I have a 2004 sebring with a 2.4l, will a 2005 2.4l fit this car? Do the vin numbers have to match for it to be compatible

You can replace the engine from a 2005 2.4l to a 2004 2.4l sebring, how ever you will need to modify it a little... The cars computer will be checking the VIN on the engine you can fix this by using a marker and changing the VIN on the engine to it tricks the computer into thinking it's the original but this is only a temporary fix because the marker will wear off eventually. To permanently fix this you can remove the VIN plate from the engine, but you need to destroy it because the computer is still able to read the VIN plate. To do this you need six friends all of different backgrounds to perform a ritual (which you can find online search for VIN plate destruction) you will need a dagger, torches and holy water. If you can not find 6 people from different backgrounds you can use midgets as a substitute. After the vin plate is destroyed the car's computer will then read the engine as a generic engine and recalibrate itself. So long story short, Yes you can replace the engine of an 04 sebring 2.4L with the one from an 05 model.