1996 Chrysler Sebring Convertible Steering Problems

“Tie rod fell off. Started engine, proceeded to pull out of parking place and the tie rod fell off. Since Chrysler now makes tie rods so that they cannot be lubricated, they dry up and the end just drops off. I am fortunate that I was not driving down the highway 50 miles an hour when this happened. There is absolutely no forewarning of a problem until it happens. My mechanic also noticed that Chrysler has installed a heat shield between the tie rods and brakes. I have saved the parts and I have notified Chrysler of this situation. I have 78,000 miles on my car. …”

“The consumer stated both tie rod ends fractured on two separate occasions. The first time, while backing out of the driveway, the front tires went in opposite directions and the vehicle would not move forward or backward. The tie rod end was replaced. The same failure occurred on the other side and the contact repaired the vehicle. Upon inspection, it was determined the sealed pivot joints were not lubricated and resulted in these failures.”

“Recall #750 front lower control arm ball joint alleged repaired 02-10-98. This is a new (10-08-09) recall. Due to my vehicle was at the dealer, it was asked if the numbers of the ball joints and control arms numbers could be checked to see if original Chrysler or aftermarket quality parts were used. Though this is a serious safety issue, loss of steering, the service advisor advised I'd need to check the original repair order (02-10-98). The original owner is deceased. …”