2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER Complaints

I OWN A 2005 PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS FOR THE PAST YEAR WITH THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH LOCATED ON THE STEERING COLUMN. THE FOG LIGHTS WILL NOT TURN ON AS THE SWITCH IS BROKEN AND SOMETIMES THERE IS VISIBLE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE COLUMN FOLLOWED BY THE STENCH OF BURNING RUBBER. I RESEARCHED AND FOUND OUT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF CAR. THE FOLLOWING LINK IS A WEBPAGE DEVOTED TO THE PROBLEM WITH THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH AND WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW MANY PEOPLE THIS IS EFFECTING. CHRYSLER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS THE PART HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE PART FIXED AS I SEE THIS AS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED AT THE COST OF CHRYSLER. IN THE WEBSITE YOU CAN SEE OVER 800 PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. THERE HAVE BEEN ACTIVE POSTS SINCE 2005.HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.NET/FORUM/AUTOS/CHRYSLER-PT-CRUISER/TF81KHBDLDVT92AH2. *TR

IN 2006 I PURCHASED A 2005 PT CRUISER WITH 12000 MILES, IT RAN GREAT UNTIL MAY,2009 WITH APPROX. 28000 MILES, WHEN IT STARTED SPITTERING AND SPUTTERING UPON ACCELERATION AND WOULD NOT EXCEED A SPEED OF 25 FOR 15 TO 25 SECONDS, SOMETIMES LONGER. I FOUND THIS OUT ON A 275 MILE ROUND TRIP UP US HWY 40 AFTER STOPPING TO GET GAS. UPON REENTRY TO HWY 40 WITH CARS TRAVELING 70-85 MPH, MY CAR JUST WOULD NOT GO. I FELT MY LIFE AS WELL AS MY HUSBANDS WAS IN GRAVE DANGER. I IMMEDIATELY PUT MY FLASHERS ON AND STAYED ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD UNTIL IT RETURNED TO NORMAL SPEED. THEN WHILE GOING UP HILLS, OR STOPPED FOR RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGN OR SLOWING DOWN TO YIELD, IT WOULD AGAIN, SPITTER & SPUTT AND BACKFIRE. UPON MY ARRIVAL BACK HOME I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WAS IN NEED OF A TUNE UP (ATL ESS THAN 20000 MILES), AND I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER IT WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY, WHICH I BELIEVED WAS A UNLIMITED 5 YR/50,000 MILES, COSTING IN EXCESS OF $300.00/WHICH I DID NOT AND DO NOT HAVE THE FUNDS TO GET REPAIRED., BUT STILL FEEL THIS IS A DANGER FACTOR FOR ANYONE RIDING IN IT. (WHICH I SELDOM HAVE ANYONE WITH ME EXCEPT MY HUSBAND OCCASIONALLY.) THE PT CRUISER IS STILL THE SAME EVEN THOUGH I HAVE ADDED GAS TREATMENTS AND FUEL INJECTOR CLEANERS TRYING TO RESOLVE THIS SEVERE, AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY PROBLEM. THE CAR TO DATE ONLY HAS A LITTLE OVER 35000 MILES AND IS STILL ACTING UP, AND THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CONTINUES TO STAY ON. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO A TRUSTED LOCAL MECHANIC WHO INFORMED ME THAT IT IS A TUNE UP PROBLEM OR THE FUEL INJECTORS, AND THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY THAT WAS STILL IN EFFECT AT THE TIME. (WHAT IS THE WARRANTY WORTH? (NOT LIFE OR LIMB.) I MIGHT ADD THAT IF I HAD KNOWN OF THIS WEB SITE OR HOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED I WOULD HAVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE "PEOPLES RIGHTS AND SAFETY." *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. HE STATED THAT WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN, THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD BECOME CLOUDY WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY RISK WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS APPEAR TO BE CLOUDY DURING THE DAY SINCE THE SUN REFLECTS ON THE LENS AND THAT THE PLASTIC ON THE LIGHTS HAS DETERIORATED. THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE NOT BEEN REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 47000. UPDATED 02/17/10 *BF UPDATED 02/17/10

PCM CHIP IN 2005 PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE IDENTIFIED BY CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP AS BEING THE PROBLEM. PCM CAUSES MYRIAD OF ELECTRICAL & TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WHICH CHRYSLER WON'T ADMIT TO. WHEN ANY ENGINE LIGHT OR OTHER ALARM INDICATOR GOES ON IN VEHICLE AND I BRING IT TO CHRYSLER-THEY SIMPLY SAY THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE. THEN THE TROUBLES START. THE PCM CAUSES STALLING AT A RED LIGHT OR AT LOW SPEEDS--GOT REAR ENDED TWICE, VEHICLE NOT TURNING OVER/WON'T START, DRAINS BATTERIES (REPLACED IT 3 TIMES),(CAR WAS TOWED TO CHRYSLER BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T START) POWER STEERING MECHANISM LEAKS (REPLACED TWICE) CAUSES ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ON DASHBOARD, RADIO & CD PLAYER WONT WORK (CD IS STUCK IN PLAYER), CAUSES CAR LOCK/ALARM SYSTEM TO MALFUNCTION (REPLACED TWICE) CAR LOCK/SYSTEM HAS LOCKED ME OUT OF MY CAR AND FOG LIGHTS/HEAD LIGHTS WON'T TURN OFF WHICH THEN DRAINS BATTERY. CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP "SUPPOSEDLY" REPLACED THIS PCM CHIP 1.5 YRS AGO AND THE REPAIR TOOK A MONTH AND A HALF WHILE I WAITED WITHOUT A LOANER CAR EVEN THOUGH MY CHRYSLER EXTENDED WARRANTY ALLOWED ME TO HAVE ONE! WHEN I GOT THE CAR BACK I NOTICED THAT THE FOG LIGHT/HEADLIGHT INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ON AND WENT BACK TO DEALER TO TELL HIM IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN AND HE INDICATED THAT I NOT EVER RETURN TO HIS DEALERSHIP. NOW 1.5 YEARS LATER, I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH MY VEHICLE AND IT'S THE PCM CHIP CAUSING THEM. I HAVE LOST MY JOB FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO DRIVE TO WORK WHILE THEY 'FIXED' MY CAR FOR A MONTH, LOST THOUSAND OF $$$ REPAIRING THIS VEHICLE, MY WARRANTY IS NOW EXPIRED, AM STILL FINANCING VEHICLE, BUT CAR WON'T START AND IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE BECAUSE IT STALLS WHILE DRIVING, ETC. THE CAR ISN'T WORTH 3K AND THE REPAIRS ARE IN THE THOUSANDS TO FIX ALL THE ISSUES. *TR CONSUMER WANTS AN UPDATE ON COMPLAINT. 1/27/10 *NJ UPDATED 02/01/10*JB

2005 PT CRUISER MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH FAILED . FOG LIGHTS WOULD NOT GO OFF EVEN AFTER I REMOVED THE KEY. SMOKE CAME OUT OF SWITCH. *TR

CONSUMER WANTS TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY RECALLS FOR THE FRONT WHEEL BEARING ON THEIR 2005 PT CRUISER. *NJ WHILE DRIVING RECENTLY, THE CONSUMER AND HIS WIFE FELT A VIBRATION IN THE FLOOR. THE CONSUMER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED THE FRONT WHEEL BEARING WAS DEFECTIVE. *JB

2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER 71144 MILE BLEW CRANKSHAFT OIL SEAL, BUT NEEDS ENGINE REPLACED. THIS IS DEFECTIVE PRODUCT PREMATURE DEFECT ON ALL 2.4 ENGINES A RECURRING PROBLEM. *TR

THE FOG LIGHTS ON MY 2005 PT CRUISER COME ON BY THEMSELVES. ENGINE OFF - KEYS NOT IN IGNITION. DEAD BATTERY TWICE IN THE PAST 24 HOURS. *TR

HEADLIGHTS ARE SO CLOUDY, LOOKS TO BE UNSAFE. HAVE TRIED 3 DIFFERENT PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET TO CORRECT THIS BUT SO FAR NOTHING HAS HELPED. SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE OUT IN THE WEATHER LIKE A HEADLIGHT COULD BE MADE FROM SOMETHING BETTER THAN THEY ARE. *TR

MY WIFE'S 2005 PT CRUISER WITH ONLY 10,100 HAS A CONTINUAL PROBLEM STARTING. BY REPLACING OR REINSTALLING THE FUEL PUMP RELAY THE ENGINE WILL START. RECENTLY ON ONE OCCASION THE ENGINE STALLED; GLADLY IN A PARKING LOT, HAD THIS HAPPENED ON THE ROAD OR FREEWAY AN ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED. HAS CHRYSLER BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND IS IT JUST THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE OR ARE THERE OTHERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND WILL THERE BE A RECALL BY CHRYSLER TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE OR AFTER AN ACCIDENT? *TR