1998 Chrysler Sebring

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH THROUGH A PARKING LOT THE LEFT SIDE LOWER BALL JOINT BROKE. THE LEFT FRONT TIRE COLLAPSED BUT WAS STILL ATTACHED BY A LOWER PORTION. THIS HAPPENED WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM WITH LOWER BALL JOINT. THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPAIRS MADE AT THIS TIME DUE TO THE EXPENSE. *AK

THE LEFT FRONT CAME OFF WHILE TRAVELING 40 MPH. VEHICLE WAS TOWED. DEALER MADE THE REPAIRS TO THE UPPER BALL JOINT. MANUFACTURER TOLD THE CONSUMER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER.*AK ON 12/31/04 THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL DISLOCATED FROM VEHICLE, CAUSE WAS DUE TO FAILURE OF LOWER LATERAL BALL JOINT WHICH IS NOTED IN SAFETY RECALL 00V421002. DAIMLER CHRYSLER HAS REFUSED TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES TO VEHICLE AND EXPENSES. *BF

I PURCHASED THIS CAR ON NOV 2, 2003. WHEN I PURCHASED IT, THERE WAS A RATTLING NOISE WHEN YOU GO OVER BUMPS, AND ALSO WHEN THE CAR GOES UP TO 70 YOU COULD HERE A GRINDING LIKE NOISE IN (WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE ENGINE). THEY TOLD ME TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE CAR AND THEY SCHEDULED ME FOR SERVICE THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY. WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR IN, THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T WORK ON CHRYSLERS AND SENT THE CAR TO TUFFY. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO PICK UP THE CAR, THE GUY TORE UP THE BILL OF SERVICE AND SAID YOU'RE ALL SET, SO I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS DONE. WHEN I ASKED FOR A COPY HE SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE IT, BUT COULD IT ORDER IT FOR ME. WHEN I DROVE HOME, THE RATTLING NOISE UNDER THE FRONT LEFT SIDE WAS GONE, BUT WHEN I GOT OFF THE FREEWAY AND TRIED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, THE CAR PULLED AWAY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND DIDN'T WANT TO TURN. I ALMOST RAN INTO A TREE. I CALLED AND TOLD THEM ABOUT IT, SO THEY HAD ME BRING IT IN THAT FOLLOWING MONDAY FOR SERVICE. WHEN I PICKED IT UP AGAIN, THEY SAID THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE BEARINGS, THAT THE BEARINGS WERE BAD. AS I DROVE OFF THE LOT AND ONTO THE FREEWAY, YOU COULD HEAR A GRINDING NOISE UNDER YOUR FEET AS THE WHEELS TURNED AND ALSO ANYTIME YOU TRIED TO APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES, THE CAR WOULD GRIND LIKE THE THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN THE WHEELS, BRAKES AND STEERING. I WAITED 3 DAYS TO MAKE SURE IT WASN'T JUST ME. BUT WHAT APPEARED IN THE BEGINNING TO BE A SLIGHT GRINDING WHEN YOU GET UP TO A CERTAIN SPEED EVOLVED INTO A PROBLEM THAT WAS MUCH WORSE. A PROBLEM THAT YOU COULD HERE MORE CONSISTENTLY, EVERY TIME YOU APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES, OR JUST SOMETIMES DRIVING ALONG THE STREETS YOU COULD HEAR THE GRINDING IN THE WHEELS, LIKE SOMETHING HAD RUSTED OR GONE BAD, WHICH CAUSED THE CAR TO DRIVE HARD. IT TOOK A LOT MORE POWER TO ACCELERATE, SO MUCH SO THAT IT FEELS LIKE THE OVERDRIVE DOESN?T WORK (IT TAKES THAT MUCH POWER TO GET THE CAR GOING, AND IT WASN?T THAT WAY BEFORE.

SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON OCT 2003. TOOK IT TO THE GOODYEAR (GY) SERVICE CENTER PUT ON A DIAGN. MACHINE. INDICATED MISFIRES. MAJOR TUNE-UP PERFORMED. PICKED CAR UP 4:30 P.M. SERVICE ENG LIGHT WAS OFF. BY 8:00 P.M. IT WAS ON AGAIN. TOOK BACK NEXT DAY & ANOTHER TUNE-UP DONE W/ CHRYSLER POINTS & PLUGS THIS TIME. PICKED UP THAT AFTERNOON. LIGHT WAS OFF. CAR RAN ROUGH & MADE LOUD ROARING NOISE. NEXT DAY LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK CAR BACK. NOISE STOPPED. LIGHT OFF FOR A FEW HOURS & CAR WAS STILL RUNNING ROUGH. COST INCL. TIRES - $1480.00. IN RICHMOND, VA FOR 5 WKS FOR TRNG FOR NEW JOB. DEC 4, CAR IDLED ERRATICALLY. EVERY TIME SLOWED DOWN IT CUT OFF. TOOK IT TO MEINEKE SERVICE CENTER IN RICHMOND. DIAG. INDICATED ERRORS W/ FUEL INJECTORS & MISFIRING. TOLD ME TAKE BACK TO GY FOR THEM TO CORRECT. THAT DAY TOOK TO GY SERVICE CENTER. THEY CONTACTED WARRANTY PERSON & GY SERVICE CENTER IN DANVILLE, VA & TOLD ME DANVILLE GY SAID WHEN I BROUGHT CAR TO THEM IT DIDN'T HAVE INJECTOR PROBLEM & WARRANTY PERSON SAID ID HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY WORK. MADE AN APPT. HAYNES CHRYSLER JEEP IN RICHMOND TO CHECK CAR 12/9. INVOICE STATED "5 DIFFERENT CODES PRESENT. MULTIPLE MISFIRE, INJECTOR #2, #4 & #6 CONTROL CIRCUIT, MAP SENSOR WON'T CHANGE ON START UP. PERFORMED DIAG TEST W/SERV MANUAL 4 EVERY SINGLE CODE. NO PROB FOUND. CALLED ED TECCONECT FOR HELP. WE FIGURE THAT EGR VALVE WAS CAUSING ALL THE PROBLEM. REMOVED & REPLACED EGR VALVE. TEST DROVE. CAR RUNS NORMAL." THE COST WAS $452.43. MADE APPT. WI/CHRYSLER SERVICE HOME FOR RECALL WORK ONBALL JOINTS. 12/18-HUSBAND LEAVING FOR WORK CAR WOULDN'T GO IN GEAR AT 1ST. "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT BACK ON. THE CAR HESITATING BEFORE GOING INTO GEAR HAS OCCURRED 2 OR 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS. TRIED TRADING VEHICLE. OWE APPROX $12,000 ON IT, TRADE IN VALUE ABOUT $5,000.DEALERS WANT $9,000-$10,000 DOWN PAYMENT. *AK

DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH BALL JOINT AND VIBRATIONS WHEN TRYING TO STOP VEHICLE I RAN INTO THE BACK OF A TRUCK AND PUSHED THAT TRUCK INTO THE BACK OF A MERCEDES. THE IMPACT WAS SIGNIFICANT AND RESULTED IN A HOLE IN THE FRONT OF MY 98 CHRYSLER SEBRING LXI. LUCKILY, NO ONE WAS HURT. THE DRIVER OF THE MERCEDES WAS ANXIOUS TO LEAVE THE SCENE AND SINCE THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE TRUCK I HIT, EVERYONE AGREED NOT TO STICK AROUND FOR THE POLICE. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO MY SON, WHO WAS 18 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME, WAS DRIVING AND WHEN HE FAILED TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN HE RAN INTO THE SIDE OF SOMEONE ELSE'S CAR. THIS INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE POLICE AND THERE WAS A COUPLE THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE TO MY CAR, NOT COUNTING THE DAMAGE TO THE OTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. MY SON BUMPED HIS HEAD, BUT THANKFULLY, WAS NOT SERIOUSLY HURT.*AK

WHEEL HUB BEARING ON LEFT REAR WHEEL WENT BAD. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT THESE PARTS SHOULD NOT GO BAD UNTIL I REACH AT LEAST 80,000 MILES ON MY CAR. HIS COMMENT WAS THAT THE PART MUST HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE FROM THE START. MY COMPLAINT ABOUT THE MOLDING: I TOOK MY CAR TO AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH AND IT CAME OUT WITH A BENT MOLDING WHICH THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP SAID HAD TO BE REPLACED AND COULD NOT BE FIXED. THEY ENCOURAGED ME TO GET THE MONEY FROM THE CAR WASH, HOWEVER, WHEN INVESTIGATING THEY DETERMINED THAT THE MOLDING ON MY CAR WAS LOOSE ON THE OTHER SIDE AND THE CAR WASH COULD NOT BE AT FAULT. THIS WAS $200.00 OUT OF MY POCKET FOR A POORLY ASSEMBLED CAR.