30 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 1998 Chrysler Sebring cite power train, 9% of all 319 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 2 recalls on this component.
“1998 CHRYSLER SEBRING. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TRANSAXLE FLOOR SHIFTER IGNITION/PARK INTERLOCK RECALL REPAIR HISTORY. *SMD THE CONSUMER WANTED TO KNOW, IF THE VEHICLE WAS FIXED PROPERLY, DUE TO THE FACT THE VEHICLE WAS RECENTLY PURCHASED AND THE RECALL WAS ISSUED IN 2005. *JB”
“I WENT TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION LOOKED AT AS IT'S UNDER WARRANTY. I BOUGHT THIS CAR WITH 75,000 MILES ON IT 3 YEARS AGO. SHORTLY AFTER THAT THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. WHEN THE MECHANIC PUT ONE IN HE FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS ALREADY A USED ONE IN THERE. TWO MONTHS LATER THAT TRANMISSION WENT OUT AND IT GOT REPLACED. WELL THIS BRINGS US TO PRESENT DAY WHERE I'M GETTING IT CHECKED OUT AND HAVE THEM CHECK EVERYTHING OUT. THEY TELL ME THAT THE REAR BALL JOINTS ARE OUT AND IT'LL COST $1200 TO FIX IT. I'M LIKE THAT'S NOT WORTH IT. I THEN FIND OUT THAT THIS IS RECALLED. *JS”
“I HAVE THIS CAR FROM 2011, I WENT TO THE DEALER ON BAKERSFIELD CA, TO PROGRAM THE ALARM PAGER, THEY CHANGE THE SHIFT PART BECAUSE HAVE A RECALL, AFTER THAT DAY MY CAR START TO STOP, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES OFF, I CHANGE THE SPEED SENSOR ON THE TRANSMISSION, THE CRAMCHACK SENSOR, THE DISTRIBUTOR, THE MAP SENSOR, THE EGR VALVE, THE FUEL PUMP AND FUEL FILTER, ALL THE RELAYS, THE CAR WORKS FOR A LITTLE AND START TO STOP SUDDENLY, ANYWHERE. SOME TIMES I GO TO THE STORE TO BUY GROCERIES, HE START TO SHAKE FROM THE SUSPENSION, AND THE CAR STOP 2 OR 3 TIMES, ON ONE TRIP. ON AUGUST 15 I WENT TO BAKERSFIELD TO SEE MY DOCTOR BECAUSE I'M PERMANENTLY DISABLE, AND THE CAR STOP ON THE FREEWAY AT SPEED OF 65 MILES, I LET THE CAR FOR A WILE RESTING AND AFTER THAT HE START AGAIN, WHEN I GO OUT ON UNION EXIT THE CAR STOP AGAIN, TODAY I WENT TO THE MARKET AND I HAVE TO PUSH THE CAR ALL THE WAY TO MY HOME. THIS CLASS OF CARS GAVE TROUBLE TO EVERY BODY WHO HAD ONE OF THIS MAKE. NEED HELP TO SEE IF YOU CAN DO SOMETHING WITH THE CHRYSLER CORPORATION. *TR”
“UPON ATTEMPTING TO START THE CAR, I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL OR JIGGLE THE GEAR IN PARK IN ORDER TO START THE CAR. I REPLACED THE STARTER THINKING THAT WAS WHY THE CAR WOULD NOT START. I WAS INFORMED BY SEVERAL AUTO PART STORES THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH, HAD THAT REPLACED AND THE CAR STILL WOULD NOT START. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO GANLEY DODGE TO HAVE THEM PUT THE TRANSMISSION BACK INTO MY CAR, WHICH COST ME $70 PLUS $180 DIAGNOSTIC. THE GANLEY DODGE GAVE ME A QUOTE OF $3500 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. THAT WAS NOT IN MY BUDGET, I THEN HAD MY CAR TOWED BY TRANSMISSION WORLD TO THEIR SHOP, I EXPLAINED TO THEM THE PROBLEMS I WAS HAVING WITH MY CAR, PRIOR TO THIS I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT TOOK TRANSMISSION WORLD A WEEK BEFORE THEY COULD GET THE TRANSMISSION OUT OF THE CAR, TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION TAKEN OUT AND TAKEN APART TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG IT COST ME $2,037.00 FOR A 3 YEAR WARRANTY ON A NEW TRANSMISSION. *TR”
“AFTER EXPLAINING TO MY MECHANIC THAT MY FRONT END WAS RUBBING AND GRINDING AT A SPEED OF 40 AND ABOVE, AND THAT IT WAS WORSE WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT OR BEARING LEFT, WHILE BEARING RIGHT THE RUBBING AND GRINDING LESSENED A LOT. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT HE REPLACED FRONT BRAKES & BALANCED WHEELS. THE SAME SITUATION STILL EXISTED. HE STATED THAT MY FRONT AXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, & HE WOULD REPLACE IT WHEN HE CAME BACK FROM VACATION. I EXPLAINED TO THE MECHANIC THAT IT WAS GETTING WORSE AND IF MY CHILDREN AND I WOULD BE SAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNTIL HE RETURNED, HE SAID IT WOULD BE FINE TO DRIVE. ON JUNE 30TH 2007 ,THE CHILDREN AND I NOTICED IT WAS GETTING WORSE. I DROVE THE CAR HOME. I THEN DECIDED TO GO FOR A RIDE WITH IT, ALONE. I STARTED DRIVING ON ROUTE 195 EAST IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE WITH MY CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 65 MPH. SHORTLY AFTER CROSSING THE RI/MA LINE THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY LOOSE AND I HEARD A VERY LOUD BANG. MY CAR THEN STARTED TO LIFT OFF THE GROUND. LIFTING THE RIGHT SIDE & THEN THE RIGHT. I TRIED TO APPLY MY BRAKES BUT WITH TWO TIRES OFF THE GROUND THEY WERE NOT WORKING. I TRIED STEERING THE CAR IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THAT WAS BEING…”
“CONSUMER CONCERNED ABOUT 1998 CHRYSLER SEBRING INTERLOCK SHIFTER. *TS THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES TO GET THE RECALL REPAIRS PERFORMED, BUT HE CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS. *JB”
Showing 6 of 30 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FLOOR SHIFTER IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK MAY FAIL AND ALLOW THE SHIFTER TO BE MOVED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION WITH THE KEY REMOVED. AN INOPERATIVE INTERLOCK MAY ALSO ALLOW THE KEY TO BE REMOVED WHEN THE SHIFTER HAS NOT BEEN PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS. THE ADJUSTMENT OF THE CABLE CONNECTING THE CONSOLE SHIFTER MECHANISM TO THE IGNITION KEY CAN CAUSE A TRAPPED KEY CONDITION WHICH CAN RESULT IN A LOW FORCE REQUIRED TO DEPRESS THE SHIFT BUTTON. A COMBINATION OF APPLYING A MIS-ADJUSTED RELEASE BUTTON WITH A LOW FORCE ATTEMPT TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK WITH THE KEY IN THE LOCKED POSITION, CAN BREAK THE CONNECTING PIN IN THE SHIFTER.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.