29th Jan 2005, 23:13
I would just like to say that I own a 1995 Cirrus LXI, the thing has 222K miles on it, and the transmission has just started having trouble.
I took it to the Chrysler dealership after having the trouble of it only making it to 2nd gear, and they said that the solenoids are operated fully by the computer system. Turns out that we had put the wrong transmission fluid in... which the cars are sensitive to. All we had to do, was flush the tranny, about 50 bucks, and take it back to the dealership to be re-calibrated for free. No big deal, transmission is like new.
Had the engine rebuilt about 20K miles ago, and working wonderfully; other than minor repairs and a couple of tie rods, the car has been wonderful.
In response to a few of the comments I read above, there is a website that goes over getting the vehicle diagnostics. The check engine light will blink a code, and the code will correspond to whatever trouble your car may be having. I will leave the website on my comment, for others to inspect. On my vehicle, you have to turn the ignition on and off about 5 or six times for it to begin blinking. Check the site for more information.
If anyone has any questions about their Chrysler, please don't write the car off altogether, they are wonderful cars, they are just highly advanced machinery, and they have many quirks that are easy to fix if you contact the right person, which is usually your nearest dealership. The only thing I would recommend would be to speak to a mechanic who has been at the dealership since the year and model of your car was created!!
Good luck to all of you, and I wish you the best in your ownership, as I LOVE my car!!
P.s. here is the website I promised, although the years don't correspond, this site is for 1995 Chryslers... http://www.allpar.com/fix/80s-codes.html
11th Nov 2008, 16:04
Years later, in 2008, these Cirrus problems still exist. '96 with 87k miles. Long story short, my tranny bypassed limp mode and just seized up on me completely yesterday. $1800 for a rebuilt trans... think this car is worth half that. Thanks Chrysler.
18th Aug 2009, 19:42
Well now I am on the merry go round. We'll see what happens. I just bought a 1995 chrysler cirrus with 66,840 miles on it. I have only put a few hundred miles on it so far and have experienced this limp mode a few times and have been concerned. I got it to commute for work and it has been rolling well down the freeway with the cruise at 65. I will update the progress good or bad down the road.
19th Feb 2010, 19:09
1999 Cirrus LXI, tranny has gone out at 112000.
Wife drives real slow, so not a hard wear on the transmission.
Dealer estimate was $2600+.
Another estimate around $1900, so think it's better to let the car go to the junkyard or try to get $500 for food...
$2000 is a great down payment on a 1 year lease car.
7th Dec 2004, 11:47
I have had a 1995 Chrysler Cirrus since new and as I read the comments above I think about all the money I've spent finding out the fixes. For example, the only real way to fix the "limp" mode problem is a new ATC (Automatic Transmission Controller), that bull about the wires going bad on it is just to get an extra $150 for some un-needed labor. This problem nearly got me killed on a busy bridge in St. Louis.
Now the transmission is completely gone, slipping so badly after so much service that I have decided also that I would have been better off sticking to Buicks.
I wonder if Chrysler reads any of this as it is not reflected in their quality transmissions, clock-springs, suspensions, electrical (including sound) systems, interiors materials, air conditioners, valve cover gaskets, or the crappy design of their tensioners..