2001 Chrysler Sebring

OWNER WAS CHANGING TIRE AND CUT HAND ON RIM. OWNER FOUND CHROME PLATING PEELING AWAY FROM THE BACK OF ALL FOUR RIMS UPON FURTHER INSPECTION. PIECES ARE METAL CHARDS >2 INCHES WHICH ARE PEELING AWAY AROUND WELD OF SPOKE (BACKSIDE OF RIM). COULD CUT OR INJURE A PERSON OR CAUSE TIRES TO PUNCTURE IF METAL FRAGMENTS WERE TO BREAK OFF DURING TRAVEL. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER (LAFLAM CHRYSLER, RUNNEMEDE NJ) WHERE DEALER STATED THAT RIMS WERE "COSMETIC" AND NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTEES. CHRYSLER SERVICE LINE WAS CONTACTED SAME DAY (FILE#129-7146). DEALERSHIP DENIED INQUIRY ABOUT RIMS AND THEN CLAIMED THAT THEY FELT IT WAS COSMETIC ALSO. OWNER FEELS THERE IS A HUGE SAFETY RISK AND IS VERY CONCERNED AT CHANGEING TIRES AND WHAT MAY HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING. MANUFACTURER HAS STATED THAT THERE IS "NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT". THE OWNER HAS A CUT ON HIS FINGER TO PROVE THIS IS NOT COSMETIC.*AK

ON OR ABOUT MARCH 30, 2004 MY CAR DEVELOPED A TICKING NOISE. I DISCOVERED THE NOISE WHEN ORDERING FOOD AT A DRIVE THROUGH WINDOW. THE NOISE WAS ONLY EVIDENT WHEN I HAD MY WINDOW DOWN. MY CAR ALSO HAD NO HEAT BY THIS TIME. OVER THE LAST TWO WINTERS I WOULD NOT HAVE HEAT WHEN THE CAR WAS IDLE, BUT THIS YEAR IT HAD GRADUALLY DETERIORATED TO NO HEAT WHEN IDLE OR UPON ACCELARATION. ACCORDING TO THE OWER'S MANUAL NO ANTIFREEZE WOULD CAUSE THIS PROBLEM. THE CAR WAS LOW ON OIL AND HAD NO ANTIFREEZE. I TOOK THE CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND TO CHECK THE ANTIFREEZE. THE OWNER'S MANUAL STATED YOU NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL TO ADD ANTIFREEZE, BUT THE MANUAL FAIL TO TELL YOU WHAT THAT SOMETHING SPECIAL WAS. THE OIL WAS CHANGED AND THE ANTIFREEZE WAS FILLED. THE TICKING NOISE PERSISTED AND THEN THE RED OIL LAMP CAME ON ONE WEEK AFTER HAVING THIS SERVICE PERFORMED. I MADE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO SEE WHAT WAS CAUSING THE TICKING NOISE. AFTER CHECKING MY CAR OVER I RECEIVED A CALL SAYING THAT IT APPEARED I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE, THE ANITFREEZE THAT HAD BEEN PUT IN TWO WEEKS PRIOR WAS COMPLETELY GONE. MY CAR HAD NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF LEAKAGE. WHERE DID THE ANTIFREEZE GO? WHY IS MY LOW OIL LIGHT COMING ON AS WELL? IT APPEARS THAT THE 2.7L ENGINE FAILS REGARDLESS OF MAINTENANCE DUE TO DESIGN OF THE ENGINE (LIMITING PASSAGE OF OIL) AND THIS FAILURE IS ALSO LINKED TO THE ANTIFREEZE LEAKAGE OVER TIME, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO OVER HEAT AND BUILD UP SLUDGE. THE DEALER THEN TELLS YOU THAT ENGINE PROBLEM IS DUE TO SLUDGE BUILD-UP OR RATHER POOR MAINTENANCE ON YOUR PART AND VOIDS THE WARRANTY OR REFUSES ANY ASSISTANCE IN THE REPAIR EXPENSE. MY ENGINE FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 52,000 MILES. THIS PROBLEM IS COSTING CONSUMERS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.*AK

ON FRIDAY, APRIL 16TH I NOTICED MY BATTERY LIGHT ON IN MY CAR AS I DROVE HOME. THAT EVENING WE DROVE MY CAR TO A FRIENDS AND NOTICED THE LIGHT STAYED ON. WHEN WE GOT THERE, 3 PEOPLE LOOKED AT MY CAR AND NOTICED THAT MY ALTERNATOR WAS SMOKING AND SMELT HOT, THE WIRE THAT GOES INTO THE ALTERNATOR WAS BURNT COMPLETELY IN TWO AND WAS SEPERATED FROM THE ALTERNATOR. IT WAS THANKFULLY TOUCHING JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP MY CAR RUNNING. THE NEXT DAY, THEY TOOK MY ALTERNATOR OUT OF MY CAR AND ONE SIDE WAS COMPLETELY MELTED. WE CALLED SERVERAL PARTS STORES AND WERE TOLD BY EACH ONE THAT CHRYSLER HAS NOT RELEASED SOME OF ITS PARTS TO BE SOLD YET, AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS ONE OF THEM. LEAVING US TO ONLY GO TO A DEALER TO HAVE IT REPLACED AND PAY NUMEROUS CHARGES TO HAVE IT REPLACED WHEN WE COULD OF DONE IT OURSELF. ONE, A 3YR OLD CAR, SHOULD NOT BE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH AN ALTERNATOR YET UNLESS ITS FAULTY, TWO IT DEFINETELY SHOULDN'T BE CATCHING ON FIRE, THREE, CHRYSLER SHOULD BE LETTING PARTS STORES SELL THEIR PARTS....*AK

THE PASSENGER REAR AND FRONT FLOOR IS COMPLETELY SOAKED AFTER DRIVING IN THE RAIN. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THERE IS A LEAK IN BOTH THE FRONT AND REAR DOORS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE HEATER/AC FAN DOES NOT WORK. IT WILL ONLY BE ON WHEN THE SELECTOR IS TURNED TO 4, OTHERWISE IT IS OFF. TECHNICAN SAYS THE RESISTOR IS BLOWN.

IN AUG 2003 I HAD MY BRAKES DONE, I WAS PLANNING ON JUST CHANGING THE PADS AND TURNING THE ROTORS BUT I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE BELOW MIN SPECS AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. SO I REPLACED THEM NOW IN APRIL 2004 I HAD MY CAR IN FOR IT'S REGULAR OIL CHANGE AND HAD THEM DO A BRAKE INSPECTION BECAUSE MY CAR WAS SHAKING WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES. I WAS TOLD AGAIN THAT ALL 4 ROTORS WERE BELOW MIN SPEC AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THEY HAD DEEP GROVES IN THEM. I'M NOT A CRAZY DRIVER I HAVE NOT HAD ANY SPEEDING TICKET OR ACCIDENTS. EVER. I WAS NOT TOLD WHAT COULD BE CAUSING THESE GROVES OR WHY I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE MY ROTORS FOR THE 2ND TIME WITH A CAR THAT HAS ONLY 42K MILES ON IT. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THESE DEEP GROVES AND HOW TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT HAD THEM FIXED YET AS I CAN'T AFFORD IT. *LA

I HAVE A 2001 CHRYSLER SEBRING LX SEDAN. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS IN THE BEGINNING AS FAR AS THE DIGITAL ODOMETER SKIPPING, AND OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH IT. I HAVE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, AND HAVE HAD IT IN THERE FOR INSPECTION, BUT THEY CLAIMED THEY NEVER FOUND ANYTHING. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT THE RECALLS. I NOTICED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS CAUSING ME TO SPEED WITHOUT CONTROL, SO I TURNED IT OFF AND NEVER USED IT AGAIN, THINKING I WOULD TAKE IT IN WHEN I WAS ABLE, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE DEALERSHIP FLUCTUATED BACK AND FORTH WHETHER I HAD 3-YEAR/36K BUMPER-TO-BUMPER, OR 7-YEAR/70K POWERTRAIN, ALTHOUGH IT WAS WITH MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SALESMAN OFFERED BOTH OF THE WARRANTIES. LAST WEEK, MY SON WAS ASKING ME ABOUT THE CRUISE CONTROL AND HE TURNED IT ON. HE EXPERIENCED THE LACK OF CONTROL WITH THE SPEED. I TOLD HIM TO TURN IT OFF AND NEVER USE IT, AND THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT ASAP. THE NEXT EVENING, MY SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR, AND HE EXPERIENCED LOST OF CONTROL WITH THE ACCELERATOR. IN A PANIC, HE TRIED TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, BUT ENDED UP CRASHING INTO A GUARD RAIL. I HAVE PHOTOS TO PROVE THAT THERE WERE NO TIRE MARKS OF ANY KIND AT THE SCENE: THE POLICEMAN CLAIMED THAT THERE WERE 90FT OF TIRE MARKS, BUT THEY HAVE NO PROOF, AND THERE WERE PARENTS AT THE SCENE AT THAT MOMENT WHO ARE WILLING TO TESTIFY THAT THERE WERE NO MARKS AT ALL. THIS PROVES TO ME THAT THERE WAS FAILURE WITH THE ACCELERATION AND/OR BRAKES. THIS MORNING, I READ IN THE PAPER THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER SEBRING INVOLVED IN A CRASH IN THE MIDDLE OF A ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE, THE CAUSE WAS DUE TO A FAULTY ACCELERATION SYSTEM. *JB