Problems with 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser EQUIPMENT

Fog lights would not turn off. brought into dealership in el segundo, ca for repair on 03/29/06 was told it was an internal switch and repaired for $86.58. i thought the problem was repaired. then in 2008 it happened again and i took it into another dealership in w. los angeles, ca and they told me it was a switch in the steering column so it had to be replaced and that totaled approximately $340. now on easter (04/04/10) on my way to a bbq to my parents home, the fog lights came on again ...and wouldn't turn off again. but this time it caused me to panic because it overheated and smoke started to come out of the hazard light switch and turn signal switch while i was just getting off the freeway. i was lucky because i was not to far from my parents home where my brother who was formally a mechanic had the mind to pull out the fuse to the fog lights. the fuse was very hot when he pulled it out and the smoking stopped. he did state that the car could of caught fire if he had not pulled the fuse out in time. i was lucky. i do have the old part available. *tr

Tl- the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated the horn on the vehicle has stopped working. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told the air bag needed to be replaced in the vehicle in order to get the horn to work. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 51,000.rl

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

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

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact parked the vehicle and when he pulled the brake handle up, it went all the way to the top. there was no braking ability. he purchased a parking equalizer and clip because the cable was burned and frayed. he was informed at that time that he had to purchase the entire braking system assembly (lever, grip, handle) rather than just the 8 to 10 inch equalizer cable and clip. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 140,085.

My '02 pt cruiser has had many incidents over the past 4 years. the instrument panel occassionally flickers or does not light up at all. the radio display/clock feature will turn off while music is still playing. headlights dim when radio/instrument panel is changed. the abs failed on the interstate whlie going 65mph. the car slid for a long time, causing a large bald spot on all 4 tires. then subsequently the car shut off and took a few minutes before the car was able to turn back on. the starter has died 3 times, each time being replaced. the car gets roughly 13mpg at all times. there is no safety under the seat to prevent rolling objects from rolling into the front seat and potentially affecting the use of pedals. the car frequently does not allow me to turn the key. i have had all of these problems, even while taking excellent care of my vechicle. *jb

I own a 2002 pt cruiser and have always taken good care of it, by having it always serviced at the dealers and nowhere else. i love this car but just recently i have started have some problems with it. first my a/c started to sometimes blow hot air instead of cold and that stopped and then it seems like when i come to a stop with the a/c on it acts like it is going to stall. now the transmission started making a noise when i go from reverse to drive. so i took it to a dealer to get it fixed and they are telling me i need a new transmission and it will cost me about $3200.00. my car has 45,000 miles on it. i would think that if it has always been serviced by a chrysler dealer that this should have been preventable? can anyone help? thanks for your consideration. *nm

2002 pt cruiser, at 59000 miles both lower control arm bushings were replaced under extended warranty. a year later at 75000 miles both lower control arm bushings are gone again and both front wheel bearings are now worn due to this failure, dealer refuses to cover any of the failures. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving the vehicle there is a chemical smell which gave contact headaches and an occasional sore throat. the dealership inspected the vehicle and determined there was not a defect in the vehicle. *ak the front end of the vehicle was out of alignment. there was excessive wind noise when the windows were rolled up. the speakers made a loud noise. the rear seat backing was replaced. updated 07/25/06. *jb

I was informed by service advisor james quinn at brunswick auto mall in brunswick, ohio (330-273-3300) that the rear control arm(rubber bushings on my 2002 chrysler pt cruiser were worn out and need to be replaced at 44,971 miles. i did a web search and found numerous pt cruiser user forums and found references to chrysler changing the supplier of the bushings sometime after my vehicle was built. chrysler changed the bushings supplier due to very early failure and also upgraded the quality of the bushings. my bushings failed due to having the older style bushings. 45k miles is very early for control arm bushings to wear out. i contacted chrylser warranty at 800-992-1997 to complain and was assigned reference number 14736996. after explaining the situation, the chrylser representative informed me that chrysler would offer no customer good-will assistance with paying for the repairs since i was 1 year and 4 months out of warranty. the chrysler service representative also informed me that i should have bought the chrysler extended warranty in anticipation of unanticipated vehicle repair problems like my bushings. the "unanticipated" early failure of rear control arm bushings on older model pt cruiser bushings is a severe safety threat to consumers who expect quality parts in their vehicles that should normally last at least 100,000 miles. the unanticipated failure of the pt cruiser bushing can easily result in loss of control of the vehicle, accidents, or much worse. thank you for taking the time to read my complaint. best regards. *jb

Battery failure before warranty expiration. replacement failure after warranty & no monetary payment by company. *jb

My ignition would not turn after putting in the key. it was as if the solenoid was frozen.*ak

The consumer stated that since the vehicle was purchased, the brakes were defective and performed poorly when applied. the consumer suspects that the dealership did not work on the brakes at all. *ak there was a screeching noise and the brakes would sometimes go almost to the bottom of the floor. the driver's seat belt did not always lock, the brakes would rub and hesitate to stop, the a/c did not get cold on high settings, the entire dashboard electronic system was off, the fuel, mph and the rpm lights had come on, at the inside top of all four doors, the lining was buldging in and out, the driver's side seat belt needed several attempts before locking, the right signal had to be manually stopped, and the left signal light did not hold. there was also an issue with the odometer reading. (the consumer felt that it did not display the proper mileage) *sc

I was driving down the street and smoke started coming out of my air conditioner vents. i pulled over and opened my hood. the smoke was coming from the vent right below the passenger side of windshield in the engine compartment. i called 911 and the car burnt before the fire dept could get there. they were a block away. chrysler chose to do nothing. *la

I kept smelling this stench odor in my car, it appeared to be coming from the air conditioner. i though maybe either a cat or baby squirral got up in the engine & died. could not find anything, so we took it to the dealer, since we could only smell it when we turned on the fan. the dealer in tampa knew right away what the problem was, said mold was growing in the air vents, and flushed a chemical in there to kill the mold. that only temporarily solved the problem, so i took it to a different dealer, closer to my home. told them to fix the problem, not just mask it with chemicals. they claimed the car was coming from something other than the air conditioner & air vents, and refused to fix it. i called the chrysler ho, and they sided with the dealership.

2002 pt cruiser sport model. car would not start, when sitting far a few days, had been driving car all day and turned car off to do an errand and car would not start. car has left me stranded where i had to have it towed several times. bought car new and have had this problem for 7 years. kept bringing back to the dealer and couldn't find any problems every time. finally found a dealer service manager that knew the problem. insufficient quality parts were being used when chrysler was about to go bankrupt. the battery wires from the battery to the alternator were not supplying enough voltage to maintain enough to recharge the battery. upgraded the wires to a higher voltage and have not had the problem for about 10 months. it took 7 years to find the problem which caused problems of me using the car. chrysler used low grade parts through out the car and people are getting rid of them and then someone else buys it and it continues. i will never buy a chrysler made car again, very unsatisfied customer considering how much i paid for it. was way over priced at the time i bought it. i could buy a much better car and higher end model for what i paid for my car. *tr

When air conditioner is used a bad odor is noticed, dealer can not find a problem. ts