Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Chrysler Sebring owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2004 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with smoke coming from underneath the hood. Smoke then entered the cabin of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the odometer was inoperable. The contact restarted the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that her daughter had asthma; however, the contact and her two children did not receive medical attention. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to tow the vehicle to their location. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable.
Random stalling upon deceleration with no warning lights after stalling (as if the engine thinks it is still running). Occurs at low speed. Sometimes the engine will surge when the rpm drops off instead of stalling. I have almost run into other cars when the surging happens. The stalling occurs randomly and is becoming more frequent. A scan of the internet shows many others with same issue. No CEL.
Driving on [redacted] in Indiana my rpm's began to accelerate and I hit my breaks and once I got to 30 mph my breaks went out. I looked online and one after another of complaints for exactly this has been posted in rooms. It was towed to our mechanic and hopefully he can figure out why
I was driving down the road coming to a stop light when I noticed my car had just turned off without warning. Luckily there was a turn lane and the light was red so I didn't cause any accident. After that I took my car to see why the engine light came on and the mechanic said the code stated it had to do with the oxygen sensor. I replaced the part and the car ran OK until another time I was stopped at a light and the car turned off again. I've noticed the engine light comes on and then goes off after a couple of days. I was told I probably need to replace the intake manifold gasket which I bought but haven't replaced because someone told me about the recall of other sebrings that had the same problem. The car was running fine and the engine light had gone off and then it happened again with no warning. …
Car cold stalls, stalls when at traffic lights, engine shakes violently, brakes squeal an grind, when starting car floods itself and cannot be turned on for a few hours, had an accident at 44-50 MPH and airbag did not deploy,gears stick and do not come out of gear at times:insurance was called at time of accident and said no reason could be identified as to why airbag did not deploy. Car has had new brakes every 3-4 months,brand new cooling system, tune-up, oil change every 2500-3000 miles, dealership updated software, cold start stalling problem could not be duplicated, check engine light keeps coming on and off and no problems found at auto shop. I contacted the dealership and they informed me that since the car was used they were not going to and could not do anything about it and refused to check anything out or even listen to my concerns. …
2002 Chrysler Sebring , the car was found with sludge in the engine. Oil changes were done every 7500 miles with the eception of the first which was at 4800 miles. The dealer changed the first one but was told not to bring the car in until every 7500 miles . The next two oil changes were done at the dealership at 13454 and 20932. The next two was done by the customer at 26532 and 33750. The last one was done at the dealership at 41258 and then the car at 46819 was taken back to the dealer for a knocking sound and car not being able to go past 35 miles an hour.dealer blames customer.after customer investagation he found serveral complaints on the internet with the same "sludge in the engine". This sludge was due to small oil flow passageway causing the oil to heat up to a high enough temperature to form into sludge. …
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible 2.7 liter engine failure. This engine seized while I was driving luckily it I was only going 35 MPH and I had time to pull the vehicle off the road. This vehicle has had an air bag light on since I bought it and no dealership has been able to solve the problem there has been numerous issues with the car throughout the three years I have owned it. I am a single parent who is without a car for over two months now but paying $350.00 a month on it. I have maintained this car on a regular basis and Chrysler has denied the claim even though every mechanic I have talked to says this is a common problem with the engine. I have to invest almost $5,000.00 in a car this month that blue books at maybe $8,000.00. I will never buy another Chrysler again and want anyone that is considering one of their products to reconsider. …
I purchased a 2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible on December 25, 2008. The first couple of months after I purchased my car the check engine light came on. I took the car back to the dealer and they fixed the problem and everything was fine. After another 1 month or so the check engine light came on again so I took it back to the dealer. Per the dealer I only had 3 months of warranty therefore there was nothing they could do. At the time of the purchased the person who sold the car to me stated I had 1 year of warranty and it turned out I only had 3 months of warranty. I of course complaint because that's not what they said in the beginning at the time of the purchase. After that day I went back home and decided to go back to the dealer the next day and they had closed the dealer per they were already out of business. There was nothing I could do after that. …
The problem begins in this order of occurrence: I can immediately feel a drag like the engine is working really hard. The tachometer goes up to 3 or 3.5. Shortly thereafter I feel a strong vibration and I can't pick up speed. The car starts bucking. It just feels like I am braking and accelerating at the same time. The tachometer starts fluctuating from 1 to 3 and sometimes up to 4. The dashboard lights start to flicker. I start losing power and begin to decelerate rapidly and the speedometer drops to about 10 MPH within a few seconds. Trying to accelerate does nothing except make it buck even more. …
My car has cut off on me 4 times in the past 2 months. It seems to happen every 2-3 weeks, when I come to a full stop. Also, when my foot is on the brake, the car will vibrate violently and then lunge forward by a foot or so. I have almost hit cars in front of me because of this. This has happened 4 times as well. I've gotten my catalytic converter checked- no problem, I've gotten radiator and transmission checked- all fine. I've had an A/C flush, transmission flush, and air induction/.fuel system cleaned out. Everyone says that the car is fine, and I've had half a dozen mechanics check everything out. No one can find a problem. And a new thing happened, just the other day, when I had started my car up for the first time in the day, the car didn't want to shift above 30 miles. The rpms were really high, but I was at 30 MPH. The mechanics can't find anything wrong with it at all. …
Engine complaints in other Sebring years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2004 Chrysler Sebring?
NHTSA has 86 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2004 Chrysler Sebring, 29% of the model year's 292 complaints. The component named most often is engine (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Chrysler Sebring engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2004 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 2004 Chrysler Sebring engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.