2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER Complaints

WHEN REPLACING FRONT BRAKE PADS ON MY 2005 PT CRUISER, TURBO, I NOTICED ONE FRONT ROTOR HAD EXCESSIVE WEAR, SO I NEEDED TO PURCHASE TWO NEW ROTORS. I WENT TO O'REILLY'S AUTO PARTS STORE, AND THEY HAD EVERYTHING IN STOCK. AFTER REPLACING ONE ROTOR, I ATTEMPTED TO INSTALL THE BRAKE PADS INTO THE BRAKE PAD BRACKET, BUT THEY WOULDN'T GO OVER THE NEW ROTOR. AFTER COMPARING THE OLD ROTORS TO THE NEW ONES, I NOTICED THE NEW ONES WERE MUCH THICKER THAT THE OLD ROTORS. I WENT BACK TO O' REILLY'S WITH BOTH SET OF ROTORS THINKING THEY GAVE ME THE WRONG ROTORS. AT O' REILLY'S AFTER LOOKING THROUGH THIER MANUALS, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ROTORS THEY GAVE ME ARE THE CORRECT ROTORS. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION IT COMES OUT THAT MY 2005 TURBO PT CRUISER HAS NON- TURBO BRAKE PARTS ON IT. THE ROTORS, PADS, AND BRAKE PAD BRACKETS ARE FOR A STANDARD CRUISER. I THINK CHRYSLER SHOULD BE NOTIFIED, AND INSTALL THE ALL THE CORRECT BRAKE PARTS THAT BELONG ON MY PT TURBO.

I AM SO UNHAPPY WITH THIS CAR, IT HAS GIVEN ME NOTHING BUT HEADACHES. I HAVE HAD FRONT END BEARING PROBLEMS TO ELECTRICAL, BUT THE WORST PROBLEM IS THE ONE I HAVE RIGHT NOW. MY CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP AS WE SPEAK, AND I AM BEING TOLD THAT CHRYSLER MAY NOT COVER THIS PROBLEM. THE CAR HAS VARIOUS LEAKS,THE OIL HAS LEAKED INTO THE SPARK PLUGS, AND OTHER AREAS THAT THEY ARE NOT CERTAIN OFF, THEY SUGGESTED ONE IS COMING FROM THE HEAD GASKET A PART OF THE ENGINE. THE PROBLEMS STARTED ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO, FIRST IT WANTED TO STOP ON ME AT EVERY LIGHT, SECOND THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON, THIRD THE OIL LIGHT. I WOULD TAKE IT TO MECHANICS AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, IT WAS GETTING WORSE AND I WOULD REPLACE PARTS THAT WERE GOING BAD, BUT STILL THE PROBLEM WAS THERE. WHEN I WENT TO CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME WE CAN'T SEE THE PROBLEM, BUT I TOLD THEM THAT I WOULD NOT LEAVE UNTIL THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM. I AM WAITING THE STATUS ON THIS MATTER FROM CHRYSLER EXTENDED WARRANTY. I SUGGEST YOU RECALL THIS CAR, IT HAS SOME SERIOUS ISSUES RELATING TO THE ENGINE, MY PERSPECTIVE OF THIS VEHICLE IS THE LIFE SPAN LASTS 70,000,MILE BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS.GET WORSE. *TR

IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR LIGHTS WERE NOT ON WITH THE HEADLIGHTS AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS(SAME BULBS) WERE NOT WORKING. UPON INVESTIGATION, BOTH LIGHT BULBS HAD BURST. WHEN TAKING IT TO THE PARTS STORE, THEY FELT THAT THE BULBS HAD BROKEN BECAUSE WATER HAD GOTTEN INTO THE HOUSING WITH THE BULBS. THE HOUSING WAS NOT CRACKED, SO IT WAS NOT DUE TO AN ACCIDENT. AND THE BULBS ON BOTH SIDES HAD FAILED SIMILARLY WHICH WOULD INDICATE A COMMON CAUSE WHICH WOULD SEEM TO BE A DESIGN DEFECT. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THANKS TO A STRANGER, I WAS INFORMED ABOUT IT BEFORE AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED. *TR

RECENTLY, I NOTICED A PUDDLE OF OIL FORMING UNDER MY CAR WHEN IT WAS PARKED BRIEFLY. A CHECK OF OIL SHOWED THAT IT WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL, BUT WELL WITHIN RANGE. TOPPED UP OIL AND STARTED ENGINE, AND STEADY STREAM OF OIL WAS SEEN TO BE COMING FROM CRANK OIL SEAL. THE DAY BEFORE THIS CAR DID NOT DRIP A DROP OF OIL. MECHANIC FOUND SEAL WAS IN TACT, BUT COMPLETELY LOOSE FROM ENGINE. HAD SEAL REPLACED BY CERTIFIED MECHANIC, AND IN LESS THAN 15 MILES THE OIL LEAK RETURNED. AFTER SEEING MULTIPLE SIMILAR ACCOUNTS ON INTERNET, HAD THE MECHANIC OPEN THE ENGINE AND FOUND THE CRANK END PLAY TO BE WELL OVER .020" AND THE THRUST BEARING WIPED ALONG WITH DAMAGE TO THE CRANK THRUST FACE. ODDLY CHRYSLER SEEMS TO ONLY INSTALL THE THRUST BEARING ON ONLY THE TOP HALF IN THIS DESIGN. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE THE THRUST BEARING FAILS, THE CRANKSHAFT THEN WALKS INTO THE BACK OF THE SEAL AND KNOCKS IT OUT. FORTUNATELY, I NOTICED THE PUDDLE, BEFORE THIS FAILED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS COULD HAVE EMPTIED THE OIL IN MINUTES AND SEIZED UP THE ENGINE AT SPEED. THIS IS CLEARLY A KNOWN DESIGN FLAW THAT CHRYSLER IS AVOIDING TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR. NO ENGINE SHOULD HAVE THIS SORT OF FAILURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP, AN ABNORMAL SMELLED A PLASTIC ODOR IN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACTED THEN NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE TURNING SIGNAL ARM CONNECTED TO THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF ONCE THE SMOKE DECREASED AND WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

THE FUEL LINE/PRESSURE REGULATOR ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN REPLACED FOR THE THIRD TIME BECAUSE THE PRESSURE REGULATOR LEAKS, SPRAYING GAS ON THE FIREWALL. INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL PART, THIS IS NOW THE FOURTH ASSEMBLY IN THIS VEHICLE. WE HAVE HAD THE SERVICE PERFORMED AT AN INDEPENDENT FACILITY, NOT CHRYSLER, BUT THE PARTS HAVE BEEN PURCHASED FORM CHRYSLER. MY SERVICE TECH SAYS HE REPLACES 50 OR 60 OF THESE PER YEAR. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. WHEN THE ASSEMBLY FAILS, THE ODOR OF GAS PERMEATES THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND IS VERY STRONG OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 55000 MILES ON IT AND THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS AT ABOUT 40000 MILES. *TR

DATE: JANUARY 9, 2012 CURRENT CASE FILE #[XXX]; PREVIOUS CASE FILE #[XXX]. TO DATE, CHRYSLER DEALERSHIPS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DIAGNOSE AND CONSEQUENTLY FIX A RECURRING STALLING PROBLEM WITH THE ABOVE REFERENCED VEHICLE; A PROBLEM THAT FIRST OCCURRED IN OCTOBER OF 2010. THE MCKINNEY DEALERSHIP IN EASLEY, SC FIRST ATTEMPTED A FIX, THEN THE BIG O DEALERSHIP IN GREENVILLE, SC (TWICE), AND MOST RECENTLY THE BENSON DEALERSHIP IN GREER, SC. OVERALL, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN OUT OF SERVICE 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS WHILE AT THESE DEALERSHIPS. MCKINNEY'S ATTEMPT OCCURRED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER THE CHRYSLER EXTENDED WARRANTY. BIG O AND BENSON'S ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE AFTER THE EXPIRATION OF THE WARRANTY (FROM TIME, NOT MILEAGE), AS A FOLLOW UP TO A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION. MEANWHILE, BETWEEN ATTEMPTED FIXES THE VEHICLE POSES A SAFETY HAZARD, ACTUALLY PUTTING CHRYSLER AT A LIABILITY RISK. A STALLING VEHICLE IN HEAVY, FAST MOVING TRAFFIC HAS A HIGH POTENTIAL OF CREATING AN ACCIDENT, AN INJURY, OR EVEN A DEATH. IN REALITY A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT ALMOST OCCURRED RECENTLY ON INTERSTATE 26 IN HENDERSONVILLE, NC AS A TRACTOR TRAILER WAS FOLLOWING THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WENT INTO A STALL. FORTUNATELY, THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY GAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE FROM BEING RUN DOWN. WIDE SHOULDERS ARE NOT ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR ESCAPE. ADDITIONALLY, WITHIN THE TIME FRAME BEGINNING IN 2010, WE HAVE NOT BEEN OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH A CHRYSLER AREA REPRESENTATIVE AND HAVE NOT HAD THE BEST CO-OPERATION FROM THE CHRYSLER CASE MANAGERS IN AUBURN HILL, MI. WITHOUT CHRYSLER OFFERING THE OPTIONS OF FIXING , TRADING OR BUYING BACK THE VEHICLE, WE MUST EXERCISE OTHER OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO US. NOTE: THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW AND I HAVE BEEN THE ONLY OWNER. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 25 MPH WHEN THE FOG LIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE SWITCH FOR THE FOG LIGHTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2005 CHEVROLET PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE COULD SMELL SMOKE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL LINE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 35,000.

MY PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE STARTED MAKING A THUMPING NOISE WHEN I WOULD TURN. THE NOISE WOULD COME FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. LIMPED IT TO LES SCHWAB AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO REPLACE STRUTS AND SOME PLATE THING THAT GOES ON TOP. I WILL HAVE TO $750.00 OUT OF POCKET. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR