AI Damage1997 Chrysler LHS: common problems
Owners of the 1997 Chrysler LHS filed 79 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel system and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 79
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel system 29% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 14% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 13% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 10% of all complaints
- 6 Visibility 8% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 8 Seat belts 5% of all complaints
- Fuel system: 23 complaints (29% of all).
- Service brakes: 11 complaints (14% of all).
- Steering: 10 complaints (13% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 9 complaints (11% of all).
- Powertrain: 8 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 79 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel system | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Seat/shoulder belt did not lock up on impact, air bags deployed, but my head still hit the windshield.
When starting vehicle with foot on the brake, and vehicle in park, vehicle went into reverse, causing a collision/injury. Cause unknown.
While driving 45 mph the vehicle had a direct frontal impact in which the driver's and passenger air bags did not deploy, which did not protect the occupant in this accident. Please provide further information and vin # .
I noticed a gas smell while driving and thought that since I had recently put gas into the vehicle that that was what I smelled. The smell persisted and I had the hood open and I noticed that gas was gushing out of the front middle part of the engine.
Tonight, after a week of working dash lights, they suddenly stopped working again as I was driving down the road. What is going on? Please let me know what can be done.
Car has had bad fuel leak now for a month , it is an injector that I am certain was replaced by the local dealer two years ago , but even though they have diagnosed it, they are claiming they replaced a different injector to the leaking one ,and therefore is not covered under their warranty.
The contact stated that the odor had returned and the smell of gasoline was extremely overpowering. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer and it was determined that the o-rings failed. The failure mileage was 143,000.
I had the check engine light come on. I checked it on a computer and it said misfire on cylinder one. It was running very rough and a family friend is a service manager for a chrysler dealership on the mainland, I live in hawaii. He said that it sounds like it very likely could be related to recall # 98v184000.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,120 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 11% most complained about).
On average one model year of the LHS has 75 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 79, about average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Chrysler LHS?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel system, service brakes, steering. Total complaints: 79. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (8%), smoke, burning smell, fire (5%), vibration (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1997 Chrysler LHS?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1997 Chrysler LHS from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1997 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.