Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint Problems of Chrysler Sebring - part 1

This Chrysler Sebring convertible had the left front lower ball joint fail and separate from the lower control arm while being driven. This failure resulted in loss of steering control at a speed of approximately 30 miles per hour. The location happened on smoothly paved spring run road extension located in pennsylvania, allegheny county,in moon township. The time of this event was approximately 6:15 a. M.

See all problems of the 2004 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.

As I drive my Sebring, every dip, hole or crevasse my car hits(going 30 and up its dangerous) sends it way to the side, doesn't have an exact side either. Does it both ways. I believe it has something to do with my lower ball joints so possibly my control arms and I was told it was possible that this specific car had issues with the control arms. The way the car drives right now is seriously dangerous and I was just curious if this car did actually have a recall or a manufacturer defect.

The contact owns a 1998 Chrysler Sebring. While driving approximately 20 mph, the front driver side tire detached. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the lower ball joint and axle failed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the lower arm control, lower ball joint, tie rod, and axle failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. The VIN was not available.

See all problems of the 1998 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.

The contact owns a 1999 Chrysler Sebring convertible. While driving approximately 15 mph, the front end of the vehicle collapsed to the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the front driver's side lower ball joint and axle fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign number: 09e056000 (suspension) however, the recall expired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000. The VIN was unavailable.

See all problems of the 1999 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.

The contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the left front lower ball joint failed, causing the wheel to cave inward. The vehicle was towed to the contacts home and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

See all problems of the 2002 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.

This was a mater of severe injury and property damage and could have been death or maiming. Travelling to a normal stop at an intersection traffic light, being the first car to the light on flat pavement, the car's front passenger side lower ball joint came out of its socket and the car skidded to a halt on the pavement riding on the undercarriage of the vehicle frame with the whole tire and brake assembly dangling by the brake line hose outside the wheel well. How could Chrysler be allowed to send a faulty life safety device such as a this critical steering, suspension ball joint that human life depends on into the public for sale? I am outraged that my wife could have been killed by Chrysler's slipshod engineering and product placement. There is no doubt in my mind that if she had been on the highway travelling at a high rate of speed I would be calling a funeral parlor today to make arrangements today for her burial. She was minutes away from travelling to a higher rate of speed when she left the shopping center. Thank god the light turned red. I hope someone at nhsta can do something about this terrible and dangerous life threatening vehicle on the roadways for the sake of Sebring occupants and other vehicle occupant's who are at risk of death if nothing is done to correct the issue or banish the vehicles altogether from roadways. Three Sebrings passed us while we waited for the tow truck and those people are at the same risk of death by driving those cars. Chrysler should be held responsible for their careless and negligent actions. And, they should recall all of these products to provide a safe alternative at no cost. I am out mental anguish and property. They know their business and they take the liability so they should be responsible. In am very happy my wife didn't get killed. I have all pictures of the accident if you need them. Thank you.

My control arm and lower ball joint separated while I was driving. I was left blocking a busy intersection because I literally could not move my car because the tire had also separated from the axle. I had to replace the right axle, right lower control arm, left lower ball joint, and replace the outer tie rod end. This cost me over $1,000. I recently came across that a recall was issued for these very things that happened to me, however, I was never notified. I would like to be reimbursed for this expense.

See all problems of the 2006 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.

I had just turned around in a parking lot when the drivers side lower ball joint separated from the control arm and the wheel collapsed and the inner cv joint separated. If I had been traveling on the street at the time, a major accident would have been likely. About a thousand miles later the passenger side ball joint separated from the control arm just as the car was put into reverse. This time the didn't move more than about 6 inches and no other damage was done.

After turning around in a trailer park parking lot just started going forward when the lower ball joint separated from the lower control arm causing the left front tire to collapse from under the car and disabling the steering. If this had happened on the street at normal speeds it would probably have caused a major crash.

Coming to a stop and turning right. Noise and wheel just fell flat on roadway. Lower ball joint disconnedted and made steering impossible and car uncontrollable. After repair about 6 months later the sam wheel top ball joint disconnected and nearly resulted in a accident on a busy street. The mechanic who repaired also checked the driver side ball joins and I was told they were within specs. In may of 2014 while driving around 50 miles an hour the bottom balljoint on the driver side disengaged and the steering was lost and the tire fell flat and nearly cause a head on crash. I have had many cars and diven for years and this has nevr happened in my life. There should be a recall on these vehicles ASAP. Some research indicates that the casting on the ball joint ring were heat treated improperly and Chrysler it aware that this could have and result in th whell separation from the control arm leading to steering lost to the vehile and danger to the occupants. .

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.

See all problems of the 2003 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.

The contact owns a 1997 Chrysler Sebring convertible. The contact stated that the driver side ball joint detached from the socket while the contact was driving. The dealer diagnosed that the lower ball joint need to be replaced. The vehicle was included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 09e056000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint), but the manufacturer refused to cover the repairs. The manufacturer proposed that the contact pay 50 percent of the cost of the repairs due to the age of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 115,000.

See all problems of the 1997 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.

On may 22, 2011, I was driving my 2002 Chrysler Sebring convertible onto a main road here in florida and all of the sudden there was a huge thud, my car crashed to the ground, and it jolted forward after forcing a stop. I got out of the car and the body of my front passenger side had fallen on top of my tire. The police arrived and said that it was my control arm. I spent over $150 getting it towed numerous places and I was finally told that it was my front control arm and lower ball joint. They told me it was going to be $1500 to repair because my drivers side control arm and lower ball joint look like they are going to do the same thing. I went to the vehicle center section on my car insurance website and to my surprise there are three vehicle recalls for my year and model. I did not think that I was going to find anything, but there is a recall for the exact thing that happened to my car. I called the manufacturer and they said that my VIN does not match for any recalls. This is a very dangerous situation. The exact thing that is being recalled happened to me, but it doesn't seem to matter. Shouldn't my safety be number one? the police and towing company, as well as my parents, said that I am lucky to be alive. If I would have been on the highway that I was headed to and the control arm and ball joint would have broken/fallen off, I could have been seriously injured or worse. There needs to be justification for them to deny my claim. Just because it doesn't fall under their recall list doesn't mean it shouldn't. These types of parts are made to last in all other cars. My car is not that old, and this didn't just happen out of the blue. I think that my car should be checked out for the recall, otherwise the other one is going to do the same thing, and next time I might not be so lucky.

The contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated that while driving out of a parking lot, she heard a noise when she turned the steering wheel and noticed that the drivers side wheel and tire were out of place. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who stated that failure was caused by the front suspension lower ball joint arm. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and the current mileage were 99,000.

The contact owns a 2000 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the front passenger side lower ball joint fractured. The contact was unable to drive the vehicle and it was towed to the dealer where the lower ball joint was replaced. The contact stated that the lower ball joint was replaced one year ago for the same failure that occurred while braking from 5 mph. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 110,000.

See all problems of the 2000 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.

The contact owns a 1998 Chrysler Sebring. The contact was driving 15-20 mph when the front driver side lower ball joint fractured from the vehicle causing the wheel to also separate from the vehicle. The contact stated that the front suspension was problematic but had not experienced any incidents that presented a safety risk. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileage was approximately 156,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph, she rear ended another vehicle. Twenty minutes later, the front passenger tire suddenly blew out. A spare tire was installed; yet, within fifteen minutes while driving to an authorized dealer, the contact suddenly lost control of the vehicle, veered off of the road and crashed. The contact was injured and the vehicle was destroyed. The police report listed a statement from a witness indicating that the front passenger side tire was not on the vehicle properly. The contact stated that the front passenger side tire was the same area which she had the two prior failures. She stated that the failure was related to NHTSA recall 09e056000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). The manufacturer had not been notified. The current and failure mileages were approximately 60,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Chrysler Sebring convertible. When the vehicle was turning to the left at approximately 8 mph, the contact heard a noise. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the lower ball joints were replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The current mileage was approximately 7,000.

The contact owns a 1999 Chrysler Sebring. She received NHTSA campaign id number 00v421002 recall notice, suspension front control arm, lower ball joint which stated "dealers will inspect the lower lateral arm ball joint for wear. Ball joints that exhibit wear beyond the established tolerance will be replaced with newly designed lateral arm ball joints. Ball joints that are within the established tolerance will be cleaned and a special sealant will be applied to prevent intrusion of moisture. " upon arrival to the dealer, they stated that her ball joints were not affected and within the established tolerance they would apply the proper sealant to the vehicle. The sealant needed was on back order. The vehicle was taken to two separate dealers for a second opinion and she was advised not to drive the vehicle since there was too much movement in the left ball joint and the right ball joint was frozen. Chevrolet did not agree with the dealer. No repairs were made to the vehicle and to date, the contact was awaiting the arrival of the sealant needed to perform the recall repair. The failure and current mileages were 91, 695.

The contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Sebring. While driving approximately 35 mph, the passenger front wheel seemed to cave in. The wheel collapsed and folded inward. She lost all steering capabilities the failure did not cause a crash; however, the vehicle was stuck in the middle of the road. The vehicle was towed. The tow truck driver stated that the ball joint were broken which caused the vehicle to collapse. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer stated that they had no knowledge of recall 09e056000, suspension:front:control arm: lower ball joint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 96,000.

The contact owns a 1999 Chrysler Sebring convertible. The contact stated that the passenger side lower ball joint snapped. While driving 20 mph, the front passenger side wheel almost separated from the vehicle. The front end collapsed and the vehicle would not come to a complete stop. The vehicle skidded 60 feet. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.

The contact owns a 1997 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated that the front driver's side lower ball joints failed while pulling out of a parking space. The dealer stated that the ball joints were repaired in 1998 according to NHTSA campaign id number 97v201000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). In addition, the vehicle was previously repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 00v421002 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint) in 2000. The contact did not remember the first recall repair; however, it is in the system as being repaired by the dealer. He believes that the repair was never performed, but was documented as completed in order to get paid by the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 140,000.

My vehicle suffered the exact failure of suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint failure of recall NHTSA campaign id number: 00v421002 NHTSA action number: rq00015. This basically causes a drive wheel to all but fall off, rendering the car immediately inoperable, regardless of how dangerous the circumstances. I was very lucky in that I was in a residential neighborhood traveling at a low speed, otherwise I could well be dead. I have taken the car into south bay Chrysler in torrance California, and despite the very clear nature of the recall, south bay Chrysler in torrance, claims (as they have apparently done with hundreds of others) that my car is not subject to that recall and pay for the repairs. Per the clear language of the recall, and the exact nature of the failure coinciding perfectly with the reason for the recall, their denial is disingenuous, cynical, disgusting, reprehensible, dishonest. In fact, it's the behavior of a company that has earned it's bankruptcy.

The contact owns a 2000 Chrysler Sebring. When the vehicle was started or while driving at any speed, the contact heard a grinding and squeaking noise underneath the vehicle. A mechanic stated that the front ball joints needed to be replaced. Nhtsa campaign id number 00v21002 (suspension:front: control arm:lower ball joint) was referenced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer in may of 2001 and was inspected for the safety recall at that time, but no repair was made. The failure mileage was 56,184. Updated 05/05/08. The consumer would like to be reimbursed for the ball joints, that were recalled. . Updated.

The contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Sebring convertible. Corrosion was present on the lower control arm ball joint seal. No repairs have been made. The failure mileage was 7,000 and the current mileage was 9,000. Updated 10/27/09 the consumer stated the lower control arm ball joint seal boot failed. It deteriorated which caused separation of the ball joint. Updated 10/28/09.

The contact owns a 1998 Chrysler Sebring. The front driver side wheel nearly detached from the vehicle while driving 45 mph. The contact heard a horrible grinding noise underneath the vehicle and then the steering wheel jerked. She depressed the brake pedal and managed to stop the vehicle. She then noticed that the wheels were mostly out of place. She called the dealer and they notified her of a recall for the same failure that her vehicle was experiencing. The dealer stated that the vehicle had been previously repaired and could not be repaired again. The contact stated that the vehicle had never before been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 90,000. Updated 01/03/08. Recall# 00v421002 the dealer informed the consumer there was a recall on the lower ball joints, however it had already been fixed on the vehicle. Updated 12/31/07.

While driving down a side road at 15 mph, after going through the 2nd of 2 small dips, the front ball joint broke on the 1997 Sebring and the car stopped. We got out, saw front wheel turned out at sharp angle, the right front of car dropped. Sheridan police drove by,we made an accident report. After having the car towed 2 blocks, the ins. Co. Was called we contacted phil long Chrysler in littleton CO. To find price on the part. They asked for VIN number and determined there was recall on that vehicle. They said car was fixed once under recall, they wanted to see it. We had it towed there. Bernie said they would at least fix the ball joint. They estimated the damage and called district rep to come see the car. We were called and told district rep said no, they would not fix the car under the recall. We also owed them $100 (diagnostics). We were told by service manager, scott vansickle, there was nothing they could do. The car was 10 years old, had 160,000 miles. [recalled part was fixed at 20,000 miles in 1998. ] decision was made by the district rep. And, besides, those parts wear out. I asked for name and number of district rep - chris g. At 1-800-992-1997. I called, was told by alex, after much referral with his supervisor, that car had already been fixed and there was nothing they could do. I told him I wanted to speak with district rep, chris g, he said he was not at that number, they didn't have a district rep there, I needed to go through dealer for that. I asked him for his name, alex, and supervisor's name,ryan. Chrysler's rep, ( chris g. ) has offered to do absoluteley nothing to remedy this problem and is unwillling to do anything. I am lucky I was going slow and noone was hurt. This accident could have happened at 65 mph on the freeway and the 3 of us could have been killed. I find it appalling that Chrysler claims no responsibility for the fault of this part.

Lower ball joint assembly came apart from the housing resulting in the car falling on the ground.

The contact owns a 1997 Chrysler Sebring convertible. On July 9, 2007, while driving 10 mph, the control arm detached from the vehicle. The failure caused the axle to fall off the vehicle. There were no warning indicators prior to the failure. The control arm and axle were replaced on July 11, 2007 for $1,080. The dealer stated that her VIN was excluded from recall # 00v421002 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). The current and failure mileages were 135,000.

: the contact stated while driving 65 mph, the front end of the vehicle shook, which caused a loss of vehicle control. The vehicle was taken to a private repair shop, who determined that the rubber on the front lower ball joints had split. There was a NHTSA recall # 99v066003 which pertained to the lower ball joint. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.

See all problems of the 1996 Chrysler Sebring 🔎.

I was driving my car and it started making a real loud squeaking noise like the front end was coming out from under it. I took it in and got a couple of quotes on it. All 3 of the mechanic's told me I needed to get my lower ball joints & control arm changed. Both the passenger and the driver side of my car were bad. I had never gotten a recall notice in the mail. I have owned this car for over 2 years. Finally I took it in on Monday, July 3, 2006 and had to replace both sides. It ended up costing me over $475. 00 for parts and service.

This ownerã‚s ã‚98 Chrysler Sebring was serviced for remedy relative to recall campaign 04v-421-002 at approximately 160,000 miles. At approximately 171,000 miles the lower lateral arm separated from the ball joint at low speed (20 ã‚ 25 mph). Owner stated that after action inspection found the joint dry (no lubrication) & pitted. Âit wore to the point where it popped out of the socket. Â쳜 there were no injuries as a result of the incident. Damaged systems include, half-shaft, wheel, tire, fender, front fascia and possibly transmission. Chrysler is currently inspecting vehicle.

Loud click sound from the front wheels when shifting front park to drive, was diagnosed by a Chrysler mechanic as lower ball joint wear on both sides. Right and left lower ball joint grease boots were deflated and grease was absent causing pre-mature (38,000) mile failure of the ball joint. Symtoms first began at 24,000 miles. Safety requires that the right and left joint and entire control arm be replaced to avoid a failure. Symptoms and diagnosis are identical to the NHTSA recall of other Chrysler Sebring years.

Right front lower ball joint fractured and ripped out the drive shaft from the transmission causing loss of steering. A new lower control arm and drive shaft was installed to correct the problem.

The contact stated while driving 5 mph through a parking lot the left side lower ball joint broke. The left front tire collapsed but was still attached by a lower portion. This happened without any prior warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer inspected the vehicle and confirmed the problem with lower ball joint. There have been no repairs made at this time due to the expense.