1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE Complaints

I HAVE A 97 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE JX. RECENTLY THE THREADING HAD BEEN PEELING AWAY AROUND THE CONVERTIBLE TOP. I SUBMITTED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON THE NET, LOCAL NEWS STATION, AND WITH DAIMLERCHRYSLER. IN THOSE COMPLAINTS I HAD MENTIONED CONCERN OF MY BACK WINDOW POSSIBLY FLYING OUT THE BACK OR WORSE YET, FALLING IN ON MY 2 YEAR OLD SON IN HIS CAR SEAT!!!! ABOUT 3 OR 4 WEEKS LATER, MY HUSBAND WAS GETTING IN THE CAR AFTER WORK AND IN A PARKED POSITION DECIDED TO PUT THE TOP DOWN (SINCE THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING ABOUT A YEAR PRIOR) TO THE CONVERTIBLE, HE THEN HEARD A CRACK AND AS SOON AS LOOKING BACK THE WHOLE WINDOW SHATTERED IN OVER 1000 PIECES ALL IN THE BACKSEAT AND THE HUB TRUCK AREA AND MY SON'S CARSEAT!!!! MY WORST NIGHTMARE HAD COME TRUE. I HAD NEARLY BRAINSTORMED THAT THE WINDOW WOULD FLY OUT THE BACK OR THAT IT COULD FALL IN! THANK YOU JESUS, MY SON WAS NOT IN THE CAR!!!! I HAVE CONTACTED CHRYSLER WICH DID NOTHING BUT CHARTED MY COMPLAINT AND IS PROBABLY SETTING IN THE DATABASE WITH NO ACTION... THIS REALLY CONCERNS ME... I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO TURN. MY INSURANCE SAID THAT I NEEDED TO MEET MY 500 DOLLAR DEDUCTIBLE IN ORDER FOR THEM TO TAKE CARE OF THE REST OF THE BILL, WHICH WILL ONLY APPLY TO A BACK WINDOW... NOT A CONVERTIBLE TOP... HELLO, SINCE THE TOP IS STILL UNRAVELING THIS NEW BACK WINDOW THAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT ONLY HAS A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THE SAME THING HAPPENS AGAIN! MY GUESS, SINCE THE THREADING WAS ALREADY COMING LOOSE IT CAUSED THE BACK WINDOW TO GO OFF TRACK UNKNOWINGLY... THEN WHEN MY HUSBAND PUT THE TOP DOWN IT WAS NOT POSITIONED CORRECTLY CAUSING THE WINDOW TO BE IN THE WAY OF THE CONVERTIBLE TOP RECLINING. PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT [email protected] IF YOU HAVE ANY HELP TO GIVE OR HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. *LA

THE THREDDING AROUND MY 1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE TOP IS SLOWLY COMING LOOSE WICH WILL THEN RELEASE MY BACK WINDOW WHICH COULD CAUSE A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE ROAD INVOLVING INNOCENT DRIVERS. THE POTENTIAL LOOSE BACK WINDOW COULD NOT ONLY FLY OUT AT ANY GIVIN MOMENT IT ALSO COULD FALL IN TO THE BACKSEAT OF MY CONVERTIBLE WHICH RAISES AND BIGGER CONCERN FOR ME BECAUSE I HAVE MY 2 YEAR OLD SON IN HIS CAR SEAT. MY WISH IS THAT CHRYSLER CORP. WOULD RECALL THESE DEFECTIVE TOPS BEFORE THEY HAVE TO SPEND MILLIONS ON LAW SUITS INVOLVING ACCIDENTS WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL OWNER OF THE SEBRING CONVERTIBLE. WELL, I THOUGHT I WAS ALONE ON THIS ISSUE UNTIL LAST WEEK WHEN MY LOCAL NEWS STATION AIRED A SHORT NEWS CLIP ON CHRYSLER OWNERS. THEY PUT OUT A CALL TO ALL CHRYSLER SEBRING OWNERS IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA (FLORIDA) THAT WAS HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM ... THEY RECEIVED OVER 100 COMPLAINTS... THATS JUST IN 1 CITY!!! GO TO WWW.TBO.COM TYPE KEYWORD (IN TOP RIGHT CORNER) : PROBLEM SOLVER THEN CLICK CHRYSLER SEBRING LINK. I HAVE LOTS OF PICS OF THE CONVERTIBLE TOP UPON REQUEST.*AK

DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RELEASE FROM THE RETRACTING POSITION, SO THE BUCKLE COULD NOT BE FASTENED. DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE DUE TO A DEFECTIVE RETRACTOR. DEALERSHIP HAD TO TAKE APART THE ENTIRE DRIVER SIDE SEAT TO INSPECT THE RETRACTOR.*AK

WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 25 TO 30 MPH AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED. TOWED VEHICLE TO THE INDEPENDENT SHOP, AND TECHNICIAN DETERMINED A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 25 TO 30 MPH AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED. TOWED VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP, TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THE NEED FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION OR REBUILT THE OLD TRANSMISSION.*AK

THE CONVERIBLE ROOF IS UNRAVELLING AT THE SEAMS, MAKING IT UNSIGHTLY AND DANGEROUS. I HAD WATER IN MY FOOR IN THE BACK SEATS AND AN UPHOLSTERY SHOP DISCOVER A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE BODY CAUSING THE LEAK. IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY FIXED. BUT THE SOFT TOP ROOF TO BE REPLACED WOULD COST $1250-. IT IS MY OBSERVATION THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF CONVERTIBLES DURING THE MODEL YEARS OF 1997 (MINE) AND OTHER YEARS (1998- ?). I CALLED CHRYSLER AND THEY NOTED MY COMPLAINT BUT HAVEN'T ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM TO MY KNOWLEDGE. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AS I SEE IT ON MANY CONVERIBLES. WHAT IF ONE OF THESE TOPS WERE TO TEAR LOOSE? THAT'S MY CONCERN!!

DESIGN DEFECT - REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER - THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER ON MY 1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING STOPPED WORKING. THE WIRE ATTACHING THE DEFOGGER TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAS BECOME DETACHED. IT HAD BEEN REATTACHED BY THE DEALER TWICE, BUT ON THE THIRD OCCASION THE DEALER ADVISED THAT IT COULD NOT BE FIXED. IT IS APPARENTLY REATTACHED WITH SOME KIND OF GLUE. I WAS ADVISED THAT IF I WANTED TO GET THE DEFOGGER TO WORK I WOULD NEED TO INSTALL A NEW REAR WINDOW AT A COST OF OVER $800. THE NEW SEBRING CONVERTIBLE;E USES A WIRE WITH A PLUG TO ATTACH THE REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER TO THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. CHRYSLER APPEARS TO HAVE RECOGNIZED THE DESIGN DEFECT AND PROVIDED A FIX, ALTHOUGH NOT TO OWNERS OF 1997 SEBRING CONVERTIBLES. NOTE: THIS DESIGN DEFECT APPEARS TO BE A SAFETY DEFECT THAT CAUSES A DANGEROUS CONDITION WHEN THE DEFOGGER FAILS, I.E., IN RAINY OR SNOWY CONDITIONS THE VISIBILITY OUT OF THE REAR WINDOW IS DANGEROUSLY REDUCED. *NM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN CAR HAS TOTALLY FAILED. NOTHING ON THE DASHBOARD WORKS PROPERLY ANYMORE. THE BOARD HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE AT A COST OF $300 PLUS OVER $6,000 IN VARIOUS REPAIRS. *LA

VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING CONSUMER'S SON KICKED THE GEAR SHIFT AND VEHICLE WENT INTO DRIVE, RESULTING IN A FRONT END COLLISION, VEHICLE HIT A TREE.*AK

NAR 9-10-03. GAS PEDAL STUCK TO THE FLOOR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS ACCELERATING VERY FAST. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP UNTIL THE CONSUMER COULD APPLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. *CB