This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler PT CRUISER. While the vehicle was stationary, the contact noticed smoke coming from the root of the turn signal switch. The contact immediately pulled the fog lamp switch, which diffused the smoke. A police report was not filed. The contact stated that the fog lights were illuminated at the time of the failure. An unknown Chrysler dealer was made aware of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 106,000.
Car went completely dead at car wash at night leaving me and my young granddaughter stranded until we could get a jump. This happened several times with the battery not having any problems nor any lights being left on in interior. Happened to notice the other day the fog lamps were on but the switch was not turned on. It was draining the system. Had to pull the fuse to fog lamps in order to stop the drainage. This has left me stranded with small children forcing reliance upon strangers in order to restart the vehicle, on more than one occasion. Now the fog lamps are inoperative until a fix can be found, which could lead to a potential collision if driving in foggy conditions which could prove fatal due to it being a convertible. This is a GT turbo edition...updated 09/28/15
Front tires keep going flat and I am told because car heavy in front. I air them once every 2-4 weeks. Front lamps are not strong enough and hard seeing at night. Car purchased from bellevue, wa Ford which just burned down few weeks ago as a used car and was not informed of this
I have a concern about all the issues with this car. On March 29th my fog lights would not turn off even when ignition switch was turned off. I went on line and saw several "blogs" about this issue - I am an older women with minimal knowledge of these things so I went to a parts store that was open and the clerk pulled the #8 fuse out - for the fog lights so my battery would not run down before service/repair was open on Monday- the mechanic stated he could fix it and also that the dealership just took in a used cruiser and the fog lights did not work - they found that someone had took the fuses out for that cruiser also - is this a defective issue- appears now according to the internet the replacement part has been improved. I also had to replace the entire computer and again seems other cruiser owners have had this issue also - this is a lot of expense and with the loan on the car is difficult to now get a different car as this does seem to be a lemon - but I have to keep it till I can afford to get a different car - with all these issues - no one will want this one either.
The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler PT CRUISER. The contact stated that the headlight icon illuminated independently on the instrument panel when the headlights were not activated. In addition, the contact noticed smoke coming from the turn signal handle. The contact deactivated the fuse but later noticed smoke coming from the window control switch on the dashboard console. There was also an excessive vibration coming from the front end of the vehicle when being driven at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the motor mounts would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Fog lights going on/off without activation by driver. After motor was shut off fog lights continue to stay on. Trying to control fog light function thru multi-function switch not successful. Had to pull fog light fuse from fuse panel. PT CRUISER websites confirm this is a common problem with multi-function switch on most model years of PT CRUISER.
It was discovered that the rear lights were not on with the headlights and the brake lights(same bulbs) were not working. Upon investigation, both light bulbs had burst. When taking it to the parts store, they felt that the bulbs had broken because water had gotten into the housing with the bulbs. The housing was not cracked, so it was not due to an accident. And the bulbs on both sides had failed similarly which would indicate a common cause which would seem to be a design defect. This could have easily resulted in a serious accident. Thanks to a stranger, I was informed about it before an accident occurred.
The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler PT CRUISER. The contact was driving 25 mph when the fog lights failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that the switch for the fog lights needed to be replaced. The there were no recalls for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 40,000.
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.
I own a 2005 PT CRUISER; I have 134,000 miles on the car, and keep it serviced regularly. I have had numerous issues with safety factors concerning this vehicle since October 2009. December 2009 my timing belt went out on interstate. I lost control of the vehicle as the vehicle was traveling 70 mph. I had it repaired by a certified mechanic, which included a new water pump. I continued to have overheating issues, and continued to have diagnostics and nothing could be identified as the problem. February 2010: I had to have valves seals repaired due to them leaking oil onto the engine which was a potential fire hazard. This was done by a certified mechanic. April 2010: I continued to have overheating issues. I was also now having electrical issues where my taillights were continuously blowing the bulbs completely out, to where the bulbs would be broken and I would have no lights at all on the back of my vehicle, there were times this would occur at night which was a serious safety issue. May 2010: I brought my vehicle back to Chrysler dealer; again nothing could be resolved. June 2010: Brought the car back for diagnostics. The dealer kept the vehicle all day. The dealer concluded that the cooler sensor and sensor plug needed replaced, and tail light receptors were changed out. June 2010: Alternator went out and it was replaced, and also installed a new battery. When traveling I set my cruise control on 55. The cruise control took over my acceleration and in no my vehicle accelerated to 115+ mph, I could not turn off the cruise control, the brakes failed to work, the key would not turn off. I finally pulled the E-brake to slow the car, and had to put the car into neutral, then into park. It was not until I managed to get the car into park that the vehicle stopped accelerating by itself. I turned off the vehicle. I feel these issues need to be addressed. These safety issues are of a serious nature. Your time in looking into this.
I have a 2005 Chrysler PT CRUISER. The fog lights come on unintentionally and drain the battery when the engine is turned off. I was left stranded in empty parking lots 3 times with my car battery dead. It seems the multi function switch is the culprit and this issue existed since 2001 models, Chrysler has done nothing to fix it for 10 years.
Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) malfunction on the headlight/foglight multifunction switch on a Chrysler PT CRUISER 2005, [xxx] (export vehicle, runs in brazi). It started unwittingly turning on the foglights even when the car ignition was off, it lead to drain car batteries and for me to think at first that was a problem with my battery, since when I saw the car the foglights were off because it drained the power. Then, after a hot day I was driving at night on a rainy and dangerous highway and my foglights went off and I felt a smell of burn cable and smoke inside the car, so I stopped the vehicle and saw smoke coming out ofthe multifunction switch and got really scared. After so many days and searching on the internet I finally discovered that the battery drain had to do with the foglights switch. I took almost 6 months to discover it and so my foglights reflector started to melt and loose there flexibility. I went to Chrysler dealers in brazil and they said they cant do nothing for me since the car is no longer in warranty. The thing is, there is more than 550 complaints (and counting) on a website explaining the problem and what the many dangerous possible consequences. And 95% of the cars in those complaints are not under warranty from Chrysler manufacture. Now I actually run with the car without the fuse responsible to foglights. It cost me a brand new battery and 2 damaged foglight reflectors and the obligation of running without foglights on highways. (that are extremely dangerous without the proper illumination! www.topix.com/forum/autos/Chrysler-pt-cruiser/tf81khbdldvt92ah2.
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.www.topix.net/forum/autos/Chrysler-pt-cruiser/tf81khbdldvt92ah2.
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. Consumer wants an update on complaint. 1/27/10 updated 02/01/10
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.
In December 2007, while on an extended trip, the fog light on my 2005 PT CRUISER activated themselves and could not be turned off. The entire control lever on the steering column had to be replaced when we returned home.
The fog lights would not shut off. Technician at the dealership removed the fuse until we could schedule them to work on it. When we took it in to be fixed, they replaced the multifunction switch.
- High Point, NC, USA
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- Canton, MI, USA