2005 Chrysler Sebring Convertible

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS UNSTABLE ON THE ROAD AND SUDDENLY SPUN OUT OF CONTROL. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A GUARDRAIL AND STOPPED FACING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAFFIC. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER SENT AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR WHO STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS WERE NOT FAULTY BASED UPON THE SPEED AND LOCATION OF IMPACT. THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR AND THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED NO SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS ON WHY THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND SENT A LETTER WITH A RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 10E059000 (SUSPENSION), 09E056000 (SUSPENSION), 04V579000 (STEERING), AND 15V338000 (AIR BAGS). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

THE HORN GOES OFF AT ANYTIME THAT IT WANTS. UNABLE TO STOP IT UNLESS I PULL THE HORN RELAY. MY AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME. CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM IN CHEVY TAHOE AND I KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. IT IS THE CLOCK-SPRING AND I HAVE SEARCHED AND MADE CALLS TO EVERYONE AND I WILL NOT PAY $700-$1,000 FOR A SMALL PEACE OF PLASTIC WHICH FROM MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS LIST IS ABOUT. FROM WHAT I UNDER STAND FROM THE DEALER THE PART THEY DO NOT MAKE ANYMORE AND THE CHEAPEST THAT I CAN FIND IT FOR IS$417.00. THAT IS A JOKE. CHRYSLER SHOULD DO A RECALL ON THIS BECAUSE IS YOUR AIRBAG IS NOT WORKING AND YOUR HORN GOING OFF WITH IT FEELS LIKE IT IT IS TO DANGEROUS FOR MYSELF AND FOR OTHER DRIVERS. THIS IS A BIG ISSUE AND SHOULD BE FIXED. THEY HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE MINIVANS AND CARAVANS FROM 98-2000 AND THEY DID A RECALL ON THOSE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN SOUNDED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME AND WOULD NOT STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MORE THAN ONE REPAIR SHOP, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE AIR BAG MALFUNCTIONED, EXPANDED, INFLATED, AND CAUSED THE HORN TO SOUND AS THE WIRES FRACTURED INTERNALLY IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE STEERING WHEEL TO ENSURE THE HORN AND AIR BAG WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

THE HORN JUST RANDOMLY GOES OFF. TO GET IT TO STOP I HAD TO PULL THE FUSE WHICH ALSO DISCONNECTS THE AIR BAG. AFTER READING ABOUT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM BY HUNDREDS OF SEBRING OWNERS, I FEEL THAT CHRYSLER SHOULD REPLACE THE HORN AND AIR BAG (CHRYSLER MECHANIC TOLD ME IT WAS ALL ONE UNIT AND TO REPLACE IT WOULD BE OVER $700). THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, NOT ONLY FOR ME BUT FOR OTHERS ON THE ROAD. *TR

HORN BLOWS FOR NO APPARENT REASON. USUALLY OCCURS WHEN USING THE REMOTE TO UNLOCK DOORS BUT HAS HAPPENED WHEN JUST OPENING THE CAR DOOR. CONTINUES TO SOUND FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. OCCASIONALLY WILL STOP IF HOLDING HORN PAD DOWN ON STEERING WHEEL BUT THEN RESUMES WHEN PRESSURE IS RELEASED. SERVICE DEPARTMENT UNABLE TO REPLICATE. STATES IT IS PROBABLY A FAULTY HORN PAD WHICH IS CONNECTED TO AIR BAG ASSEMBLY SO ALL MUST BE REPLACED. VERY EXPENSIVE FIX! APPARENTLY THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH SEBRINGS FOR THIS YEAR. WHY NOT A RECALL? *TR

HORN WILL START WORKING ON IT'S ON AND WILL NOT STOP UNTIL FUSE BURNS OUT. THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THIS IS BY REPLACING THE DRIVER AIRBAG SINCE THE HORN PAD IS INSIDE THE AIRBAG ASSY. NEEDLESS TO SAY, A VEHICLE WITHOUT AN HORN WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION AND SINCE THIS IS THE ONLY WAY A DRIVER HAS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE SURROUNDING DRIVERS IN CASE THEY GET TOO CLOSE OR TO WARN THEM OF A DANGER A HEAD, THIS MOST CERTAINLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE. BY CHRYSLER AVOIDING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS BAD DESIGN, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE DRIVING SEBRINGS WITH NO HORNS (SINCE THEY CAN NOT AFFORD $800 FOR A NEW AIRBAG, WHICH BY THE WAY IS GOING TO BE NO MORE THEN A TEMPORARY SOLUTION SINCE NO CHANGE IN THE DESIGN HAVE BEEN MADE). THAT POSSES AS MUCH AS A THREAT ON ALL OF US WHO SHARE THE ROAD WITH THEM AS IT DOES ON THOSE SEBRINGS OWNERS... I HAVE TO ADMIT I'M SKEPTICAL ABOUT NHTSA MAKING SURE CHRYSLER MAKE THINGS RIGHT, BUT AT LEAST I'LL GIVE IT A TRY. TO SEE HOW BIG OF A PROBLEM THIS IS I SUGGEST YOU GOOGLE "CHRYSLER SEBRING HORN FIX". THANK YOU. P.S THERE WAS NO INCIDENT JUST YET, BUT I HAD TO CHOOSE A DATE OF THE "* APPROXIMATE INCIDENT DATE:" OR IT WILL NOT LET ME GO TO THE NEXT PAGE. *TR

2005 CHRYSLER SEBRING GTC CONV. AT 3:00 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, I AWOKE TO MY HORN JUST HONKING AWAY. THE AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON ALL THE TIME. IT HAPPENED ANOTHER TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND THEN HAPPENED WHEN I WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT. EVERYONE WAS LOOKING AT ME AS I *DRAMATICALLY* POUNDED ON THE STEERING WHEEL. I DON'T THINK THE POUNDING IS REALLY HELPING, AS IT SEEMS TO JUST STOP ON IT'S OWN. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS YESTERDAY. AS I PULLED UP TO MY FRIENDS HOUSE, AND WAS JUST ABOUT TO SHUT IT OFF, THE HORN STARTED HONKING SHORT HONKS THEN PROGRESSED TO LOOOOONNNGGGG HONKS. BEING LABOR DAY, NEEDLESS TO SAY ALL THE NEIGHBORS CAME OUT TO SEE WHAT ALL THE RACKET WAS ABOUT. AFTER POUNDING ON IT FOR A FEW, I DECIDED TO DRIVE AWAY AS I WAS SOOO HUMILIATED BY THIS TIME. IT STOPPED ABOUT 6 HOUSES DOWN THE STREET. GO FIGURE. HOWEVER, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS AWARE THAT THERE WAS A TICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE AREA WHERE THE CONTROL PANEL FOR THE MIRRORS WERE, ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FRONT OF DASHBOARD. *LN

THE HORN RANDOMLY BEGINS HONKING. IT OCCATIONALLY HAPPENS AS I'M DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF IT CONTINUES HONKING. IT OCCATIONALLY BEGINS WHEN I PUSH THE BUTTON ON THE REMOTE TO OPEN THE LOCKED DOORS. IT WILL THEN SUDDENLY STOP HONKING, ONLY TO START AGAIN FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD. THE ONLY WAY I CAN GET IT TO STOP WHILE I'M DRIVING IS TO PUSH HARD ON THE CENTER OF THE STEERING WHEEL WITH ONE HAND WHILE I STEER WITH THE OTHER HAND. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM IS A SWITCH IN THE STEERING WHEEL THAT CONTROLS THE HORN AND THE AIR BAG. THE SWITCH COSTS AROUND $500 AND LABOR WILL COST ABOUT $500 MORE. SINCE I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY THAT NOW, THE TECHNICIAN SUGGESTED I REMOVE THE RELAY FOR THE HORN. HE TOLD ME THAT WOULD STOP THE HORN FROM HONKING, BUT ALSO DISABLE THE AIR BAG. SO NOW I AM DRIVING WITHOUT A HORN AND WITHOUT AN AIRBAG. THIS IS ALSO A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. *TR