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Vehicle safety record

2006 Chrysler Sebring Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 138 complaints about the 2006 Chrysler Sebring with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system (72) and the airbags (35). Those complaints describe 11 crashes and 12 injuries. It is covered by 2 recalls, the latest in October 2009 for the lower ball joint. For comparison, the 2005 has 82 and the 2007 has 339.

NHTSA data checked

CAbout as many problems as a typical Sebring year, for its age

#94 most complained-about 2006 vehicle

Complaints
138
Recalls
2
Crashes
11
Fires
0
Injuries
12
Deaths
0

Most common 2006 Chrysler Sebring problems

Share of all 138 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

2006 Chrysler Sebring recalls 2

Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do

Suspension: lower ball joint

09E0560005,787 vehicles affected

The problem
Qualis automotive is recalling certain aftermarket ball joints sold for use on certain passenger vehicles. The socket may have been excessively hardened which could cause it to crack near the retaining ring groove allowing the ball stud to separate under impact load. The subject ball joints were sold as four part numbers, d10945, d10946, g10945, and g10946. The affected control arms, d10945 and d10946, are stamped with the following dates on the ball joints: 134308, 135708, 100109, 102709, 104109, 105509, 107609, 108909, 110309, 113209, and 116609. The g10945 and g10946 are the same part as the d10945 and d10946 respectively. They are labeled differently depending on the aftermarket customer.
The risk
Separation of the ball stud from the socket of the ball joint housing would allow the control arm to collapse and the wheel to fold in causing loss of steering control, possibly resulting in a crash.
The fix
Qualis automotive will replace the ball joints free of charge. The safety recall began on november 9, 2009. Owners may contact qualis automotive at 1-800-493-4128.

Service brakes: master cylinder

07E02300013,128 vehicles affected

The problem
Certain cardone master cylinders with part numbers 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987mza, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, and 11-3156, and with date codes lower than dca7078 sold as replacement equipment for use on the vehicles listed above. The seal on master cylinder can fail and leak brake fluid.
The risk
Loss of brake fluid can result in poor braking performance, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
The fix
Cardone will notify owners and offer to repurchase any defective master cylinders. The recall began during april 2007. Owners can contact cardone at 1-800-777-4780.

What owners say

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138 complaints about the 2006 Chrysler Sebring

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 6.

Airbags

My passenger airbag spontaneously deployed without an impact when it was parked. This shattered the windshield and expelled plastic dashboard pieces and glass everywhere. My daughter and I had just exited the car so there were no injuries. Had we not stopped this may have deployed on the road or if my passenger had waited in the car caused serious injuries. I contacted Chrystler to report this safety issue and they said this is no longer their responsibility due to my cars age and environmental factors. This...

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happened 7/9/25 and the damages and airbag system is available to inspect. I have witnesses to seeing the deployment without impact and awaiting video footage from the business. No warning lights on the dashboard occurred. This is a very well maintained vehicle with very low miles.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11672600
Seats & seat beltsCrash3 injuries

This is part of complaint 11630942. The incident on Nov 25, 2024. These are two separate complaints which occurred in the same crash that resulted in serious injuries. In the event of the crash the seatbelt failed to restrain me. Allowing my head to collide into the windshield and my chest to forcefully hit the steering wheel. I have serious injuries to many body parts as result of this incident. The vehicle is available for inspection and I have photos and medical reports available upon request.

Filed Incident Seat beltsNHTSA 11632864
AirbagsCrash3 injuries

At the time of collision the airbags did not deploy correctly. The airbag seems to have burst at the seams and projectlies of debris and chemicals came from the air bag instead. I hit my head on the windshield and hit my chest on steering wheel. I was burned on my arms, hands and ribs/chest. I have pulmonary and neurological injury. as well as changes to my sight and hearing. My car filled with thick "smoke" that was hot and made us choke and gasp for air. We breathed in these chemicals. My two disabled children were also injured by the chemicals.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11630942
AirbagsCrash1 injury

The contact owned a 2006 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact vehicle was involved in a crash. The contact rear-ended the vehicle that was in front of the contact vehicle. The contact's vehicle was damaged to the front driver's side of the vehicle. In addition, the air bags were deployed. The contact stated that the vehicle had a burning odor and lots of smoke. The Police and paramedics were at the crash scene. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed...

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to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned to total loss by the insurance company. The contact's two minor children were occupants in the vehicle at the time of the crash. The contact was transported to the local hospital. The contact sustained burns to both left and right forearms, her right thumb, nerve damage to her left forearm, and bruised ribs. In addition, the chemical from the air bags entered the contact's nose and the contact had a continuous cough. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11628343
Steering

Mt ball joint separated from control arm housing

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11521964
Body, doors & structureAcceleration & cruise controlBrakesCrash

The contact owns a 2006 Chrysler Sebring. The contact stated the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal were significantly close to each other causing him to depress both pedals at the same time. The contact stated while driving at 3 MPH and attempting to make a stop, his foot inadvertently depressed both the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, causing the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The contact stated the...

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failure reoccurred while he was at a drive-through. He attempted to depress the brake pedal but depressed both the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal at the same time, causing the vehicle to lightly crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was not filed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.

Filed Incident Structure · Vehicle speed control · Service brakesNHTSA 11435429
Suspension

Front ball joint came off and caused car to come to crash into road. It is now in a repair shop where I had it towed as it was causing problems sitting on road. If I had been going faster I m not sure how serious a problem to me or others on road it would cause. Possible death. It is being inspected by Advanced Automotive, 503-364-2046. The car has less than 50,000 miles on it and I don't understand how a front end (ball Joint) can go wrong that quickly. The only warning I had was a squeaking in the front end....

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Is this something normal? The mechanic said that there was a RECALL on this problem. Since I bought it used from a Chrysler dealer you would think they would clue me to the problems. HA HA.

Filed Incident SuspensionNHTSA 11433510
Seats & seat beltsEngine & cooling

Drivers side seat belt Does Not Retract. Engine Piston Rod Bearings are defective heat up melt and may cause an Engine Fire like in Hyundai Rod Bearing Recall. Common on Chrysler V6 Engine. May cause Blown engine, snapped Piston Rods, Heat and Engine Fire.

Filed Incident Seat belts · EngineNHTSA 11423573
Visibility & wipers

Turn signals, wipers and radio stopped working but intermittently.

Filed Incident Unknown or other · Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11383629
Seats & seat belts

Front driver seat belt does not retract. Very dangerous. *Tr

Filed Incident Seat beltsNHTSA 11326529
Engine & cooling

My engine overheated due to a water pump leak. The temperature gauge remained in the normal operating range during my trip which was about 30 miles of mostly highway driving. I had no indication that anything was wrong with my car until it shut off at a stop light.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11309315
LightsAirbagsBody, doors & structureCrash

We were in a car accident and although we were hit in the front, the air bags did not deploy.

Filed Incident Exterior lighting · Air bags · StructureNHTSA 11096845
Suspension

While driving I was hearing noise under car. Then front drivers wheel came off damaging car above the tire while I was driving on the street at about 35 miles. Car was towed in to firestone where they had to replace ball joint and arm. Among the maintenance after that I was then told on passengers side the lower control arm ball joint was about to fall off.

Filed Incident SuspensionNHTSA 11055279
Other & unknown

HORN GOING OFF WHILE DRIVING OR PARKED.

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 11031756
SteeringAirbagsAcceleration & cruise controlBrakesCrash1 injury

Tl* the contact owned a 2006 chrysler sebring sedan. While driving 40 mph, the brake pedal was depressed, but the brakes failed to respond. The vehicle accelerated independently and the steering wheel failed to turn left or right. The failure occurred without warning. The contact could not stop the vehicle and crashed into the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and later impounded. The contact sustained a neck injury, internal stomach...

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injury, and a migraine headache due to hitting the head on the steering wheel. Medical attention was required. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer stated that there were no open recalls. The failure mileage was 177,000.

Filed Incident Steering · Air bags · Vehicle speed control · Service brakesNHTSA 10983535
Wheels & tires

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chrysler sebring. While driving 10 mph, the front passenger wheel detached from the vehicle without warning. The body of the vehicle fell to the ground and sustained damages. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

Filed Incident WheelsNHTSA 10983052
Acceleration & cruise controlBrakes

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chrysler sebring. While driving, the cruise control inadvertently fluctuated. In addition, there was a grinding noise when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vin was unknown. The failure mileage was 80,000. ...Updated 03/13/17 *bf *cn

Filed Incident Vehicle speed control · Service brakesNHTSA 10945210
Suspension

Ball joint and ball stud, separated and broken, causing loss of control of vehicle. This occured on the passenger front side. Vehicle was in motion. Back side also has become extremely loose and grinding, advised it also will separate and break, causing an accident and loss of control of vehicle. It happened at the same time the passenger front side broke down. The vehicle was not and has not been in a passenger side accident.

Filed Incident SuspensionNHTSA 10909500
Engine & cooling

Engine light stay on all the time always serviced and changed oils on time or before, replaced all sensors, plugs, engine does shake on idle and shut itself off even while driving and/or in moving motion, engine light always on.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 10885146
Electrical system

Horn goes off on its own while driving. Same sometimes when it's parked unattended. This recurs once a week or so.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10861213
Other & unknown

Horn goes off all by it's self when car is off any time of day or night only way I could get it to stop was to pull horn fuse witch may disable airbag .Possible cause is a clock spring in witch dealer claims to have never heard of before but when typed on line about it the problem it finishes your sentence. Sounds pretty common to me.This problem could cause the airbag to fail and cause injury to the driver or death

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 10860436
Electrical system

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chrysler sebring. Without warning, the horn continued to sound and the noise continued randomly for weeks. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic and taken to a dealer for inspection and diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10837131
Other & unknown

The horn goes off without warning. The first time is happened was a couple of months ago while driving down a city street at 6:10am (taking my child to school). The horn went off a various times (while driving down major city streets) for a few days. On saturday 1/2/16 I started (in my driveway) the car and the horn went off. I pushed the steering wheel the horn stayed on, next I pushed the panic button, it stayed on until I pushed the panic button a second time about 2 minutes later. Then on the same day...

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while driving on a (main city street) the horn went off four times within five minutes. However, each time it the horn turned off when I pushed the steering wheel. This morning 1/4/16 the horn went off several times back to back for about a minute, only turning off when I pushed the steering wheel. Did a google search and found 57 complaints (complaint.Com) about the same horn problem. Suggested I add my voice to what is clearly a problem.

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 10817655
Other & unknown

My horn goes off for no apparent reason. While driving down the road it goes off and to get it to stop I had to hold my hand lightly over the air bag and horn buttons on the steering wheel.

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 10816198
Other & unknown

I am writing to the national highway traffic safety administration to file a complaint against the fiat-chrysler company. Since the beginning of february 2015, my horn has been going off when my is parked at night time, and therefore many complaints have been reported by my neighbors, when my horn automatically goes on during the hours of the night, it is very upsetting having to explain my situation to the neighbors. A technician at one of the fiat-chrysler repair centers diagnosed the problem and stated that the...

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problem was the due to a bad switch that controls the driver's side airbag and horn, and that would cost over $1,000 to repair. The dealership stated that I would have to repair it because it wasn't recall issue. Because of the fact that I am on permanent disability and on a very low income, I am unable to afford to repair it. After realizing that there is no light in sight, I began to research as to how many other consumers/or chrysler sebring owners are experiencing the same problem as I am presently experiencing. I have discovered that there were approximately 52 complaints from sebring car owners listed in the following site: http://www.Carcomplaints.Com/chrysler/sebring/2006/accessories-interior/horn_goes_off_by_itself. Shtml thus I must request that the nhtsa's launch an investigation against the fiat-chrysler company by setting forth a recall to this subject matter. I am requesting a prompt reply for an immediate resolution to my situation, hoping the nhtsa can take this matter seriously before fatalities do occur on my behalf. Please contact me on my email at [[redacted]]@gmail.Com of by phone [[redacted]]. [[redacted]] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *Jb

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 10787531

Chrysler Sebring: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
2010104385AirbagsB
200945231Electrical systemA
20083524217Electrical systemD
200733971821Electrical systemD
20061382110Electrical systemC
2005826103AirbagsB
200429172721Engine & coolingD
200374550AirbagsB
20022345185Engine & coolingD
All Sebring years

2006 Chrysler Sebring vs rivals

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 2006 Chrysler Sebring

Does the 2006 Chrysler Sebring have any recalls?

Yes - NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2006 Chrysler Sebring: lower ball joint (October 2009); master cylinder (March 2007). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.

What are the most common problems with the 2006 Chrysler Sebring?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the electrical system (72), airbags (35), steering (16).

How many complaints has the 2006 Chrysler Sebring had?

138 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on December 2, 2005 and the latest on July 10, 2025. Of these, 11 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 12 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2006 Chrysler Sebring a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 59 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Chrysler Sebring year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Chrysler Sebring years have the most complaints?
What should I do if my 2006 Chrysler Sebring has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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