1997 Chrysler Cirrus Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year report a fairly even spread of problems across brakes, engine cooling, transmission, electrical systems and speed control, with the median reported mileage near 93,000. Many complaints describe failures that appear with little warning — a brake pedal going to the floor, a stuck park interlock, a stalled engine, or head gasket failure that lets coolant and oil mix — and several owners note that dealers could not reproduce the problem or had to rely on recall repairs.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or cruise control that will not

   • 6 complaints (9%)
   • median 98,500 mi at 10.5 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2008

   Complaints describe the car accelerating on its own when shifted into drive or reverse, sometimes with the brake applied, and in other cases a cruise control setting that climbed above the set speed or would not disengage. Owners report braking with no response and needing to shift to neutral or switch off the ignition to stop; one dealer replaced a cruise control cable. Reported from driveway and parking-lot speeds up to highway speed, with no consistent mileage pattern in the complaints.

   What to check: Test the cruise control at low speed to confirm it engages and cancels with the brake or switch, and have the throttle and cruise cables checked for binding or adjustment.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Owned a 1997 Chrysler Cirrus. Put car in reverse to back out of driveway when car accelerated to an incredible speed within seconds. Car shot out of driveway, across street into neighbors home and garage. Car has indication of continued acceleration after impact with right front tire showing the treads no longer exist. Car was totaled and home/garage damage was over $12,000. Thank god! No one was injured or killed! My family and I will never own another Chrysler again!”

   NHTSA complaint #10228119, filed 2008-05, 92,000 miles

   “When she started vehicle and took it out of park, vehicle suddenly accelerated out of driveway towards a traffic filled road. Consumer stated that she directed vehicle away from road which caused tie rod to break, stopping vehicle. Dealership states they could not determine reason for sudden acceleration. …”

   NHTSA complaint #890302, filed 2001-06
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Head gasket failure with coolant and oil mixing

   • 6 complaints (9%)
   • typically at 4.0 yrs old
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2002

   Complaints describe coolant mixing with the oil, oil spraying into the engine bay, smoke and stalling, and in some cases an engine that would no longer restart. Owners report the dealer replacing head gaskets and sometimes cylinder heads, and one owner says they were told the first repair was only temporary. Others report overheating that traced back to a failed head gasket. Reports range from about 21,000 miles upward, with several arriving after the vehicle was already out of warranty.

   What to check: Check the coolant and oil for contamination, look for oily residue around the head gasket area, and ask whether the head gasket or cylinder head has been replaced and at what mileage.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The head gasket began to failed. Initially this allowed coolant to mix with the oil. Eventually the entire head gasket failed. Oil was sprayed all over the engine compartment. The engine began smoking and stalled. The car was restarted and driven about 200 yards to the dealers service department where the engine stalled again. The engine will no longer start.”

   NHTSA complaint #764977, filed 2002-07

   “I have tried to have this problem resolved with the dealer to no avail.the engine failure stated happened while the car was still under warranty.they refuse to replace or repair their work.”

   NHTSA complaint #748969, filed 2001-07
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Shifter moves out of park / key trapped in ignition

   • 6 complaints (9%)
   • median 104,000 mi at 10.4 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2007

   Owners report the floor shifter moving out of park without the release button being pressed, or the key being trapped in the ignition after the car is parked. Some vehicles rolled after being parked, and owners who had the recall repair done say the interlock sometimes still did not work correctly or that the shifter became hard to move afterward. Dealers are described as replacing the shifter plunger or performing the recall remedy. Reported across a wide mileage range, from around 58,000 to 130,000 miles, generally with the vehicle parked or being shifted in or out of gear.

   Recall 04V021000Recall 98V183000

   What to check: Confirm with a dealer whether recalls 04V021000 and 98V183000 were completed, then test that the shifter stays in park and the key comes out only in park.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “- the contact parked her 1997 Chrysler Cirrus in the driveway, removed the keyes and approximately 30-45 seconds later the vehicle rolled out of the parking lot and crashed into the neighbors carport. The vehicle was parked on a flat surface, and emergency brake was not engaged. The road conditions were dry. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealership to be repaired due to a recall notice. The dealership advised the contact that they replaced the shifter plunger. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10183799, filed 2007-02, 104,000 miles

   “Automatic transaxle floor shifter moves from park back and forth without depressing the detent button. The dealer failed to correct the recall problem. The ignition would become trapped once in while. After gently wiggling it, the key would snap out and operate properly, staying in park and allowing the key to be removed. Recall#98v183000”

   NHTSA complaint #10106629, filed 2004-12
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake pedal sinks to the floor / weak or failed braking

   Mentioned in 4 of 52 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the brake pedal dropping to the floor with little or no braking effect, sometimes in stop-and-go traffic or when leaving a parking lot. Some report a blown or chafed brake hose, leaking fluid on the wheel and caliper, and shaking or noise under braking that led dealers to replace rotors. In several cases the dealer bled the brakes, test drove the car and told the owner nothing was wrong, only for the pedal to sink again later. Reported from roughly 63,000 to 115,000 miles, often during ordinary low-speed driving rather than under heavy use.

   What to check: Ask when the brake hoses, rotors and fluid were last serviced, and inspect the front hoses for rubbing or cracking. Have a mechanic check pedal feel and look for fluid weeping at the calipers.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Brake hose blewout. Vehicle was repaired by an independent mechanic. While driving the brake hose blewout and caused the brake pedal to go to the floor. There was no indication that the failure was about to occur, no brake fluid leakage or erratic braking. Fluid covered the left front wheel and caliper. The dealer noticed evidence that the brake hose rubbed on the caliper.”

   NHTSA complaint #10022822, filed 2003-08, 115,030 miles

   “When driving at stop and go brakes went down to the floor. Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, who bled the brakes, and test drove the vehicle. Told consumer that there wasd nothing wrong. Later, consumer was driving and the brakes continued to go to the floor. Consumer felt insecure when driving this vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #10095438, filed 2004-10, 63,000 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slipping, dropping gears or losing drive

   • 7 complaints (10%)
   • median 50,710 mi at 7.8 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1999–2006

   Owners describe the transmission dropping gears, hesitating or refusing to move when put into drive, and in some cases a cracked case or loose differential pin with rapid fluid loss and loss of drive following. One owner reported repeated transmission cooler line leaks; others say the dealer replaced the computer or the whole transmission without fully resolving the behavior. Reports cluster from about 40,000 to 70,000 miles, with some recurring leaks reported over several years.

   Recall 04V0210001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check transmission fluid level and color and look for leaks at the cooler lines and case, and ask whether the transmission has been rebuilt or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Experienced problems with transmission. The A/C evaporated coil needed to be replaced by the consumer after 42920 miles. The consumers vehicle started leaking oil. The consumer put the vehicle in reverse and proceeded to back out of the driveway. The consumer put the car in drive to drive away after backing and the vehicle continued to go in reverse. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic for service an was found that the pin in the differential had come loose puncturing the transmission case causing rapid fluid loss. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10095308, filed 2004-09, 42,920 miles

   “Transmission cooler line leak. Potential of fire or loss of drive ability of car. There have been three (3) failures of the same part. 10/21/98 and 4/29/04 and again today 7/11/06.”

   NHTSA complaint #10162098, filed 2006-07

Buying note. These are older cars now, so condition and maintenance history matter more than the complaint list. Have a mechanic check the brakes and hoses, look for coolant and oil mixing, verify the park interlock recalls were completed, and test the transmission and cruise control on a test drive.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 52 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.