DEALER TRIED TO FIX THESE DEFECTS, BUT COULD/DID NOT?BOTH SITUATIONS ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS! NO SAFETY DEFECTMENTIONED. *AK
1998 Chrysler Cirrus complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1998 record →
A/C COMPRESSOR SEIZES AND BREAKS THE CLUTCH COMPLETELY FROM THE COMPRESSOR DISABLING THE SYSTEM, TSB ON FAILURE. MJS
SEAT BELT LOCKED UP, CONSUMER EXPERIENCED DISCOMFORT DUE TO TIGHTNESS. NEW BELT TOO SHORT CAUSING DISCOMFORT ALSO. MJS
DESIGN FLAW--THE FRONT END IS TOO HEAVY FOR THE REAR END. CAUSES BUMPY RIDE WHILE TRAVELING AT FAST SPEEDS. IF WEIGHT IS APPLIED IN THE TRUNK, THE RIDE BECOMES SMOOTHER.
AT A STOP, THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED UNEXPECTEDLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY ACCELERATE.OCCUPANT PRESSED THE BRAKE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN. OCCUPANT HAD TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION AT WHICH TIME, CRUISE CONTROL TURNED OFF. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN, REAR AXLE BROKE. THERE WAS NO PRIOR WARNING OF THIS HAPPENING. VEHICLE IS BEING REPAIRED BY THE DEALERSHIP. *AK
1.COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE WHILE SPEED WAS AT 45MPH CAUSED FULL BRAKE PRESSURE TO BE APPLIED TO VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC. VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. I WAS INFORMED AFTER SERVICE A BOLT WAS MISSING HAVING SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE ALTERNATOR. I ASKED WHAT COULD CAUSE THIS. THE RESPONSE FROM THE SERVICE ADVISOR WAS "IT PROBABLY WAS NEVER TIGHTENED ON AT THE FACTORY." 2. FOG LIGHTS FAILED TWICE FIRST TIME I WAS TOLD "THE SAUDERING AT THE JUNCTION SOMETIMES DOES LAST LONG INITIALLY" THE SECOND FAILURE IS UNRESOLVED 3. DASH INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATION FAILURE IS UNRESOLVED.
VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AND WENT INTO REVERSE AND CONSUMER HAD FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL WHEN VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND KEPT GOING. CONSUMER STEPPED REAL HARD ON THE BRAKES AND VEHICLE STOPPED. ALSO, DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED. *AK
WITH BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, VEHICLE WENT FROM PARK TO REVERSE AND SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. CONSUMER PRESSED VERY HARD ON BRAKE PEDAL AND STOPPED VEHICLE. VEHICLE THEN WENT TO DRIVE AND SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD CRASHING INTO HOUSE. CONSUMER BRAKED AGAIN AND AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH OR LESS VEHICLE WENT OVER A CURB WHICH CAUSED A PASSENGER'S TIRE BLOW OUT. ALSO, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, AND THE OCCUPANT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. DEALER STATED THAT TIRE BLOWOUT CAUSED THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
ON 2/16/99, I WAS IN THE DRIVE THROUGH LANE AT A BANK TO MAKE A DEPOSIT. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 8 VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ME. AS EACH VEHICLE ADVANCED TO THE WINDOW, I TOOK MY CAR OUT OF PARK, PUT IT INTO DRIVE, AND ADVANCED THE LITTLE YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE SITTING IN LINE. I DID THIS APPROXIMATELY 5 OR 6 TIMES WHILE WAITING TO GET TO THE WINDOW. AS THE PICK UP TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME ADVANCED TO THE WINDOW, I TOOK MY CAR OUT OF PARK WHICH YOU CAN NOT DO WITHOUT PUTTING FOOT ON THE BRAKE. SUDDENLY, THE CAR LEAPED FORWARD AT A HIGH ACCELERATED SPEED. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKES AS THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE BANK. BOTH AIRBAGS WENT OFF. WHEN THEY GOT ME OUT OF THE CAR, THE GIRL IN THE VEHICLE RIGHT BEHIND ME SAID THAT THAT WAS THE WIERDEST THING SHE HAD EVER SEEN. SHE SAID THAT MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT THE BACK END OF THE CAR WAS UP AND THE WHEELS WERE SPINNING RAPIDLY. THE WHOLE INCIDENT HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. I KNOW THAT I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. I WAS SITTING IN THE DRIVE THRU LANE AT A BANK. MY FOOT NEVER WAS NEAR THE GAS PEDAL AT ANY TIME. THIS WAS THE MOST FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE OF HAVING NO CONTROL WHATSOEVER OF YOUR VEHICLE WHEN IT SUDDENLY LURCHES FORWARD OUT OF CONTROL AND THE BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED. FORTUNATELY, I SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, AND THANKFULLY THERE WERE NO PEDESTRIANS OUTSIDE AT THE TIME. MY VEHICLE IS NOW BACK AT THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP WITH AN ESTIMATED REPAIR OF $8,000.00. I WILL HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED, BUT I DO NOT INTEND TO KEEP IT. I
EMERGENCY BRAKE HANDLE CRACKED RESULTING IN FAILURE. MJS
MODULE FAILED. *YC
VEHICLE MAKES A CLUNKING SOUND WHENEVER VEHICLE STARTS TO MOVE, WEATHER IN FRONT/REAR DRIVING OR MAKING TURNS. DEALER NOTIFIED AND UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
REAR RESTRAINTS DO NOT RETRACT PROPERLY. THE DEALER AND MANUAFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PARK POSITION AND THE ENGINE ROARED UP AND THE CAR JUMPED OUT OF GEAR, AND ROLLED BACKWARDS AND HIT A TREE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING, THE ANCHOR TO THE SEAT BELTS FELL OFF. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN. *AK
WHEN FILLING THE FUEL TANK WITH FUEL THERE IS NO INDICATION THE TANK IS FULL, CAUSING FUEL TO LEAK OUT OF THE TANK. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED THE TRANSMISSION CAUGHT FIRE. DEALER IS CHECKING VEHICLE. *AK
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1998 Chrysler Cirrus → · Every Cirrus year → · How the figures are calculated →