2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE Complaints

THE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS ARE SHOT AND DANGEROUS. SEVERAL THOUSAND OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

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

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

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 PT CRUISER TURBO CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FILED A REPORT AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT HEATER IGNITED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

HEARD THUMPING NOISE ON RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE AND NEW TIRES WORE OUT PREMATURELY. MECHANIC INVESTIGATED AND FOUND FRONT END SEALED BEARINGS WERE COMPLETELY SHOT. SINCE CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY IT COST US $800 TO REPAIR. BASED ON THE OTHER COMPLAINTS WE HAVE FOUND, THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO RECALL. *TR

THE CAR SITS TOO LOW TO THE GROUND. I AM A CAUTIOUS DRIVER, BUT THE BUMPER TOO EASILY SCRAPES WHEN DRIVING OVER BUMPS OR SLIGHTLY STEEP INCLINES/DECLINES, AS WELL AS WHEN PARKING, TOO EASILY TO SCRAPE OVER CURBS. THIS HAS CAUSED THE BUMPER TO CRACK ON THE LEFT SIDE, OVER THE HEAD LIGHT, COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE CAR IN ALONG A 6 INCH LINE. THERE IS NO WAY TO FIX WITHOUT REPLACING THE WHOLE BUMPER/GRILL COVER. I AM IN CONSTANT FEAR OF THE BUMPER FALLING OFF AS I STRUGGLE TO SAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO REPLACE. I TRULY REGRET PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE! *TR

LEFT WORK TO FIND THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. GOT IT JUMPED AND WENT HOME. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND REMOVED THE KEY, I NOTICED THAT THE FOG LIGHT INDICATOR LIGHT REMAINED ON. I CHECKED THE LIGHTS AND FOUND THAT THEY WERE STILL ON. I TURNED THE LIGHTS ON, SIGNALED LEFT AND RIGHT, JIGGLED IT AROUND AND THE INDICATOR LIGHT FINALLY WENT OFF. AFTER A COUPLE MORE OCCASIONS OF BATTERY DYING (AT THIS POINT THE FOG LIGHT RANDOMLY STAYED ON) EVENTUALLY I FIGURED OUT THAT IF I LEFT THE LIGHT CONTROLLED IN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL POSITION WHEN I TURNED OFF THE CAR THE FOGS WOULD TURN OFF. THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY THEY WOULD TURN OFF. AT SOME POINT WE REPLACED THE FUSE, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED TO OCCUR OFF AND ON. OTHER ELECTRICAL ISSUES HAVE OCCURRED AS WELL. THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOWS NO LONGER GO UP OR DOWN. THIS IS ESPECIALLY PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE IT IS A CONVERTIBLE AND THE WINDOWS MOVE UP AND DOWN AN INCH OR SO WHENEVER THE DOOR IS OPENED AND CLOSED IN ORDER TO SEAL SHUT. RAIN COMES INTO THE GAP BETWEEN THE WINDOW AND ROOF BECAUSE THE WINDOW NO LONGER SEALS SHUT. I HAVEN'T EVEN TRIED TO PUT THE TOP DOWN IN A COUPLE YEARS FOR FEAR THAT I WILL NOT GO BACK UP, SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THAT WORKS. LIVING IN THE CITY OF ATLANTA, I AM REQUIRED TO GET AN EMISSIONS TEST DONE EACH YEAR IN ORDER TO RENEW MY REGISTRATION. DUE TO THE BATTERY DYING, I FAILED THE EMISSIONS TEST BECAUSE THE COMPUTER SYSTEM DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH MILEAGE TO SHOW NECESSARY DATA. I TRULY REGRET THE PURCHASE OF THIS CAR! *TR

TOOK 2005 PT CONVERTIBLE FOR OIL CHANGE, MECHANIC INFORMED ME I WAS VERY LOW ON POWER STEERING FLUID, HE REFILLED IT. GRADUALLY BEGAN NOTICING WHINING/GROANING SOUND WHEN TURNING, THE TIGHTER THE TURN THE WORSE THE SOUND. SOUND INCREASINGLY BECAME MORE FREQUENT. RETURNED TO MECHANIC (A DIFFERENT ONE) AND HE SAID I WAS OUT OF STEERING FLUID. I INFORMED HIM THAT IT HAD BEEN FILLED ABOUT A MONTH AGO. GOING FROM MEMORY HERE...HE CHECKED FOR LEAK AND FOUND NONE, AND REFILLED. PROBLEM CONTINUED TO INCREASE UNTIL THE POWER STEERING STOPPED COMPLETELY AND I COULD BARELY TURN THE CAR. RETURNED TO PREVIOUS MECHANIC TO FIND THAT THE HOSE HAD POPPED OFF. HE REATTACHED. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER WHEN TURNING LEFT I HEARD AN ODD SOUND, CAN'T REALLY DESCRIBE. WITHIN A WEEK THE GROANING WAS BACK, HOSE HAD POPPED OFF AGAIN, AND FLUID RAN OUT IN A MATTER OF DAYS. THE MECHANIC AGAIN REATTACHED AND SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY THE EQUIPMENT IS ARRANGED UNDER THE HOOD, CAUSES SOMETHING TO RUB AGAINST THE POWER STEERING HOSE, CAUSING IT TO DETACH. THIS ORDEAL WAS REPEATED 3 TIMES WITHIN ABOUT A YEAR. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO PIN DOWN THE TYPE OF MOVEMENT THAT CAUSED THE HOSE TO COME OFF...TURNING LEFT WHILE AT AN INCLINE OR DECLINE. THROUGH-OUT ALL THIS (I AM NOT GOOD WITH CARS AND AM A GIRL) I ENDED UP NEEDING TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN. I WISH I HAD THOUGHT TO CHECK INTO THIS SOONER AS I SEE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM. *TR

WE OWN A 2005 PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE AND HAVE HAD PROBLEMS FOR THE PAST YEAR WITH THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH LOCATED ON THE STEERING COLUMN. THE FOG LIGHTS COME ON BY THEMSELVES AND WILL DRAIN THE BATTERY DEAD. THERE MUST BE A SHORT IN THE STEERING COLUMN WHICH IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. WE TURN OUR LEFT BLINKER ON BEFORE WE SHUT OFF THE IGNITION AND THIS SEEMS TO KEEP THE FOG LIGHTS OFF. WITH THIS BEING A SHORT, IT COULD RESULT IN A FIRE WHICH MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING - RESULTING IN POSSIBLE DEATH. MY EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH FOR THE SERVICE THAT THE NHTSA PERFORMS AND I ANTICIPATE THEIR ACTION ON THIS WELL KNOWN ISSUE TO BE COMING SOON. *TR