NHTSA Complaint #10152856 — 2002 CHRYSLER SEBRING

THESE ARE SAFETY/DEFECT ISSUES REGARDING MY 2002 CHRYSLER SEBRING ENGINE: I HAVE A 2.7 LITER V6 ENGINE AND I HAVE RECENTLY READ ABOUT COMMON PROBLEMS AFTER EXPERIENCING A KNOCK IN THE ENGINE. JUST TODAY, I HAD A MECHANIC LISTEN TO THE ENGINE NOISE AND HE SPECULATES THAT IT IS A ROD OR ROD BEARING. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SYMPTOM OF THE SLUDGE PROBLEM THAT YOUR WEB SITE HAS DOCUMENTED. I HAVE NOT YET CONFRONTED A CHRYSLER MAINTENANCE REP AND WOULD BE INTERESTED IN TACTICS THAT HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED AS SUCCESSFUL. I HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT REGULAR ABOUT OIL CHANGES, BUT I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER, SO WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM PROVING THE MAINTENANCE INTERVALS. STEERING: LAST SUMMER I FIRST EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING TIGHTENING. BASICALLY THE GENERAL FEEL OF THE STEERING WAS TIGHT AND IT WOULD NOT RETURN TO A 'HOME' POSITION AFTER TURNING. A MECHANIC ESTIMATED THAT IT WOULD TAKE $1500 TO REPLACE THE RACK ASSEMBLY AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP. ON A HUNCH, I HAD THE POWER STEERING FLUID REPLACED AND WITHIN A WEEK THE STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. AROUND OCT/NOV, THE SYMPTOMS RETURNED AND I HAD ANOTHER POWER STEERING FLUID REPLACEMENT. THIS TIME THE SYMPTOMS HAVE BEEN INTERMITTENT AND HAVE NOT COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED. I HAVE READ A FEW COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET OF OTHER SEBRING OWNERS HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *JB