8.9

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$3,860
Average Mileage:
73,600 miles
Total Complaints:
45 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (17 reports)
  2. replaced engine (12 reports)
  3. replace engine (10 reports)
  4. not covered under warranty (4 reports)
  5. replaced spark plugs & wires, fuel injection system cleaned (2 reports)
2004 Chrysler Sebring engine problems

engine problem

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2004 Chrysler Sebring Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #45

Jan 062015

Sebring LX 2.7L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When the engine warning light came on, I immediately turned off the engine and called my mechanic. He advised me that this particular Chrysler engine had been plagued with oil sludge problems and told me to have it towed in, which I did. Al's Automotive in Riviera Beach, FL did the engine rebuild. They have photos of the operation and are available at either 561-225-1203 or 561-714-0567.

- David S., Juno Beach, FL, US

problem #44

Mar 042015

Sebring LX 2.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 130,000 miles

Really, only 130000 mi and engine locked up? Just out of warranty, would like to think for the money you spend for a vehicle today, that it should last 200000 mi or better. What about this class action lawsuit with the 2.7 engine only pertain to 1998-2002 automobiles? The car is not worth repair costs. I guess next car won't be a Chrysler. Our family has had numerous Chrysler products in past, I guess its time to turn to another manufacturer.

- James H., Louisville, KY, US

problem #43

Dec 042014

Sebring

  • Automatic transmission
  • 89,000 miles

I bought a 2004 Chrysler Sebring LXi from a friend who told me the engine and oil light were on all the time but that it was checked three times by mechanics who told him that there was no need to worry. I've owned the car for 2.5 years and taken good care of it by making needed repairs and changing the oil regularly. Now, the engine is failing b/c it is getting full of sludge, making the car knock and emit white, stinky exhaust. Apparently there is nothing to be done except to replace the old engine at a cost of at least 3 thousand dollars. The car is 12 years old and just not worth it. In addition, I was told there is a good chance the new engine would encounter the same problem. Upon researching this problem, it has been known for several years, yet Chrysler kept installing these faulty engines. If anyone is bringing a class-action lawsuit please let me know. I am furious that this beautiful and otherwise great vehicle should be flawed in this way. I am not a rich person and am in a real pickle with this situation. If anyone has suggestions or comments, please let me know.

Thank you'1

- Lise S., Lakewood, OH, US

problem #42

Nov 122014

Sebring Convertable 2.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 72,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The knocking has started and it's just a matter of time before the engine locks up. Thank you Chrysler for not backing up your product. This engine has an oil sludge problem and they know it. I just finished talking to Chrysler and they will not do anything! Bad Brand, don't buy!

- Jason C., Crawfordsville, IA, US

problem #41

Feb 132014

Sebring LX 2.7L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 104,000 miles

Engine on my 2004 Sebring just seized up. I was driving the car on the highway and it just stopped no lights no warning at all. Put me in a very dangerous situation!! The car was taken well care of, oil changed every 3,000 miles without fail. I was told even changing the oil every 2,000 miles would not of prevented this engine failure since sludge builds up in it and there is no way to correct or stop it since it was made poorly and this is a problem with these engines that Chrysler puts out.... Nice job chrysler, now what......

- Robert E., North Babylon, NY, US

problem #40

Feb 142013

Sebring GTC 2.7L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 107,000 miles

Complete engine failure at 107,000 miles. Oil always changed earlier that specified with Mobil 1 synthetic oil.

Chrysler 2.7L will fail at some point, no matter how well you maintain it. Chrysler needs to cover replacement.

- lary21, Hopkinton, MA, US

problem #39

Jan 122013

Sebring

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My son bought a 2004 Chrysler Sebring at a used car lot in Covington KY and has had nothing but trouble Sad thing is he works for company that make parts for Chrysler so thought it would be cool to have a Chrysler NOT cool He has changed the oil, taken good care of it, only drives about 20 minutes to work and back home and has only had the car for about 6 months First the O2 sensors went out, brakes messed up, radiator started leaking, then the engine locks up, no warning, no nothing All anyone can tell him is replace the engine He still owes more on the car than it's worth and now replace the engine? Really?!! Chrysler needs to go out of business, their cars are awful Anyone know of any options he might have please let me know

- Jamie M., Frankfort, KY, US

problem #38

Oct 252012

Sebring Touring 2.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 94,500 miles

04 Sebring POS, what can I say...I bought the car used, thought it was a nice car, had it about a month and went to the next city over, went to stop at the stop light and it stalled. Turned it back on and finished my trip. Got back called the dealer, said it was probably bad gas...yeah right! That was at 40k miles, now I have 94k miles and oil light is on all the time, figure from what I have read that I will be replacing the engine soon, maybe I can pass this car on to someone else before it takes me out of the game. I don't have the money to fix this car if it needs an engine...Chrysler sucks, the government should let them go under and take their factories and give them to companies that will produce good quality cars...maybe Toyota! Sorry USA, I love you to death, but our country has become lazy and don't care who we have to screw to make a buck...well no more of my bucks for Chrysler...telling everyone I know too!

- Jonathan C., Decatur, AL, US

problem #37

Jan 022012

Sebring LX 2.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,800 miles

I was coming into my home town after driving about 75 miles round trip. As I pulled up to the first stop light and came to a stop the motor sputtered and then stopped. I tried to restart but only heard the clicking sound that a car makes when the battery is almost dead. I tried again with the same results. I assumed it was electrical but none of the warning lights had come on. I had it towed to my mechanics shop right away, still believing that it was an electrical problem. When the mechanic was able to get to it he discovered that the motor had seized up, When he checked the oil he found metal. I asked him to pull the pan to see how bad it was and if it could be fixed. He drained the oil through a screen and found so much metal that he didn't go any further. He said that metal in the oil is very bad but that much metal means that the motor is gone. I have had all the servicing done by professionals and done on time. There were no warning lights or over heating that would indicate trouble. It just happened. I am retired and on a fixed income and can not afford $4000.00 to replace a motor. The car is only worth about $3800.00 when it's in good working order. When I came home from Vietnam in 1970 I bought my first new car, a 1970 Plymouth Duster. I have been buying Chrysler products faithfully ever since. Now after this problem, and finding so many other folks having the same type of problem with the same motor and seeing how Chrysler is NOT handling it, I'm thinking of going to a Ford product.

- bbenny408, Prineville, OR, US

problem #36

Nov 082011

Sebring LXI 2.7L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 87,665 miles

Bought this car 3 months ago with 87000 miles. The car just quit and would not start. Had towed and was told timing belt broke. The plastic housing showed damage. Mechanic suggests replacing engine. I have extended warranty, so we will see what it will cost me. Apparently there are many of us. This is a BAD engine. Will update when I get fixed. IF I get it fixed. Ft Lauderdale Florida

- Ronald C., Cooper City, FL, US

problem #35

Aug 092011

Sebring CTG 2.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 95,562 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Daughter on why in mountains, vehicle started loosing power. Managed to get to the side out of semi truck traffic. Oil light flickered once and engine died. Has seized. she has made one payment on the car and only drove 922 miles on the car. dealer will not return calls. Vehicle not safe, she could have been killed. Had I known about the problems we would not have bought the car. dealer knew it had an issue and still sold the car.

- abouttowne1, Salt Lake City, UT, US

problem #34

Feb 162011

Sebring 2.7L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,240 miles

From my brief research, this engine has had major problems and Chrysler continued to sell cars with this engine. They should have to pay for the repair.

- Julie Z., Glen Ridge, NJ, US

problem #33

Jan 282011

Sebring LXI 2.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 117,450 miles

Thought we had a great car for almost 3 years.Till my wife complained ,we just changed the oil.why is the oil light on.Well I check it again but the level was fine.She got 6 miles and the engine shut down.Had a friend who had a trailer,he brought the car to my house.The engine will not turn ,just clicks.I change the oil myself to save on money.I dont keep files. It will not be fixed,the price is way over my budget.I went looking for recalls ,found this site,glad I did.I m pissed and I know it will not make no difference.thanks

- forjustice, Antioch, TN, US

problem #32

Jan 202011

Sebring LXI Convertible 2.7L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles

I think if all of us chyrsler sebring owners got together we could file a class action lawsuit against chrysler. Email me your info or if you have already started a lawsuit let the rest of the board know so we can join. I still owe on MF ing car and have to keep paying since I will not ruin my mothers credit and I have no transportation. I will never buy a US auto again. and all of my family worked for the big 3.

- Penney W., Orange Park, FL, US

problem #31

Sep 242010

Sebring Limited 2.7L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 104,000 miles

First, our oil light started flickering. That is when we found out the oil pump has plastic gear box that fails. If it doesn't get fixed before it goes out the oil pump will go out leading to the engine overheating and burning up. Turns out, Chrysler, in ther wisdom, put the oil pump where the engine has to be torn apart to get to it. So, we spent $600+ to be proactive and have that and the water pump replaced before they went out completely (we replaced the water pump just because it made sense to do so while the engine was torn apart).

A couple of months later, I was driving down the Interstate, and with no warning whatsoever, the engine died and would not restart. I had to be towed. The mechanic has told us the valves blew and recommended replacing the engine. We have not yet done so and don't know if we ever will.

- Pamela R., Gas City, IN, US

problem #30

Sep 022010

Sebring Touring 2.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles

ENGINE STALLS AT STOP SIGNS OR LIGHTS AND IT WILL START UP RIGHT AWAY AND THEN THE ENGINE WILL STOP RUNNING AGAIN

- tiltaplenty, Troy, OH, US

problem #29

Jul 222010

Sebring Limited 2.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles

This car has been perfectly maintained and should not have had any oil sludge. Apparently this is a chronic problem with this particular engine.

- Nicole W., Detroit, MI, US

problem #28

Mar 042010

Sebring LXI 2.7L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 138,000 miles

The oil light started coming on at idle. Then it overheated on the interstate. I let it cool and added antifreeze and drove it a few more miles and it overheated again. Added more antifreeze and drove it again until it started to act like the engine was ready to freeze up so stopped and had it towed. My mechanic said it had water in the oil. I had a slow antifreeze leak for over a year but found no leak. My mechanic said that was because the engine is a bad design so that when the water pump fails the water leaks into the oil. So the water makes a poor lubricant and the bearings failed. I had heard of the sludge problems so used Amsoil to prevent sludging, and that worked fine, but couldn't have predicted water in the oil from the bad engine design. Mitsubishi designed motors are garbage. I had problems with Mitsubishi engines before (3.0 L). Fortunately I found a rebuilt engine for 2K on the internet with a 3 year warranty. My mechanic will be putting it in. Avoid Mitsubishi engines at all costs. They are junk. When my engine warranty runs out that car is gone.

- chemkg, Loudon, TN, US

problem #27

Sep 292009

Sebring

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,000 miles

I bought this POS car from a freinds boyfriend who had just gotten into the car selling industry. Since I "knew" him, I trusted his opinion when he informed me he had the perfect car for me.... LOOONG story short, the car is worthless... I bought it (cash) in July of 09 and by September, it started dying on me. The first time it happened I was reversing out of a parking lot and it just turned off, kinda like when your battery dies... But of course it wasnt the battery. After I had a mechanic look at it, I thought the problem was solved until 2 days later I parked to return a movie and it just ouldnt even turn on at all... This happened to me again a third time at which point sears told me I had a $2500.00 problem with my engine as well as an array of problems with the belts and water pump and alternator the list goes ON and ON...

To this day, I can not afford to get the problem fixed nor do I want to, due to the fact that I have already wasted 4 grand on this piece of crap that I will never get back! It still shakes when I drive on the highway, and shakes when Im at a red light, it sputters when I accelerate after a stop and it sounds like garbage, super loud and annoying... This is the worst decision I have ever made as for buying a vehicle. I was stupid thinking that I could trust this guy would take care of me. I cant wait to get rid of this lame car, and because of this expierience I will never buy an american car again! I never had ANY problems with my honda, or my kia... I got this car trying to save money and not have a car payment and its become nothing but a huge loss! DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!!!!!

- Elizabeth S., Grand Prairie, TX, US

problem #26

Oct 112009

Sebring LX 2.7L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 88,800 miles

What a nightmare! I recently purchased a used 2004 Sebring with 88,000 miles on it. I knew when I purchased the vehicle that I was going to have to put a little bit of work into it because it was used. WOW! A little bit of work turned into damn near a brand new car. I first took it up to the wheel shop to get an alignment. When the car was on the lift, the mechanic showed me that there was transmission fluid leaking underneath. So I took the car over to my trusted mechanic who told me that I needed the engine/transmission seals done. It was a total cost of $800.00 which was fairly cheap. He also showed me that there was more fluid leaking. It was oil leaking from the oil pan. It was also fluid leaking from the water pump. The estimated job for the water pump was a total of $800.00. With both a total off a whopping 1600.00! Well as the engine seals were being done and had been done, the water pump was next. I guess you have to take the whole top of the engine off to do the water pump. Crazy. They took off the valve cover pans and walla what do you know! SLUDGE! SLUDGE INSIDE THE WHOLE ENTIRE ENGINE! It was so black inside I couldn't see what was what. I couldn't believe what the F I saw! What was the diagnoses for that? A BRAND NEW MOTOR JACK! Were talking $3000.00 to 7000.00! I was lucky to get a used engine for $2500.00, but what about when that motor goes out? What then? Another one. F U buddy. I DON'T WANT TOO!

- Terrance H., Columbus, OH, US

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