Problems with 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My check engine light goes off and on. crankshaft and camshaft sensors were reading as the issue according to the odometer code system.. my car shuts off at anytime even while driving in the middle of the road. my battery terminal seems to be weak possibly having shortage moments from time to time. my vehichle will pull one way or the other. my breaks feel like there going to give out or are brand knew . my vehichle makes a noise as if the front cv axels or ball joints need to be greased. my wiring and engine is my main concern. my ac doesn't work my radiator seal has been replaced my car will make a guzzling noice due to the coolant . the list goes on. i bought my vehichle approx. 4months ago. the issues have progressed over the past month.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated that the high beam head lamps would illuminate randomly day or night. the contact stated that the failure occurred at least six times in one week. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact also stated that the multi-function switch that controlled the headlights was replaced by him. the contact noticed that the plastic clip holding the electrical harness to the switch had burned. the approximate failure mileage was 153,000.

My lights shut off while driving. not only did my headlights shut off but my dash board lights and the lights on my gear shift did as well. my doors will not lock as well.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle stalled, a warning light illuminated, and an alarm sounded. the failure recurred ten times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the alarm system needed to be reset. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Takata recall. i was driving down the highway and my headlights went out i pulled over and i didnt have door locks to unlock the doors. all the fuses are good. i was researching online and alot of pt cruisers are having the issue it seems that the connector for the fuse block goes bad i have been dealing with this for a few months now. i think its redundant that ypu have to pay 150-250 dollars every time this happens. when no one really has that kinda money

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated that the dashboard exhibited a long crack which originated on the front driver's side windshield that crossed over the dashboard vent and extended to the instrument panel. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

2002 chrysler pt cruiser. consumer writes in regards to vehicle headlights and other electrical problems. *smd the consumer stated his wife went to turn on the headlights, and discovered they did not work. the consumer's son checked the switch assembly and found a shortage in the assembly. the consumer son discovered some of the wiring coming from the assembly was bare. *jb

Ok maybe 4th time is a charm on trying to get pt cruiser off road. i had a fire in this vehicle due to overheating which was reported but dumb me put it out and replaced grill and radiator and had to take seperate loan out for $2500 in repairs and now vehicle won't start and now being told is computer well that explains why when we were trying to get out of car when was on fire the door locks didn't won't to work first time. the car is a 2002 with 100,000 miles on it and i have already put new tires on it and battery and had all these repairs done trying to save the car because i am a single mom on disability maybe since chrysler is under investigation for injuries and deaths not being reported you can add me because i was burned during the fire trying to put out. i have forwarded every single documentation of every incident not only to chrysler but nhtsa and now want me to replace a computer at $1300 this car is dangerous and have been told by everyone who has examined car it is serious but i guess if me or my son had died in car then maybe something would have been done. i have made my payments and paid full coverage insurance for 6 months while all this has been going on and only was able to drive car for a month. the vehicle is at chrysler dodge in columbia,tn and phone number is 1-931-380-0326. i have 9 tow bills and nobody cares that me or my son could have lost our lives!

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start when prompted. the dealer required that a new computer be installed into the vehicle related to the manufacturer's key in order to start the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the failure mileage was 100,000.

Windows and air conditioner failed. car undriveable ,all curcit breakers and fuses checked. this is a safety hazard. almost passed out going a few miles. i can't drive it with out injury.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. while attempting to start the vehicle, all the meters, gauges, and instrument panel lighting failed to function. in addition, the interior lighting also failed to illuminate. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 135,000.

I had just put fuel in my car and was driving across a parking lot. i proceeded to park my car and noticed smoke rising out of my steering wheel and a burning smell. my lower set of lights ( fog lights) had turned on by themselves, which is odd since they haven't been working for at least two years. in order to stop the smoking in the steering wheel, i had to remove fuse #8. same set of lights have turned on before a few years back draining my battery since i couldn't turn them off with their switch. in addition, my headlights turn off automatically at random while i'm driving and my clock lights go out frequently. headlights have gone out on me 5 times over the past 3 years. i try not to drive much at night as a result. *tr

Fog lights came on by themselves while parked with no key in ignition (while at work). common issue found all over the internet. cause is a defective multi-function switch. smelled a burning smell. repair shop was unable to find any problems through diagnostics which was before the car had been seen during the day with it's running lights on. that drained the battery and required a jump start. happened several times. due to overwhelming number of complaints listed throughout the internet for this same issue we feel a recall should be issued as this is a fire hazard. the 15 amp fuse (number 8 on interior fuse panel) never blew but was discolored from heat. *tr

Fog lights won't turn off, stayed on long enough to run down battery. not good for single elderly woman volunteer stuck in a parking lot across town. understand the problem has been reported in many, many vehicles for at least 10 years. did i miss a recall? i'm the original owner. where in the world will i find a multifunction switch and someone to install it? will the company cover the cost? are they on a fixed income? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated that the battery continuously lost power without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 170,000 and the current mileage was 170,583.

My wife's car has had issues since we got the car. i have had the battery replaced and it is still not holding a charge. i found that while jump starting the car, you get sparks as you attach the cables. this is evidence of a short somewhere in the vehicle. the issues that i have found are nonfunctional interior lights, mirror controls, door locks, and radio. i have found recall information on vehicles with this same year, make, and model. upon calling daimler chrysler i was informed that this vehicle was not involved in this recall. i ma having the same issues as vehicles in this recall. *tr

I got the in january 2014 and i only had it for two weeks and shad to go in the shop and i told them that i was diagnosis with lung cancer and i have to get back and forward to my treatments and i need a reliable car and while i was driving it the tire rod went the first time then the other side of the tire rod went now it's the electricity system is acting it and since i had this car it been in the shop every month and it don't make sense that i have to pay a car note and pay to fits it too i have miss a lots of treatments will all please help me because i hear everybody talk about helping cancer survivors but only thing that i see is i am been hurt first it's my car now the city is trying to take my house that my mother left me please help me also you can contact me at [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the turn signal controls caught on fire. there were no injuries. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 84,000.

Heated seats come on by them selfs and overheat can not turn them off unless you turn off car it gets so hot it can burn you . *tr

2002 chrysler pt cruiser. consumer writes in regards to no instrument panel illumination, fuel and oil leaks, brake warning lights comes when applying brakes, inoperative windshield wiper switch. *smd the consumer stated the instrument panel was completely dark and he was unable to see the gauges at night. updated 05/22/13

The problem i am having started about 2 months ago, my battery was suddenly drained and i had no idea why. i had to buy a new battery for about $125. *tr when my fog light indicator began to flicker on and off on its own. i'd just press the end of turn signal arm inward towards the steering column and the indicator light went off. gradually, the pressing process did not work anymore and i discovered that shutting off the car with the left hand turn signal pressed down, at least temporarily solved the problem (so i could do some research on its solution). not knowing what to do, i brought it into the dealer and for $65 they diagnosed it at a need to replace the multifunction switch which they said required the pulling of steering wheel and over $600 more to fix. i opted out on that, since car has 112,000 miles on it. then, with a week of very hot 90 degree temperatures, , i found that brand new battery totally drained and began reading the internet posts of the possibility of pulling the fuse. of course being a usa car, the manual didn't identify the fuse for the fog lamps in the "under the hood" fuse box. it seems that the heat allows the fog lamps to still turn on when the left hand signal arm is pressed downwards. going further, i found that fuse #8 in the interior dashboard fuse box could be pulled and should solve the problem without further repair. i find it very interesting that chrysler does not even show you a sketch of the interior fuse box in their owners manual.this approach does mean that the manufacturer of the vehicle is not allowing the buyer (me) to fully enjoy all the features of the vehicle! seems to me that chrysler corporation has not recalled the defective cars on purpose and needs to have a debacle like toyota had before they will do the right thing and fix a bad design. .

I unlocked my car doors with remote, and drove to the store, it was dark out so i had my head lights on. when i came out of the store and tried to unlock my car, it would not work. so i manually unlocked the doors with my key. it was very cold weather at that time and my heater would not work as well then i turned on my car to go home, and my lights would not come on. and so i was towed home. the next day i took it in to a chrysler repair shop and they did a quick check on it and said that it might be the electrical and they would have to go through the entire electrical to find the problem. they checked everything out without tearing the entire car apart and said that they could not find a problem with it. there went $100.00 of my money to find out that they could not find the problem. i don't know what else to do to get the car repaired with out having to spend $1,000.00 plus.... which is a quote by the chrysler repair. i have not been able to drive my car at night, due to no lights and now that we have hot 90 to 101 degree weather, i can not drive my car during this period of time due to not being able to use the air conditioner or to roll my windows down. i have spent over $3,000.00 in repairs for my car and i have only had it for just two years. there is one thing after another with my car, the problems are having to replace parts and sometimes having to replace those same parts a year later when they have just ran out of the warranties. i have service records for all of these problems and it is almost 2 inches thick. i am on disability and it took me over a year to save the enough money to buy this car and i have no more money to fix it again... and i have to take it through deq here in oregon and it will not pass their test due to exhaustion problems with the emissions leaking as well. *tr

10-18-2011 i just bought my car last month (09-26-2011) and my control arms and bushing have already went bad. now 2 nights ago (10-16-2011) my headlights stopped working. i took it into the dealership to have everything checked and was told that the wiring under the dash is messed up. i see that there are a lot of recalls for that happening to the 2002 pt cruisers and now the dealer i bought the car from will not fix it (even though i'm still within my 30 day warranty) i do not understand why i should have to come out of pocket to fix this problem. also, the dealer i bought it from would not give me a carfax on the vehicle. also, sold me the car with a recall already on it that was issued way back in 2004. (power steering pressure hose) that i was told could cause a fire under the hood. *tr

My car has decided to "sometimes" not start at the end of the day. it runs just fine in the morning, but then on my return trip home, you turn the key and nothing. the lights go on, but no ignition, no sound of the engine turning over. three battery replacements, and that is not the problem. called chrysler personally as directed by a website that sited hundreds of complaints over this exact same problem, but they denied knowledge of any such complaint. complaints date back to 2002. tried having our trusted mechanic look at it, but since he can't recreate the problem, he is at a loss. car has 100k miles and ran fine up until the start of summer. *kb

Parked 2002 pt cruiser in shopping center. upon return vehicle was completely dead. pushed to adjacent goodyear dealer (remained 3 days) said it needed a new battery, starter & #11 fuse. all replaced and when backing out of goodyear, vehicle died & #11 fuse again blew. owner had old starter examined elsewhere and found it to be in perfect working order. goodyear replaced old starter plus repaired battery ground cable. drove 45 miles to doctor and vehicle died when stopping in lot. tarzana goodyear came, replaced #11 fuse and drove to their garage. unable to detect any problem. owner drove vehicle home with no problem. wife drove vehicle to dentist & when pulling out of lot and in with flow of traffic, vehicle died. #11 fuse replaced and drove home. later took vehicle to crown chrysler in ventura, ca & signed contract for $100.00 bench fee for them to locate problem. vehicle remained there "sixteen days" until crown refused to check any further until owner would sign contract to pay $500.00 for further diagnosis. crown said that it might need $700.00 power train control module. crown advised that once installed, if that was not the problem, they would not remove it & owner would incur $700.00 plus installation charge. vehicle was then brought to owner's residence where it remains garaged. please assist in this matter.......................thank you. *tr

Today 06/09/11. driving home around 7:30 pm my cluster went out couldn't see the speed or rpm or any other gauges,and my headlights and backlights stop working together with my power doorlocks. i had to slow down or stop and take my time going home. *tr

The contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated that the instrument cluster does not eliminate like other cars cluster supposed to eluminate. it,when the contact turns on the headlights the instrument cluster lights turn on but really u can hardly see the speedometer or the gauges which is dangerous. on 6/09/11 while driving home the instrument cluster lights when out i could see anything,my headlights and backlights stop working and also my power door locks are not working either all this happen on my way home around 7:30pm and i had to slow down to make it safe home..when i got home my power locks were not working when i went to lock the vehicle. *tr

The electronic door locks on my 2002 pt cruiser limited started operating by themselves two years ago. i have had this car since it was new and had the multifunction turn signal switch replaced about 3 years ago. the door lock problem sometimes occurs when you are driving the car at low speed but it will also occur when the car is setting in the garage with the key out of the ignition. the doors will lock and unlock several times on their own while driving or without anyone being in the car or touching the remote keyless entry system. this can present problems if the car is locked and in a public parking lot. the care sometimes will unlock on its own. you can also be locked out of the car if you don't take your keys with you when exiting the car. this seems to happen more during hot summer weather than during cooler winter months. i have also noted that the external temperature gauge and compass mounted above the front window will also go out during hot weather. when the car cools down with the air conditioner on, the external temperature gauge will start operating again. i have taken the car to the dealer three times to be fixed. the first time they charged to diagnose the problem and said nothing was wrong, the second time they said the battery cable was corroded and need replaced at $300 and it needed a new battery. after this work, i drove it around the block and the door locks started going wild again. so i went back to the service manager and he said they would have to have the car for several days and they would get the district service manager on the phone to see if he might be able to help them. at that point we went into winter and it was ok. it is doing it again this spring so i will try again. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact was driving 25 mph when the interior instrument panel lights failed. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection or repair. the referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 01v288000 (electrical system:wiring:interior/under dash) and called the manufacturer. the manufacturer informed the contact that the vin was not included in the recall. the failure mileage was 120,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated the vehicle keyless entry system, fog light indicator, and the interior light failed. the contact did not disable the fog light switch in order to keep them from illuminating, and if the fog light was disabled it would cause the instrumental panel to fail. the vehicle will be taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 70,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the interior wiring on the instrument panel failed; therefore, the warning lights overheated and became inoperable. the dealer stated there nhtsa recall campaign number: 01v288000, electrical system: wiring: interior/under dash was related to the failure; yet, his vin was not included. the manufacturer also stated his vin was not included in the recall. the failure mileage was 100,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated that when the check engine light came on, the vehicle began to malfunction. the vehicle was also burning oil and leaking fuel excessively. the speedometer displayed that the speed was 70 mph while the vehicle was in the park position. when the contact tried to shift gears from reverse into the park position, she had to put the vehicle in drive and then reverse. the dealer stated that the input/output speed sensor, third gear ratio and the fuel pump mounting flange on the vehicle malfunctioned. the dealer also stated that nhtsa recall campaign number 02v215000, fuel system and recall campaign number 01v288000 for the electrical system; did not apply to her vin. the failure mileage was 85000 and the current mileage was 98100.

I own a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. this is the sixth time that the instrument panel has ceased to display any information. that is, i can not see the speed, tach, fuel gauge, or any safety warnings. each time i take it to the repair shop, they can not find any thing wrong. when they reconnect it, i begins to work. *tr

The ignition key does not stay in when the engine is running. the mechanic who worked on the car in october said he has replaced several ignition switches in this model car. could it have been manufactured by the same company as those involved in the gm recall? this problem has existed for several years. *tr

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) something you may wish to look at with cell phones and these incidents with acceleration on cars. we have a pt cruiser and several times we have placed the phone in the storage area in the middle in the dash. with the keey off, the phone rings and the car started turning over until we moved the phone away from the immmediate area of the dash. something to think about?? [xxx] *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated that the entire instrument panel would not illuminate. the instrument cluster seemed to fail; she was unable to see the speedometer or any other gauges. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and was told that the vehicle was not included in recall 01v288000 (electrical system: wiring: interior/under dash). the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the vin was unavailable. the current mileage was approximately 103,000. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

There has been numerous problems with chrysler pt cruiser electrical systems, namely the multifunction control switch seems to overheat and cause an electrical short. this depletes the battery, and has led a number of pt cruiser owners to replace the multifunction control switch numerous times or remove the fuses for lights, such as the fog lights. chrysler knows that there is a systematic problem with their vehicle but are not willing to do anything to resolve the problem. information on such experiences can be found on the web at forums such as http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/chrysler-pt-cruiser/tf81khbdldvt92ah2 or at ptcruiser.com. *tr

Multi-function switch (that controls the fog lamp) shorted out, causing the lights to be on no matter what position the switch was turned to. i was forced to remove the fog lamp fuse; chrysler has several hundred or more on backorder, i've been told it may be 6 months to a year before i can get a replacement. *tr

Found 2002 pt cruiser with dead battery on occasion, no consistency. replaced battery (7.75 years old, 90k miles) after 3rd instance over 2 months, issue resolved for about 2 weeks. car parked in hot parking lot, fog lights were dim when approaching car. car would not turn over to start, had it jumped. upon returning home, went to turn off car, fog lights would not turn off. fiddling with light switch would make them go off temporarily, then right back on. found turning left blinker in on position kept fogs off. researching issue, found the following forum: http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/chrysler-pt-cruiser/tf81khbdldvt92ah2 where hundreds of people have experienced the same issue. waiting to hear from chrysler on replacement part, as all online sources say it is back ordered 30-60 days. *tr

I purchased my 2002 chrysler pt cruiser a few years ago now. i have sent chrysler many letters about these problems. the most recent incident was very scary. i bought the car at about 31,000 miles. about a month later my paint started peeling off of the front bumper and my dash started to crack. mind you i keep my car garaged and it is washed and waxed regularly by a shop that i have used for years with no problems. i went back to the dealer i bought it from and they were gone. so i contacted my next closest dealer. they said they could not do anything for me. about a month after that my cpu went out which was covered under the extended warranty that i purchased. they had to replace it twice before it finally lasted more than a day. then my dash completely crumbled. it cracked from the windshield to the front in the center and on both sides. i wrote a letter and email with no answer. i then contacted chrysler by phone and the lady told me to f%*k off and hung up on me. so i gave up. obviously i was not going to get anywhere with them. then about 3 months ago my check engine light came back on. i took my car to a friend who is a licensed mechanic and he scanned it on the computer and said it was my cpu again! i took it to the dealership and was told my warranty had expired. so i wrote another letter because this repair was going to be $1400.00 dollars. no response. but the scariest was about 2 weeks ago i was driving with my 13 month old niece in the car and smoke started coming from the left hand side of my steering column. i almost had got in a wreck trying to get us to safety. the smoke stopped so i figured whatever it was done for now. we were on the side of the road in a not so desirable neighborhood at night so i decided to take my chances with the car. we headed off on our way and my headlights started flickering. i parked the vehicle at home and the next morning my fairly new battery was dead. my flood lights would not turn off and had been on all night. *tr

Multi function switch, lights just quit working, very dangerous. i have never had a car were something as basic as the headlights quit working. all lights failed, interior, headlights, dash lights, tail lights. *tr

Failure of multifunction switch: initially the fog lights would come on when the turn signal was engaged. this first began in approximately 11/2008. initially this happened only occasionally, but became more frequent. now the fog lights always remain illuminated, even when the car is turned off/parked. this required that i remove the fuse controlling the fog lights so that the battery would not be drained. after researching on many different message boards, it became apparent that this is a very frequent problem with pt cruisers. not only is it annoying, but it is also a potential fire (electrical) hazard. i feel i recall is warranted. *tr

2002 chrysler pt cruiser recall notice for instrument cluster. consumer states that the dealership told her that there was no recall for the instrument cluster. *nj the consumer sent in a copy of the recall letter. recall # 01v288000 *jb

the multifunction turn signal switch allows stops working and fog lights stay on making the battery run down and the only immediate remedy is to disconnect the fog lights, i pulled the fuse. i have read many complaints about this on the internet, it is a big problem. *tr

I have a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser and have noticed the fog indicator light on the dash is lit. when i looked in the front indeed the lights were on. the switch was off but the lights were still on. i noticed a smell of smoke in the car and it drained my battery to zero volts. the auto alarm also seems to engage for no reason. after checking the web i found out that this is quite a big problem and some people have actually had fires and smoke from under the dashboard. it would appear that there is a short in the switch. the problem is that the fog lights have never been used so the switch cannot be worn out. *tr

The multifuction turn signal switch allows stops working and fog lights stay on making the battery run down and the only immediate remedy is to disconnect the fog lights. this part has failed three times on my pt cruiser. *tr

Dashboard cracked in center from front window to inside edge, running across vent, which has falling into dash in pieces; also frequently "shorts out" and radio, inside lights, dash lights, all go out making night driving dangerous. *tr

Complete failure of everything on the dashboard, i.e. speedometer, gas gauge, cooling, odometer. no dashboard lights, no interior lights. fog lights stay on unless you turn on your turn signal after turning off the car. this has been discussed as a problem that has occurred many times on the sites that i have visited. the car is a 2002 pt cruiser, and there was a recall for the instrument cluster microprocessor to be malfunctioning causing the problems described above, however my pt was not covered under that recall. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. whenever the vehicle was started, the lights would illuminate, but the engine would not turn over. the dealer stated that the starter needed to be replaced. the starter has been replaced three times within the same month, but the failure persists. the current mileage was 106,000 and failure mileage was 102,000.

Fog lights won't turn off had to pull the fuse, it's a 2002 pt cruiser. same as alot of people are having the same problem. just got the cruiser used don't thing it's right for me to have it fixed, so many complaints unbelievable, don't get it deal should fix it for free don't need a fire. thanks *tr