SOLUTION TO ENGINE FAILURE> The waterpump design in the chrysler sebring engines are known to failure which then leaks coolant into the oil compartment of the engine which forms engine sludge and then gets into the oil pump pickup tube and lowers oil pressure and loosens timing chain tensioner which will result in engine jumping time and destroying engine.....either timing chain breaks, jumps and bends valves or damages bearings and engine knocks. to prevent this issue. THE FOLLOWING PARTS MUST BE REPLACED EVERY 60,000 MILES or 100,000 Kilometers Waterpump, timing chain, timing chain guides, Primary timing chain tensioner, oil pump is sludge is excessive and afterwards have oil changed every 100 miles 3 times and you will never have a problem with the engine....The cost a a mechanic to have this work done is $1200-$2000 depending who does the work..

I, myself can replace these parts for $400 just for the parts.

still $2000 is cheaper than a new engine...

so if your car has 60,000kms or more i would have this work done or be prepared to replace your motor, because it happens to all 2.7 at one point or another.

Thanks

i am a single mom recently separated left with 2 kids no child support and a car that doesn't run anymore. I purchased this car from a ford dealership. Thought I was getting a good deal I paid 4912.00 for it as my previous car had been totaled. The money I received paid for this car. I purchased it in April of 2010 and in January of 2011 the engine failed. you would think that "A" this was a bad engine & the dealership would be responsible to disclose this info NOT and "B" Chrysler would own up to it "NOT". The consumer always seems to suffer because the majority of us do not have the money to fight it. I will say this, I WILL NEVER PURCHASE another Chrysler product. The word boycott comes to mind & there are more people in this world that struggle and still buy cars than the wealthy who can afford their bmw's

First let me say that I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER MOPAR PRODUCT!!! The Chrysler Corporation produces an inferior product.

I bought my car as a demo with only 2K miles on it. I had the car almost paid off and it only had 60K miles on it when my engine blew the FIRST time. The car started with a rough idle as I was coming up to a redlight. Mind you, there was no other indication such as lights, gauges, or anything else to warn me. The next thing I knew, smoke came boiling from underneath the hood and the car just shut off. After having it towed and taken to the mechanic; we were told that the water pump had gone out on it which in turn warped the head, bent three pistons, and threw the timing belt. Needless to say, instead of paying my car off, I ended up paying $3000.00 to have the engine basically rebuilt.

Fast forward 2 years. Okay...the car now has 132,000 miles on it and has been paid off for a year. I was driving on the interstate on my way home, when the battery light came on. I was only 50 miles from home and it seemed to be running well other than the light being on. I kept driving. When 6 miles from home, the car starts to idle roughly, and then it just looses all power and won't start back up. I have it towed and looked at. Guess what???? My car had thrown the timing belt, warped the head, and bent the pistons yet AGAIN! I have not had the money to get this fixed, but I have had it priced. I am looking at another 3 grand to get this thing working again. I am completely and utterly disgusted. I am single, and I don't want nor can I afford a car payment. I think that the worst part of all of this is that I only paid 11K for my car. I've will have paid 6K, almost half of my investment, in repairs by the time this is all said and done!

i bought thjis car lalmost exactly a year ago due to my car being totaled. I didn't want another car payment;I had just finnished paying for the last one, so i decided to get the car of my dreams. the lady that i bought this car from took very good care of it. It is a beautiful car. She did warn me that i would have to do oil changed more often because of the known engine problems with this car.

On my way to my niece's house last friday, I noticed the car was vibrating..This car ran like a whisper normaly b/c of the tune up and oil changes that i maintained on it After I left her house , the vibrating turned to shuddering and the car began to get slower & slower...mind you no wanring lights or temp gages went off..when I stopped at the light about a 1/2 of a mile from my niece's house the car shut off & would not come back on. It did not overheat, It just shut off. After having it towed to AAA and paying $90, i was told the enginge had sludge in it They offered to replace it for 2500. I've had quote up to $5,000. I only paid $3,000 so therres no way i'm having the work done, only to probably have it happen again. I love this car, but I'm selling it for parts and cutting my losses.

I WILL NEVER BY ANOTHER DODGE,CHRYSLER OR PLYMOUTH PRODUCT AGAIN, I HOPE THE DO GET SUED OVER THIS.

I bought my 2001 Sebring LXi convertible in Dec 2003, with just over 500 miles on the odometer. It had suffered a transmission failure at the original dealer, had never been sold to a customer, was returned to Chrysler for a replacement, then sat on a back lot for nearly two years before being resold to another dealer. I bought it with a new car warranty and bought the extended (7 year/70,000 mile) warranty. After intial problems with the transmission control module, heater and warped brake rotors (all fixed by the dealer), the car served me very well for 50,000 miles--no serious issues at all. At each service after roughly 20,000 miles, I would tell the Chrysler service dept that the oil pressure light was coming on intermittently. They would duly check the oil level and tell me not to worry.

Then I took it to a Chrysler dealer (Rosenthal, Arlington, VA) for the 50K service and told them that the oil pressure light had been coming on intermittently at idle or very low rpms for the past 10,000 miles or so, and also that the engine had begun to use oil at about 1 quart every couple of thousand miles. The service manager told me not to worry, that this particular engine with that much mileage tended to use oil. He said just to keep it topped up.

I kept checking and adding oil for the next 5,000 miles. Just before I intended to take the car in for another oil change, the engine blew without warning on an inter-state highway. I had it hauled to the nearest Chrysler dealer and paid to have the oil pan pulled and assessed. The mechanic said the problem was sludge build-up, and that my extened warranty DID NOT cover that cause for engine failure.

I bought my car in April of 2008 for $6,000. There was 84,000 miles on it. Now it's got 140,000 miles. I had a huge coolant leak and it wouldn't start so i had it towed to a mechanic. 2 days after, the guy called me and said my car is toast. It looked like someone had messed with the timing belt (i never had any previous work done on it and the car had always ran very well) and there is gas or coolant in the oil. The mechanic said it would be an expensive fix because i'd have to buy a new engine and have it put in. It wouldn't be worth it because of the car isn't worth that much anyway and the engine that type of car would need is an expensive engine. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR.

i had never had a problem with my car before and i had only had it for not even 6 months yet and i had driven it all day no problems then im going threw and intersection and it just stopped i was able to get it to the side of the road . i had a friend look at it he told me fuel pump . then i had it taken to a shop they told me there was antifreeze in my oil. before buying this car i had a Toyota corolla never had any problems with it the only reason why i got rid of it was because i had just had a baby and i wanted something bigger and safer to drive around it since it was a little small . well now i would have just kept that car and the money that i spent on this Chrysler because if i would have known the problems with the engine this car has i would have never bought this car. im a single parent barely making it. i don't have the money for a new car or a new engine.

Bought car used for $6,200 with 32,000 miles. Tried car for 1 hr test drives twice, no problems. Driving home once in a while some oil light flickering. Changed oil went away. Engine light went on. Car would not accelerate. Replaced: fuel pump, cam sensor, crank sensor, oil sending unit. Went to 4 mechanics. last one said to just drive till it drops. Its a shame because the car is a nice riding, fun car. Based on what I am reading, it will probably die sometime soon. I am keeping the title in the glove box so when it dies I can get rid of it.

I purchased a car that I thought would last me for many years. I know how to maintain a vehicle, my last was a Dodge B2500 conversion van with 375,000 miles on the vehicle when it bit the dust. I am disabled, on a social security check and work part time. I am 2 payments form owning this vehicle and it took a dump. The best guess is that iit is the timing chain an/or guides that have caused the problem. Unheard of to me being that I hav ehad 3 vehicles in my life that hav ein excess of 200,000 miles and at least 4 others with ove 200.000 miles and hav enever had to replace a timing chain. I started having a problem with the oil pressure indicator light flickering at idle about 10 months ago. i was assured by the dealer that it was a sensor and nothing to worry about. Two weeks after spending 4400 to replace serpentine belts and a very expensive little part that was leaking coolant the thing took a dump. I put a bit of money down on this car, social security settlement, to get the payments to whee I could afford them and have done all the required maintenance to assure that I would have a car that would last for many years. I now find out that I have bee screwed by Chrysler and they won't admit they have a defectively designed engine and I am not even in a situation shere I can have it repaired. My daughter is sending me some money so I can, hopefully get it running again and not have to take the bus to work at a part time job that keeps me afloat. It goes to the mechanic, hopefully tomorrow, to see what it will cost to get it running again, but I now know that it will only be a matter of time til it does another malicious thing to cost me even more because it has an engine that should never have been made. Thanks for the opportunity to vent.

I thought it was the water pump,timing chain,tensioner,seals,labour for a claim of $2070.00cdn to fix and the warranty covered it, until the parts came and the tech saw that a engine valve had gone into a piston and there was tons of sludge. The warranty company called TriCare denied my claim for a new engine cause of sludge, I only had for 20,000km and got my oil changed every 5,000km, so now I'm srcewed and the 2002 that the dealership found won't work. I got sold a lemon thats all there is to it and I want a new car but I owe to much in financing to do so. I wish I saw this page then I would have taken the Pontiac pursuit, or the pt cruiser, but even then who knows Tricare would still have srcew no matter what I had. Don't buy TriCare warranties they don't care and they have away to get out of any engine claim you make. I have had a car for a month and I 3 month old another thats almost 2 I thought I had peace in mind and a reliable car, but I guess not. I can't afford this and thats why I bought a "f"ing warranty, but TriCare doesn't know how to do the right thing. Still waiting fir an engine.

Update from Oct 14, 2009: I now have my car back $2957.39 later which covered a used 2001engine,gaskets,housing,seals,sparkplug,coolant,a couple other things, a new battery, and labor($670.00), but they did detail clean my car for free($60.00 value).

I've had it since august 7 2009, its now oct 14th 2009 and I drove into calgary yesterday and the oil light started flickering on when braking and idleing WTF, I guess I gotta take it in and find out WTF.

engine started off having trouble starting in the winter probably because of the buildup of sludge... it would hover at around 250 rpm until i shut it off. i would restart and it would usually hesitate to get up to idle. currently trying to trade in before i have $7200 due on a dead car... dont buy the 2.7 v6 engine. from what i heard they fixed the problem after 2001 but i'd stay away from Chrysler as a precaution. Mitsubishi, and Mercedes also use this engine among other company's. make sure you don't get the bad one

Well I see you are all having the same problem that I am. I bought a Sebring in May of 2008 thinking I would have a great car when my daughter was born. WRONG!!!! First it started with a jerk everytime I braked. Found out that to be a cracked hose on my transmission loosing pressure. Now a few weeks ago I noticed on the freeway it was hesitating. Then one day after work I was at a stop sign and it all of a sudden died on me! After trying to start it for like ten minutes, it finally gave in and started. But then at every stop light after that it kept dying. Luckily I made it home and had it towed to an auto repair shop. They first told me I had antifreeze in my oil and blown head gaskets. I could live with that cuz I had a 5 year warranty and it was covered up to $3,000.But then they told me they tore my whole engine apart and found it to be junk. So now they gave me the option of getting a new engine 3yr.-100,000 Mi warranty or a used one. However they said if i bought a used one they guaranteed the same problem would happen. So what did I do u ask? I used up my $3000 on my warranty and got another loan for $2,100 and paid those S.O.Bs their money and I should have my car back by next week..... HOPEFULLY!! I will never get this kind of car again. Hope u guys take my advice.

2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible w/2.7L V6 engine. Same problem frequently reported - engine starts knocking, then gets worse. While it is technically "running" at present it sounds like it's going to throw a rod at any moment. it went from a tapping on Monday on the way to work to a punding on the way home - a total distance of 2 miles. Car is presently sitting in the driveway until I can determine how to either have the engine repaired or replaced, no doubt at considerable cost. While the car is 8 years old I do not live far from work and it only has 45,000 miles on it.

Engine oil light flickers all the time. Check engine light is on constantly.Huge cloud of smoke out of the exhaust whenever I leave a stoplight. Engine smells like burnt oil and the smell comes into the passenger compartment. Engine has shut down randomly on some occasions. I talked to some people who had the same problem and they almost crashed their car when it shut off driving on the freeway. I'm scared of driving it. I took very good care of it, and it's not right that the engine is dying.I had the engine oil changed every 3000 miles and always chose the expensive oils. It makes no sense that there should be sludge buildup. I'm hoping for a recall. Can't afford another car, i hope this one will run for at least a few more months but i doubt it. Will never buy another chrysler again if they don't own up to their mistakes. I regret buying this car!!!!!

As the car is going down the freeway, the car dies. The engine light came on, then the rest of the instrument lights, then the car dies, at 60 friggin mph on the freeway. The car didn't make a sound. Pulled over on the side of the freeway, the car gets towed to the shop, and the rods are blown, says the car ran out of oil, and I'm screwed out of a car and a denied claim on a sh*t engine. I had a platinum coverage extended warranty at the time, later I hear about the engine problems. I got screwed by the warranty company and for buying a Chrysler. Their engine burned up 5 quarts of oil in 4200 miles. How the f*ck does that happen? I've had plenty of cars, a lot older, that NEVER burned oil like that. I'll NEVER buy Chrysler again

Being a young and tender female that had only owned beater cars I had found on the side of the road, it was every exciting to purchase my very own "grown-up" vehicle: the sporty 2001 Chrysler Sebring.

I was on my way to work one early morning, when the vehicle went from a zippy 50mph to ZERO without my consent. I felt as though I hit a brick wall, yet there was nothing in front of me. After having the car towed to a local shop, I was informed the engine was gone. Where it went I was not sure, but the mechanic was kind enough to show me the lovely trail of metal shavings it had left on the dip-stick. It was a this point I had the vehicle towed once again to a shop that I love and trust to fix such a huge problem, as I still owed on the car, I had only purchased it 3 weeks prior from a private party. $3,500 later the car was fixed and I was as happy as a camper-that-just-got-raped-for-half-the-price-of-the-vehicle could be.

For the next two years the vehicle treated me in a manner that was as good as could be expected from a car with such high miles (138,000 on the car - 67,000 on the new motor)...Until earlier this week. The engine light comes on, the car is misfiring. I tell myself not to worry, no engine light came on when it threw a rod - it couldn't possibly be the same thing. The code it's throwing is a P0301, cylinder 1 misfire. I throw in new spark plugs and boots, still throws the code. I replace the coil, still throws the code. I take it to the damn mechanic, compression in cylinder 1 is at 45lbs - I AM A SUCKER, the engine is toast.

So, for all of you fine people who have been burnt by the wonderful and beloved Chrysler corporation, don't feel too bad...Chances are, you are not STUPID enough to keep the POS and let it happen to you TWICE!

This issue originally happened when they car was still under warranty in December of 07. The last month of warranty the oil light kept coming on when the car was braked. Had the oil changed twice that month and the final time the dealership did a check and told me it was the oil gauge sensor. They replaced it and one month later it started happening again. Took it to an independent repair shop and they told me that the oil didn't look like it had been changed in a long time so they changed it again and I drove for a few more weeks. The oil light came back on so I took it back to the dealership and they told me that the oil gauge sensor was not working. I said that they had just replaced it a month ago under warranty so they agreed to do it again under the warranty even though warranty was done. The oil light will now come on every once and a while if it is a hot day and the dealership told me that it is not an issue to worry about it is just slightly low oil and to keep checking the level. Now this Sunday October 5/08 I had the oil changed like normal at about 5500km and the independent shop told me that they had never seen oil that looked that bad and the next time I got the oil changed to get an engine flush done. While driving home the car stalled on a toll bridge and I had to be pushed down to their customer service parking lot. When I looked there was no antifreeze in it after the independent shop had topped up all the fluids!!!! I was ready to call them and complain majorly but I took it to another independent and they told me that my engine was shot and I needed to get a new one and that this is a common issue on this model of car!!!!!! I was dumbfounded!!!!!! What would have happened if I was on a highway when it happened it could have caused a major accident. Now looking at this website I find out that A LOT of other people have the same issue!!!!! This has to stop, we should not have to pay for Chrysler's problem!!!!! I'm never buying a domestic car again this car has been nothing but a lemon from the beginning while under warranty there were about 7 major repairs that had to be made on the car including this issue which also covers the no heat issue because of the Antifreeze leaking. There is no heat in the car and the last independent told me to just over fill the antifreeze!!!!! This is pathetic!!!!!!! A recall needs to be done NOW so that others don't have to go through the pain that we all apparently are right now.