AI Damage1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible filed 52 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and suspension. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 52
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 17% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 17% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 15% of all complaints
- 4 Structure 13% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 12% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 7 Seat belts 6% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 6% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 9 complaints (17% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 9 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 8 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 7 complaints (13% of all).
- Electrical system: 6 complaints (12% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 52 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Suspension | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 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.
I was driving home and turned down my street going only 5 mph and the left front wheel came off.
After explaining to my mechanic that my front end was rubbing and grinding at a speed of 40 and above, and that it was worse while driving straight or bearing left, while bearing right the rubbing and grinding lessened a lot. My mechanic said that he replaced front brakes & balanced wheels.
When the shift lever got to "r" the car lurched rearward and then as the gear shift went to "d" the car shot forward even though her foot was planted firmly on the break (you can't shift this car without having the brake pedal depressed).
I have this car from 2011, I went to the dealer on bakersfield ca, to program the alarm pager, they change the shift part because have a recall, after that day my car start to stop, check engine light goes off, I change the speed sensor on the transmission, the cramchack sensor, the distributor, the map sensor, the…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chrysler sebring convertible. The contact stated that while starting the ignition, the front driver and passenger side air bags deployed erroneously. The air bags were not replaced. The contact did not sustain any injuries.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chrysler sebring convertible jx. The contact stated that while reversing into a parking space, both front air bags deployed without warning. The failure caused head and neck injuries to the driver and the vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer.
I made a complete stop and turned onto another road and heard a loud metal on cement noise pulled over to side of road as good as possible and got out of car and seen ball joint cracked and tire off car. My car was completely on ground in front right of vehicle.
My alarm keeps going off!!! A few months ago, my car alarm started going off randomly and will not stop. It started by honking repeatedly then a very long annoying honk. In order to make it stop, the only thing that I could do was disconnect the battery.
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 5,242 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 14% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Sebring Convertible has 73 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 52, below average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Other years of this model
- Sebring Convertible 199668 sources
- Sebring Convertible 199777 sources
- Sebring Convertible 199992 sources
- Sebring Convertible 200078 sources
- Sebring Convertible 2001120 sources
- Sebring Convertible 2002121 sources
- Sebring Convertible 200324 sources
- Sebring Convertible 200462 sources
- Sebring Convertible 200539 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, suspension, steering. Total complaints: 52. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (10%), knocking, grinding or other noise (4%), seat belts (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible?
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 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible 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 1998 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.