Problems with 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser SUSPENSION

The lower control arm bushings are failing on the pt cruisers. this is causing a loss of control of the vehicle if they get bad enough. the lower control arm bushing is separating and allowing the control arm to drop down and hit the frame. the occurrence is happening to many of my car club members and members of the pt forum i frequent. and a lot of them still have low mileage on the vehicles. this is a control problem and poorly designed (bad rubber) design that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. we have managed to catch the fuel line rub thru problem and dc has taken care of that. but now this problem needs to be addressed also.. this isn't just concening the usa models but also the models in other countries. ak

Rear suspension made up of many links with grommets inside them that wear out prematurely and make a loud clanging banging noise. i thought it was my spare tire w/o air and did not get to the dealer before the 36,000 mile warranty expired (plus this dealer does not really repair things). local mechanic got ahold of local dealer who is very familiar with this very frequent problem. either it is a poor design or the supplier blew it but it is goddawful and i am fearful of failure.*ak

The lower control arm bushings are separating from the rubber. this can cause loss of vehicle control, rattles, severe tire vibration or front end vibration. some of my members have had this occur as low as 5000 miles. currently mine has 36.000 miles and the problem is occurring on mine. i am a ase certified technician. and there is no way that these type of bushings should be having this separation problem at such a low mileage. a recall is in order, before a owner has a vehicle accident due to the vehicle loosing steering control.

When driving at an undetermined speed consumer heard a knocking noise from the rear of the vehicle. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that rear bearings failed". consumer had the rear bearings replaced. *ak

I had my 2001 chrysler pt cruiser in the shop for the mandatory pennsylvania state safety inspection. the mechanics informed the that both of the lower control arms were bad in the vehicle. this vehicle has only 47,000 original miles on the car. i asked if this was a common occurance and was told that they have replaced these control arms on 9 vehicles so far. they stated they called the local chrysler dealership and the service department told them that they replace about 30 of these per month. i was told there have been no recalls issued for this item.*ak

Premature failure of front wheel bearings and lower control arm bushings. dealer states he has seen this in other pt cruisers. *ak

Rear suspension part broke. bell crank broke causing a loud knocking noise. dealer said that futher driving could have resulted in back suspension falling of of car in a catastophic failure.

Consumer states that the control arm bushing is defective causing tires to wear fast. ts

Consumer states the vehicle is pullin to the right while driving at the 65mph. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. ts

Vehicle would pull to the right when accelerating, vehicle has been to the dealer on four occasions, and unable to locate the problem. *ak *yd

Car pulls to the right and vibration. dealer has switched tires from front to back, side to side, and have replaced 4 original tires and 7 additional tires. dealer still claims it is a tire problem instead of something is wrong with vehicle. vehicle still has a pull and vibration. steering column squeaks. steering column replace, lubed and still have a squeak. *ts *jb ***dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12-12-02 cut over to artemis***763033

Vibration problems encountered nationwide http://www.ptcruizer.com/cgi-bin/faq.pl?profile=pt+terry. *ak (tiresize: p205/55r16)( dot number: tire size: p205/55r16 )

I have a intermittent cyclic vibration at speeds from 65mph and above. the first time i took the car back to the dealer, they replaced 3 of the tires because they were not round. this helped the problem, but didn't cure it. i have taken it back twice more and although the service manager ,after taking a test drive with me, agrees that the vibration is still there, they say they have checked everything and can't find a problem. he says he tested another pt cruiser and it has the same feel. i have talked this over with the owners son and i am now told that i must just live with it. i feel that this is a potential safety problem. *ak (tiresize: p205/55r16)( dot number: tire size: p205/55r16 )

1. steering wheel became loose on shaft while traveling at 68-70 mph; 2. headlights would flicker from bright to dim, and 3. front weels out of alignment. most problem was corrected by dealer. >> please feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak