Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS OFF FOR TEN MINUTES, IT WOULD NOT RESTART. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO UNLOCK THE VEHICLE, BUT THE ENTIRE IGNITION SYSTEM WAS LOCKED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. SHE IS STILL UNABLE TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 120,000.
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 LIFTED OFF THE ROAD. I HAD NO STEERING AT ALL. THE CAR ROCKED SIDE TO SIDE WHILE HEADING INTO THE NEXT LANE OF TRAVEL AND AS IT DID THE ROCKING TURNED THE CAR OVER AND OVER AND OVER SEVERAL TIMES. AFTER THE FIRST ROLL OVER I DO NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING. I BECAME UNCONSCIOUS. THE STATE POLICE WHO INVESTIGATED THE ACCIDENT STATED, THE CAR WAS GOING IN ALL DIRECTIONS ACROSS THE HIGHWAY WHILE ROLLING OVER SEVERAL TIMES LANDING IN THE BUSH OFF THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. HE STATED THAT THERE WERE 6 WITNESS AND ONE OF THEM HAD PULLED ME OUT OF MY CAR AND CARRIED ME AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE A FEW FEET (I WAS NOT CONSCIOUS). I DID BECOME SOMEWHAT COHERENT,AND HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION AND SAW MY CAR BURST INTO FLAMES. I THEN BECAME UNCONSCIOUS AGAIN UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING IN THE HOSPITAL. *JB
OWNER SAYS THAT THE FLOOR MATS BIND UP, CAUSING THE MATS TO TANGLE UP WITH THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT COUPLER, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO LOSE STEERING CONTROL. CURRENTLY THE MANUFACTURER RECALLED THE 1998-99 SEBRING JXI CONVERTIBLE LIMITED EDITION. THE OWNER HAS A JX CONVERTIBLE WHICH WAS NOT BEING RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM. *AK
RIGHT TIE ROD END BROKE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING, WITH RIGHT FRONT WHEEL NOT STEERING WHEN STEERING WHEEL TURNED. FORTUNATELY IT HAPPENED JUST AFTER EXITING A HIGH SPEED EXPRESSWAY. CAR IS WELL CARED FOR, NOT ABUSED, AND HAS ONLY 58000 MILES ON IT.*AK
CONTINUAL FRONT END PROBLEMS INCLUDING THE COLLAPSING OF THE LEFT FRONT CONTROL ARM. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A "FATAL" DEFECT IF THE CAR WERE TRAVELLING AT A FASTER RATE OF SPEED. EXPENSIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY DID NOT COVER REPAIR.. WHEELS JUST DO NOT COLLAPSE FOR NO REASON.
I OWN A 1998 SEBRING CONVERTIBLE WHICH I HAVE MAJOR FRONT END PROBLEMS. I WAS TOLD BY FIRESTONE THAT IT NEEDS A NEW RACK AND PINION. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THERE IS A SILENT RECALL ON THE RACK AND PINION OF THESE VEHICLES.*AK
PROBLEM FIRST DETECTED AS A MOANING/SLIPPING SOUND. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK
THE STEERING SYSTEM CONTINUALLY EXPERIENCES PROBLEMS, POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE STEERING LOCKED UP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED ON THREE OCCASIONS. *MJS
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .