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 2002 Chrysler PT CRUISER. The contact stated the fog lamps would remained on after the vehicle was turned off. The contact had to removed the fuse in order to turn the fog lamps off. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the switch that operated the external lights was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any of the recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 103,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Chrysler PT CRUISER. While the vehicle was parked the fog lights came on and caused the battery to fail. The control switch for the fog lights continued to remain illuminated on the steering column when the lights turned off. The vehicle was not inspected when the complaint was filed. The failure and current mileages were approximately 94,000.
The problem I am having started about 2 months ago, when my battery was suddenly drained and I had no idea why. I had to buy a new battery, and found it draining as well. I finally discovered that my fog lights were coming on by themselves while the car was parked. It appears that there is a short or some wiring problem in the turn signal switch lever, which has the fog light switch on the end, and the problem has only got worse. For now, the only solution I have found is to flip the lever down to the left turn signal when the car is parked, which somehow keeps the fog light switch from engaging. I have also found that heat, related to the time of the day, seems to also play a part in it. When it is cool, like in the morning, the fog lights do not turn on. As soon as it warms up for the day, they come on and will not turn off. I decided to do a google search today, and found hundreds of complaints in a post regarding the problem, and that Chrysler has never addressed it. The complaints all demonstrate that the left-turn-signal solution I found on my own is the only way to handle the problem. I also noted others have suggested the temperature relationship, where heat from the time of day makes the problem worse. The thread can be read here: www.topix.net/forum/autos/Chrysler-pt-cruiser/tf81khbdldvt92ah2
Fog light switch failure, fog lights stay on whether the switch is turned on or off. Smell of burning wires after vehicle sits for a couple of hours with the lights on.
The contact owns a 2002 Chrysler PT CRUISER. The contact stated that the fog light switch becomes stuck and runs down his battery. The failure has caused the vehicle not to start due to the loss of power in the battery. The shop is charging $300 for the repair. The contact researched the internet and found many complaints pertaining to the same failure. The current and failure mileages were 51,000. Updated 02/01/08
- Bakersfield, CA, USA
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Trouble with multifunction control switch for PT CRUISER headlights. The fog lights on the PT CRUISER illuminated intermittently without operator interface or fail to shut off when multifunction switch is operated. This caused battery to fail. No audible indication that lights remained on.
The fog lights on my 2002 PT CRUISER come on by themselves. They have come on during the middle of the night. This has caused my battery to go dead. I had to pull the fuse to make them stop coming on.
Feb 2006 - June 2006: Indicator light on dashboard lights intermittently, appears to indicate a headlamp failure, but no burnt-out bulb is apparent. June 8, 2006: Indicator lamp will only go out when high beam or turn signals are on. June 8, 2006: Battery dead after car parked for 5 hours. Jump start successful. June 8, 2006: Read manual. Discovered that car had fog lights, and that the indicator light meant that the fog lights were on. Only the fog light switch was off. And turning the switch on and off didn't solve the problem. June 9, 2006: Pulled relevant fuse. Hope nothing critical is on the same circuit.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Memphis, TN, USA