1996 Chrysler Sebring Coupe

Routine

Owners filed 9 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the suspension › front › control arm › lower ball joint. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Ball Joint3
211
Vehicle Speed Control1
000
Suspension › Rear1
101
Suspension › Front › Wheel Bearing1
000
Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Arm1
100
Suspension1
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Suspension
Filed Nov 12, 2010UT

1996 CHRYSLER SEBRING COUPE. CONSUMER WRITES REGARDING CHRYSLER EMPLOYEE LUNCH BREAK ACTIVITIES *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED HE EXPERIENCED MECHANICAL FAILURE WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH. THE LEFT FRONT BALL JOINT SUDDENLY SEPARATED AND JAMMED THE TIRE UP INTO THE FENDER WELL AT AN AWKWARD ANGLE. THE CONSUMER STATED IT COST OVER $800 TO REPLACE THE SUSPENSION PARTS ON BOTH SIDES. THE CONSUMER STATED THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE, WAS DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION, BECAUSE YEARS AGO, MANUFACTURERS CHOSE TO DELETE THE INEXPENSIVE GREASE FITTING ON SUSPENSION PARTS AND INSTEAD CHOSE SUBSTITUTED SEALED BALL JOINTS THAT WERE SUBJECT TO FAILURE. *JB UPDATED 04/26/11.

Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Ball Joint
Filed Aug 10, 2006129,000 milesCA

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE SHOOK, WHICH CAUSED A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE RUBBER ON THE FRONT LOWER BALL JOINTS HAD SPLIT. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL # 99V066003 WHICH PERTAINED TO THE LOWER BALL JOINT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Sep 23, 2005NV

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 CHRYSLER SEBRING COUPLE LX. THE THROTTLE CONTROL IS STICKING. IF COMING TO A STOP THE VEHICLE WILL CONTINUE ON AT A FULL THROTTLE. THE CONTACT CONTACTED CHRYSLER ABOUT RECALLS, AND THEY SAID THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE MAIN COMPUTER HAD TO BE REPLACED, BUT THAT REPLACEMENT WAS NOT RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP, AND THEY TOLD THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE FALSE SIGNALS FROM THE IDLE AIR CONTROL SOLENOID TO THE MAIN COMPUTER, CAUSING THE THROTTLE CONTROL TO STICK. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP YET. HE WANTED TO CONTACT NHTSA FIRST. THIS PROBLEM BEGAN NINE MONTHS AGO, AND OCCURRED SIX TIMES, GENERALLY AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 10 MPH. *AK *NM

Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Ball JointCrash
Filed Jun 7, 2005120,000 milesMD

ON MAY 5, 2005 WHILE ON INTERSTATE 95 IN VIRGINIA THE LOW BALL JOINT ON THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF MY 1996 CHRYSLER SEBRING SEPERATED FROM MY VEHICLE CAUSING ME TO LOSE CONTROL ON THE VEHICLE AND STOPPING IN THE FAST LANE ON THE BUSY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY UNABLE TO MOVE IT CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE AND THE TRANSMISSION, THE YEAR BEFORE THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO MY VEHICLE DUE TO A RECALL ON THE BALL JOINTS AND IT WAS REPLACED IN A RUSH BY A CHRYSLER DEALER, WHEN IT HAPPENED IN MAY CHRYSLER REFUSED TO REPAIR THE RECALL AND REFUSED TO PAY FOR MY RENTAL CAR FEES AND I COULD NOT AFFORD TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE OR PAY FOR THE RENTAL CAR AND NOW I HAVE NO VEHICLE ALL BECAUSE OF SHOTY WORK DONE BY CHRYSLER.

Suspension › RearCrash1 injured
Filed Aug 15, 2004100,465 milesWI

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD APPROXIMATELY GOING 65 MPH. THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE LOWER BALL JOINT BROKE, CAUSING THE WHOLE FRONT OF VEHICLE TO DROP TO THE GROUND. SLIDE A CROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC AND 1 BLOCK LATER VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP. ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS WITH REAR STRUTS. I HAVE HAD ALL PARTS REPLACED. THE ONLY DAMAGE TO VEHICLE IS THE PAINT SCRAPES TO THE FRONT LOWER PART. *JB

Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower ArmCrash
Filed Feb 15, 2004146,000 milesGA

ON DECEMBER 2000, THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS OF THE SUSPENSION OF MY 1996 CHRYSLER SEBRING WERE REPLACED. THE REPLACEMENT WAS DUE TO NOISE AND STEERING PROBLEMS OF THE CAR. THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE THEN REPLACED DUE TO THE COMPLAINT AND A RECALL ON THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS. ON 26 JANUARY 2004, THE LOWER CONTROL ARM ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE CAR FAILED AS I DROVE IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE CV AXLE TO DISLODGE FROM THE ENGINE AND DAMAGE THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND BODY OF THE CAR. I THE PROCEEDED TO CONTACT CHRYSLER FOR AN INVESTIGATION. THE CASE # IS 120-241-89. THE INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED 9 FEBRUARY 2004. *AK

Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Ball JointCrashFire1 injured
Filed Jun 2, 2003136,000 milesCA

LAST WEEK WHILE DRIVING IN MY 1996 CHRYSLER SEBRING ON THE FREEWAY MY LOWER BALL JOINT DISCONNECTED FROM MY CAR SENDING CAR OUT OF CONTROL. THE WHEEL ENDED UP UNDERNEATH MY CAR THE RIM SPARK AND LIGHTED THE TIRE ON FIRE.*AK I FRACTURED MY KNEE IN THE ACCIDENT AND HAVE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE I DONT NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS CAR, I AM FILING A SUIT AGAINST CHRYSLER THIS SHOULD OF NEVER HAPPENED. I NEED INFO ON HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS MATTER

Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch
Filed Jul 22, 2002MO

WHILE VEHICLE IS PARKED IS ABLE TO SHIFT GEARS WITHOUT KEY IN IGNITION SWITCH.*AK

Suspension › Front › Wheel Bearing
Filed May 31, 2001OH

CONSUMER STATES FRONT WHEEL BEARING WENT BAD TWICE, AND THE REAR WHEEL BEARING ALSO WENT OUT TWICE.*JB

9 of 9 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2001
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20057000Routine
20035000Routine
200216100Routine
200119100Routine
1996 — this page9010Routine

Compare every Sebring Coupe year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.