Five problems related to air bag on-off switch have been reported for the 2005 Chrysler Sebring. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2005 Chrysler Sebring based on all problems reported for the 2005 Sebring.
The horn goes off at any given time of the day. The horn randomly goes off when the car is powered on and in motion (on the highway or on a street), sometimes while stationary and powered off in the driveway - the vehicle being vacant. This is a reoccurring issue, almost every day. I've only had the car for 14 months. Following some online research, I discovered that there are hundreds of other complaints posted to various forums by other owners experiencing the same problem. The only proposed permanent solution being to replace the clock switch, a costly repair (est $1100). Otherwise, disable the fuse controlling the airbag and horn, not safe!.
When you push the horn it will not turn off. I pulled the fuse out so that I would not have to deal with the horn having a mind of its own. My fix was to purchase a switch about $4-5 at the auto store and rewire the horn in on my own. It looks a little tacky, I put the switch under the turn signal, but it is far better than being in traffic or at a light and having the horn go off for 5 minutes. Straight. I never took it in but I am guessing it is an issue with the horn switch which is under the airbag. Expensive fix which is why Chrysler will never pay to fix the issue.
The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the horn independently activated. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the driver side air bag and the horn switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
Horn starts blowing spontaneously in cold weather and will not stop until car is warmed up. This presents a hazard to other drivers and is a traffic violation. Horn shares a fuse with the fuel pump, so no easy way to disable it and drive the car, and car will not pass inspection if the horn is unplugged. A web search shows that this is a very common problem with this car, but since the horn switch is part of the airbag unit the replacement cost is almost $1000.
The horn randomly begins honking. It occationally happens as I'm driving down the road. When the car is turned off it continues honking. It occationally begins when I push the button on the remote to open the locked doors. It will then suddenly stop honking, only to start again further down the road. The only way I can get it to stop while I'm driving is to push hard on the center of the steering wheel with one hand while I steer with the other hand. This is a major safety hazard. I took it to the local repair shop. The mechanic told me that the problem is a switch in the steering wheel that controls the horn and the air bag. The switch costs around $500 and labor will cost about $500 more. Since I can't afford to pay that now, the technician suggested I remove the relay for the horn. He told me that would stop the horn from honking, but also disable the air bag. So now I am driving without a horn and without an airbag. This is also a major safety concern.