2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE Complaints

THUMPING NOISE FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF BRAKES IN A SHORT DISTANCE (30 MILES) WHEEL BEARING FAILURE WHICH DAMAGED AXEL AND DESTROYED BRAKES' BRAKES AND AXEL AND BEARING REPLACED ON DRIVERS SIDE - NOW PASSENGER SIDE IS DEFECTIVE TOO AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT - CAR HAS ONLY 30K MILES- BEARINGS ARE SEALED TYPE,CANNOT BE RELUBED, CAR IS 2005 CHRYSLER P T CRUISER CONVERTIBLE. *TR

FIRST OCCURRENCE THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BEARING FAILED, 38,00 MILES. SECOND OCCURRENCE THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING FAILED AT 50,706. BOTH TIMES WE HAD IT REPLACED. NEITHER WHEEL CAME OFF BUT THE MECHANIC'S SAID THE RIGHT FRONT WAS CLOSE. NO NOISE COMING ON THE RIGHT FRONT BUT THE LEFT FRONT DID AND WE TOOK IT IN. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO PREVENT THIS SINCE THE OCCURRENCE WERE WITHIN ONE YEAR OF EACH OTHER AND THEY ARE SEALED BEARINGS. SHOULD WE HAVE THEM REPACKED ANNUALLY OR WHAT. *TR

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING A 2005 PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE AND WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL CRASH AT FREEWAY SPEED. SHE WAS RESTRAINED BY HER SEATBELT, YET HER AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I AM THE OWNER OF THE CAR AND I AM VERY CONCERNED SINCE SHE WAS INJURED AND THE CAR TOTALED AND YET NO AIRBAG. I AM CONCERNED AS TO WHY THE BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

MY '05 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER (THAT I BOUGHT 3 MONTHS AGO!) HAS STARTED TO NOT START ON ME. I WILL COME OUT FROM WORK, AND IT IS COMPLETELY DEAD. BATTERY COMPLETELY DRAINED. I GET A JUMP, AND IT WILL RUN, BUT IS THEN SLUGGISH AT FIRST. THIS HAS HAPPENED NOW AT LEAST 3 X A WEEK FOR A MONTH. I HAVE REPLACED THE BATTERY, AND WAS TOLD BY CHRYSLER THAT IT IS THE ALTERNATOR, BUT I WENT TO TWO OTHER MECHANICS FOR CONFIRMATION AND BOTH TOLD ME IT IS NOT THE ALTERNATOR. THIS MEANS THE DEALERSHIP I WAS AT PRETTY MUCH HAD NO CLUE, OR DIDN'T WANT TO ADMIT THE ISSUE. I HAVE SINCE LOOKED AROUND, AND I SEE ON BLOGS THAT THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE FOR MANY OTHER PT CRUISER OWNERS. I JUST WANT MINE FIXED. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 PT CRUISER TURBO CONVERTIBLE WITH FACTORY 17" CHROME WHEELS. THE CHROME IS FLAKING OFF OF INSIDE OF WHEEL RIMS PREVENTS TIRE FROM GRIPPING PROPER SEAL. TIRES REPEATEDLY GO FLAT WHILE PARKED AND WHILE DRIVING. HAVE REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES WITH NEW ONES AND HAD TIRES CLEANED, RE-MOUNTED & RESEALED MULTIPLE TIMES. THREE DIFFERENT TIRE PROFESSIONALS TELL ME IT IS A FACTOR DEFECT. TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE DRIVING LAST WEEK AND I ALMOST LOST CONTROL. ONLINE, I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL OTHER PT CRUISER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE MADE THE DEALERSHIP AND DOUG BETTS (CHRYSLER VP OF CUSTOMER RELATIONS) AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THEY REFUSE TO CORRECT IT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. I CAN PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IF NEEDED AND CITE ONLINE RESOURCES WHERE I SAW OTHERS COMPLAIN OF SAME ISSUE. I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM PERSONALLY SINCE FEB. 2010. *TR

2005 PT CRUISER OVERHEATS WHEN IDLING HAVE SPENT 700.00 DOLLARS AND THEY CANT FIND THE PROBLEM SEE ONLINE THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR

FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL BEARINGS WORE OUT AT 21,919 MILES 4/12/2008, REPLACED THEM, AND THEN THEY WORE OUT AGAIN AT 32,100 MILES (SAME WHEEL). CAUSES STEERING WOBBLES & COULD LEAD TO A CRASH. *TR

2005 PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE FOG LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AND PARKED IN PARKING LOT. CAME BACK 1 HOUR LATER AND THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. HAD NO PHONE AND HAD TO WALK 4 BLOCKS IN A DARK VACANT, "SCARY PART OF TOWN" BY MYSELF. CALLED BCAA AND THEY CAME OUT TO GIVE ME A BOOST. THE TECH TOLD ME THIS IS A RAMPANT PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. *TR

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

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