1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible JXI from North America - Comments

I own a 1997 Sebring Convertible. It's a beautiful car, but the problems I have had since day one are too numerous to count. I bought this car used, with 36,000 miles on it. Within 3 months of purchase, I had to have the transmission replaced. 20,000 miles later the trans cooler lines were leaking, and the radiator had to be replaced. Several recalls and 6 brake jobs including rotor replacements. The odometer and tac work when they want to, and the dealer can't seem to find the problem,though they have taken the dash apart at least a dozen times. The top has always leaked on the driver's side, so when it rains I have a towel with me. The dealer says the top does not leak. The carpets are full of mildew stains, and the car has a mildew stench. Now at 84,000 miles the front right side creaks and squeaks and the dealer and my very reliable neighborhood mechanic cannot find the source of the noise and say I just have a squeaky car. It squeaks down the road (loudly) and it is much worse when I turn the steering wheel. (people stare!) On a more positive note, the car always starts and seems to handle mid-western states winters very well! I just wish the rear defroster worked (it never has). I also had to have the motor for the power windows replaced at about 50,000 miles. The front speakers in the dash have been blown since about 50,000 miles as well and I do not blast the stereo. The labor cost to replace those is ridiculous, so I just do without, and use the back speakers. The speaker covers in the doors are in an awkward place and being a very tall person I have put my foot through them while exiting the car, so my speaker covers have huge holes in them. I don't want to replace them until Chrysler comes out with covers made out of metal instead of plastic, because it will probably keep happening. It's not just me, because I had a passenger do the same thing. I love the car though, and I will drive it until the day it dies, which I hope is not for a long time, seeing as I have quite a bit of money invested in it.

Hello I was wondering if anyone can help me? Recently I purchased a 96 Sebring LX with 128,000 miles on it, mostly highway miles. I had to have a tune up on it and and spark plug wires and a couple of valves replaced which was quite costly that was a month ago now. The other day when I put the car into reverse and shifted back into drive, it wouldn't go, but the engine kept reving up. After switching the gears a couple times, the car finally decided to go. Does anyone have any suggestions on what might be wrong? Feel free to email any possible answers to phattygurl721@yahoo.com thanx.

I have a '97 Sebring Convertible, bought used, have had the car one year, and I LOVE IT! but... some similar problems as other owners. Tonight, on the rainiest night in South Florida in a month, my driver's side window took it upon itself to lower all the way down into the door (on it's own, what is that?) and now will not come back up (peek-a-boo!). A week ago my horn went from perfectly normal to barely a 'bird chirp'. My rag-top, too, is pulling away from the rear window, my digital odometer comes on when it likes (usually off), and possibly the biggest annoyance is the river of water that streams straight down into my interior when I open the door in the rain, from the seam where the rag-top meets the windshield frame. However, for having put 30,000 miles, in one year, on a 6 y.o. car (used), I STILL LOVE IT!

BUT, if anyone has any answers to any of the aforementioned annoyances, I'd appreciate some advice, thanks :0)

rogersgv@hotmail.com.

I own a 97 Sebring LXi, with the Autostick option. The car has been running fine, but there are still a LOT of little things wrong with it, some more serious than others. First off my Odometer and Trip Computer displays come on of their own accord, which is usually never. I have the exact same flooding problem that I see repeated here time and time again. My roof is coming apart, but the roof is 7 years old now, so that is no biggie to me. I also have a "indeterminable" leak from somwhere near the front right tire... more on the engine side of it all, but in that quadrant. The driver's door has also came apart as well, I mean the interior components are actually separating from the door, and makes this horrid jarring sound when closed. I am not ruff on the door either, it just seems the little cheap plastic pegs have given up, and don't hold on any more. I have done the Rotor Repair dance as well, that was a $800 pain in my rear. Also the leather on the driver's seat has ripped right down the middle as well. I said when I bought the car that I will drive it until it falls apart... looks like that is going to be sooner than later. BMW here I come.

I just bought (3 weeks ago) a 1-owner 1998 Sebring JXi Limited Convertible from my trusted Honda dealer, and so far have not had any of the problems discussed; however, this forum has been educational in that I know what to watch for over the next several thousand miles!

I bought mine with 85K miles, and it still looks very, very clean -- it looks/feels/drives like it's been very well taken care of -- dash is perfect, displays are all operating correctly, the top and the rear window are together, no cracked leather, etc. We don't get much rain here in Tucson, so I don't know yet if I'll get a wading pool on the back floorboards. I have had it washed and there's a small amount of seepage, but nothing alarming.

So far, the only thing I did need was the rotors turned 3 days after I bought it, but the Honda dealership where I bought it didn't even charge me for that! (whew!)

Wish me luck as this is my dream car -- I've wanted a convertible since I was probably 8 or 9 years old!

I still have a '96 Dodge Dakota pickup I bought new, and a 2002 Honda Odyssey I bought new -- both have been great vehicles (3rd Honda; any surprise?). I have put a lot of money in routine maintenance for the truck, but nothing extraordinary.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

JN in Tucson, AZ.

Hello everyone, I must say the comments I have read make me very nervous. I am the parent of an 18-year-old boy who is graduating in a few days. I have decide to buy him a 1998 Sebring JXI. It looks great, but after reading all of the comments I am scared to purchase it. I want a car that is dependable and won't suck him dry in repairs. Thank you all for you comments. If you have any encouraging comments please let me know. chambep1@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us.

Paulette.

1996 Sebring JXi - pretty decent car, very fun to drive - early models tend to be a bit quirky.

But that's true with any car, and convertables are notoriously tricky.

I've had the car for a few years and driven it pretty steady (and I'm not easy on cars) and this one has held up pretty good. The only things I've noticed is that the car tends to get break squeal pretty often (not because the brakes are worn, but because they get grit in the brakes pretty easily). The top is wearing and I'll probably have to replace it before the year is out (but hey, this is a 96 and it's what, 2004 original top? No biggie!). When I first got the car, there were a few annoying issues to take care of and I'm looking at a possible egr valve, but to be honest, the car has been good to me... only normal wear items.

Take care of the car, and it'll take care of you - and it is very fun to drive. :-)

HI, I'm having a big problem with my 1997 Sebring JXi. It's the infamous 20A Ignition Fuse that blows. I had replaced it a couple of times and it was fine for a bit. Now I just keep replacing it and it keeps blowing. I had it towed to the shop and (after reading the comments on this board) had them replace the starter. No change... They have checked everything and can't find a problem. The only other option that they have is to replace the ignition switch (which they are waiting for a part and will do once it comes in) but if that doesn't fix the problem - they say that they don't know what else they can do for me!!

I have a 1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible JXI and have some of the problems as noted in this forum. I also do most work on my vehicle myself as I don't trust dealers or others to do the work properly. I have nearly 100k on it and have had the rotor problems and most recently the odometer and tachometer going dead only to come back to life a few minutes down the road. Has anybody determined what component replacement is needed to correct this problem? Email me at chagee@swbell.net.

I have also had the rear window defroster right tab fall off. You can go to www.frostfighter.com and order new tabs and/or the proper electrical adhesive to make the repair yourself. Don't waste your money on getting a kit from Auto Zone it won't last.

I have never had the water flooding problem and sure hope I never do so I have no advice there. I have had the mysterious 20amp ignition fuse problem and this was remedied by replacing the starter. Too much amperage was being pulled by the starter and was blowing the fuse. If you do this yourself you will have remove the oil filter to change out the starter.

My most recent problem is I am hearing a thud coming from what sounds like the suspension system, specifically the drivers front side. I thought maybe I had a broken strut and has those replaced, but it did not alleviate the problem. Now, I am also experiencing some drift with this as well. Could this be a bad ball joint causing this? Has anyone experienced this problem? Email me at chagee@swbell.net if you have an answer.

There is also a common problem with odor in the evaporator coil with the A/C. (Seems to be a problem with a lot of vehicles, not just Sebrings).Since these fins run horizontal and not vertical, the moisture accumulates and does not properly drain into the pan for displacement out the condensation tube AFTER the car is turned off. There are expensive ways to fix this, but the most practical is just before you shut the engine off, turn the A/C off, but leave the blower on high and switch the temperature dial to HOT and run it for about 30 to 60 seconds. This should dissipate most of the moisture in the evaporator cavity compartment. At least this works for me (when I remember to do it).

One last thing, yes, one of my horns went out. Seems the horns have a tendency to accumulate rainwater because of they was they are positioned under the front spoiler. If you replace them from an auto shop you will have to make modifications to the wiring harness at the spoiler (horn costs about $15.00 at Auto Zone). Otherwise, buy it from the dealer.

I enjoy reading the forum and thanks to everyone for input. My email: chagee@swbell.net.

The problem with the disappearing displays for the gauges is caused by the eletronics going bad on the board. This board runs all the gauges,speedometer and odometer. This is an expensive item to have replaced (about $600.00 at dealer less if you find a speedometer repair shop that can do it.) The problem will only get worse and affect more items as time goes on.

I too have a 97 JXI. Bought it at 36,000 and have 90,000 now. Love it. Had the speedo-tack cutting out problem and just went to local wrecking yard for the circuit board. It really is an easy repair. The dash comes apart in about 10 minutes when you do it a couple of times. I just replaced the back oxygen sensor. I used a universal one from NAPA. The hardest part was getting all of the center consul out of the way to get to the wiring. I could do it pretty quickly now that I have done it once. My factory repair manual was no help on this at all.

Repairs that I have to do soon include changing the spark plugs. Some of the intake manifold parts have to come off as I understand it. Everything is running great now.

I had trouble with the sensor that stops the seat belts from moving when you make a quick stop. That sensor is at the bottom of the center shift consul. Easy to change and again about $25. at the auto wrecker.

I hope this information is valuable to someone.

Jay

Aurora, Oregon.

I own a '96 Sebring jx. Like most in here I have a lot of problems. I found that some of the problems I have had were a result of the battery and bad battery wires. My car was stalling after I would drive for a while. This seemed to fix it. My biggest peeve (besides the water leaking in from the body) is the way the engine is designed. I had a tune up on my car recently and it cost me $400. This price includes replaced spark plug wires. The way the engine is designed I could not replace the plugs myself. I have also owned a '95 Dodge Stratus. For the guy above, you might have a bad ball joint. On this car my ball joint fell apart and dug a groove in the wheel. Overall I would say I am disappointed in the quality of these cars. They get an A for aesthetics, but a D for quality.

I bought a 1997 Sebring convertible from a wholesaler about 2 years ago. The car so far performed to my expectations, I do not have any leaks... Knock on wood... But maintenance wise she has had a lot of problems. The car has a 151,000 miles and just had the biggest service bill I have ever seen. Fuel pump was replaced along with all new wiring harnesses, O2 sensor, brakes all the way around, new computer and programming, new gaskets in and out, new alternator, and we found out not to get after market parts at Auto Zone, they will work for a little while, but wear out quickly on Chrysler products. Would have saved a lot of money if I had put Mopar parts back on the car. Total bill by the time they were done was 2964.00, trust me always think about the quality of the parts before you put the on. I found new leathers seats and motors in a junk yard for 100.00 good deal replaced and installed myself. All in all I am very happy with my car and there are good and bad in every vehicle someone owns. I plan on buying a new Sebring this year.

I recently purchased a ’97 Sebring JXI Convert (80,000 miles) that had been in storage for the past 2 years. I too am having a problem with the tack and odometer not working or working when it wants to. It works more often when it sits in the sun all day.

I also had the problem of the rattle/clunking noise in the front drivers side wheel/suspension area. Thanks goes out to chagee@swbell.net for the heads up and at his expense that it wasn’t his struts. I passed this information on to my boyfriend who then dug in further and found out that in my situation, it was the Sway Bar/Rod End. The part cost $40.00. As of yesterday, I no longer have the noise that drove me ‘nuts’!

The way to test this to see if you have the same problem is to place a pry bar between the frame and sway bar near the rod end. Place one hand on pry bar, the other on then rod end feeling for any play/looseness’ or noise. In my case there was a 1/16th of an inch play that caused the knock/rattle.

I own a 1997 Chrysler Sebring JXi. I have not had any problems with it *knocks on wood* yet. It has almost 160,000 miles on it. I have only had it since May, so I am relatively new to all of this. I had the oil changed and have a tune up scheduled for next month. I haven't experienced any of the flooding that's been mentioned (although now I do worry about it!), the only thing I have noticed is that with the really heavy rains we've been having here in NC lately (thanks to Ivan) the passenger side of the car does leak a little bit from the convertible top.

The only other problems I have had are:

1. My headlights look cloudy. It looks as if water may have gotten into them at some point, but I have no clue how to get it back out.

2. I have no problem with my odometer or trip mileage, but I do have a problem with the other display where the temperature/miles/directions/etc. show up. My "compass" always says it's either S or SE, no matter where I am driving.

3. The person who had the car before me had a parrot that ate small holes in the back of both seats and I cannot find seat covers that work with convertible tops (since the seat belts come out of the seat itself) - any suggestions?

And I saw that someone mentioned a replacement top for the convertible - how often should these be replaced? Also, where do you get them? Are they only available from a dealership?

Any information that you can provide would be very helpful!! My e-mail is lhiannon_sidhe@bellsouth.net and my AIM is GlasBaisteach. Thanks!