This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I bought my used touring model Sebring in may of 2011, and since then it has repeatedly jumped or leaped forward when coming to a stop or idling, even with my foot on the brake. I have almost caused a few accidents by ramming the car in front of me at a stop light and such. As well, it stalled out on me when I made a complete stop on 10/11/11. I have seen many, many of the same complaints and wish I knew what the issue was. Will be taking it into the repair shop tomorrow.
*what happened" use as much space as you need. We own this 2004 Chrysler sebring as we purchased it new in the fall of 2004 from westborn Chrysler in dearborn. In the spring of 2005 we took a trip to Florida, and as we were getting off the freeway, at the first stop light, the car was jerking to the point that if we did not put it in park it would hit the gar in front, then it stopped. It stopped several times in that trip. We took it to the dealer; they could not diagnose anything wrong with it. We drove the car short distances since, but recently started to drive about 20 miles one way, when it started to have the same symptoms. We experience several cases of sudden stalling, jerking and sudden stops when turning. It happens when have to stop after a highway drive. In one instance it almost hit our house. We took the car to the dealer again and were told that the right downstream O2 sensor, and the harness connector have to be replaced and the fuel injector needs to be serviced. Also the power steering pump is noisy. Chrysler would pay for the parts, but we would have to pick up the labor cost of $1,103, because the car has 47,000 miles, it is so far since the warranty expired. They claim this is not covered by the 70,000 miles or 7 years warranty. It is the engine and/or transmission that are malfunctioning, but they try to find different things to give me the run around and not to cover the expenses. After all, T really thing that this will not fix the problem, this is only the effect of a different cause, that is not even found. 2. another issue is that once it rains, the carpet on the driver side is always wet. 3. a third issue, we had to replace the blower motor resistor. All common problems with these cars, as I read complaints. Why isn't Chrysler stepping up and fixing these problems"
We have a 2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible which has a problem with lurching forward and unable to stop (no brakes). This has happened 3 times and we feel it is a very dangerous situation. It has now been diagnosed as a transmission problem. We feel we should not be responsible for this defect but Chrysler has refused to fix the problem. When we contacted Chrysler, we were told we had an extended warranty but now are told we do not. We are afraid to drive the car and feel strongly that Chrysler should be willing to repair or take it off the road.
Car stopped running when stopped at red light. Towed to dealer. Informed it needs new battery and transmission solenoid pack. I authorized the repairs and also requested oil change. Dealer called back stated engine has sludge, engine"very very bad", making knocking noise, "may need new engine." I purchased the car from the same Chrysler dealer 2 yrs ago.
I bought the car used at in 2005 with 23K miles. After about a month we noticed a hard shift problem between 1st and 2nd mainly. We took the car in for repairs several time but the dealer claimed they couldn't find a problem. Finally they acknowledged the problem and did a partial rebuild on the transmission. After about two weeks the problem resurfaced and the dealers still could not find the problem. I tried a different dealer just after the car hit 36K and they also claimed no problem and charged me for the service since it was just out of warranty. The driving lights also quit just after the warranty ran out. At this point I'm just living with the problem because the dealers can't seem to find the problem.
- Clarkston, WA, USA
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I have a 2004 Chrysler Sebring with a 2.7L V6 engine. The potentially dangerous problem which has come up numerous times is the engine RPM will surge causing the car to lurch forward. The problem occurs when coming to a stop - the engine RPM will drop to the point where the engine will almost stall, then surge excessively causing the car to lurch forward. This surge of rpms has caused me to almost hit cars in front of me and worse, sending me into an intersection with oncoming cars. I have called about this issue and brought my car in to have this issue examined - the only thing that was does was to reprogram the transmission PCM. I do see that this is a fairly common problem with other owners.
Engine was leaking some type of red fluid. Turned out to be transmission fluid, paperwork said replaced trans hoses, clamps, and solenoid pack (2/6/07). Blower motor only worked on highest setting, the replaced the bad blower motor for heat/cooling(10/17/06). Replaced resonator pipe and muffler after noticing acceleration was sluggish and loud (3/22/06).
I purchased my car in Nov 2005 and on several occasions the car has stalled on me I started the car back up immediately. On other occasions the engine would rev up while sitting at a red light or either in a drive thru lane at a restaurant. The car was not in park it scared me to death. I don't know the reason for this. The car isn't under warranty any longer and I know the wont fix it problem.
I purchased my Sebring touring fall 2005. Since my purchased I have noticed that there is a vibration (the car kind of shakes) between the speeds of 30 mph and 45 mph. Once it shifts again (automatic transmission) it stops.
2004 Sebring 4 door sedan has occasionally lunged or surged forward when stopped at a light or in traffic. This occurs while my foot has been on the brake and I hate to think of what could happen if I did not have my foot on the brake when it lunges forward. I could hit someone or something. Have had it to the dealer 3 times for this. The 2nd time I had found a service bulletin on this website describing what should be done to correct the problem.(the first time they just said they couldn't do anything because they couldn't make the problem happen)when I brought the service bulletin to them last Dec 2005, they said they fixed it. It has now happened again, and is back into the dealership where I was at first told that if they couldn't make it happen, they couldn't fix it. I told them this was the 3rd time in the shop for the same issue and it is a safety issue. They are going to try replacing a throttle positioning sensor. I was reading other complaints on this website and decided it was time to write one because this is definitely happening to other people and is a safety issue. Is Chrysler waiting for someone to get hurt before they find out what the problem is? someone needs to hold them accountable. It only happens occasionally so it is hard to recreate it when you bring it to the dealer, but there are many people with the same types of problems on this site.
The contact stated transmission failed after owning the car for one year. She called the dealer and the manufacturer, and because she did not have a warranty, no one will do anything about it. The cooling system malfunctioned shortly after she bought the car. Then, the following year, the engine went out. The labor will be $2,000 and the parts will cost $5,000. When she bought the car it had 28,838 miles on it. Currently, it has 51,488 miles on it.
The contact owns a 2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible. The vehicle has been to the repair shop to fix the transmission three times. The vehicle will buck, and the rpms will go up to 3000-4000 rpms. It will not shift out of second or third gear. It was a hazard to drive. The dealership could not do anything to correct the problem. Chrysler has been notified. Chrysler changed parts vendors to try and correct the problem. He received vehicle back yesterday, and the problem recurred. The problem first began in August 2005. And has been occurring since then. Updated 11/15/2005 -
My 2004 Sebring has been taken to the dealership on a number of occasions. Tomorrow 8/23/05 will be my fourth or fifth attempt to resolve the on going problem of my car surging forward while at idle/coming to a stop or while setting at a light hold the brake. The car stalled while crossing traffic. The car shakes as if the engine is about to rock out of it. It miss-fires on a regular bases. The last time I took the car in they told me it was the spark plugs this was 6/23/05.
Purchased 4 door Chrysler Sebring sedan (4 cylinder at mcdonnough chrylser of East brunswick, NJ 7/9/04 w/ 13 miles. 2 days following the purchase, car stalled at approximately 42 mph on a crowded interstate, and started right back up. Drove to dealer to find that I needed a computer software update. Took the vehicle back, idling rough, rpms jumping all over the place. Several weeks later, vehicle stalled again this time on NJ turnpike while slowing down, but not before surging forward, my foot was not on the accelerator, and again started right back up. Returned to dealer @ 994 mi, nothing registered on diagnostic check, another cpu update. Car still in same condition only did not stall. Surging got progressively worse, finally at approximately 8,000 miles car stalled countless times in the 13 mile ride to dealer, check engine light illuminated, could hardly drive the entire way. Dealer found bad ignition coil, but only because the light was illuminated could they detect a problem. Dealer kept car 3 days, did not offer rental or comp car, nor transportation to my work. Picked up car, not stalling but still idling rough, steering wheel visibly shaking. Car surges forward at every stoplight, I have just learned to control the brake to avoid accident, not accelerating properly & transmission slips at low speeds. Why can't this problem be erradicated, this is my first brand new car, and runs as poorly as my trade in did at 230,000 miles! I need a break, and I need a solution. In addition, car makes loud whistling noise between 68-73 mph, and headlights have shut off 2 times in the middle of driving at night and flickered back on also, not tracable by dealer computer.
Consumer complained about an electrical system problem. Vehicle caught on fire and burned the wiring. Also, transmission experienced problems, such as down shifting. While driving automatic transmission would go into a lower gear and remain their for an extensive period of time.
I purchased a new 2004 Sebring limited convertible from egolf motors, hendersonville, nc in Sept., 2003. I immediately noticed the engine idle was a problem because when the brakes are applied when slowing to stop, the engine seems to pulse or rev up and then die down to a normal idle. No accidents have occurred, but the engine has died on two occasions while idling. When the transmission shifts it is jerky and at times noisy. I have had the service manager and transmission specialist at egolf motors inspect and drive the car and their response is that it is normal for this vehicle. However, I drove another new Sebring on the car lot and found the transmission to shift smoothly and the idle had none of the surging features of my car. I pointed this out to the service manager and he said my car is normal and if I could replicate what is happening then to bring the car back. I left the car over night for them to examine under cold conditions and they still said it was within normal range according to their computer analysis. Granted, the idle, transmission and stalling problems are somehwhat intermittent, but I would hope their is something that can be done to fix these annoying problems. In one on-line suggestion I read that some of the problem could be caused by a faulty idle control sensor.
Transmission was replaced after only 1,000 miles. Also, vehicle experienced intermittent power surges. Consumer contacted the dealer, and dealer could not duplicate the problem. Then, dealer stated no problem, good-bye. Consumer was extremely upset.
On two separate occasions when releasing the brake pedal from a stopping position vehicle suddenly accelerated and lurched forward, consumer had to slam on the brakes to get the vehicle under control. Vehicle had been to the dealer on two separate occasions, and the transmission was replaced twice.
I have just bought a Chrysler Sebring 2004, and experienced some problems. I have not been to teh dealer yet for them, just wanted to conform the problem first. I did a search online and saw this website an dthe I agreed with all the complaints already on here. 1). the car idles badly, and when slowing down at a light or while U have your foot on the brake, the vehicle will jump forward suddenly! I almost hit the car in front of me. This has happened twice so far. I have 128 miles on my car. After reading same complaints on this website, I am affraid that the dealer will not be able to fix this, which is pathetic that a 30000 dollar car would have something like this that is so annoying. 2. when U are decellerating with ur foot on brake to stop at a stop light for example, just before the RPM needle reaches teh idle point at "1" almost.. it will suddenly go back up to about 1.5 and then come back to 1. I dont know if its bad gear shifting by teh autotran or just bad timming adjustement? but its annoying, cuz it make teh car jump a little if you are soft braking. 3). twice already the engine just dies.. and I think thsi is related to the previous two problems. I was backing up in my parking at hime.. and as soon as I put gear in reverse.. the RPM sudeenly dropped.. and eventually engine shut down. Same thing happened when I pulled up to the parking entrance at work to show my access card, and when I put it in P, the RPM dropped causing the car to stall. 4). transmission makes clunk sound sometimes while driving when changing from N to D. or when I do a cold start in teh morning and then put teh gear in D, as soon as I move teh car an inch.. it makes thsi sound.. somethimes looks liek coming from teh front end not the tran.. I donno what that is. But this also has been reported by other people on this same site, no one is hurt but I see my self bumping someone in future sooo clearly.!!
Ongoing issue with 2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible (limited edition) automatic transmission "clunking when changing gears", "not engaging gear selected" and twice transmission shift to high, then lower gear resulting in vechicle surging. First time this happened it caused the car to jerk straight forward (was in a curve) toward a bridge abutment. Second time the surging occured, was slowing down for a red light with a car in front of me. I barely missed hitting the car in front of me. Dealer replaced transmission pump, then notified me that the shift cable was broken. It was replaced. Vehicle continues all symptoms described, including new problem with clunking when shifted from park. This is new and was identified by dealer service department on 5/5/04. Dealer says they can't identify the cause so repairs cannot be made. I took the car back within days of taking possession in August 2003 only to be told that it was new and needed some time to break in.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Byron, MN, USA