IllustrationWHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE VEHICLE'S FLOOR MAT GOT TANGLED INTO THE STEERING MECHANISM BECAUSE THERE IS NO COVER FOR THAT PART. AS A RESULT, THE STEERING MECHANISM FAILED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *LA
1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 72.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sebring Convertible years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
50–25K
625–50K
850–75K
975–100K
13100–150K
3150K+
44 reports with mileage · 33 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports2 fire reports7 injury reports
What owners actually said
77 reportsELECTRONIC GEAR SELECTION INDICATOR, ELECTRONIC ODOMETER, AND TACH. GUAGE DO NOT WORK. HAVE TO GUESS WHAT GEAR VEHILE IS IN. NEVER WORKS WHEN CAR IS STARTED, BUT ABOUT 50% OF TIME IT WILL START WORKING AFTER DRIVING FOR 10-15 MINUTES. *AK
SINCE OWNING THE VEHICLE THE STITCHING AROUND THE CONVERTABLE WINDOW HAS COME UNDONE. THE CONSUMER CALLED THE MANUFACTURER ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND GOT NO RESPONSE. *NM *NM
I HAVE A 97 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE JX. RECENTLY THE THREADING HAD BEEN PEELING AWAY AROUND THE CONVERTIBLE TOP. I SUBMITTED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON THE NET, LOCAL NEWS STATION, AND WITH DAIMLERCHRYSLER. IN THOSE COMPLAINTS I HAD MENTIONED CONCERN OF MY BACK WINDOW POSSIBLY FLYING OUT THE BACK OR WORSE YET, FALLING IN ON MY 2…
Read full complaint
I HAVE A 97 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE JX. RECENTLY THE THREADING HAD BEEN PEELING AWAY AROUND THE CONVERTIBLE TOP. I SUBMITTED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON THE NET, LOCAL NEWS STATION, AND WITH DAIMLERCHRYSLER. IN THOSE COMPLAINTS I HAD MENTIONED CONCERN OF MY BACK WINDOW POSSIBLY FLYING OUT THE BACK OR WORSE YET, FALLING IN ON MY 2 YEAR OLD SON IN HIS CAR SEAT!!!! ABOUT 3 OR 4 WEEKS LATER, MY HUSBAND WAS GETTING IN THE CAR AFTER WORK AND IN A PARKED POSITION DECIDED TO PUT THE TOP DOWN (SINCE THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING ABOUT A YEAR PRIOR) TO THE CONVERTIBLE, HE THEN HEARD A CRACK AND AS SOON AS LOOKING BACK THE WHOLE WINDOW SHATTERED IN OVER 1000 PIECES ALL IN THE BACKSEAT AND THE HUB TRUCK AREA AND MY SON'S CARSEAT!!!! MY WORST NIGHTMARE HAD COME TRUE. I HAD NEARLY BRAINSTORMED THAT THE WINDOW WOULD FLY OUT THE BACK OR THAT IT COULD FALL IN! THANK YOU JESUS, MY SON WAS NOT IN THE CAR!!!! I HAVE CONTACTED CHRYSLER WICH DID NOTHING BUT CHARTED MY COMPLAINT AND IS PROBABLY SETTING IN THE DATABASE WITH NO ACTION... THIS REALLY CONCERNS ME... I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO TURN. MY INSURANCE SAID THAT I NEEDED TO MEET MY 500 DOLLAR DEDUCTIBLE IN ORDER FOR THEM TO TAKE CARE OF THE REST OF THE BILL, WHICH WILL ONLY APPLY TO A BACK WINDOW... NOT A CONVERTIBLE TOP... HELLO, SINCE THE TOP IS STILL UNRAVELING THIS NEW BACK WINDOW THAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT ONLY HAS A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THE SAME THING HAPPENS AGAIN! MY GUESS, SINCE THE THREADING WAS ALREADY COMING LOOSE IT CAUSED THE BACK WINDOW TO GO OFF TRACK UNKNOWINGLY... THEN WHEN MY HUSBAND PUT THE TOP DOWN IT WAS NOT POSITIONED CORRECTLY CAUSING THE WINDOW TO BE IN THE WAY OF THE CONVERTIBLE TOP RECLINING. PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT JADEROMPF@AOL.COM IF YOU HAVE ANY HELP TO GIVE OR HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. *LA
THE THREDDING AROUND MY 1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE TOP IS SLOWLY COMING LOOSE WICH WILL THEN RELEASE MY BACK WINDOW WHICH COULD CAUSE A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE ROAD INVOLVING INNOCENT DRIVERS. THE POTENTIAL LOOSE BACK WINDOW COULD NOT ONLY FLY OUT AT ANY GIVIN MOMENT IT ALSO COULD FALL IN TO THE BACKSEAT OF MY CONVER…
Read full complaint
THE THREDDING AROUND MY 1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE TOP IS SLOWLY COMING LOOSE WICH WILL THEN RELEASE MY BACK WINDOW WHICH COULD CAUSE A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE ROAD INVOLVING INNOCENT DRIVERS. THE POTENTIAL LOOSE BACK WINDOW COULD NOT ONLY FLY OUT AT ANY GIVIN MOMENT IT ALSO COULD FALL IN TO THE BACKSEAT OF MY CONVERTIBLE WHICH RAISES AND BIGGER CONCERN FOR ME BECAUSE I HAVE MY 2 YEAR OLD SON IN HIS CAR SEAT. MY WISH IS THAT CHRYSLER CORP. WOULD RECALL THESE DEFECTIVE TOPS BEFORE THEY HAVE TO SPEND MILLIONS ON LAW SUITS INVOLVING ACCIDENTS WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL OWNER OF THE SEBRING CONVERTIBLE. WELL, I THOUGHT I WAS ALONE ON THIS ISSUE UNTIL LAST WEEK WHEN MY LOCAL NEWS STATION AIRED A SHORT NEWS CLIP ON CHRYSLER OWNERS. THEY PUT OUT A CALL TO ALL CHRYSLER SEBRING OWNERS IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA (FLORIDA) THAT WAS HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM ... THEY RECEIVED OVER 100 COMPLAINTS... THATS JUST IN 1 CITY!!! GO TO WWW.TBO.COM TYPE KEYWORD (IN TOP RIGHT CORNER) : PROBLEM SOLVER THEN CLICK CHRYSLER SEBRING LINK. I HAVE LOTS OF PICS OF THE CONVERTIBLE TOP UPON REQUEST.*AK
DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RELEASE FROM THE RETRACTING POSITION, SO THE BUCKLE COULD NOT BE FASTENED. DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE DUE TO A DEFECTIVE RETRACTOR. DEALERSHIP HAD TO TAKE APART THE ENTIRE DRIVER SIDE SEAT TO INSPECT THE RETRACTOR.*AK
WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 25 TO 30 MPH AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED. TOWED VEHICLE TO THE INDEPENDENT SHOP, AND TECHNICIAN DETERMINED A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 25 TO 30 MPH AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED. TOWED VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP, TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THE NEED FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION OR REBUILT THE OLD TRANSMISSION.*AK
THE CONVERIBLE ROOF IS UNRAVELLING AT THE SEAMS, MAKING IT UNSIGHTLY AND DANGEROUS. I HAD WATER IN MY FOOR IN THE BACK SEATS AND AN UPHOLSTERY SHOP DISCOVER A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE BODY CAUSING THE LEAK. IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY FIXED. BUT THE SOFT TOP ROOF TO BE REPLACED WOULD COST $1250-. IT IS MY OBSERVATION THAT T…
Read full complaint
THE CONVERIBLE ROOF IS UNRAVELLING AT THE SEAMS, MAKING IT UNSIGHTLY AND DANGEROUS. I HAD WATER IN MY FOOR IN THE BACK SEATS AND AN UPHOLSTERY SHOP DISCOVER A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE BODY CAUSING THE LEAK. IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY FIXED. BUT THE SOFT TOP ROOF TO BE REPLACED WOULD COST $1250-. IT IS MY OBSERVATION THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF CONVERTIBLES DURING THE MODEL YEARS OF 1997 (MINE) AND OTHER YEARS (1998- ?). I CALLED CHRYSLER AND THEY NOTED MY COMPLAINT BUT HAVEN'T ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM TO MY KNOWLEDGE. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AS I SEE IT ON MANY CONVERIBLES. WHAT IF ONE OF THESE TOPS WERE TO TEAR LOOSE? THAT'S MY CONCERN!!
DESIGN DEFECT - REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER - THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER ON MY 1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING STOPPED WORKING. THE WIRE ATTACHING THE DEFOGGER TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAS BECOME DETACHED. IT HAD BEEN REATTACHED BY THE DEALER TWICE, BUT ON THE THIRD OCCASION THE DEALER ADVISED THAT IT COULD NOT BE FIXED. …
Read full complaint
DESIGN DEFECT - REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER - THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER ON MY 1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING STOPPED WORKING. THE WIRE ATTACHING THE DEFOGGER TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAS BECOME DETACHED. IT HAD BEEN REATTACHED BY THE DEALER TWICE, BUT ON THE THIRD OCCASION THE DEALER ADVISED THAT IT COULD NOT BE FIXED. IT IS APPARENTLY REATTACHED WITH SOME KIND OF GLUE. I WAS ADVISED THAT IF I WANTED TO GET THE DEFOGGER TO WORK I WOULD NEED TO INSTALL A NEW REAR WINDOW AT A COST OF OVER $800. THE NEW SEBRING CONVERTIBLE;E USES A WIRE WITH A PLUG TO ATTACH THE REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER TO THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. CHRYSLER APPEARS TO HAVE RECOGNIZED THE DESIGN DEFECT AND PROVIDED A FIX, ALTHOUGH NOT TO OWNERS OF 1997 SEBRING CONVERTIBLES. NOTE: THIS DESIGN DEFECT APPEARS TO BE A SAFETY DEFECT THAT CAUSES A DANGEROUS CONDITION WHEN THE DEFOGGER FAILS, I.E., IN RAINY OR SNOWY CONDITIONS THE VISIBILITY OUT OF THE REAR WINDOW IS DANGEROUSLY REDUCED. *NM
Official recalls
104V021000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift
Jan 13, 2004
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FLOOR SHIFTER IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK MAY FAIL AND ALLOW THE SHIFTER TO BE MOVED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION WITH THE KEY REMOVED. AN INOPERATIVE INTERLOCK MAY ALSO ALLOW THE KEY TO BE REMOVED WHEN THE SHIFTER HAS NOT BEEN PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: EITHER CIRCUMSTANCE MAY RESULT IN THE VEHICLE ROLLING AWAY WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOAD-LIMITING PUSH ROD INTO THE FLOOR SHIFTER LEVER OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 14, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA03011 · Auto Trans IGNITION-PARK Interlock
Opened Jul 17, 2003 · Closed Jan 30, 2004
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:automatic Transmission; Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift
THE MANUFACTURER REPORTS ABOVE ARE BASED ON DAIMLERCHRYSLER?S (DC) ANALYSIS OF MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998 (POPULATION = 356,384) AND 1999 (POPULATION = 486,948) JA, JX AND LH FAMILY SUBJECT VEHICLE DATA (EARLIER MYS EXCLUDED).THE POPULATION NUMBER INCLUDES ALL MYS.THE PRECISE NUMBER OF DUPLICATES BETWEEN ODI AND DC REPORTS CANNOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO MISSING OR INCOMPLETE INFORMATION.THE FATALITY INCIDENT INVOLVED AN ELDERLY PERSON WHO ATTEMPTED TO STOP A ROLL AWAY VEHICLE AND RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.ODI ALSO GATHERED INFORMATION ON MY 1997-99 PROWLER VEHICLES IN THIS INVESTIGATION. THE PROWLER VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH A DIFFERENT DESIGN SHIFTER MECHANISM (THE SHIFT LEVER IS SHORTER).THERE ARE NO COMPLAINTS OF PROWLER INTERLOCK FAILURE IN ODI?S DATABASE, AND DC HAS RECEIVED NO REPORTS EITHER.THE PROWLER IS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL SCOPE.THE INVESTIGATION INVOLVED A CONDITION WHERE THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM COULD FAIL (OR BE MADE INOPERATIVE BY THE OPERATOR) DURING VEHICLE USE, POSSIBLY INADVERTENTLY.THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM IS REQUIRED UNDER FMVSS 114.WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN THE PARK POSITION AND THE IGNITION KEY OFF, THE COMBINED ACTION OF PRESSING THE SHIFT BUTTON AND PULLING THE SHIFT LEVER REARWARD MAY RESULT IN THE OPERATOR OVERCOMING THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM AND CAUSE THE MECHANICAL LINKAGE OF THE SYSTEM TO DISCONNECT.WHEN THIS OCCURS, THERE IS NO OVERT INDICATION TO AN OPERATOR THAT THE SYSTEM IS DEFEATED, AND AN INCREASED RISK OF VEHICLE ROLL-AWAY EXISTS.UNDER RECALL 04V021, DC WILL REPLACE DAMAGED SHIFT MECHANISMS, AND WILL INSTALL ON ALL VEHICLES A DEVICE WHICH INHIBITS THE OPERATOR?S ABILITY TO OVERCOME THE INTERLOCK AND DEFEAT THE SYSTEM.BEGINNING WITH MY 2000, DC INCORPORATED A BRAKE AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTER INTERLOCK (BTSI) SYSTEM INTO THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.INTRODUCTION OF BTSI INVOLVED DESIGN CHANGES TO THE SHIFT MECHANISM, ONE OF WHICH RESULTED IN REDUCED MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE (RMA) OF THE SHIFT BUTTON.THE RMA SHIFTER REQUIRES INCREASED FORCES TO OVERCOME THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM, MAKING THE SHIFTER LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Power Train:automatic Transmission
THE MANUFACTURER REPORTS ABOVE ARE BASED ON DAIMLERCHRYSLER?S (DC) ANALYSIS OF MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998 (POPULATION = 356,384) AND 1999 (POPULATION = 486,948) JA, JX AND LH FAMILY SUBJECT VEHICLE DATA (EARLIER MYS EXCLUDED).THE POPULATION NUMBER INCLUDES ALL MYS.THE PRECISE NUMBER OF DUPLICATES BETWEEN ODI AND DC REPORTS CANNOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO MISSING OR INCOMPLETE INFORMATION.THE FATALITY INCIDENT INVOLVED AN ELDERLY PERSON WHO ATTEMPTED TO STOP A ROLL AWAY VEHICLE AND RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.ODI ALSO GATHERED INFORMATION ON MY 1997-99 PROWLER VEHICLES IN THIS INVESTIGATION. THE PROWLER VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH A DIFFERENT DESIGN SHIFTER MECHANISM (THE SHIFT LEVER IS SHORTER).THERE ARE NO COMPLAINTS OF PROWLER INTERLOCK FAILURE IN ODI?S DATABASE, AND DC HAS RECEIVED NO REPORTS EITHER.THE PROWLER IS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL SCOPE.THE INVESTIGATION INVOLVED A CONDITION WHERE THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM COULD FAIL (OR BE MADE INOPERATIVE BY THE OPERATOR) DURING VEHICLE USE, POSSIBLY INADVERTENTLY.THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM IS REQUIRED UNDER FMVSS 114.WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN THE PARK POSITION AND THE IGNITION KEY OFF, THE COMBINED ACTION OF PRESSING THE SHIFT BUTTON AND PULLING THE SHIFT LEVER REARWARD MAY RESULT IN THE OPERATOR OVERCOMING THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM AND CAUSE THE MECHANICAL LINKAGE OF THE SYSTEM TO DISCONNECT.WHEN THIS OCCURS, THERE IS NO OVERT INDICATION TO AN OPERATOR THAT THE SYSTEM IS DEFEATED, AND AN INCREASED RISK OF VEHICLE ROLL-AWAY EXISTS.UNDER RECALL 04V021, DC WILL REPLACE DAMAGED SHIFT MECHANISMS, AND WILL INSTALL ON ALL VEHICLES A DEVICE WHICH INHIBITS THE OPERATOR?S ABILITY TO OVERCOME THE INTERLOCK AND DEFEAT THE SYSTEM.BEGINNING WITH MY 2000, DC INCORPORATED A BRAKE AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTER INTERLOCK (BTSI) SYSTEM INTO THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.INTRODUCTION OF BTSI INVOLVED DESIGN CHANGES TO THE SHIFT MECHANISM, ONE OF WHICH RESULTED IN REDUCED MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE (RMA) OF THE SHIFT BUTTON.THE RMA SHIFTER REQUIRES INCREASED FORCES TO OVERCOME THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM, MAKING THE SHIFTER LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift
THE MANUFACTURER REPORTS ABOVE ARE BASED ON DAIMLERCHRYSLER?S (DC) ANALYSIS OF MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998 (POPULATION = 356,384) AND 1999 (POPULATION = 486,948) JA, JX AND LH FAMILY SUBJECT VEHICLE DATA (EARLIER MYS EXCLUDED).THE POPULATION NUMBER INCLUDES ALL MYS.THE PRECISE NUMBER OF DUPLICATES BETWEEN ODI AND DC REPORTS CANNOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO MISSING OR INCOMPLETE INFORMATION.THE FATALITY INCIDENT INVOLVED AN ELDERLY PERSON WHO ATTEMPTED TO STOP A ROLL AWAY VEHICLE AND RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.ODI ALSO GATHERED INFORMATION ON MY 1997-99 PROWLER VEHICLES IN THIS INVESTIGATION. THE PROWLER VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH A DIFFERENT DESIGN SHIFTER MECHANISM (THE SHIFT LEVER IS SHORTER).THERE ARE NO COMPLAINTS OF PROWLER INTERLOCK FAILURE IN ODI?S DATABASE, AND DC HAS RECEIVED NO REPORTS EITHER.THE PROWLER IS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL SCOPE.THE INVESTIGATION INVOLVED A CONDITION WHERE THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM COULD FAIL (OR BE MADE INOPERATIVE BY THE OPERATOR) DURING VEHICLE USE, POSSIBLY INADVERTENTLY.THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM IS REQUIRED UNDER FMVSS 114.WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN THE PARK POSITION AND THE IGNITION KEY OFF, THE COMBINED ACTION OF PRESSING THE SHIFT BUTTON AND PULLING THE SHIFT LEVER REARWARD MAY RESULT IN THE OPERATOR OVERCOMING THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM AND CAUSE THE MECHANICAL LINKAGE OF THE SYSTEM TO DISCONNECT.WHEN THIS OCCURS, THERE IS NO OVERT INDICATION TO AN OPERATOR THAT THE SYSTEM IS DEFEATED, AND AN INCREASED RISK OF VEHICLE ROLL-AWAY EXISTS.UNDER RECALL 04V021, DC WILL REPLACE DAMAGED SHIFT MECHANISMS, AND WILL INSTALL ON ALL VEHICLES A DEVICE WHICH INHIBITS THE OPERATOR?S ABILITY TO OVERCOME THE INTERLOCK AND DEFEAT THE SYSTEM.BEGINNING WITH MY 2000, DC INCORPORATED A BRAKE AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTER INTERLOCK (BTSI) SYSTEM INTO THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.INTRODUCTION OF BTSI INVOLVED DESIGN CHANGES TO THE SHIFT MECHANISM, ONE OF WHICH RESULTED IN REDUCED MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE (RMA) OF THE SHIFT BUTTON.THE RMA SHIFTER REQUIRES INCREASED FORCES TO OVERCOME THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM, MAKING THE SHIFTER LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE.