2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER Complaints

WWW.PTCRUISERPROBLEMS.COM MY PT CRUISER CONSUMES OIL AT THE RATE OF A QUART OR MORE EVERY THOUSAND MILES. AFTER SEVERAL FAILED REPAIR ATTEMPTS FERMAN REACQUIRED IT FROM HIM, REPLACING IT WITH A NEW ONE FROM THE LOT. I PURCHASED MY 2002 PT CRUISER TOURING LIMITED ON 5/20/2002 WITH ONLY 4,780 MILES FROM: FERMAN AUTOMOTIVE HTTP://WWW.FERMANAUTO.COM. MY PT CRUISER EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED ABOUT THE TIME OF THE FIRST OIL CHANGE. IT CONSUMED ABOUT ONE QUART OF OIL EVERY 500 MILES. THE FIRST ACTUAL ATTEMPT AT REPAIR FERMAN MADE WAS TO REPLACE THE VALVE COVER GASKET, THIS FAILED. SECOND REPAIR ATTEMPT WAS REPLACING THE ENGINE THEY TOLD ME. THEY ONLY REPLACED THE SHORT BLOCK, AND THIS ALSO FAILED. I SENT A VEHICLE DEFECT NOTIFICATION TO THE MANUFACTURE AND ONE TO THE STATE TO START THE LEMON LAW PROCESS. CHRYSLER CORPORATE OFFICE SENT THE REGIONAL LEAD TECHNICIAN TO OVERSEE THE LAST REPAIR ATTEMPT. FERMAN TORE DOWN THE ENGINE AND INFORMED ME THAT THEY FOUND NINE BAD VALVE SEALS. FERMAN REPLACED THE ENTIRE HEAD. THEY ALSO REPLACED THE VALVE COVER, THERE IS A KNOWN ISSUE. SOME 2001 PT CRUISERS HAVE A DEFECTIVE VALVE COVER THAT CAUSES THE PCV VALVE TO SUCK IN OIL. I DROVE ABOUT 370 MILES AND CHECKED THE OIL TO FIND IT CONSUMED A QUART OF OIL! THERE IS ALSO A SECONDARY ISSUE WITH THE A/C. THE A/C HAS A PERSISTENT MILDEW ODOR THAT THE DEALER HAS NOT RESOLVED. THEY HAVE TREATED THE A/C WITH AN ANTI-MILDEW AGENT SEVERAL TIMES YET IT STILL RETURNS. I AND MANY OTHERS SUFFER WITH TRYING TO RESOLVE THE MILDEW ODOR PROBLEM ALSO. I AM CURRENTLY STILL PERFORMING ANOTHER OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. THE OIL CONSUMPTION HAS VARIED ONLY SLIGHTLY AND STILL CONTINUES. I HAVE CONTACTED AN ATTORNEY AND I AM WORKING WITH HIM TO HOPEFULLY RESOLVE THIS SOON. CHRYSLER STATED THEY WILL REPLACE OR PURCHASE MY VEHICLE BACK FROM ME, IF THE OIL CONSUMPTION CONTINUES. PLEASE CONTACT ME. WWW.PTCRUISERPROBLEMS.COM [email protected]

MAY 17, 2003 WAS THE MOST RECENT EPISODE. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR SERVICE 5 TIMES FOR OVERHEATING. THEY'VE BEEN UNABLE TO SATISFACTORILY FIX THE PROBLEM OR ADMIT IT'S A DEFECT. I'VE LODGED COMPLAINTS WITH CHRYSLER CORPORATE, BUT THEY REFUSE TO REPLACE THE VEHICLE. THE ONLY RESOLUTION THEY'RE WILLING TO OFFER IS EXTENDED COVERAGE, WHICH WON'T KEEP MY CAR FROM OVERHEATING EVERY TIME I ATTEMPT A TRIP LONGER THAN 30 MINUTES.

THE SAFETY RECALL FOR THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE WAS COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER 2002. ON 11 JANUARY 2004, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED AGAIN. DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE CONTROLLER (AGAIN), LEAVING ME TO WONDER IF THIS IS PERMANENT 'FIX' OR IS IT ONE THAT I WILL NEED TO CONSTANTLY BE WORRYING ABOUT? CHRYSLER RECALL CENTER PROVIDES NO ASSURANCE. DEALER SAYS, 'IF IT FAILS, BRING IT IN AGAIN.' - NOT MUCH ASSURANCE. * CB

POWER STEERING FAILED. DEALERSHIP STATES THE POWER STEERING RACK AND PUMP ARE DEFECTIVE. THIS WAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF STEERING. THE PART IS BACK ORDERED UP TO 3 WEEKS WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. THERE MUST BE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF RACK FAILURES. *CB

THE BRAKES STARTED MAKING A SCRATCH/GRINDING SOUND EVERY TIME I WOULD COME TO A STOP. THERE WAS NO DIFFICULTY WITH BRAKING, JUST THE NOISE. SO, I VISUALLY INSPECTED THEM AND NOTICED THE FRONT RIGHT ROTOR WAS WORN ON THE OUTER EDGE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL, REPUTABLE, TIRE STORE AND THEY FOUND THE DAMAGE TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A CLIP THAT CAME LOOSE, THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF THE BRAKE PAD. I HAVE KEPT THE DEFECTIVE PART. THE CAR HAD 26,000 MILES, MUCH OF THOSE MILES WERE HIGHWAY DRIVING. *AK

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER NOTICED BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. CONSUMER PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER, OPENED THE HOOD, AND NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. DRIVER CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. *AK

THE FRONT BRAKES STARTED SQUEAKING AS I COME TO A STOP. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAD 14,500 MILES. *NLM

I WAS DRIVING CA. 20-25 MPH OUT OF A PARKING LOT, AND HIT A YELLOW CEMENT STOP SIGN POST WHILE TURNING LEFT. I DID NOT SEE THE OBSTACLE BEFORE TURNING (BLIND SPOT?) AND I CRASHED INTO IT HEAD-ON. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DAMAGE DIDN'T LOOK TOO BAD, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE OVER $3,200 DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END, INCLUDING NEW RADIATOR AND NEW AC UNIT. MY HEAD HIT THE WINDSHIELD VERY HARD BUT THE WINDSHIELD DIDN'T CRACK. I DIDN'T GO TO THE HOSPITAL BUT SHOULD HAVE BECAUSE I HIT MY HEAD HARD -- I SELF-TREATED WITH ICE BAGS FOR 4-5 HOURS AT A TIME FOR SEVERAL DAYS. I THOUGHT MAYBE I WASN'T GOING FAST ENOUGH FOR THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY, BUT HAVING SEEN ALL THE OTHER CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE, I AM CONVINCED THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAGS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT OR WORSE. *LA

ON SEP30, 2002 AND JAN 31,2003, THE BOTTOM MOTOR MOUNT BROKE ON OUR 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. ON OCT 9, 2003, THE BOTTOM AND UPPER MOTOR MOUNTS FAILED CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.*AK

BRAKE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT STARTED COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY AT 27,000 MILES, OF WHICH 20,000 OF THOSE MILES ARE FREEWAY MILES. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WERE BOTH WORN OUT. I ASKED FOR THE OLD PARTS AND SAW THAT THE INSIDE PADS WERE NEARLY GONE. WHEN I QUESTIONED WHY 1.) THERE WAS NEVER A WARNING FROM THE BRAKE PAD CHIRPERS AND 2.) THE BRAKES WERE WORN OUT SO SOON, I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT CHRYSLER IS USING LESSER QUALITY MATERIALS IN THE ROTORS AND PADS. THE DEALER ALSO SAID THAT ONLY THE OUTSIDE PAD HAS A CHIRPER (A WORN PAD WARNING DEVICE) AND THAT THE INSIDE PAD WILL GRIND THE ROTOR BEFORE THE OUTSIDE PAD IS WORN ENOUGH TO WARN THE DRIVER. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU WILL RUIN YOUR BRAKE ROTORS BEFORE YOU ARE WARNED.*AK