NHTSA Complaint #10201876 — 1998 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE

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. THE SAME SITUATION STILL EXISTED. HE STATED THAT MY FRONT AXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, & HE WOULD REPLACE IT WHEN HE CAME BACK FROM VACATION. I EXPLAINED TO THE MECHANIC THAT IT WAS GETTING WORSE AND IF MY CHILDREN AND I WOULD BE SAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNTIL HE RETURNED, HE SAID IT WOULD BE FINE TO DRIVE. ON JUNE 30TH 2007 ,THE CHILDREN AND I NOTICED IT WAS GETTING WORSE. I DROVE THE CAR HOME. I THEN DECIDED TO GO FOR A RIDE WITH IT, ALONE. I STARTED DRIVING ON ROUTE 195 EAST IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE WITH MY CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 65 MPH. SHORTLY AFTER CROSSING THE RI/MA LINE THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY LOOSE AND I HEARD A VERY LOUD BANG. MY CAR THEN STARTED TO LIFT OFF THE GROUND. LIFTING THE RIGHT SIDE & THEN THE RIGHT. I TRIED TO APPLY MY BRAKES BUT WITH TWO TIRES OFF THE GROUND THEY WERE NOT WORKING. I TRIED STEERING THE CAR IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THAT WAS BEING LIFTED OFF THE ROAD. I HAD NO STEERING AT ALL. THE CAR ROCKED SIDE TO SIDE WHILE HEADING INTO THE NEXT LANE OF TRAVEL AND AS IT DID THE ROCKING TURNED THE CAR OVER AND OVER AND OVER SEVERAL TIMES. AFTER THE FIRST ROLL OVER I DO NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING. I BECAME UNCONSCIOUS. THE STATE POLICE WHO INVESTIGATED THE ACCIDENT STATED, THE CAR WAS GOING IN ALL DIRECTIONS ACROSS THE HIGHWAY WHILE ROLLING OVER SEVERAL TIMES LANDING IN THE BUSH OFF THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. HE STATED THAT THERE WERE 6 WITNESS AND ONE OF THEM HAD PULLED ME OUT OF MY CAR AND CARRIED ME AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE A FEW FEET (I WAS NOT CONSCIOUS). I DID BECOME SOMEWHAT COHERENT,AND HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION AND SAW MY CAR BURST INTO FLAMES. I THEN BECAME UNCONSCIOUS AGAIN UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING IN THE HOSPITAL. *JB