1997 Chrysler LHS: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 79 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is fuel system, gasoline (23% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2004
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 79 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I noticed a gas smell while driving and thought that since I had recently put gas into the vehicle that that was what I smelled. The smell persisted and I had the hood open and I noticed that gas was gushing out of the front middle part of the engine. My engine light had come on and it was flashing on and off so I parked it and it now sits. I rely on my car to get to work. I was told that a fire could start and I feared for my safey and others around me.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Feb 2019
“I was driving several months ago and my dash light went black. It stopped working. They did not work for several months. Then a week ago they came back on while I was driving. Tonight, after a week of working dash lights, they suddenly stopped working again as I was driving down the road. What is going on? Please let me know what can be done. *tr”Owner report · Electrical System · May 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chrysler lhs. The contact stated that the vehicle was included and repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 98v184000 (fuel system: gasoline: fuel injection system) in 1999 for an abnormal gasoline smell. The contact stated that the odor had returned and the smell of gasoline was extremely overpowering. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer and it was determined that the o-rings failed. The failure mileage was 143,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Nov 2011
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“Car has had bad fuel leak now for a month , it is an injector that I am certain was replaced by the local dealer two years ago , but even though they have diagnosed it, they are claiming they replaced a different injector to the leaking one ,and therefore is not covered under their warranty. I continue to drive the vehicle with the leak . *tr”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Nov 2011
“My 1997 chrysler lhs completely lost all steering,the steering wheel went from one side to another with no resistance at all and the wheels never moved,luckily it was in a parking lot and not driving my grandkids. *tr”Owner report · Steering · May 2010
“Bad fuel leak developed , and was , after several weeks , repaired by local chrysler dealer ,- plenum , injector etc. Replaced. *tr”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Oct 2009
“I just purchased the cursed 97 chrysler lhs . Driving it home I noticed sloppy steering conditions. And I hit a pothole and my car jerked over to the next lane and almost hit an oncoming vehicle. When I got home I went straight to the tie rods and of course they were loose at the inner tie rod. So im stuck with an unsafe car that I cant drive. Thanks alot you billionaire freaks. *tr”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2008
“The headlight housing can not be removed to replace a burned out headlight bulb. There are two bolts that need to be removed for each headlight. One of the two bolts can not be removed as the nut holding the bolt rotates inside the plastic housing and will not let the bolt be removed. This is a common failure and means that to many people have to drive with a burned out bulb much longer than necessary until they can schedule a repair appointment. It shouldn't take that long to replace a burned out headlight. *nm”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Feb 2006
“I have a 1997 chrysler lhs, most of the time while I am driving all of my instrument will drop down to 0 and the air bag light will come on and the heat will come on full blast hot no matter what setting I have it on. And then when the instrument finaly come back up to the speed that I am going the a/c comes on as well. I took the car to the chrysler dealership in randolph several times and they still don't know what's wrong with it. Can you please help, this has been going on for a long,long time. *ak”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2005
“(1) events: normal driving. (2) loss of steering control on 1997 chrysler lhs. Due to luck there was no accident or injury, although failure at a different time would easily have resulted in severe injury or death. Failure is not yet fully analyzed, but appears to be due to failure of either inner tie rod bushing or inner tie rod mounting bolt. Steering control of left side front wheel was completely lost. I will provide update when exact nature of failure is available. For legal reasons I am proceeding carefully in analyzing this failure. Complete documentation will be available after analysis is complete. *jb”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2004
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 4 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FLOOR SHIFTER IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK MAY FAIL AND ALLOW THE SHIFTER TO BE MOVED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION WITH THE KEY REMOVED. AN INOPERATIVE INTERLOCK MAY ALSO ALLOW THE KEY TO BE REMOVED WHEN THE SHIFTER HAS NOT BEEN PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOAD-LIMITING PUSH ROD INTO THE FLOOR SHIFTER LEVER OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 14, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES BUILT WITH 3.5L ENGINES. THE FUEL INJECTION DELIVERY SYSTEM CAN LEAK FUEL FROM SOME OF THE SEALING O-RINGS OR FROM HAIR LINE CRACKS IN THE THERMOSET FUEL INJECTION RAIL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL RAIL O-RINGS AND REINFORCE THE OUTLET (PASSENGER) SIDE FUEL RAIL. VEHICLES SHOWING FUEL LEAKAGE ON THE OUTLET FUEL RAIL MUST HAVE THE OUTLET RAIL REPLACED WHICH INCLUDES CHANGING THE UPPER AND LOWER INJECTOR O-RINGS. HOWEVER, IF A VEHICLE IS LEAKING FUEL FROM THE O-RINGS OR FROM A CRACKED FUEL LINE, THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO A DEALER TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
How other years compare
Check your exact LHS by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Chrysler LHS reliable?
NHTSA has 79 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 1997 Chrysler LHS. The most complained-about area is fuel system, gasoline (23% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1997 Chrysler LHS problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 121,454 miles or less.
Does the 1997 Chrysler LHS have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:floor shift. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.