Automatic Transmission Column Shift Problems of Chrysler Sebring

Complaint received via e-mail. Consumer's wife was backing out of a parking space, she backed up as far as she needed, and with her foot on the brake she attempted to shift from reverse into forward, suddenly the car lurched backward into another vehicle. Luckily there wasn't anybody behind her. She said she came to a stop, foot on brake, and then moved the automatic transmission shift lever into forward.

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My wife's 1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible was parked in a wal-mart parking lot on u. S. Route 130n, hamilton township, NJ. She got into the car, started it up and moved the console shift lever toward "d". She had parked facing the lane between the parking spaces so she could drive forward and not have to back out of the spot. When the shift lever got to "r" the car lurched rearward and then as the gear shift went to "d" the car shot forward even though her foot was planted firmly on the break (you can't shift this car without having the brake pedal depressed). The wal-mart security film shows white smoke issuing from the front wheel wells as the car rockets out of sight. The car sped about 250-300 feet before my wife steered into the wal-mart plant display and the car finally stopped. No injuries to anyone and no damage to any other cars. Chrysler sent an investigator to examine the car; he found nothing amiss- no problem and therefore no explanation. My wife takes no medication(s) she wasn't drunk or impaired in any way and has a perfect driving record. So what happened? the insurance company totaled the car and sent us a check. End of story?, not quite. My question to all of you out there on the ether has anyone out there gone through this experience? even for a short distance? something caused that car to go haywire and it couldn't have happened just once. Let me know, please. My e-mail sbenner@trentonnj. Org.

See all problems of the 1998 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.