Faults:

You name it, this car has had it.

Brakes and rotors required complete replacement at 20,000 miles. Chrysler made me pay part of the cost because rotors are a "wear and tear" item. I have owned a number of cars in the past -- including Chryslers -- and never needed to replace rotors so soon.

The transmission has had shifting problems as of late. I got the computer reprogrammed, but the transmission shop advises me that this is a symptom of early failure for a Chrysler transmission and it will likely go within 20,000 miles. Anticipated cost: $1,800.

The car has had a persistent oil leak which Chrysler said didn't exist within the warranty period. Now the warranty is over and the leak is worse.

The car's 2.7L engine is prone to seizing up and self-destructing. This engine is EXTREMELY delicate and if you follow Chrysler's oil-change instructions, you WILL have to replace the engine around 60,000 miles (at a cost of about $6,000). You should flush the engine and use a thin synthetic oil if you want the engine to last. I managed to avert long-term sludging by doing this at 46,000 miles and hopefully the engine will be one of the lucky ones that doesn't completely fail.

At high speed on the road, when you put the air conditioning on, the top whistles -- so loudly that you cannot hear other passengers. Chrysler and the dealer insist this is "normal" -- although my old-technology LeBaron dating from the 1980s never did this and was actually quieter on the road as a result.

This car is plagued with poor attention to detail and just plain lousy fit and finish that shows up after about 20,000 miles. Visor clips on this car are known to break regularly and will cost you about $30 to replace every time they do. Interior trim is flimsy and prone to fading in the sun. The seat recline adjuster on both passenger and driver sides has needed to be replaced due to stripped gearing -- not from abuse.

General Comments:

This car is a real tragedy. It's changed me from a loyal Chrysler driver into someone who advises people to steer clear of Chrysler products.

This car is just unacceptable. On one hand, it's a smooth-driving, comfortable, good-handling, great-looking car.

On the other hand, it's a reliability nightmare, with little things that should have been done right failing, and BIG things that definitely should have been done right failing.

In the 21st century, basic items like engines and transmissions should be rock-solid, and Chrysler has amazingly managed to build a car which has both a weak transmission AND an engine prone to sludge failure. It wouldn't be quite as bad if Chrysler actually backed the product, but every time I've taken my well-maintained car in for repairs due to engine, transmission or other problems, Chrysler accuses me of lying -- not changing the oil, etc.

Even after I produce evidence of my excellent maintenance of the car -- receipts for maintenance, dealer statements, etc. -- Chrysler STILL tries to shift the blame to the customer. This is unacceptable.

Perhaps I got "one of the bad ones" (though from what my mechanic tells me, EVERY Chrysler car with a 2.7 L is a "bad one" when the engine sludges up and dies, requiring expensive replacement). Perhaps you'll be lucky and not have problems. But if you are less lucky, do you really want to trust a warranty from a manufacturer so willing to shift its lousy engineering onto you -- along with thousands of dollars in costs?

Neither was I. I ended up buying a Suzuki Reno for my daily driving and parking the Sebring until I can get all the problems fixed and then sell it to a Chrysler dealer. And after owning four Chrysler cars -- and recommending them to countless people -- I've washed my hands of Chrysler forever. That should tell you something.

Faults:

Sun visors are misdesigned. They cannot be pushed forward to the windshield, as tall drivers may wish to do, and if you try, the clip that holds them in place snaps off. Dealers know the problem and always have clips in stock, but Chrysler has not bothered to redesign the part. You must use the clip, because otherwise the visor vibrates.

Car may have used power steering fluid. Any leak seem now to have stopped.

General Comments:

Like my previous Le Baron, the interior is ergonomically thoughtful. Arm rests are correctly located for long trips; controls have a rationality that helps make them easy to remember without looking, etc.

Sound system is great! Rich tones for classical music and brings in FM stations that some other car radios cannot get (e.g., Baltimore from Northern Virginia).

Handling is good.

Some clunks underneath when driving over rough pavement.

Acceleration is excellent.