NHTSA Complaint #10122265 — 1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE

PURCHASED CAR ON EBAY THREE YEARS AGO. NO RECORD OF ACCIDENT BUT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. PROBLEM BEGAN AFTER A HEAVY RAIN WHEN CAR PARKED OUTSIDE. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, CAR STARTS AND DIES SEVERAL TIMES, THEN WONT'T START FOR ANYWHERE FROM AN HOUR TO A DAY OR TWO. NO DEALER ABLE TO FIND PROB. OR GET IT TO THROW A CODE. PROBLEM SEEMED TO DISAPPEAR LAST YEAR WHEN WE MOVED TO CA AND PARKED CAR IN GARAGE. THEN IT RETURNED ONCE. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER AND HE WAS UNABLE TO FIND SOURCE OF PROB. OR GET IT TO REPEAT THE PROBLEM. FINALLY GOT ONE COMPUTER REPLACED. BROUGHT THE CAR HOME AND IT HAS REPEATED THE PROBLEM A FEW TIMES. NOW IT IS TURNING ON THE SECURITY LIGHT AS WELL AS THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT, THEN, SUDDENLY, WHILE I AM DRIVING, THE GUAGES QUIT WORKING. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST OR HOW FAR I AM GOING. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE THIS MONTH, BOTH TIMES WHEN WE WERE ON A LONG TRIP. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO REAL CORRELATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT COULD BE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM THAT WE CAN FIND OTHER THAN POSSIBLE MOISTURE RELATIONSHIP. HAD TO DRIVE FROM LAKE TAHOE TO ORANGE COUNTY WITH NO SPEEDOMETER TWO WEEKS AGO. IT HAD RAINED HEAVILY AND THE CAR WAS PARKED OUTSIDE. THEN IT MAGICALLY "MENDED ITSELF" DURING THE WEEK AND WE TOOK IT FROM ORANGE COUNTY TO PALM SPRINGS ON MAY 21ST. THE GUAGES WENT OUT SHORTLY AFTER WE LEFT HOME AND CAME ON "MAGICALLY" AFTER WE PURCHASED GAS IN PALM SPRINGS. DATE LISTED BELOW IS MOST RECENT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR THREE YEARS. HAS BEEN TO DEALERS IN ALABAMA AND ORANGE COUNTY. I REALLY CAN'T SAY HOW MANY TIMES IT HAS FAILED, BUT PROBABLY AROUND 30.