1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible JXI from North America - Comments

I have a 1998 Chrysler Sebring JX Convertible. I bought it with 50,000 miles on it and have driven it for four years without many problems described here on other models.

Except:

I have had the flooding in the rear and passenger side, but somehow, it inexplicably stopped (the flooding). I didn't have anything done to the car so I can't explain that phenomenom, but hey I am not complaining.

I had a new motor put in for the convertible top in the first 4 months of purchase. That was covered in my warranty.

I have had usual wear and tear (brake pads, fuses, new headlights, battery, etc). But thankfully nothing major (knock on wood)...

When I took it in for a an oil change recently, the car

was leaking oil, brought it back and they repaired what they broke (they never told me)...

I would love to buy seat covers, but I am not spending 200 on custom seat covers. If anyone can point me in the direction of where to buy them I would appreciate it.

The only other thing I can see that no one has mentioned

is that I have had a problem with the ignition for the last year. My dealer looked at it and said nothing is wrong. Of course the ignition problem didn't arise when I brought it in. But many times, the ignition key either gets stuck in the ignition or the key won't go in and turn. I had a friend at work who had this car and he suggested I get a small rubber mallet and hit the key straight in when it won't go in (the hammer works like a charm) and then when it gets stuck, I gently rap the gear shifter to get the key loose. I know it sounds whacky, but it works. Since my dealer saw this car three times without result, I don't mind carrying the small mallet with me.

Also, my CHECK ENGINE light has been on for two years and the dealer also checked a couple of times and ruled out anything wrong and I have twisted my gas cap until my arm fell off, but the light prevails. Sometimes I am driving and it goes off for a day or two...whoooppeee.

So it has its quirks, but I love the car, the convertible top is in good shape (very good shape for over 4 years),

it's completely paid for, the ride is smooth, it's great on gas, it's roomier than a lot of other models, fully loaded, and I only have 95,000 miles on it now and the dealer told me it wasn't even broken in it yet.

So I live with and love the unique personality of the car, warts and all.

I found this site that has a "How to" section on various repairs to Sebrings. I have a 96 and have the same tach/odometer not working problem. Haven't tried it yet, but I will. the address is:

http://www.sebringclub.net/gallery/howto.

I am an owner of a 2000 JXI sebring. I've had some of the same problems that have been mentioned before. I've learned through my experiences that if the passenger side floods, there are about 4 very small and very ineffective drain holes along the side of the bottom of the car. A simple bobby pin or toothpick can easily clean out the small holes. I've actually taken screw drivers and widen the holes so that the problem wouldn't persist. I've also removed the drain plug in the right rear tire well to avoid any water building up at all.

One person mention their key getting stuck in the ignition. I had the same problem, fortunately I had the problem in my mechanics parking lot after an oil change! 300$ to fix! Anyway, a preventative step to take is to spray the key and the key hole with WD40 (so says the mechanic). I do it every once in a while when I think about it and have not had any problems since.

I also had the transmission trouble that one person spoke of a few posts back... found out it was faulty transmission sensors and that's why when you turned the car off and restart the engine it worked just fine. Not sure how to prevent something like that.

This car, (mine at least) has nickel and dimed me to death. I love it dearly and will always make the necessary repairs, but I sometimes wonder if other vehicles have as many "small" problems as this one. On the flip side though, the car has always gotten me from A to B. It has always started and run well (with the exception of the transmission problem, but even then I was able to drive where I needed to go). The car looks sharp and runs impressively on the road. I enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone with a few extra bucks to spare.

I have a 1998 Limited Edition and nothing, but problems. The horn does not work, the instrument panel lighting is out, I have had to replace the air conditioning compressor, drier, everything pertaining to the air conditioning, I have had to replace twice. The heating element has come off the rear window four times. The blower would only blow on high and I have replaced resistors twice and replaced the blower motor. Just recently, the air conditioning started blowing hot air and the car running hot, had to replace the cooling fan. If anyone can give me any information on the instrument cluster panel and the horn, please email me at martarion@aol.com. PS the only good thing about this is I have had no water leaks and no problems with the fuses blowing and so far, no problems with the top coming apart. I would like to get rid of it, but it is paid for and I don't want a car note.

I have a 96 Sebring conv JXI that has had many of the same problems listed here. OK, the problem with the instrument cluster is due to a resistor on the back of the printed circuit board burning out. Go to ebay and look at digital dash solutions. They offer a repair/ exchange service. I purchased one about 6 months ago and no problems so far. They actually repair the boards with a heavier duty resistor so that it is better than oem standards. I think it was around $125 plus shipping for the part. If you have ever replaced a car stereo you should be able to handle replacing the entire gauge set yourself. The popping sound noted in several posts is most likely the lower ball joint going bad. Replaced the lower control arm/ball joint assembly on mine and this problem was cured. I am now having electrical issues with mine as the alternator is overcharging. Suspect it may be the short in the starter mentioned in numerous posts, but don't know yet. The common water problem is caused by small drain holes (oblong slots) in between the rocker pinchwelds. These just need to be checked and cleaned out every so often to prevent this problem.

I also own a 1999 Chrysler Sebring JXI. It has been a great car and very reliable. This past May, it rained and the passenger side of the car flooded. The car was taken to the dealership and carpets cleaned, dried out, etc. It is now October and the same thing happened yesterday! Apparently when the car was fixed, no one found the cause of the water coming inside the car. After it rains, you can actually hear the water sloshing around somewhere inside the car, but I cannot find where the water may be building up. I have read a lot of the same problems on this website today. Does anyone have any information on why these cars do this? I have owned this car for (6) years.

I have a 2000 Jxi convertible with on again off again leaking/sloshing in the right rear of the vehicle also. Very disappointing when Chrysler won't back up their own design flaws. They want 100 dollars to drill out larger holes, so it will drain properly. Chrysler makes good looking cars, that are engineered poorly, and the company just dumps it all on you. I will NEVER buy another cheap Chrysler!!

Re: Sebring Sloshing:

Same problem and got fed up today. After removing the back seats and everything around and finding them bone dry, I drove the car forward and back quickly to hear the sloshing; and I did. Although I seem to get water in the rear well, this never allowed water into the back seat. What I had today was under the "running board" on the driver side between the wheel wells, running the full length. After riding back and forth quickly, I noticed water dripping from half a dozen places below this wheel well between the welds. A hammer and a medium sized nail solved the problem instantly. There is a weld every two inches or so under this running board and I drove a nail up between every other weld. I must have lost a gallon of water in two minutes. I don't know where the water came in, but now I know it will run out without filling up my interior floor behind the front seat. One thing. As I got further up, the water pouring out was darker and orange so I am guessing that this water was around for a long time. Open up from front well to rear well every few inches to make sure any old build up drains before eating away at your sheet metal. The metal is pretty thick at these welds and I have no visible signs of rust of any kind. Hope this helps.

I own a 1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible and I enjoy the car, however I've had the same problems with the water drainage as well as the cluster going on and off. This site has been very useful in helping me deal with these problems. Does anyone have, in addition to the check engine light being on all the time, a problem with the car shutting off after the cluster shutting down? It seems to be either electrical or the fuel pump. A mechanic also told me it could be the fuel sending unit or the fuel pump in conjunction with that. Feedback is greatly appreciated.

I have a '98 Sebring Convertible with a radio problem... Has anyone had a problem with the Infinity radio/ 6 C-D player cutting in/out?

I am puzzled as to why it comes and goes for no apparent reason. While it is working, I can hit the hardest of bumps in the road and it will keep playing, and on the other hand, I can be sitting parked and the radio will shut off.

Sometimes it comes right back on, but usually it stays off for days at a time. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I have a '98 Sebring convertible with the same flooding issues as others and maybe now I can remedy that. More recently my heater takes forever to warm up, does anyone have any suggestions as to what may be the problem. Thanks.

I purchased a 1999 Chrysler Sebring convertible JXi from Carmax in 2004 with 42,000 miles. I too had the back seat flood after I had the car about 6 weeks. I could hear water sloshing around in the back, but I didn't know where it was coming from. I purchased the extended warranty from Carmax, and they may not have charged me either way since it had only been about six weeks, but they did all the repairs at no cost. They had to replace the entire stereo, speakers and carpeting. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina and they worked with a very good wind and rain specialist that was well aware of the problem with the flooding in the Sebrings. I believe he made the holes larger which has since solved the problem.

I currently have 71K miles, and the only major complaint I have so far with the car is the brakes. I've never felt since the day I purchased it that the brakes have been good. I had it checked numerous times, had a new master cylinder, brake pads, etc. I worry that if someone pulls out in front of me that I won't be able to stop in time. I've just learned to live with.

I hope to keep the car as long as possible after it's paid off hopefully in the next six months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't run into any major repairs such as the transmission.

I have had my 1997 Chrysler Sebring JXI for about five years now. I never had many problems until it was paid off. Why does it always seem to happen like that? Anyway, I have the flooding in the passenger side and rear, too. I always thought it would cost a fortune (which I don't have) to fix it. It has been like this on and off for about a year. I only wish I knew about this site then. It has gotten to the point that it comes into the car down at the feet of the passenger side. Right out of the screw and bottom of the plastic side. Now it is starting to rust. It is not from the inside water build up, but from the screw. It has turned the carpet an orange color. Does anyone know how to get rust stains out of carpet instead of paying a bunch for new carpet?

Another problem I have has to do with my leather seats. One day I looked at my back seat and saw a big tear about 6" or so. Barely anybody sits back there and of all the seats why the back. I also have some on the drivers seat. Does anyone happen to know how much it would be to get new seat covers?

About the problem with your car not heating up well lately...

Last winter I had the same problem too. My coolant kept leaking so they had to replace the whole system. Ever since then my heating has been great. You may want to check up on that. Otherwise I have no clue.

Thank you everyone for your help.

Maria-Ohio.

I own 1998 Chrylser Sebring Convertible JXi with 57,000 miles on it located in the Chicago area. I drive it all year round, 7-10 miles/day, but not very far. The styling is great. It handles well in Chicago weather. It rides solidly with the top down, especially with after market larger tires and rims on it. I really enjoy the car, however I am concerned about future issues after reading through this site as my car gets older.

I have experienced some of the more minor issues. I have included some solutions and hope it helps someone.

1.) Ignition/key not turning which an ignition switch died and professionally replaced.

2.) My rear window defroster contact fell off while I was cleaning the window. I repaired it by using a soldering iron to reattach the contact (strange angle, but successful). Defroster works fine.

3.) I had a suspension arm on the front passenger side replaced because the wheel sounded as though it was hitting unusually hard and flat while going over pot holes or bumps. I had it professionally replaced.

4.) I have recently experienced my heater not generating heat while sitting at stop lights during the recent extreme Midwestern winter, but once I started driving warm air does come out.

5.) My rear view "auto sensing" mirror leaked a bluish gel through the map light button. It no longer dims when headlights are sensed and it has a permanent cloudiness. I'm replacing it with a used standard mirror with map lights. Hopefully it will fit!

6.) I also have noticed a brake "fade" when stopping. It maybe low on brake fluid.

7.) When braking into turns, my driver side front ABS seems to be engaging and sounds like my tire is rubbing inside the wheel well during the turn. The tire is not rubbing. Not sure what it is.

Since I replaced my tires and rims, if interested in OEM 16' 5 spoke Gold Vented Alloy wheels (see www.wheelcollision.com/wccpix/2099agold.jpg for sample picture) as replacements or full size spare, feel free to contact me at mblebo@yahoo.com.

Good luck and enjoy the upcoming nice weather in your convertible!

I just bought a used 97 Sebring JX convertible. I used to work for Chrysler as a detailer, and the water inside always was strange. Now seeing here, I know what to look for in a fix. What access do I need to use to best suit the problem? Do I go through the trunk sides, floor boards, or what?

I too have the ignition problem, I just put up with it for now.

It is a new car to me, with about 128,000 miles, but it runs great! Any other symptoms I should look for in this car? I want it to last me a while.