1996 Chrysler SEBRING problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
189 owner complaints analyzed
7 distinct recall campaigns
76,850 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1996 model year. Data snapshot: . 34 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint is the most frequently named component, appearing in 31 of 189 complaints (16.4%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 20 | 10.6% |
| Transmission and shifting | 10 | 5.3% |
| Engine operation | 9 | 4.8% |
| Steering behavior | 6 | 3.2% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 5 | 2.6% |
| Fuel system concerns | 3 | 1.6% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint | 31 |
| Air Bags:Frontal | 11 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 11 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 8 |
| Air Bags | 7 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch | 7 |
| Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars | 7 |
| Electrical System | 6 |
Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint: 31; Air Bags:Frontal: 11; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 11; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 8; Air Bags: 7; Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch: 7; Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars: 7; Electrical System: 6
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 2 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 5 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 9 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 8 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 6 |
| 150,000 and above | 4 |
Under 25,000: 2; 25,000 to 49,999: 5; 50,000 to 74,999: 9; 75,000 to 99,999: 8; 100,000 to 149,999: 6; 150,000 and above: 4
50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (9). 155 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 10 |
| 2000 | 45 |
| 2001 | 51 |
| 2002 | 33 |
| 2003 | 18 |
| 2004 | 13 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2022 | 2 |
1996: 10; 2000: 45; 2001: 51; 2002: 33; 2003: 18; 2004: 13; 2005: 3; 2006: 2; 2007: 2; 2008: 1; 2009: 2; 2010: 1; 2013: 1; 2014: 1; 2015: 2; 2019: 2; 2022: 2
Pattern summary
Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 20 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 10 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 9 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10001625 · 2002-12-30 (December 30, 2002)
WHEN APPLYING BRAKES ON DRY PAVEMENT AT 40 MPH, VEHICLE VIBRATES, VEHICLE SWERVES AND THE BRAKE PEDAL GETS HARD. TOOK TO DEALER AND DEALER STATED THERE IS A SHORT IN THE LEFT FRONT SOLENOID CIRCUIT. TS
Owner-reported narrative. 77,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 10001625 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10069961 · 2004-01-15 (January 15, 2004)
ON THE ENGINE I HAD THE PULLEY ON THE TIMING BELT COME APART AND JUST LAST MONTH I HAD THE HEAD GASKET START TO LEAK FROM THE BACK. TIMING BELT 28,000 HEAD GASKET 37,500. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES THAT WHERE ON THE CAR. ALL BY 29,000 MILES--SOME EARLIER AND THEN LATER. THE BRAKES WERE REPLACES AT THE SAME TIME AS THE TIMING BELT PULLEY. I KNEW THEY NEEDED REPLACEMENT AND HAD AN APPOINTMENT TO GET THEM REPLACED WHEN THE TIMEING BELT WENT OUT. IT IS A 1996 BUT I ONLY HAVE 37,500 MILES.
Owner-reported narrative. 28,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10069961 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10012176 · 2003-03-20 (March 20, 2003)
OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHEN STOPPED, AND WENT OUT WHEN IN MOTION. THE DEALER SERVICED VEHICLE ,BUT THE PROBLEM REOCCURRED. THE NEXT DAY CONSUMER HEARD A "SCREECHING" NOISE WHEN DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL,THEN VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THE CONSUMER THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *NLM. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. 50,565 miles reported. Look up ODI 10012176 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10503506 · 2013-03-18 (March 18, 2013)
TRANS CABLE BROKE CAUSED THE CAR NOT TO SHIFT OUT OF GEAR AT ALL. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 175,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10503506 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10030498 · 2003-07-31 (July 31, 2003)
PROBLEMS WITH MY 1996 CHRYSLER SEBRING. IT GOES THRO TONS OF OIL, I KEEP HAVING TO ADD OIL TO THE CAR, EVERYTHING HAS BEEN BREAKING ON IT. NOW IT PERIODICALLY STALLS OUT NON STOP. THERE IS ONLY 85K MILES ON THE CAR AND IT SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THESE PROBLEMS. I HAVE PUT IN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS INTO THIS CAR FOR REPAIRS. IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY BY CHRYSLER AND I TOOK IT IN FOR THE OIL ISSUE AND THEY SAID THEY SAW NO PROBLEM, THAT WARRANTY RAN OUT AND MY EXTENDED ONE KICKED IN AND THEY SAID IT HAD OIL LEAKS AND KEPT 'FIXING' THEM. ONCE THAT …
Owner-reported narrative. 29,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10030498 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10128557 · 2005-07-13 (July 13, 2005)
DT: JUNE 30 2005 THE LEFT FRONT BALL JOINT BROKE WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING 35 MPH. THERE WAS A NOISE, SPARKS WERE FLYING, AND THE CONSUMER LOST STEERING CONTROL AND BOUNCED OFF A CURVE. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS RECENTLY INSPECTED IN MAY AND NO PROBLEMS WERE REPORTED. THERE WAS A RECALL, BUT THE CONSUMER WAS NOT AWARE OF IT. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THERE WAS A CORROSION PROBLEM WITH THE BALL JOINT. THE CONSUMER DIDN'T HAVE THE RECALL NUMBER. THE VEHICLE IS NOW HAVING REPAIR WORK DONE. CHRYSLER IS W…
Owner-reported narrative. 70,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10128557 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10186678 · 2007-04-01 (April 1, 2007)
MY 1996 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE ALMOST CAUGHT FIRE FROM THE DASH STEREO SPEAKERS MID 10/05 .. SCREECHING NOISES CAME FROM MY SPEAKERS AND THEN SMOKE BEGAN TO COME OUT OF THEM. I TURNED OFF THE STEREO AND SOON AFTER WENT TO MY MECHANIC. WHEN THEY TURNED MY STEREO ON SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE DASH SPEAKERS AGAIN. I ASKED THEM TO PULL THE FUSE SO THAT IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. ON 2/16/06 I CALLED CHRYSLER. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THEM DATED 2/21/06 STATING THAT THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE TIME OR MILEAGE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED…
Owner-reported narrative. 118,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10186678 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10218810 · 2008-02-21 (February 21, 2008)
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 CHRYSLER SEBRING. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL. THE VEHICLE THEN IMMEDIATELY STALLED. SEVERAL MINUTES LATER, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CAM SHAFT SENSOR AND THE BATTERY. THE VEHICLE FAILED AN EMISSIONS TEST DUE TO SMOG. THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE PCM. ON FEBRUARY 21, 2008, THE VEHICLE HAD A SECOND EMISSIONS TEST AND FAILED AGAIN DUE TO SMOG. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 167,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 204,083.
Owner-reported narrative. 167,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10218810 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 8008616 · 2002-04-25 (April 25, 2002)
VEHICLE STALLS INTERMITTENTLY, MOSTLY WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND USING ELECTRICAL PART, SUCH AS POWER WINDOWS. DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP, BUT IT DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 8008616 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 865049 · 2000-07-07 (July 7, 2000)
DUE TO A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP LINE WHICH SHORTED OUT AND CAUSING THE FUEL PUMP TO BURN, RESULTING IN VEHICLE STALLING UNEXPECTEDLY, WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A CRASH. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 865049 at NHTSA ↗