31st May 2009, 21:22
I have a '97 too. It's been nothing but problems. It's a good looking car. But in a year it's cost me thousands in repairs. Not two months goes by when I have to bring it in again. Good looking car... but that's not enough.
18th Jun 2009, 16:04
Flooding:
There are plugs in the rear wheel wells. Pop those out and the undercarriage should drain. It's no fun driving around in a pool, I know.
18th Jun 2009, 21:40
I've owned a 1997 Chrysler Convertible Sebring for about 5 years now. In that time, I've spent over $17,000.00 in repairs to the car. Parts are unreal, price wise. A muffler was quoted from $650.00 to $50.00. Depending where you shop. This car is a total nightmare to work on, and it's like every part is hidden so you have to tear the car apart to get at anything. I saw the recalls regarding this car, and it appears that Chrysler refuses to back any of them up. I could have bought a very nice, expensive car, brand new with the money I've put into this car so far. I've replaced everything but the roof so far. Some things up to 3 times so far.
19th Jul 2009, 22:34
I have a 1998 Sebring Convertible and while driving, even though the doors are closed, the door chime is going off and the interior lights are flashing. The constant dinging is driving me crazy. Anyone with an answer on how to stop this, please email me at BGraham41@aol.com. Thanks.
8th Aug 2009, 13:10
I have a 1998 Chrysler Sebring JXi Convertible and have replaced almost every part. Just realized after a couple days of rain that the car was taking on water. When it rained, I usually had the day off or had to use the other vehicle. Well I learned that the drain holes were clogged, but this had cause my radio to short out and drain my battery. However, I am wondering could this have cause my car to jerk, like it's not receiving enough gas, at take off?
2nd Dec 2009, 08:55
Hi everyone. I live in Spain and own a 1996 JXI, I love the car, although it has the usual problems, here is what I have done to cure some of them.
Flooding - open up the drain 'holes' underneath the car and remove the rubber 'bungs' in the wheel arch. This helps, but has not stopped it completely.
Amp under seat had blown due to aforementioned flooding - removed it completely.
Fuses kept blowing especially starter fuse - used the next amp fuse i.e replaced a 20A with 30A etc, this cured all my electrical problems.
Brake fade - upgraded front discs (rotors) to grooved and slotted ones, check ebay, very cheap.
It is not the greatest car in the world, but for cruising in the sunshine here in Spain, it is ideal, quite cheap to run and very cheap to insure, comfortable, practical (4 seats) and a head turner, even though it is 13 years old.
29th Dec 2009, 13:33
Well my 1997 Sebring Convertible JX has the usual problems as well. The starter fuse that kept blowing I replaced with a 25 amp fuse.
I still have the problem, but not as often due to the brushes being bad, and once in a while having to tap on the starter to get it to work.
I can tell when the fuse blows, because the check engine, brakes and several other instrument lights quit working, along with the radio.
I'll change the starter tomorrow when it warms up to 41 (heat wave here in VA). Never heard of having to remove an oil filter to change the starter. What was Chrysler thinking. Oh well, seems like an early oil change as well.
As far as leaks go I just removed the plugs so it will drain out. My top seems to be coming apart at the edges seams. I guess if it survives the winter months, I'll look for a new top. Course I won't need a top on purdy days, so I may just build a carport.
Oh yeah, I gotta replace both my tie rods too. The trip to Florida (last week) did show me that the the odometer and tach do work. Seems like it just doesn't like the cold that much. I might try to tackle that job this summer too.
Good luck to all the fellow Sebring owners, and if you wanna talk about something Sebring, email me at freebyrd_04@yahoo.com
2nd Apr 2010, 21:55
I love my 98 Sebring. I purchased it for a grand about two years ago. Just had my transmission repaired and that cost me a mint, but it's old and you have to expect that sort of thing eventually.
My car doesn't hold water anywhere that I know of.
My rear defroster worked when I bought the car, but now it doesn't. If that's easy to fix (a new fuse) or something, I can do that if someone lets me know.
My only problem killing me now is my doors. I'm having the same problem a previous poster had with my door chime, interior lights and child locks randomly going on and off while driving. It's making me EFFING insane.
I get ill while I'm driving. Anyone have any ideas why this might be happening? Hopefully it's an easy fix because I just spent 2800 on the transmission.
Thanks for any help I get. It really means a lot to me if I can drive my car without having a panic attack.
28th Apr 2010, 11:31
I have had just about all the aforementioned problems with my '97 Sebring Convertible, except for the 'dinging' sounds.
My battery went dead a couple of times, and I lost the memory to my on-board computer that controls the transmission, so I had to have that re-programed... cost $50 plus $35 towing.
I bought a tarp to cover my roof during rainy times, and that stopped my back floor boards from flooding... but still don't know exactly where the water entered in the first place.
Odometer and tach work when they want to... was told that was in the wiring under the dash. Once in a while a good 'smack' to the underside by the ignition switch seems to perk it up.
I have a belt that is starting to squeal, but don't know if it's the serpentine or V-belt, and would a few shots of 'belt spray' do it any good. Car has 146,000 miles on it. I'm overdue a belt change, but how much does that cost?
Any comments or questions would be greatly appreciated. Reply to: jyuma123@yahoo.com. Thanks.
18th May 2009, 22:29
Thanks to everyone who made posts, a special thanks to those who posted solutions as well. I'm thinking about buying a 97 this week, for only $3000-so all the info. on here was helpful notes I can take to the pre-purchase appointment.
Glad I found the site!