2001 Chrysler Pt Cruiser

2 YEARS INTO MY OWNERSHIP, MY CAR BEGAN HAVING FAILURES, MY EGR VALVE HAD TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES, THE "BRAIN" IN THE CAR WAS REPLACED, THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED,THE FOG LIGHTS STARTED GOING ON AND STAYING ON, THE CAR BROKE DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY AND OVERHEATED, THERMOSTAT HAD TO BE REPLACED, PIPE CARRYING CIRCULATING COOLANT RUSTED COMPLETELY OUT, O RING WAS REPLACED,MANUAL TRANSMISSION BEGAN BEING DIFFICULT TO SHIFT, FLUID LEAKS,LOW FLUID, PLUG IS RECOMMENDED TO BE REPLACED.*JB

AUGUST 2005 MY SELF AND MY FAMILY WERE TAKING A SHORT TRIP OUT OF TOWN ABOUT 200 MILES. AT THE HALF WAY POINT WE PULLED IN TO A GAS STATION FOR SOME REFRESHMENTS I WAITED IN THE CAR WHEN I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM MY STEERING COLUMN UP THROUGH THE FLASHER BUTTON. WE REALIZED IT WAS THE WIRING FROM MY FOG LAMPS ONLY BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT NO LONGER WORK. THE LAMPS WERE NOT IN USE AT THE TIME. NOT REALLY SURE WHY THE WIRING CAUGHT FIRE. *JB

FOG LIGHTS WOULDN'T TURN OFF UNLESS BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. CAR INDICATED OVERHEATING. SMOKE COMING FROM HAZARD BUTTON. AFTER REMOVING MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH, FOUND THAT WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR ON LEFT SIDE WAS MELTED. BATTERY WAS DEAD, BOUGHT NEW BATTERY. AFTER STARTING CAR WITH MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH DISCONNECTED, NO OVERHEATING, NO SMOKE. DEALERSHIP INDICATED $3000 TO REPAIR THE WIRING HARNESS AND BOUGHT NEW MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH FOR $80. FOUND OVER 100 SIMILAR PROBLEMS ON DIFFERENT WEBSITES. PART SHOULD BE RECALLED. WEBSITES: PTDOITYOURSELF.NET/TL/TL-INDEX2.HTML POSTINGS: 191,288,725,862,465,589,824,878,1042,1068,1302,1278,1238,1212. EDMUNDS.COM/INSIDELINE/DO/FORUMSLANDING POSTINGS: 249,250,241,229,232,233,234,235,237,219,220,222,225,227,228,210,211,213,218,202,206,191,198 NHTSA.DOT.GOV COMPLAINT: 10130928,10130890,10131743,8018628,10106442,10127101. *NM

1) OUR FOG LIGHTS HAD BEEN GOING ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. 2) MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN A LOCAL STREET COMING HOME WHEN SMOKE STARTED BILLOWING OUT FROM UNDER THE STEERING COLUMN, FILLING THE CAR WITH SMOKE. SHE HAPPENED TO BE AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP (IT'S ON THE WAY HOME FROM HER WORK) AND PULLED IN THEIR PARKING LOT. THE CAR WAS LEFT AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS BEING A SHORTED FOG LIGHT SWITCH. INSTEAD OF A FUSE BLOWING THE WIRE HARNESS ACTED AS A FUSIBLE LINK AND BEGAN MELTING DOWN. WE ARE NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF A $2500.00 WIRE HARNESS. I ASKED THE SERVICE WRITER WHY A FUSE HAD NOT BLOWN AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE CIRCUIT IS PROTECTED BY A FORTY (40) AMP FUSE. BEING AN ELECTRICIAN I KNOW THAT A FORTY AMP FUSE OR BREAKER PROTECTS AN ELECTRIC RANGE OVEN AND IS ON 8 AWG WIRE. TO REPAIR THE FAULT, WE HAVE TO BUY THE HARNESS WHICH CHRYSLER WILL CUT OFF THE CONNECTOR THAT MELTED DOWN AND WILL SPLICE ON THE NEW ONE. ALL OF THE CONTROLS ON THE STEERING COLUMN PASS THROUGH THIS HARNESS WHICH MELTED DOWN AND THE WIRES ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT PROTECTED BY FUSES. IF THEY WERE A FUSE SHOULD BLOW WITH A SHORT. OUR VEHICLE HAS HAD 4 WARRANTIES AND 3 RECALLS SINCE WE HAVE OWNED IT. THE CAR IS STILL NOT FIXED AFTER A WEEK AND A HALF. *NM

DT: THE MULTI-FUNCTIONAL SWITCH LEVER ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES. THE LIGHTS WILL SUDDENLY GO OUT. THE FIRST TWO TIMES, ONE COULD JIGGLE THE LEVER AND THE LIGHTS WOULD COME BACK ON. THE LAST TIME THE LIGHTS WENT OFF ON A ROAD WITH NO SHOULDERS, AND CONSUMER PULLED UP ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS SO SHE WOULD NOT GET HIT. THIS WAS ON A 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THIS OCCURRED DUE TO A SHORT IN A MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH. THIS SWITCH HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE AND BROKEN THREE TIMES.*AK UPDATED 2/21/2006 - *NM

ON MARCH 14, 2005 MY VEHICLE WAS STALLING AND ACTUALLY HOPPING. I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR AND HAD IT TOWED TO A SERVICE FACILITY THAT I HAVE USED OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE WIRING HARNESS IN MY 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER WAS DEFECTIVE AT 56000 MILES. HE NOTIFIED ME THAT THE WIRES INSIDE THE HARNESS WERE FRAYED AND SEVERAL BARE WIRES WERE ACTUALLY TOUCHING, CREATING A SEVERE SAFECTY HAZARD, I INSTRUCTED HIM TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART. I DID NOT KNOW THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WAS A WARRANTY COVERED PART BECAUSE THE MANUAL SUPPLIED ME FROM DAIMLER CHRYSLER DOES NOT CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THE WIRING HARNESS. I SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND OUT IT WAS A WARRANTY COVERED ITEM UNDER THE CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS WARRANTY. CHRYLSER HAS REFUSED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR A PART THAT WAS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE I HAD IT REPLACED AT AN A.S.E. CERTIFIED FACILITY BY A MASTER TECHNICIAN. I HAVE CONTACTED CHRYSLER REGARDING THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THEY HAVE REFUSED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH ME. THE REPAIR FACILITY THAT I TOOK MY CAR TO HAS KEPT THE WIRING HARNESS BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THE PART WAS DEFECTIVE. I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE HAD OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WIRING HARNESSES IN PT CRUISERS. THE WIRING HARNESS IS NOT A MOVING PART AND WITHOUT ANY OUTSIDE INFLUENCES SUCH AS MOISTURE OR EXCESSIVE ENGINE MOVEMENT, WHICH I DID NOT HAVE, THE WIRING HARNESS SHOULD NEVER HAVE FRAYED AND BARE ELECTRICAL WIRES. PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH ANY INFORMATION THAT I CAN USE TO CONVINCE THE MANUFACTURER OF MY CAR THAT A DEFECTIVE AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PART WAS SOLD TO ME.

CONSUMER BOUGHT CAR THAT HAD NOT BEEN THOROUGHLY INSPECTED. AFTER TWO WEEKS A NOISE IN BOTH THE BACK AND FRONT OF THE CAR WAS HEARD. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, PLACED A SUPPORT BECAUSE BRAKE PADS WERE GONE, METAL ON METAL. THE MOTOR MOUNT BROKE, NEEDED ROTORS/SPARK PLUGS, AND TUNE UP ALONG WITH A PVC VALVE. NEEDED TO BE FIXED, BUT DEALER REFUSED TO FIX ANYTHING.*AK

FOR WEEKS (OR MONTHS) PRIOR TO FAILURE, I EXPERIENCED OCCASIONAL INSTANCES OF FOG LIGHTS ACTIVATING UPON ENGAGING THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL. FOG LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF AFTER COMPLETING TURN AND SIGNAL AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGED. IT IS NOTED THAT I VIRTUALLY NEVER MAKE USE OF THE FOG LIGHTS. ON DAY OF FAILURE, THERE WAS A PRONOUNCED ODOR ABOUT 1 HOUR INTO A LONG TRIP (LIKE NYLON ROPE BURNING). FOG LIGHTS ACTIVATED AND COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF REGARDLESS OF CONTROLLER SETTING FOR OTHER LIGHTS. FOG LIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF EVEN AFTER CAR WAS SHUT DOWN AND KEY REMOVED. AFTER BRIEF REST STOP (DURING WHICH MANUAL WAS RESEARCHED TO LEARN WHAT FUSE MUST BE PULLED TO AVOID DRAINING BATTERY), RETURNED TO CAR TO FIND THAT LIGHTS HAD GONE OFF ON THEIR OWN. NEITHER FOG LIGHTS NOR HIGH BEAMS WORKED ANY LONGER, ONCE CAR WAS STARTED. THE NEXT DAY, UPON DISASSEMBLY OF STEERING COLUMN HOUSING AND REMOVAL OF MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH, I DISCOVERED THAT AN INTERNAL, SPRING-LOADED CONTACT ON THE BACK OF THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH, LOCATED NEAR THE STEERING COLUMN, HAD MELTED/FUSED. DEALER ADVISED THAT MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH MUST BE REPLACED (AT COST OF ~$103 FOR PART). SELF-REPAIRED, WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS (YET). OLD PART HAS BEEN SAVED. THANKFUL THAT PLASTIC SWITCH DID NOT ACTUALLY CATCH FIRE, AND THAT MAIN LIGHTS (LOW BEAMS ONLY) REMAINED OPERATIONAL DURING REMAINDER OF LONG, NIGHT-TIME TRIP. *NM

PT CRUISER 2001 (CAR) WILL CONTINUE TO RUN WITH KEY OUT OF IGNITION. SAFETY ISSUE: CAR CANNOT BE STOPPED OCCURRENCES: HAS HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY 6+ TIMES SINCE PROBLEM INITIALLY BROUGHT TO DEALERS ATTENTION IN 2002 CHRYSLER SUPPORT: ESSENTIALLY NOT RESPONDING WITH CORRECT SOLUTIONS OVER THE LAST 24 MONTHS TO LOCAL DEALER WHO CANNOT RESOLVE THIS DEFECT DEALER HAS ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THIS ON 3 OCCASIONS WITH DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS - HOWEVER PROBLEM CONTINUES TO OCCUR DEALER GAVE ME SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS THAT IF CAR DID THIS AGAIN, I COULD STOP IT BY REMOVING FUSE #11 - AFTER A SET OF RECENT SEQUENTIAL FAILURES ON 12/4/04 WHERE I USED THIS TECHNIQUE UNTIL I COULD CONTACT THE DEALER ON MONDAY MORNING; VEHICLE BATTERY DIED AND NEEDED TO BE RE-STARTED; RESPONDING MECHANIC ADVISE ME THE PROCEDURE FOR REMOVING FUSE #11 WAS DANGEROUS AND COULD CAUSE ARCING IN THE CAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND POSSIBLY A FIRE AND COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF THE ONBOARD COMPUTER. MOST RECENT EVENT OCCURRED ON 12/4/04 WITH KEY OUT OF IGNITION, CAR STILL RUNNING.- UTILIZED DEALER TECHNIQUE OF REMOVING FUSE #11, BATTERY DIED. *JB