Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Chrysler Sebring owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Backed out of driveway, changed directions, throttle applied, speed of vehicle increased, speed continued to increase. The vehicle had no response to the braking system, vehicle proceeded through a stop sign across a major 4 lane road, stroke the front of a brick building, and continued along the side of the building. Then, striking a parked vehicle with trailer. Vehicle was totaled, and has been transferred to dealership for verification.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Chrysler Sebring. While driving in reverse, the vehicle suddenly accelerated to an extremely high speed. The contact crashed the vehicle into the passenger side of another vehicle. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The speed was unknown. The failure mileage was 155,000.
When the vehicle was in reverse, and the brake pedal applied, the vehicle accelerated at a high speed. The vehicle had gone out of control approximately 55 feet and hit the garage and two parked vehicles. The brakes did not respond because the vehicle did not shift into any other gear.
Car was started and put in reverse to back up when the car lundged and accelatrated out of control in reverse striking another vehicle. When put into drive to pull away from vehicle, the car did the same out of control acceleration forward jumping a curb and striking a grocery store foundation and the vehicle proceeding partially into the store. We have witnesses that discribed the car totally out of control leaving the injured driver helpless. Suspect fuel system and automatic transmission failure. The incident occured in an approx 20-30 distance. The vehicle was a total. The dealer and Chrysler was contacted by both myself and state farm insurance agency. No return call from chryler at present date for diagonositic check.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Chrysler Sebring. The contact was driving approximately 5 MPH when the vehicle abnormally accelerated until he turned off the ignition. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. The contact stated that the failure occurred once a few months prior to the most recent incident, but the vehicle was never taken to have the failure diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 111,000.
Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 1999 Chrysler Sebring with 120000 failure mileage at 5 MPH and trying to park she attempted to make a right turn into a parking space but the steering wheel locked and would not turn. The contact stated that the floor mat got tangled into the steering column. The contact untangled the floor mat then the steering worked properly. There was a recall on 1999 Chrysler Sebring jxi for the same problem.
Consumer went to back out of parking space ,put vehicle into reverse with foot on brake, and vehicle accelerated rapidly, hitting a parked vehicle. Consumer then put gear into drive, and vehicle accelerated forward, running into a grocery store. Brakes did not override the acceleration.
Front air bags didn't deploy upon impact. Throttle got stuck while going in reverse at 5mph. Vehicle went to full throttle/going into drive and backing over a curve, jumping a 2 feet retainer wall & into a building. Dealer seemed to be concerned, but not aware of the problem.
The dealer replaced the speed sensor on the accelerator pedal, which did not work properly. The speed sensor failed and caused the vehicle to become inoperative, the check engine light had come on, and the accelerator pedal had become unresponsive. Scc
On two separate occasions accelerator pedal stuck intermittently while turning the steering wheel and depressing the accelerator pedal, causing the vehicle to take off suddenly. Consumer was waiting on the dealer to pick up the vehicle for inspection.
Acceleration complaints in other Sebring years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1999 Chrysler Sebring?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1999 Chrysler Sebring, 8% of the model year's 264 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Chrysler Sebring acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 1999 Chrysler Sebring, though it has 2 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 1999 Chrysler Sebring acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 87,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 1 fire and 4 injuries and 1 death to speed control & acceleration 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.