2001 Chrysler Sebring Steering Problems

ON FEBRUARY 14 2012 SOMETHING ON MY LEFT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL BROKE, I COULD NO LONG STEER AND THE WHEEL LAID OUTWARD TOWARD THE GROUND. THERE IS A LONG ARM LIKE PART, THAT WAS LITERALLY HANGING OFF THE WHEEL. IT IS NOW UNOPERABLE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I AM SO GLAD I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 30 MPH DUE TO TRAFFIC, I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT A AUTO ACCIDENT. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2001 CHRYSLER SEBRING 5 YEARS AGO. NICE LOOKING CAR, BUT THE ENGINE IS TOTAL JUNK. TRANSMISSION LEAKS, LEAKS OIL, POWER STEERING, MASSIVE VIBRATION WHEN AT A STOP, MASSIVE ENGINE NOISE. ENGINE IS JUNK. HAD TO TRADE IN FOR A MUCH BETTER AND RELIABLE CAR. I WILL NOT PURCHASE CHRYSLER AGAIN. *TR

WHEN MOVING THE STEERING COLUMN, ALL POWER CUTS OFF IN THE CAR INCLUDING THE MOTOR STOPPING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE AND THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM, BUT A FEWS MONTHS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM CAME BACK. IT OCCURS EVERY TIME THE STEERING WHEEL IS ADJUSTED. *TT

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHRYSLER SEBRING. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT WHEEL ASSEMBLY DETACHED WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, HE REPLACED THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT AXLE AND BOTH FRONT BALL JOINTS. APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS LATER, WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTART IT FOR IT TO PERFORM NORMALLY. AS OF DECEMBER 17, 2007, THE MECHANIC HAD NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 138,888.

SINCE I BOUGHT MY VEHICLE IN 2001 I HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY WINDOW, STEERING CLICKING, POWER TRAIN COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION COMPUTER, TAPPING IN THE ENGINE, ENGINE FAILURE, CRANKSHAFT, NOW SERVERE KNOCKING. I WILL NOT ADVICE ANYONE TO PURCHASE A SEBRING FROM CHYSLER. IT'S SAD THAT CHYSLER NOT HELPING CORRECT THE PROBLEMS THAT THEIR VEHICLE HAS. *NM

ON TURNING INTO A MAIN STREET IN OUR TOWN FROM A DRIVEWAY, THE INNER AND OUTER TIE ROD ENDS ON THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL ON MY CAR PULLED APART, RESULTING IN A COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. DUE TO THE LOW SPEED INVOLVED, I WAS ABLE TO FORCE THE CAR TO THE CURB WITH NO FURTHER DAMAGE. I HAD BEEN DRIVING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY I-89 EARLIER, AND HAD THIS FAILURE OCCURRED THEN, COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL, AND THE POSSIBLE DEATH OR INJURY TO MY WIFE AND I WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO VERMONT TIRE, HERE IN SOUTH BURLINGTON, WHERE THE TIE ROD ENDS (401-1704 & 401-1737) WERE REPLACED AND THE FRONT END WAS RE-ALIGNED. I HAVE THE OLD PARTS FOR INSPECTION, IF DESIRED. TOTAL MILEAGE ON THE CAR WAS 62285. NOTE, THE TIE ROD ENDS NORMALLY THREAD TOGETHER. IN THIS CASE CORROSION ALLOWED THESE PARTS TO PULL APART COMPLETELY. EXCEPT FOR ABOUT A HALF INCH AT THE VERY TOP OF THE THREADED END OF THE ROD, THE ROD COULD BE INSERTED AND WITHDRAWN WITH LITTLE OR NO RESISTANCE, AND THIS IS HOW THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THERE WAS NO WARNING IN THE STEERING CONTROL OF THE CAR TO INDICATE THE FAILURE WAS ABOUT TO OCCUR. *JB

AT ABOUT 51,000 MILES MY CAR BEGAN MAKING LOUD SQUEAKING NOISES FROM THE FRONT END EVERY TIME YOU PASS OVER A SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD. IT ALSO DEVELOPED MAJOR VIBRATIONS IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN THE CAR WAS SLOWING UP TO STOP. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE CHRYLSER DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT THE INNER TIE RODS WERE METAL TO METAL AND IT ALSO NEEDED NEW RACK AND PINION STEERING. THIS AMOUNTS TO NEARLY $1,000 EXPENSE ON A CAR JUST A LITTLE MORE THAN ONE YEAR FROM THE TIME THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. THE CAR IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE SINCE THE STEERING CAN GO OUT. I HAD VERY LITTLE ADVANCE WARNING OF THIS PROBLEM AND AM NOT PREPARED TO INVEST THIS KIND OF MONEY IN ORDER TO HAVE A SAFE CAR FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. WE HAD PLANNED TO DRIVE THIS CAR ON VACATION IN THREE WEEKS. IF I HAD NOT TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER TO INVESTIGATE, IT VERY WELL MIGHT HAVE CAUSED A FATAL CRASH WITH MY TWO SONS IN THE CAR. *AK

I AM HAVING ISSUE WITH MY TRANSMISSION, (THE ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) PART WHICH I HAD AN ESTIMATE OF CLOSE TO $2000 TO BE REPAIRED.

FRONT END SUSPENSION, WHEEL BEARING & STEERING - GRINDING NOISE WHEN GOING OVER SMALL HOLES OR HILLS SUCH AS SPEED BUMPS & POT HOLES. ALMOST NEVER WHEN DRIVING DIRECTLY FORWARD, BUT OFTEN WHEN TURNING. DEALER MADE 4 (FOUR) REPAIR ATTEMPTS AND STILL HAS NOT GOTTEN IT RIGHT. NOT 2 MONTHS AFTER LAST REPAIR, WHICH TOOK SIX WEEKS TO GET ALL THE PARTS TOGETHER (DURING WHICH THE LEMON LAW COVERAGE FOR MY CAR EXPIRED - GO WONDER ABOUT THAT..) THE NOISES HAVE RETURNED AGAIN. OTHER ISSUES, I HAVE SEEN 6 TOTAL ISSUES MENTIONED IN THIS SITE THAT I CAN IDENTIFY WITH. AS FOR THOSE SUDDEN ACCELERATIONS SOME HAVE MENTIONED, YES I AGREE THE PEDALS ARE TOO CLOSE WHICH MAKES IT EASY TO MASH BOTH BRAKE & GAS PEDALS. *JB

AFTER IT RAINED, WATER COLLECTED IN A PUDDLE ON THE BACK INTERIOR FLOORBOARD. THE DEALER PREVIOUSLY SUSPECTED THE WATER CAME FROM THE DOOR SEALS AND REPLACED THEM, HOWEVER THE LEAK RESURFACED AND IT DID NOT COME FROM DOOR SEALS. CONSUMER BELIEVED THE LEAK CAME FROM THE CHASSIS. *JB OTHER PROBLEMS ARE AS FOLLOWED: CD PLAYER MALFUNCTIONED, A/C UNIT FAILED AND WAS REPAIRED TWO TIMES, THE DOOR PANEL WAS REPLACED, THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED/SQUEALED WHEN TURNED/REPAIR KIT WAS INSTALLED/CLOCKSPRING WAS REPLACED, THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T START, THERE WERE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, A LOUD SOUND HAD COME FROM THE BRAKES, THE WINDOW BUTTONS WERE LOOSE AT THE SWITCH, AND THE ENGINE CRANKED BUT DID NOT START AND WAS FOUND TO BE FLOODED. SCC

STEERING RACK MAKES CLANKING/RATTLING NOISE WHEN TURNING OVER ROUGH PAVEMENT. CAN BE FELT THROUGH STEERING COLUMN. SERVICE TECHNICIANS AT DEALER HEARD NOISE BUT COULD NOT INITIALLY IDENTIFY IT. THEY DROVE 4 OTHER 2001 SEBRING SEDANS AND HEARD SAME NOISE. CONTACTED CHRYSLER AND WERE TOLD IT WAS STEERING RACK. I WROTE LETTER TO CHRYSLER AND WAS TOLD THAT NOISE IS A "CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR." I AM VERY CONCERNED SINCE STEERING IS INVOLVED. WOULD LIKE THIS PROBLEM FIXED AND NOT TOLD "THEY ALL DO IT."

STEERING WHEEL IS VERY LOOSE AND MAKING A GIRDING NOISE SINCE DATE OF PURCHASE . CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER AND A REPAIR SHOP, AND WAS TOLD THAT PARTS HAD BEEN OMITTED DURING MANUFACTURING, CAUSING VEHICLE TO HAVE POOR STEERING CAPABILITIES. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NARY 05/21/2003 *MR THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED REAR BRAKE SUSPENSION, TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE, REAR WINDOW SEALANT LOOSE, AND STEERING PROBLEMS. *CB

WAS GOING AROUND A CURB THROUGH A DRIVE THROUGH WINDOW WHEN STEERING LOCKED UP. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP , AND WAS ABLE TO TAKE VEHICLE IN FOR INSPECTION. WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT CAUSE OF STEERING LOCK UP COULD NOT BE FOUND.*AK *JB

SVC ENGINE COOLANT LIGHT COMES ON INDICATING ENGINE AND/OR EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. DEALER CAN NOT SAY WHY. LIGHT IS RESET (BY DISCO. BATTERY). DIAG CODE PROVIDES LITTLE TRBL ANALY. INFO. CAR SEEMS TO RUN/OPERATE NORMALLY, BUT TDICATE A MALFUNCTION IN EMISSIONS CONTROL SUBSYSTEM. GAS CAP IS SECURE AT TIME OF INDICATION. LIGHT DOES NOT RESET AUTOMATICALLY EVEN AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF CONTINUED DRIVING. MUST DISCO. BATTERY TO CLEAR LIGHT. NO IDEA IF THIS IS FALSE INDICATION, INDICATION OF MINOR PROBLEM, OR INDICATION OF MORE SERIOUS PROBLEM.*AK