Chrysler Sebring Convertible seat belt problems

SEAT BELTS

CAR SHAKES AT 75 MILES PER HOUR..FROM THE FRONT END.

NHTSA complaint #11006027 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

DRIVERS INBOARD SEAT BELT BROKE OFF WHEN MY SON TRIED TO BUCKLE UP IN THE DRIVEWAY. POTENTIALLY A FATAL SITUATION IN AN ACCIDENT. THE CONNECTING CABLE FRAYED. IT WOULD NOT HAVE HELD IN ANY TYPE OF FORWARD ACCIDENT.

NHTSA complaint #10837448 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

THE SEATS BELTS WILL LOCK AND YOU CANNOT LOOSEN THEM. IF YOU ARE JUST ENTEREING THE CAR YOU CANNOT PUT THEM ON.

NHTSA complaint #10743604 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

FRONT SEAT BELTS, DRIVER AND PASSENGER LOCK UP AND WILL NOT RELEASE. IT IS GETTING WORSE, IN THE LAST 3 DAYS, IT HAS LOCKED UP TWICE AND CURRENTLY THEY ARE LOCK AND WILL NOT RELEASE FROM THE SEATS TO BE USED

NHTSA complaint #10628415 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS LOCK UP AND DO NOT RELEASE. IT DOES THIS INTERMITTENTLY BUT MOSTLY DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. WHEN THEY DO WORK THEY TIGHTEN & TIGHTEN TO THE POINT OF ALMOST BEING PAINFUL. MECHANICS DO NOT KNOW WHY THIS SHOULD HAPPEN UNLESS IT IS THE SEAT BELT CONTROL MODULE WHICH CAN ONLY BE DONE BY A DEALER. ONE WORD "EXPENSIVE!" THIS IS A SAFETY & LAW ISSUE AND SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MANUFACTURER FOR FAULTY SAFETY PRODUCT AND OPERATION. AFTER MY RESEARCH I SEE MANY OF THE SAME ISSUES WITH THE SEAT BELTS OVER AND OVER. THIS IS A REPETITIVE PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #10594737 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

ALL SEATBELTS IN THE CAR HAVE STOPPED FUNCTIONING. IT STARTED WITH THE BELTS RANDOMLY LOCKING, WHETHER DRIVING OR NOT. NOW, I HAVE TO KEEP CLIPS ON THE BELTS TO PREVENT THEM FROM FULLY RETRACTING.

NHTSA complaint #10545105 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

ON 6/18/13, I NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT LATCH (THE RECEPTACLE PORTION) WAS BEING PUSHED BETWEEN THE SEAT AND THE CENTER CONSOLE WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO BUCKLE. THE FOURTH OR FIFTH TIME IT DID THIS, THE ENTIRE BUCKLE BROKE OFF. UPON INSPECTION, THE WIRE CABLE CONNECTING THE SEAT BELT LATCH AND THE ANCHOR HAD BROKEN. THE ANCHOR WAS STILL SECURELY BOLTED TO THE SEAT. I HAVE CONTACTED A DEALER AND CHRYSLER, TO NO AVAIL.

NHTSA complaint #10520540 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

SEAT BELTS WOULD NOT "PULL OUT". AT FIRST IT ONLY HAPPENED SPORADICALLY AND FOR SHORT DURATION. PROBLEM OCCURRED MORE OFTEN UNTIL BELTS HAVE NOT WORKED AT ALL FOR PAST 2-3 WEEKS.

NHTSA complaint #10465362 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM CONCERNS THE SEATBELT RESTRAINT SYSTEM ".THE SEATBELT CONTROL MODULE" HAS FAILED ON OUR 2000 CHRYSLER SEBRING 1. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVEN ON A REGULAR BASIS AND AFTER SETTING FOR A PERIOD OF TIME THE BATTERY WAS LOW REQUIRING JUMP STARTING. 2. TWO DEALERSHIPS CHECKED OUT WHAT WAS DRAINING THE BATTERY AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. 3. WITH THE BATTERY GROUND DISCONNECTED AND AN AMMETER BETWEEN BATTERY GROUND AND CHASIS GROUND MY INITIAL READING WAS .06 AMPS,. 4. WITH THIS SAME TEST SETUP IN PLACE THE DOORS WERE OPENED AND THEN CLOSED THE AMMETER READ .5 AMPS DRAW ON THE BATTERY AFTER THE CONTROL FOR THE INTERIOR LIGHTS TIMED OUT. NOTE:THE INITIAL BREAKING OF THE GROUND DISGUISED THE PROBLEM. (MAYBE WHY DEALERSHIPS DID NOT DETECT THE PROBLEM) . I PROCEEDED TO PULL FUSES UNTIL I DISCOVERED THE .5 AMP DRAIN WENT AWAY WHEN THE FUSE FEEDING THE SEAT BELT CONTROL MODULE WAS PULLED. I HAVE NOT YET HAD OUR CAR REPAIRED HOWEVER APPEARANCES ARE THAT THE MODULE IS DEFECTIVE. THIS PROBLEM MAY NEVER HAVE SHOWED UP HAD THE CAR BEEN DRIVEN ON A REGULAR BASIS KEEPING THE BATTERY FROM GETTING TOO LOW TO START THE CAR. EVEN WITH THE FUSE PULLED THE SEATBELTS COULD BE USED AS NORMAL WHICH WE DID SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THEY LOCKED TO WHERE THEY COULD NOT BE RETRACTED. WHAT LITTLE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE TELLS ME THIS MODULE HAS MANY SAFETY FUNCTIONS BESIDES JUST REMINDING US TO FASTEN THE SEAT BELTS. THE IMPACT SENSOR IS A COMPONENT OF THE SEATBELT CONTROL TIMER MODULE (SCTM) LOCATED UNDER THE CENTER CONSOLE. THE G-SENSOR IS SENSITIVE TO FRONTAL IMPACT AND TO A ROLL OR PITCH OR MORE THAN 45 DEGREES AND TO ACCELERATION OR DECELERATION EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN 0.7G IN ANY DIRECTION. IN CLOSING MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE ARE MANY CARS BEING DRIVEN DAILY WITH THE OWNERS UNAWARE OF A MALFUNCTIONING "SEAT BELT CONTROL MODULE".

NHTSA complaint #10455270 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELTS WERE LOCKED AND WOULD NOT RETRACT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 157,000.

NHTSA complaint #10447195 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

MY WIFE OWNS A 2000 CHRYSLER SEBRING JXI CONVERTIBLE. ON SEPTEMBER 6., 2011 MY WIFE WAS LEAVING FOR WORK AND WHEN SHE WENT TO BUCKLE HER SEAT BELT THE ENTIRE SEAT BELT'S FEMALE RECEPTICLE (DRIVER'S SIDE) BROKE OFF IN HER HAND (THE ENTIRE CABLE SNAPPED). UPON INSPECTION WE DISCOVERED THE CABLE THAT BOLTS THE RECEPTICLE TO THE SEAT FRAME HAD BROKEN IN THE MIDDLE WHERE THERE IS VERY LITTLE BINDING OR BENDING. WE CALLED CHRYSLER CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY STATED IT "WASN'T COVERED UNDER WARRANTY...." MY WIFE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO OUR LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD HER IT WOULD COST $300 TO REPLACE IT. AS A TEMPORARY FIX I MOVED THE SEAT BELT RECEPTICLE FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT TO THE TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE SINCE IT'S ILLEGAL IN MISSOURI TO DRIVE WITHOUT A SEAT BELT. WE FEEL THERE SHOULDN'T BE A WARRANTY PERIOD FOR SAFETY EQUIPMENT ON A VEHICLE - IF A PART FAILS THROUGH NO FAULT OF THE OWNER THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD REPLACE THEIR SUBSTANDARD PARTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S A DEFECTIVE PART THAT COULD COST THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE THEIR LIFE. AFTER DOING AN ONLINE SEARCH WE FOUND WE WEREN'T ALONE IN SEAT BELT RECEPTICLES BREAKING ON CHRYSLER SEBRINGS. WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF MY SEARCH I FOUND 5 COMPLAINTS DESCRIBING THE SAME MALFUNCTION OR DEFECT - ONE MENTIONED THE PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED AFTER AN ACCIDENT WHERE "SEVERE HEAD INJURIES" RESULTED. THE COMPLAINTS I READ ONLINE STARTED WITH THE MODEL YEAR 2000 AND GO THROUGH 2005. MY WIFE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR FOR FEAR OF THE SEAT BELT RECEPTICLE I MOVED TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE FAILING IN AN ACCIDENT. IF I GET ONE FROM A JUNKYARD TO SAVE MONEY ON THE REPAIR WHO'S TO SAY IT WON'T BREAK IN AN ACCIDENT TOO RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH?

NHTSA complaint #10425899 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT REMAINED STUCK IN THE RETRACTED POSITION AND HE WAS UNABLE TO USE THE SEATBELT. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE NOR WAS THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 111,320 AND THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 111,300.

NHTSA complaint #10425315 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AT TIMES, THE SEAT BELT CONNECTORS WOULD FAIL TO ALIGN PROPERLY, RENDERING THEM INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 164,000. UPDATED 8/29/11 *CN THE SEAT BELT RELEASE MODULE DOES NOT RANDOMLY BELTS. UPDATED 09/21/11

NHTSA complaint #10416766 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

THE SEAT BELT LIGHT/ CHIME LIGHTS UP AND SOUNDS WHEN DRIVING, EVEN THOUGH THE SEAT BELT SEEMS TO BE SECURELY BUCKLED. WIGGLING THE SEAT BELT MAKES THE LIGHT GO OFF. THIS OCCURS AT LEAST ONCE PER DRIVE 90% OF THE TIME I DRIVE THE CAR. THIS CAUSES A DISTRACTION WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA complaint #10411832 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

I HAVE A 1997 CHRYSLER SEBRING JXI CONVERTIBLE, THAT THE SEATBELT ARE GENERALLY USELESS. BOTH THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER SEAT BELTS LOCK AND WILL NOT RETRACK, THEREFORE YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO USE THEM. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD ESPECIALLY IN A CONVERTIBLE. I LIVE IN A STATE WHERE SEATBELTS ARE REQUIRES, BUT WHEN THEY ARE LOCKED I CAN NOT USE THEM. I HAVE NOT FOUND WHERE THE SEATBELTS HAVE BEEN RECALLED, SHOULDN'T THERE BE A LIFETIME GUARANTEE ON SEATBELTS SINCE THEY ARE A SAFETY DEVICE? I HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR 3 YEARS NOW AND IT IS AN ONGOING SITUATION WITH THE MOST RECENT BEING YESTERDAY.

NHTSA complaint #10409017 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

INTERMITTENTLY BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS ARE LOCKED INTO THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR AND CAN NOT BE USED. TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC THAT COULD NOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX IT. THE CAR IS A CONVERTIBLE AND SHOULD NEVER BE DRIVEN WITHOUT PROPER RESTRAINTS.

NHTSA complaint #10375268 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

I HAVE A 96 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE JXI AND THE SEATBELTS "LOCK" IN THE RETRACTED STAGE AT VARIOUS TIMES. BOTH BELTS LOCK AND UNLOCK AT THE SAME TIME. I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENS AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT I NEED NEW SEAT BELTS BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT BOTH BELTS WENT BAD AT THE EXACT SAME TIME, AND THAT THE RELEASE AT THE SAME TIME. I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN THIS YEAR AND MODEL OF THE SEBRING.

NHTSA complaint #10364079 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

SEAT BELT INDICATOR LIGHT AND TONE WILL NOT STOP EVEN WITH SEAT BELT SECURELY ATTACHED. THIS CAUSES A MAJOR DISTRACTION WHEN DRIVING AND ALSO LEADS TO UNCERTAINLY AS TO THE AIR BAG INTERCONNECT SYSTEM. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED ON 05/15/09 AND DIAGNOSED IT AS A SEAT BELT BUCKLE/PRETENSIONER FAILURE AND THAT THIS WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY AND WANTED TO CHARGE $500.00 TO FIX IT. THIS IS A STANDARD SAFETY INTERCONNECT SYSTEM AND SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO WARRANTY ISSUES AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED. IF THIS IS HAPPENING WITH THIS AUTOMOBILE, WHICH IS A VERY COMMON MODEL, THEN IT SURELY IS HAPPENING TO OTHERS AND MAY HAVE ALREADY CAUSED OR IS GOING TO CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND POSSIBLE FAILURE OF AIR BAG, SAFETY BELT SYSTEMS AS THEY ARE INTERCONNECTED. THIS IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM AND THE DRIVER HAS TRIED VARIOUS METHODS OF INTERFERING WITH THE WARNING SYSTEM SUCH AS LOCKING AND UNLOCKING THE SAFETY BELT, JIGGLING THE SAFETY BELT, HOLDING THE SAFETY BELT AWAY FROM THE BODY WHILE DRIVING ETC. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR DRIVERS TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH AS IT IS DISTRACTING AND COULD ALSO RESULT IN IMPROPER RESTRAINT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. CHRYSLER SHOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM WITHOUT QUESTION AND SHOULD INVESTIGATE TO SEE IF A RECALL IS WARRANTED. THIS BEGAN JUST OVER 30,000 MILES AND THE OWNER CONTACTED THE DEALER ABOUT 10,000 MILES LATER WHEN IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS GOING TO PERSIST AND THERE WAS NOTHING THE OWNER COULD DO TO MITIGATE THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED BECAUSE THE WARRANTY ON THIS ITEM EXPIRED AT 30,000. THIS VEHICLE HAS A 7 YEAR, 70,000 MILE DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE, A 2005 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE, WAS PURCHASED IN 2006 FROM WILLITS MOTORS IN SUSANVILLE, CALIFORNIA. WILLITS WAS PURCHASED BY SUSANVILLE AUTO CENTER, 530-257-5092 AND THAT DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN THE ONE THE OWNER HAS BEEN DEALING WITH AND WHO HAS REFUSED TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM UNLESS PAID THE OUTRAGEOUS SUM OF $500.00.

NHTSA complaint #10348367 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION AND ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT, THE SHOULDER BELT AND LAP BELT WEBBING WOULD NOT EXTRACT. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE BELT EXHIBITED THE IDENTICAL FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MANUALLY SECURE THE SEAT BELT WITH TAPE AND A CLIP. AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE TIMING MODULE. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 173,000. UPDATED 09/22/10. *LJ UPDATED 09/23/10

NHTSA complaint #10343905 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

2000 CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE JXI - SEATBELTS MALFUNCTION SEATBELT RETRACTOR LOCKS UP (BOTH SEATS AT THE SAME TIME) SO THE SEAT BELTS CANNOT BE USED. INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BUT VERY PROBLEMATIC. I HAVE REPLACED THE SEATBELT FUSE. I HAVE CONSULTED WITH A CHRYSLER SERVICE DEPT. TECHNICIAN WHO STATED THAT REPLACING THE RETRACTOR WOULD BE $508 PER SEAT BUT COULDN'T GUARANTEE THAT THIS WOULD BE THE SOLUTION. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE INTERNET; HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F11C283 WHICH HAS NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND WWW.ALLEXPERTS.COM.

NHTSA complaint #10336486 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.