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Research · Compact Cars

2005 Chrysler SebringRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 82 owner complaints for the 2005 Chrysler Sebring. Most complaints involve air bags (23) and electrical system (22). The EPA rates it 21–24 mpg combined.

Check a VINAdd to my garage
Combined MPG
21–24mpg
EPA · 11 versions
NHTSA overall
—
Not rated by NCAP
Safety recalls
6campaigns
Latest Jun 2015
Owner complaints
82
Top: air bags
Fuel cost / yr
$2,700est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

6 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2000-2005 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 5, 1999, to December 17, 2004, 2001-2005 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured January 19, 2000, to March 18, 2005, 2001-2005 Chrysler Sebring vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 21, 2005, and 2001-2005 Dodge Stratus vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 22, 2005. In the affected vehicles, the passenger side sun visor may be folded down in such a position that, if the passenger frontal air bag deploys, the passenger side sun visor may detach.

Air bagsReported Jun 2, 2015NHTSA 15V338000

Suspension: lower ball joint

Free remedy

QUALIS AUTOMOTIVE IS RECALLING CERTAIN AFTERMARKET BALL JOINTS SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SOCKET MAY HAVE BEEN EXCESSIVELY HARDENED WHICH COULD CAUSE IT TO CRACK NEAR THE RETAINING RING GROOVE ALLOWING THE BALL STUD TO SEPARATE UNDER IMPACT LOAD. THE SUBJECT BALL JOINTS WERE SOLD AS FOUR PART NUMBERS, D10945, D10946, G10945, AND G10946. THE AFFECTED CONTROL ARMS, D10945 AND D10946, ARE STAMPED WITH THE FOLLOWING DATES ON THE BALL JOINTS: 134308, 135708, 100109, 102709, 104109, 105509, 107609, 108909, 110309, 113209, AND 116609. THE G10945 AND G10946 ARE THE SAME PART AS THE D10945 AND D10946 RESPECTIVELY. THEY ARE LABELED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON THE AFTERMARKET CUSTOMER.

SuspensionReported Oct 9, 2009NHTSA 09E056000

Exterior lighting

Free remedy

SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Exterior lightingReported Apr 7, 2009NHTSA 09E012000
See all 6 recalls with remedies
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Oct 27, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

82 complaints filed with NHTSA · Mar 2005 – Jul 2022
  1. Air bags23
  2. Electrical system22
  3. Power train8
  4. Engine and engine cooling8
  5. Steering7
  6. Suspension6
  7. Engine6
  8. Service brakes5
  9. Wheels5

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each Sebring model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
1996433
1997294
1998319
1999263
2000172
2001269
2002234
200374
2004291
200582
2006138
2007339
2008352
200945
2010104
Crashes reported
10
Fires reported
3
Injuries reported
4
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 27, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Air bags

23 reports3 crashes2 fires
“THE HORN ON MY 2005 SEBRING WILL RANDOMLY SOUND AND WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THE STEERING WHEEL IS BEAT UPON OR VIOLENTLY SHAKEN UP AND DOWN. THE HORN DOES NOT WORK ON IT'S OWN AS A SAFETY FEATURE. IT WILL HAPPEN AT ANY GIVEN TIME, WHILE DRIVING OR SITTING PARKED. IN ORDER TO AVOID THIS, THE HORN MUST BE DISCONNECTED.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 2, 2021Steering, Air bags, Unknown or otherODI 11398688

Electrical system

22 reports
“THE HORN GOES OFF AT ANY GIVEN TIME OF THE DAY. THE HORN RANDOMLY GOES OFF WHEN THE CAR IS POWERED ON AND IN MOTION (ON THE HIGHWAY OR ON A STREET), SOMETIMES WHILE STATIONARY AND POWERED OFF IN THE DRIVEWAY - THE VEHICLE BEING VACANT. THIS IS A REOCCURRING ISSUE, ALMOST EVERY DAY. I'VE ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR 14 MONTHS. FOLLOWING SOME ONLINE RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHER COMPLAINTS POSTED TO VARIOUS FORUMS BY OTHER OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE ONLY PROPOSED PERMANENT SOLUTION BEING TO REPLACE THE CLOCK SWITCH, A COSTLY REPAIR (EST $1100). OTHERWISE, DISABLE THE FUSE CONTROLLING THE AIRBAG AND HORN, NOT SAFE!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 11, 2020Electrical system, Air bagsODI 11338778

Power train

8 reports1 crash
“The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated while approximately 20 MPH, the entire wheel detached from the vehicle. The brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle was inspected. It was confirmed that the tire had detached. No further information was available for the wheel location. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence, then to a local independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed that the lower arm joint and rear axel fractured. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000. The VIN was not available.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 8, 2022Power trainODI 11472918
All 2005 Sebring problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 27, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

11 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Compact Cars, Midsize Cars
Engines
2.4L 4-cyl · 3.0L 6-cyl · 2.7L 6-cyl
Transmissions
Manual 5-spd · Automatic 4-spd · Automatic (S4)
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline · Premium Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 27, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Sebring
Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L · Front-Wheel Drive
212924$2,700370
Sebring 4 Door
Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L, CLKUP · Front-Wheel Drive
202722$2,900404
Sebring Convertible
Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L, CLKUP · Front-Wheel Drive
202722$2,900404
Sebring
Auto (S4), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · Front-Wheel Drive
182521$3,800423
Sebring
Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L · Front-Wheel Drive
192621$3,050423
Sebring
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L · Front-Wheel Drive
182521$3,800423
Sebring
Man 5-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L · Front-Wheel Drive
182721$3,800423
Sebring 4 Door
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L, FLEX-FUEL, CLKUP · Front-Wheel Drive
192521$3,050423
Sebring 4 Door
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L, FLEX-FUEL, 2MODE CLKUP · Front-Wheel Drive
192521$3,050423
Sebring Convertible
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L, FLEX-FUEL, 2MODE CLKUP · Front-Wheel Drive
192521$3,050423
Sebring Convertible
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L, FLEX-FUEL, CLKUP · Front-Wheel Drive
192521$3,050423
  • Sebring
    Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L
    21 city · 29 hwy · $2,700/yr
    24
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring 4 Door
    Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L, CLKUP
    20 city · 27 hwy · $2,900/yr
    22
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring Convertible
    Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L, CLKUP
    20 city · 27 hwy · $2,900/yr
    22
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring
    Auto (S4), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    18 city · 25 hwy · $3,800/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring
    Auto 4-spd, 4 cyl, 2.4 L
    19 city · 26 hwy · $3,050/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    18 city · 25 hwy · $3,800/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring
    Man 5-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    18 city · 27 hwy · $3,800/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring 4 Door
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L, FLEX-FUEL, CLKUP
    19 city · 25 hwy · $3,050/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring 4 Door
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L, FLEX-FUEL, 2MODE CLKUP
    19 city · 25 hwy · $3,050/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring Convertible
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L, FLEX-FUEL, 2MODE CLKUP
    19 city · 25 hwy · $3,050/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • Sebring Convertible
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 2.7 L, FLEX-FUEL, CLKUP
    19 city · 25 hwy · $3,050/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 27, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

3 tested variants
NHTSA has not published 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2005 Chrysler Sebring as of Oct 27, 2026.
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Oct 27, 2026Vehicle 1526Vehicle 1525Vehicle 1524
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2005 Sebring questions

How many recalls does the 2005 Chrysler Sebring have?

6 safety recalls as of Oct 27, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2005 Chrysler Sebring problems?

Owners filed 82 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are air bags (23), electrical system (22), power train (8). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2005 Chrysler Sebring get?

The EPA rates the 2005 Chrysler Sebring at 21–24 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (11 versions rated).

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Oct 27, 2026