2003 Chrysler Sebring: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 69 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (18% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jun 2015
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 69 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“While driving approximately 25 mph I crossed over railroad tracks in the road. There is only a very small bump going over these. The front drivers side wheel came off. The lower ball joint pulled out and pulled the front axle out. The vehicle only has 91,000 miles on it. There was no warning that this was going to happen. I was driving in normal traffic. And was unable to move the vehicle out of the traffic lane. Vehicle had to be towed. This happened yesterday 7/10/21. I have seen other reports of problems with this but vehicles have higher mileage than mine. Is there not a recall for this?”Owner report · Wheels · Jul 2021
“Past few weeks been noticing issues with the car. 1. Sun visors hit me in the face 2. Car stalls to start 3. Lights hardly work even when you try to put on high beams 3. Fluid doesn't stay in the car 4. Car cuts off in mid driving 5. Car also can cut off when you apply brakes . Car back tire smokes. Was not in a accident with anyone car cut off on me while driving I was able to own my own bring car to stop”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Oct 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chrysler sebring. The contact stated that while driving at 5 mph, he tried to turn left and the front passenger side tire turned outwards. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lower control arm and bonjoy was fractured it caused the axle to fracture. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that there was a recall under NHTSA campaign number: 10e059000 (suspension) however the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 131,389.”Owner report · Wheels · Jul 2016
Show 7 more owner reports
“Start car, when in idle it shuts off with in a few seconds of hitting gas now. It use to idle and I would have to rev a little so it would not turn off. That worked for a little bit today to broke down. Luckily in my drive way this time instead of the middle of road like last week. Why is my car doing this?”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chrysler sebring. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v338000 (air bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Updated 03/09/16*lj”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chrysler sebring sedan. The contact noticed that the entire steering column, horn, and cruise control were fractured. In addition, the driver side air bag warning light was continuously illuminated. The failures occurred continuously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clock spring needed to be replaced, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Mar 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chrysler sebring. The contact stated that the dashboard began to rise without cause. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable.”Owner report · Structure · Jun 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chrysler sebring. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the horn failed to function and the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was stated that the clock spring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 143,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chrysler sebring. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the front end of the vehicle dropped down toward the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated that the front lower ball joints failed due to defective material. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic, but was not repaired a second time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 115,000 and the approximate current mileage was 115,300.”Owner report · Suspension · Jan 2012
“I have a 2003 chrysler sebring convertible with a 2.7l engine. I recently started noticing problems around 88,000 miles.. I now have 92,000 miles and see engine coolant is black.. Online it appears a common problem is oil mixing with coolant.. Apparently I have this problem. I also have the 2.7l engine that is prone to sludge and other problems. I noticed the car was using more oil recently even before my 3,000 oil change.. Now I might have the reason why... I see I'm not the only person with this problem, please help everyone who purchased a chrysler product with this 2.7l engine... *tr”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · May 2011
When filing, owners marked a crash in 4 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
QUALIS AUTOMOTIVE IS RECALLING CERTAIN AFTERMARKET BALL JOINTS SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SOCKET MAY HAVE BEEN EXCESSIVELY HARDENED WHICH COULD CAUSE IT TO CRACK NEAR THE RETAINING RING GROOVE ALLOWING THE BALL STUD TO SEPARATE UNDER IMPACT LOAD. THE SUBJECT BALL JOINTS WERE SOLD AS FOUR PART NUMBERS, D10945, D10946, G10945, AND G10946. THE AFFECTED CONTROL ARMS, D10945 AND D10946, ARE STAMPED WITH THE FOLLOWING DATES ON THE BALL JOINTS: 134308, 135708, 100109, 102709, 104109, 105509, 107609, 108909, 110309, 113209, AND 116609. THE G10945 AND G10946 ARE THE SAME PART AS THE D10945 AND D10946 RESPECTIVELY. THEY ARE LABELED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON THE AFTERMARKET CUSTOMER.
Remedy: QUALIS AUTOMOTIVE WILL REPLACE THE BALL JOINTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 9, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT QUALIS AUTOMOTIVE AT 1-800-493-4128.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FUEL RETURN LINE HOSE FITTING ON THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP MAY BE RESTRICTED, CAUSING EXCESSIVE FUEL PRESSURE TO BUILD UP IN THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. EXCESSIVE FUEL PRESSURE MAY RESULT IN A LEAK IN THE FUEL RETURN HOSE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP PRESSURE. THOSE VEHICLES EXHIBITING HIGHER THAN NORMAL FUEL PUMP PRESSURE WILL RECEIVE FUEL PUMP MODIFICATIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 15, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-992-1997.
CERTAIN CARDONE MASTER CYLINDERS WITH PART NUMBERS 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987MZA, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, AND 11-3156, AND WITH DATE CODES LOWER THAN DCA7078 SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE SEAL ON MASTER CYLINDER CAN FAIL AND LEAK BRAKE FLUID.
Remedy: CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2000-2005 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 5, 1999, to December 17, 2004, 2001-2005 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured January 19, 2000, to March 18, 2005, 2001-2005 Chrysler Sebring vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 21, 2005, and 2001-2005 Dodge Stratus vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 22, 2005. In the affected vehicles, the passenger side sun visor may be folded down in such a position that, if the passenger frontal air bag deploys, the passenger side sun visor may detach.
Remedy: MMNA will notify their owners, and Chrysler will notify the Chrysler and Dodge owners. Dealers will install a tether strap to retain the passenger sun visor, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-15-005. Chrysler and Dodge owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R30.
FEDERAL-MOGUL IS RECALLING CERTAIN REPLACEMENT CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLIES, PART NUMBERS K7425, 10945, FA4510X, K7427, 10946, AND FA4611X, SOLD FOR USE ON VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE BALL JOINT ON THE CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLY CAN FAIL CAUSING THE BALL STUD TO WEAR THROUGH THE CONTROL ARM HOUSING RESULTING IN NOISE AND/OR SEPARATION OF THE BALL STUD FROM THE HOUSING.
Remedy: FEDERAL-MOGUL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE AFFECTED CONTROL ARMS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 28, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FEDERAL-MOGUL AT 1-877-489-6659.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
How other years compare
Check your exact Sebring 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 2003 Chrysler Sebring reliable?
NHTSA has 69 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2003 Chrysler Sebring. The most complained-about area is air bags (18% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2003 Chrysler Sebring problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 59,250 miles or less.
Does the 2003 Chrysler Sebring have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint. 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.