DID MAKE AWARE THERE WAS ALSO A RECALL ON THROTTLE AS WELL(NO NHTSA RECALL ID AT THIS TIME.) DEALER AND CHRYSLER ARE UNWILLING TO COVER DAMAGES AS WELL THE RECALL REPAIR.*AK

DT: WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND CONSEQUENTLY, THE CONSUMER HIT ANOTHER MOTORIST. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO JUMPING OUT OF GEAR DUE TO THE RECALL ON THE TRANS AXLE FLOOR SHIFTER/IGNITION PARK INTERLOCK. *JB

RIGHT FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT FRACTURED AND RIPPED OUT THE DRIVE SHAFT FROM THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING. A NEW LOWER CONTROL ARM AND DRIVE SHAFT WAS INSTALLED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM.

IT'S A CONSTANT RATTLE NOISY AT THE FRONT OF THE CAR, WHEN WE BOUGTH THE CAR AND START DRIVING IT WE NOTICE THE NOISY WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T FOUND ANYTHING, DIDN'T DROVE THE CAR FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, MOVE TO DC, START DRIVING THE CAR AGAIN AND THE RATTLE GETTING WORST I TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC AND THEY SAID THEY FIX THE CAR I PAID ALMOST $900.00 AND THE PROBLEM STILL THERE, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MECHANIC 1 MONTH AFTER THEY FIXED, THE INVOICE SAID 90 DAYS WARRANTY, NOW THEY SAID IT'S PROBABLY ANOTHER PROBLEM, IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM SAME NOISY. I JUST WANT MY CAR FIXED, FOR WHAT I PAID.

DT: CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF A VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL PROBLEM. BRAKE WOULD NOT WORK, VEHICLE REVVED, AND DID NOT STOP, VEHICLE OVER ACCELERATED, CAUSING IT TO RAM INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. AK

DT: CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN MARCH FOR THE TRANSAXLES FLOOR SHIFTER IGNITION PARK INTERLOCK. CONSUMER TRIED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE DEALERSHIP. THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY THE CAR POPPED OUT OF GEAR AND HIT A POLE. THE WHOLE FRONT END OF THE CAR WAS TOTALED. THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK, AND THE BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CHRYSLER SENT SOMEONE TO LOOK AT THE CAR, THE CHRYSLER INVESTIGATOR SAID THAT EVERYTHING LOOKED FINE. CONSUMER HAD TO CALL HIM BACK FROM CHRYSLER AFTER HE CAME AND LOOKED AT THE CAR. CHRYSLER INVESTIGATOR SENT A LETTER TO THE CONSUMER STATING THAT THE INCIDENT DID NOT LOOK LIKE IT WAS A RESULT OF THE RECALL.*AK

ODOMETER AND TACHOMETER STOP AND START FUNCTIONING INTERMITTENTLY. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A KNOWN AND COMMON PROBELM WITH THIS YEAR/MODEL.

PURCHASED CAR ON EBAY THREE YEARS AGO. NO RECORD OF ACCIDENT BUT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. PROBLEM BEGAN AFTER A HEAVY RAIN WHEN CAR PARKED OUTSIDE. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, CAR STARTS AND DIES SEVERAL TIMES, THEN WONT'T START FOR ANYWHERE FROM AN HOUR TO A DAY OR TWO. NO DEALER ABLE TO FIND PROB. OR GET IT TO THROW A CODE. PROBLEM SEEMED TO DISAPPEAR LAST YEAR WHEN WE MOVED TO CA AND PARKED CAR IN GARAGE. THEN IT RETURNED ONCE. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER AND HE WAS UNABLE TO FIND SOURCE OF PROB. OR GET IT TO REPEAT THE PROBLEM. FINALLY GOT ONE COMPUTER REPLACED. BROUGHT THE CAR HOME AND IT HAS REPEATED THE PROBLEM A FEW TIMES. NOW IT IS TURNING ON THE SECURITY LIGHT AS WELL AS THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT, THEN, SUDDENLY, WHILE I AM DRIVING, THE GUAGES QUIT WORKING. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST OR HOW FAR I AM GOING. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE THIS MONTH, BOTH TIMES WHEN WE WERE ON A LONG TRIP. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO REAL CORRELATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT COULD BE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM THAT WE CAN FIND OTHER THAN POSSIBLE MOISTURE RELATIONSHIP. HAD TO DRIVE FROM LAKE TAHOE TO ORANGE COUNTY WITH NO SPEEDOMETER TWO WEEKS AGO. IT HAD RAINED HEAVILY AND THE CAR WAS PARKED OUTSIDE. THEN IT MAGICALLY "MENDED ITSELF" DURING THE WEEK AND WE TOOK IT FROM ORANGE COUNTY TO PALM SPRINGS ON MAY 21ST. THE GUAGES WENT OUT SHORTLY AFTER WE LEFT HOME AND CAME ON "MAGICALLY" AFTER WE PURCHASED GAS IN PALM SPRINGS. DATE LISTED BELOW IS MOST RECENT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR THREE YEARS. HAS BEEN TO DEALERS IN ALABAMA AND ORANGE COUNTY. I REALLY CAN'T SAY HOW MANY TIMES IT HAS FAILED, BUT PROBABLY AROUND 30.

ON APRIL 23, 2005, MY SON WAS TRAVELING TO WORK, ABOUT 12:30 IN THE AFTERNOON, TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON THE 210 FREEWAY. AT SOME POINT, HIS LEFT REAR TIRE WENT FLAT. HIS CAR LOST CONTROL AND SPUN COUNTERCLOCKWISE, ACROSS FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC, AND HEAD ON INTO THE CENTER DIVIDER. HIS CAR CONTINUED TO SPIN IN THE SAME DIRRECTION AND IMPACTED AGAIN AT THE RIGHT REAR QUARTERPANEL, AND THE RIGHT REAR BUMPER. MY SON GOT OUT OF THE CAR, AND THE CHP ARRIVED WITHIN TEN MINUTES TO HAVE HIS CAR TOWED. I CONTACTED DAIMLER CHRYSLER TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AND TO EXPRESS MY CONCERN. THEY SENT AN INSPECTOR TO THE SALVAGE YARD. TWO WEEKS LATER I GOT A LETTER FROM CHRYSLER SAYING THAT THEIR RECALLED UPPER BALL JOINT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CRASH. I HAD A MECHANIC EXAMINE THE VEHICLE, HE HAD IT LIFTED UP WITH A FORKLIFT, AND SHOWED ME THE RACK AND PINION THAT WAS DANGLING DOWN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. HE SAID THAT SINCE THERE WAS NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE REST OF THE UNDERCARRAIGE, THE BROKEN STEERING WAS WHAT CAUSED MY SON'S CAR TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL, AND CRASH INTO THE MEDIAN, INJURING HIM, AND THREATENING THE OTHER COMMUTERS.