[73-4spd]

Hello. I just bought my daughter a '96 Chrysler Sebring Convertible JX and it has a lot of issues. Two of which bother me the most is that the tach with the digital odometer readout works intermittently, and the other is that the retractable seat-belt for the front seats that are built into the seat itself will retract and stay retracted. If you get out of the car sometimes, you may be going without a seat-belt for the rest of your journey. Don't like that thought in a convertible. The car has an after market remote starter, I'm wondering if this isn't the cause of my electrical gremlins. Any help would be appreciated, and if anyone knows of a good service manual please let me know.



73-4spd

 

[Stratuscaster]

Common failure on the '96 Sebring Convertible was the gauge cluster. Solder joints on the back of the circuit board will break and the cluster won't work right. Some folks have had luck fixing them, others just replace them.

The good news is that the cluster in your car is the same as those in a '95-00 Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Cirrus and a '96-00 Plymouth Breeze - so you have a good stock to choose from. I've paid as little at $25 for a cluster - takes 10-20 minutes to remove it. Pop the bezel from around the radio/HVAC controls, remove the 4 screws. Pop the fuse panel off the driver's side and remove the screw(s). Pull on the whole plastic shroud and it'll pop right off. Then you can remove the screws holding the cluster in, unplug the cluster, and done. Replacement is plug and play.

The seat belts are another issue - not sure how repairable/replaceable those are since they are built into the seats.

 

[73-4spd]

Common failure on the '96 Sebring Convertible was the gauge cluster. Solder joints on the back of the circuit board will break and the cluster won't work right. Some folks have had luck fixing them, others just replace them.

The good news is that the cluster in your car is the same as those in a '95-00 Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Cirrus and a '96-00 Plymouth Breeze - so you have a good stock to choose from. I've paid as little at $25 for a cluster - takes 10-20 minutes to remove it. Pop the bezel from around the radio/HVAC controls, remove the 4 screws. Pop the fuse panel off the driver's side and remove the screw(s). Pull on the whole plastic shroud and it'll pop right off. Then you can remove the screws holding the cluster in, unplug the cluster, and done. Replacement is plug and play.

The seat belts are another issue - not sure how repairable/replaceable those are since they are built into the seats.

Thanks for the info, Strat. I was running through the website and found the JA section and that was very helpful. Seat belts bug me, they are about like the tach. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Has to be electronic. When one doesn't work, the other one won't either and it's just the front seats. Long time reader of this website, first time participant. I"ll be posting more on this site in the future.

 

[Stratuscaster]

Pretty sure there is nothing electronic in regards to the seat belts, other than the dash light to tell you they aren't buckled - but there may be folks far smarter that I that will chime in on that.

 

[ImperialCrown]

The convertible seat belt retractors inside the front seat backs actually do have a solenoid that releases the spring-loaded belt reel after the door is closed. There is a 2nd pushbutton switch by the door ajar switch in the door jamb that may be out of adjustment.
Do the shoulder belts behave differently with the doors open or closed?
For adjustment, pry to extend the center pushbutton stem from the switch and gently close the door on it. This will set the correct pushbutton stem height.