I just bought a 2005 Chrysler Sebring sedan 2 weeks ago, has 94,000miles on it. Had no problems with anything until 6 days after purchasing the car. I just got on the highway & was about a mile onto the highway & I was already up to speed 65mph & my whole car just starts jerking (bucking like a horse) & I let off the gas & it’d stop. I’d give it gas again & it would start to jerk(buck) again; I had to get to work so I drove it for the couple miles I had left to get to work. As I got onto the off ramp I noticed my car didn’t jerk/buck like it was at the higher speed. After work I drove back home & on the highway without any problems. I also didn’t have any warning lights come on while it was jerking/bucking. (Before this incident, I had drove to my moms, which is 1hr & 45min away, & back with no problems). I took it to a local mechanic & they found nothing wrong, & they test drove it & checked all the fluids/filters/spark plugs. I did need new front break pads & rotors so I had them change those. Four days later my car did it again… the jerking/bucking. But this time it was at a low speed & I noticed a ding(like the kind of ding your car makes if you don’t have your seat belt on), but again I saw no warning lights come on. I kept driving & was almost to get onto the highway & was about 20mph & my car started to jerk/buck again. I thought it might be nothing so I kept driving to get onto the highway. I turned onto the highway onramp & started going 20-25mph & my car started to jerk/buck like a horse & not let me accelerate any faster. So I pulled onto the onramp shoulder & turned my car off then back on again & let it sit for about 5 minutes & got on the highway & it was like my car had magically been fixed. I got up to speed (65mph) just fine with no jerking/bucking. Again this time none of my warning lights came on & I didn’t have any smoke coming out the back end. I of course immediately went strait home, but had not signs of the jerking/bucking. My car also when I start it, all of my dash warning lights come on like they normally would whenever you start up your car, so I know they all work.
Can anyone tell me what is wrong with my car???
Many times intermittent engine misses are cause by a failing crankshaft position sensor or camshaft position sensor.
could it have been losing fuel supply do to dirty filter or bad fuel pump?
Sorry you’re having this problem. It sounds terribly unpleasant. I was struck at once by your heading. Very few Sebrings get to be ten years old. Maybe she’s just kicking up her heels to celebrate. Hope it stops soon or you figure it out and it’s cheap to repair.
Lol @MarkM. If this has the infamous 2.7L engine you’re exactly right. Shame really cuz the design of the cab forward Chryslers was rather nice. The pleasant offshoot of their crappy mechanicals is if you like to gamble you can buy them used for a song. But back to the OP question, I’d start with the fuel pump. Odds are a faulty CPS would trip the CEL.
Mike
Now this has happened three times… first time it was 6 days after purchase, second time it was 4 days after that, third time it was 3 days after that… & every time it has always been in the early evening hours between 4pm-5:30pm. Also the third time it started on the highway again after I got up to speed, but I really needed to get to work so I kept lightly giving gas to stay 55mph to 60mph & when I would feel it start to jerk I would immediately let off the gas. Oh & this time again like the second time I heard one ding(like when you’d leave your keys in the car & open the door, but it just made that sound once) right before it started to jerk/buck, & still no warning lights came on.
ALSO before the third time, I had just gotten a can of Seafoam & put in the gas tank & filled up with gas.
I’d start by having the fuel pressure tested.
Took my car to a trusted mechanic, & they found out it was just a bad camshaft sensor not sending correct signal to pcm. So they replaced my cam sensor.
Just for the record, I’m still driving a 1996 Sebring convertible I bought used in 1998. The mileage is about 125,800. For awhile I was having a repeating problem with the engine revving way too high by itself, up to 300rpms, which was a little scary & irritating when I needed to be idling. Mechanic couldn’t pinpoint the cause so tuned it up & replaced the distributor, but the problem recurred. Then the problem suddenly stopped on it’s own somehow, and now the only problems are some oxidation of the windshield which can make seeing at night & through rain a little tricky, and I have to add about 1/2 qt of oil about every month or two (the high mileage oil by Castrol appears to help in the way it says it will). Did have to have it repainted a couple of years ago, went from red to black (with a tan top), but now at least it looks like new from the outside, and a shredded front leather seat is well covered with a matching vinyl seat pad from Walmart.