2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. HE INDICATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON AND THE HORN DID NOT WORK. HE NOTICED THIS ON 9-5-05 AS HE WAS BACKING OUT OF HIS DRIVEWAY, HE HEARD A CLICKING NOISE, AND THEN THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON .HE HAD NOT TAKEN VEHICLE TO A DEALER YET. THERE WERE OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM FILED ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. THE CONTACT INDICATED VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT OF ANY KIND. THERE WAS RECALL 04V480000 ON CERTAIN 1998 DODGE VEHICLES PERTAINING TO THE CLOCKSPRING THAT THE CONSUMER THOUGHT MAY RELATE TO HIS PROBLEM. *AK THE DEALER WOULD NOT COVER THE COST OF THE PART OR LABOR. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER OWNS 2001 PT CRUISER. THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION. IT WAS IMPACTED ON THE CENTER OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND WAS BROAD SIDED. UPON IMPACT, NONE OF THE FRONTAL/SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. SPOKE TO THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY WERE NOT BE INTERESTED. THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THERE WERE NO SERIOUS INJURIES, BUT THERE WERE CUTS AND BRUISES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT AVAILABLE. PICTURES WERE AVAILABLE, BUT NO INSURANCE REPORT. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. *AK *NM

2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER, ORIGINAL OWNER, 36,633 MILES. DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON HWY 280 EAST IN BIRMINGHAM, AL APRIL 28, 2005 WHEN TRANSMISSION FROZE UP. WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO SHOULDER TO AVOID ACCIDENT. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO SHOP. TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE HAD GONE OUT - VEHICLE WAS ONE YEAR AND 633 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. REPAIR COSTS - $575. CHRYSLER CORPORATION REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY WARRANTY ASSISTANCE. DRIVING ON HWY 280 EAST IN BIRMINGHAM, AL ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 WHEN TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AGAIN. MILEAGE AT THIS OCCURRANCE 40,827. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO SHOP. TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE HAD GONE OUT - AGAIN. PART WAS REPLACED AT NO CHARGE BUT HAD TO PAY LABOR CHARGES PLUS COST OF RENTAL VEHICLE FOR 1 WEEK. TOTAL COST THIS ROUND - $500 INCLUDING RENTAL CAR.

FOG LIGHTS WOULDN'T TURN OFF UNLESS BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. CAR INDICATED OVERHEATING. SMOKE COMING FROM HAZARD BUTTON. AFTER REMOVING MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH, FOUND THAT WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR ON LEFT SIDE WAS MELTED. BATTERY WAS DEAD, BOUGHT NEW BATTERY. AFTER STARTING CAR WITH MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH DISCONNECTED, NO OVERHEATING, NO SMOKE. DEALERSHIP INDICATED $3000 TO REPAIR THE WIRING HARNESS AND BOUGHT NEW MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH FOR $80. FOUND OVER 100 SIMILAR PROBLEMS ON DIFFERENT WEBSITES. PART SHOULD BE RECALLED. WEBSITES: PTDOITYOURSELF.NET/TL/TL-INDEX2.HTML POSTINGS: 191,288,725,862,465,589,824,878,1042,1068,1302,1278,1238,1212. EDMUNDS.COM/INSIDELINE/DO/FORUMSLANDING POSTINGS: 249,250,241,229,232,233,234,235,237,219,220,222,225,227,228,210,211,213,218,202,206,191,198 NHTSA.DOT.GOV COMPLAINT: 10130928,10130890,10131743,8018628,10106442,10127101. *NM

LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS NEED REPLACEMENT ALREADY AT 29000 MILES, ON 2001 PT CRUISER. THIS PREMATURE FAILURE IS A SAFETY RISK AND APPEARS TO BE COMMON ON THIS VEHICLE (ADMITTED BY DEALER), YET IS OUT OF WARRANTY. SHOULD WARRANT A RECALL NOTICE AND FREE REPAIR.

DEALERSHIP FOUND CAUSE OF NOISE IN STEERING. PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY LOWER FRONT CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS BEING BROKEN (NOT WORN). FURTHER FAILURE COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE. *JB

DT: 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONSUMER STATES HER 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WENT TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND KNOCKED IT OUT OF GEAR. THE VEHICLE THEN ROLLED INTO THE STREET. THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS PUSHED IN. THE VEHICLE RAN INTO A HOUSE. UPON IMPACT, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS GOING ABOUT 30 MPH WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE CONSUMER LIVED ON A HILL, AND WHILE IT WAS ROLLING , THE CHILD PUT IT BACK IN PARK. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL. THERE WERE NO KEYS IN THE IGNITION WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THERE I A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN, CASE #05-029614, DEPUTY BOELTZ WITH YAZAPI COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT.*AK

ON SATURDAY AUG 13, 2005 MY WIFE AND I HAD A FLAT ON OUR 2001 PT CRUISER ON THE RIGHT FRONT. ON MONDAY AUG 15, 2005 I TOOK THE TIRE AND HAD IT FIXED. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE CHROME ON THE INSIDE OF THE RIM WAS PEELING AND THE TIRE WAS NOT ADHERING TO THE RIM. ON TUESDAY AUG 16TH I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE CHRYSLER DEALER AND HAD THEM LOOK AT THE PROBLEM. THEY CONFIRMED WHAT THE TIRE DEALER SAID. I TALKED WITH THE GARAGE ADVISOR AND HE STATED THAT I WAS NOT THE FIRST PERSON WITH THIS PROBLEM. THE SOLUTION WAS TO BUY NEW RIMS. I CALLED THE CHRYSLER HOT LINE NUMBER 1-800-992-1997 AND SPOKE WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS CRYSTAL AND CAROL AND FINALLY CAROL SAID THAT THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY WAS UP. MY PROBLEM WITH THIS IS THAT THE RIMS ARE STARTING TO PEEL ON THE EARLY ADDITIONS OF THE MAKE OF CAR AND THAT IT HAS TAKEN 5 YEARS OR SO FOR THIS TO BE NOTICED. MY FLAT TIRE CAME ON I-465 IN INDIANAPOLIS AT 60 MPH. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, BUT IF THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MORE THAN ONE CAR IN INDIANAPOLIS, WHAT ABOUT THE NATION. I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A RIM THAT DOESN'T LAST FOR MORE THAN 5 YEARS AND ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO DETECT UNTIL IT HAPPENS. I ASKED CAROL, AT CHRYSLER, ON WHAT IT TOOK TO START A RECALL OR HAVE SOMEONE LOOK INTO IT AND ALL SHE SAID WAS THAT SHE WOULD PUT IT ON FILE. MIKE, AT MY DEALERS, SAID THAT ALL MY RIMS WERE STARTING TO DO THIS. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THESE RIMS. MY CAR HAS 42,000 MILES ON IT. MOST OF THESE TYPE OF CARS ARE OWNED BY OLDER PEOPLE AND THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLED A BLOW OUT. *JB

DT: CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR ACCIDENT. WAS IN A SMALL ACCIDENT. TOOK VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP, A REPAIR SHOP, AND THEY REFERRED HIM TO A DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THAT THE BUSHING HAS BEEN FORCED OUT OF THE CONTROL ARM. PREVIOUSLY, THE STEERING WHEEL SHIMMIED AND RATTLED BACK AND FORTH. THE CONSUMER HAD THE ACCIDENT REPAIR WORK DONE. BUT NOT THE BUSHING AND THE CONTROL ARM. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED FOR ABOUT A YEAR. *AK

DT: CONSUMER OWNED THREE 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISERS. EACH OF THE VEHICLES HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE FOG LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHT SWITCH , WHICH WAS REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE WHEN ONE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THE FOG LIGHTS AND HEADLIGHTS STAYED ON AND WOULD NOT GO OFF. THE SECOND AND THIRD CRUISERS FOG LIGHTS WOULD NOT GO OFF, CONSUME R REMOVED THE FUSE. THERE WAS A FLAW IN THE DESIGN OF THE PT CRUISERS HEADLIGHT SWITCH, WHICH WOULD RUN DOWN THE BATTERY. THE SWITCH SHOULD BE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE TO THE CONSUMER. ALSO, THERE SHOULD A BE A REDESIGNED SWITCH, AND A FULL RECALL/REPLACEMENT AFTER THE SWITCH WAS REDESIGNED. IN ORDER TO HAVE TWO PT CRUISERS PASS VA STATE INSPECTION CONSUMER REMOVED FOG LIGHTS BULBS, SOCKET AND WIRING. *AK