Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Chrysler Sebring owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This complaint is the same as the one filed on March 12th of 01. Premature brake wear. On my make and model Chrysler Sebring conv. There are no wear sensors on the inside brake pads. Only on the outside do they have the required hardware to detect brake wear. On my car the right inside brake pad always wears out first. I have had to completely replace my brakes at almost the exact same mileage as the first time. I have documentation if required to verify complaint if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this complaint.
1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible: brake work. After having my brakes repaired three times I now hear there is a problem with the master cylinder. I just replaced it as well as the rotars a second time. Rear window defroster has separated from the glass just as listed on your problems.
At 300 miles all inside panels had be replaced. ( the panels had what looked like sun spots in them. But after getting new panel's which had the same spots in them. It seems to be a production problem. On the 3rd set panels.) at 400 miles driver's window trim started coming loose. The car's insulation or lack of is so poor that you hear the exhaust system grinding on the frame of the car. When you press on the brakes the l/h front wheel starts to vibrate. Both door's leak when it rain's or when you wash the car. On dec 24, 1998 it rained and with weather droping down below freezing and with no ice on the outside of the car showing I could not open the door's on the car for about one hour. On dec 23, 1998 I called daimlerchrsler motors corportion customer assistance center ( [phone] ) to find out Chrysler meaning of quality. …
On 2 different occasions within a few thousand miles of each other I have had to replace the left and right rear wheel bearings. Each time they were replaced with the identical wrong part which caused the loss of the ABS and track system. Chrysler provided both the wrong part and incorrect part info. Chrysler is using 50+ of these 1998 parts per week . They have since identified there error and have warned there parts mgrs. And corrected the info provided to bca for their OEM parts catalogue. I met by coincidence another 1998 Sebring owner that lost their ABS system after a rear wheel bearing repair. My concern is that Chrysler knows that there were repairs made with the wrong part. There customers lost a valuable safety system. Chrysler has not notified their customers of the error. It took a great deal of investigation on my part to find and correct the problem. …
The brakes on the vehicle starting "squealing" and we took it to midas for what we thought would be a replacement of the brake pads. Midas said that the repair was a Chrysler defect and that we should take it to Chrysler. The midas mechanic said that our Sebring conv. Was the third one he's seen with this problem. Only on the right side, the brake pad was worn down to the sensor, causing the squelling, that was because the rotor has numerous cracks in it caused by excessive heat and friction. He said you normally only see this problem in cars with well over 100,000 miles on them. Chrysler says it's probably the "caliper" that needs to be replaced/fixed. We're waiting for repair. Looks like there are several others with "brake" problems on your website, please look into this. I would hate for a family like mine(I have two small children) to be injured because their brakes fail.
A loud sound coming from front left and right wheels whenever you increase speed, I have had to replace all four of my tires twice, and still having the problem of the tires going flat. The brakes pulsate whenever coming to a stop and they constantly squeal. I have went to the mechanics for all of this listed complaints and no one was able to fix the problem. My brakes pulsating was said to be attributed to the kind of brakes that Chrysler puts on there vehicles a semi metallic type. My front wheels feel as though they are about to fly off. I am afraid to drive this vehicle.
My brake "dummy light" came on so I took it into a Chrysler service department to have it checked out. The service manager told me it would cost $450 to have the rotors replaced. My fairly new car only has 27,300 miles on it and should not need this done so early. After some investigation, I found out that this was a common problem with this model/make of car. I was told that Chrysler has told their service departments that rotors need to be replaced, not turned. But since, they feel they should be replaced so early, it should be at the manufacturer's expense.
Purchased a 1998 Chrysler Sebring July 1998. Had so many problems within a few week period that the dealer took it back, and gave me another one in August 1998. After a couple of weeks, the 2nd Sebring developed similar problems. When driving over bumps primarily on left side, a loud metalic rat-a-tat-tat sound coming from wheels. Also, intermittent steering problems. When making a right turn, with foot on brake pedal, steering wheel pulls to the left. Same results when making a left turn, steering wheel pulls to the right.
We had been told our brake-pads were low, but probably didn't need to be replaced as of yet, that was approximately 3 months ago. Now the vehicle is making a horrible grinding noise, and it unsafe to drive. I have spoken with numerous other 'Sebring' owners of whom have stated they have had to have their brakes replaced on more than one occasion, and have had major accidents as a results of the brakes giving out in a short period of time.
Caliper bolts were not properly put into the brakes from the factory. They were not bolted in all the way, causing one to be sheared off completely and the other one bent into an "s" shape. Dealership stated that brakes are under a 13,000 mile warranty. My car has 16,000 miles, dealership did not cover under warranty. Car was taken & repaired at automotive repair shop.
Brake complaints in other Sebring years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1998 Chrysler Sebring?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the brakes of the 1998 Chrysler Sebring, 13% of the model year's 319 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Chrysler Sebring brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 1998 Chrysler Sebring, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Chrysler Sebring brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 46,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.