2003 Chrysler Pt Cruiser

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT'S WIFE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE THE BREAK AWAY DESIGN OF THE STEERING WHEEL CAUSED A FATAL INJURY. THE POLICE RULED THAT THE FATALITY OCCURRED AS OVERCORRECTING. THE CONTACT STATED HE KNEW OF ANOTHER CASE WITHIN A TEN MILE RADIUS WHERE THE SAME TYPE OF FATALITY HAPPENED. *AK

THE AIR CONDITIONER BEGAN MALFUNCTIONING. THE CAR, A 2003 PT CRUISER WITH APPROXIMATELY 38,000 MILES, WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY. IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF THE HOT SUMMER, AND INSTEAD OF TAKING THE CAR ACROSS TOWN TO A DEALER, I TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE LOW SPEED ON THE FAN RELAY HAD GONE BAD. HE TOLD ME THE PART WAS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER, AND THEY WERE REPLACING ABOUT 300 PER WEEK. THIS IS A HIGH NUMBER, PLUS THIS PART SHOULDN'T FAIL WITH THIS MANY MILES IN MY OPINION. I SPEND $500 TOTAL TO REPLACE IT (LABOR, DIAGNOSTICS, AND PART). I CONTACTED CHRYSLER, WHO WAS SYMPATHETIC, BUT AFTER SENDING THEM THE ORIGINAL COPY OF THE INVOICE, THEY TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T PAY FOR IT SINCE IT WASN'T DONE AT THEIR DEALERSHIP. I BELIEVE A RECALL IS IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE SAME THING HAPPENING TO OTHER CONSUMERS. *JB

ON JULY 30, 2005, I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WHEN I SUDDENLY HEARD A HORRIBLE SCREECHING/GRINDING NOISE. I MANAGED TO GET MY CAR TO THE NEAREST CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO REAR BRAKE PADS LEFT AND THAT THERE WERE GROOVES IN THE ROTOR (METAL ON METAL). I RECENTLY HAD MY FRONT BRAKES REPLACED IN MAY 2005 AND THE REAR BRAKES WERE IN GOOD CONDITION WITH 1/2 BRAKE PADS LEFT ON BOTH SIDES. I PRIMARILY DO HIGHWAY DRIVING SO MY BRAKES TEND TO LAST LONG. I WAS INFORMED THAT CHRYSLER USES METALLIC BRAKE PADS ON THE PT CRUISERS WHICH MOST MANUFACTURERS DO NOT USE AS IT CAUSES MUCH HEAT AND FRICTION WHEN STOPPING AND PREMATURELY WEARS OUT THE BRAKES. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THE REAR BRAKE PADS WERE LOW, THERE WERE NO NOISES, SQUEAKING, ETC. THE ONLY NOISES I HEARD WERE WHEN THE BRAKE PADS WERE COMPLETELY GONE AND THE CALIPER WAS DIGGING INTO THE ROTORS EVERY TIME I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I LATER LEARNED THAT CHRYSLER USES WEAR INDICATORS ONLY ON THE TWO FRONT BRAKES, NOT THE REAR. THERE ARE NO WEAR INDICATORS ON THE REAR BRAKES SO CUSTOMERS WILL NEVER KNOW THAT THE REAR BRAKES ARE GETTING LOW UNTIL THEY HAVE NO MORE BRAKE PADS LEFT AND THE CALIPER STARTS EATING UP THE ROTOR. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. I ROUTINELY HAVE MY CAR INSPECTED (EVERY MONTH). THE REAR BRAKE PADS SHOULD HAVE NEVER WORN SO PREMATURELY IN THE SPAN OF 3 MONTHS, CONSIDERING 95% OF MY DRIVING IS ON THE HIGHWAY. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT HAVING WEAR INDICATORS ON ALL 4 BRAKES. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO BE DRIVING AROUND WITH ONLY 2 FRONT BRAKES AND NO REAR ONES AND TO NOT EVEN KNOW IT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE! *JB

TIRES ARE FIRESTONE EAGLE P205/55/16. I HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH A FRONT SHIMMY SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD IT LOOKED AT AND HAD RE-BALANCING AND WHEEL ALIGNMENT TO NO AVAIL. THE REASON I SUSPECT THE TIRES IS THAT I HAD SOME FIRESTONE TIRES IN THE PAST DO EXACTLY WHAT I AM EXPEREINCING.I PURCHASED THE CAR USED WITH 15000 MILES ON IT.THE ORIGINAL OWNER WAS EXPEREINCINGTHE SAME SHIMMY. THE CAR AT SLOWER SPEEDS BEGINS TO ROCK FROM SIDE TO SIDE.I WAS TOLD THE LAST TIME THAT I HAD IT LOOKED AT, THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TIRES.

DT: THE SPARE TIRE DID NOT FIT ON THE RIM OF THE FRONT TIRES. THE CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE THE TIRE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED ALSO AND THEY WERE NOT ANY HELP EITHER. THE OWNER HAS TRIED TO PUT THE SPARE TIRE ON THE FRONT WHEN SHE HAD A FLAT, BUT THAT DID NOT WORK. THE SPARE ALSO DOESN'T FIT THE FRONT. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE 2004, WHEN THE OWNER NOTICED IT. THE OWNER WENT AND BOUGHT BRAND NEW TIRES, BUT DID NOT BUY A 5TH TIRE TO MAKE A NEW SPARE. IT IS THE RIM THAT IS THE PROBLEM, NOT THE TIRE ITSELF. *NM

CRACKS APPEARED ON ALL FOUR TIRES. CONSUMER REPLACED THE TIRES. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED. GOODYEAR, EAGLE, 205/50R17. *AK WHEN CONSUMER CALLED DEALER, CONSUMER WAS TOLD TO CONTACT GOODYEAR. CONSUMER REPORTED INCIDENT TO GOODYEAR AND THEY ACTED AS IF IT WEREN'T THERE CONCERN. CONSUMER WAS THEN TOLD TO TAKE VEHICLE TO KAUFFMAN TIRE. AT THIS TIME ONLY TWO FRONT TIRES HAVE SPLITS IN THEM AND WERE REPLACED. 6 TO 8 MONTHS LATER THE OTHER TWO DEVELOPED SPLITS AND WERE REPLACED BY MCNABB TIRE IN ROCKMART, GEORGIA. CONSUMER FEELS GOODYEAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND DONE SOMETHING ABOUT IT, BECAUSE BY THE TIRES FIRST SPLITTING IN THE FRONT IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT.*SB

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING OUR BRAND NEW 2003 PT CRUISER, WE NOTICED THE DASH LIGHTS AND HEADLIGHTS WOULD OCCASIONALLY FLICKER FOR NO APPARENT REASON. AT FIRST, IT WAS VERY INTERMITTENT AND WE DID NOT PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO IT. HOWEVER, SINCE ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER OF 2004, THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN MUCH WORSE. NOW WHENEVER THE BRAKE IS APPLIED, THE DASH LIGHTS AND THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER VERY NOTICEABLY, AND THE FREQUENCY OF THE FLICKERING FOR NO REASON HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY. ON NOVEMBER 18, 2004, WE TOOK THE CRUISER INTO SPOKANE CHRYSLER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM (INVOICE 147545). SPOKANE CHRYSLER WAS VERY COURTEOUS AND TRIED DILIGENTLY TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED THE GENERATOR, THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE, AND EVEN TRIED A NEW BATTERY -- UNFORTUNATELY, NONE OF THEIR EFFORTS FIXED THE PROBLEM. SPOKANE CHRYSLER DID DISCOVER THAT THIS FLICKERING LIGHTS DEFECT WAS NOT UNIQUE TO OUR CRUISER. THE TECHNICIAN TESTED SEVERAL 2002, 2004, AND EVEN BRAND NEW 2005 PT CRUISERS AND FOUND THAT IN EACH OF THESE MODELS, WHILE NOT ALL, BUT SOME OF THEM HAD THE SAME DEFECTIVE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THIS PROBLEM IS PARTICULARLY DISTURBING CONSIDERING THE NATURE OF MANY OF THE PT CRUISERS CONTROL SYSTEMS. THE PT IS IN MANY RESPECTS A FLY-BY-WIRE TYPE OF VEHICLE. EVERYTHING FROM THROTTLE CONTROL, AIR/FUEL MIX, SPEED CONTROL, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTING, TRACTION CONTROL, TO ABS BRAKE CONTROL IS GOVERNED BY ELECTRONICS. THE FLICKERING LIGHTS ARE A DEFECT THAT CAN CLEARLY BE SEEN, BUT WHAT ABOUT DEFECTS THAT CANNOT BE SO EASILY SEEN. WHAT ABOUT A BRAKE CONTROL FLICKER OR AN ERRATIC THROTTLE CONTROL FLICKER THAT YOU DO NOT NOTICE UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE. OR, WHAT HAPPENS IF IT IS PITCH DARK, YOU ARE ROUNDING A CURVE AT 60 MPH, AND THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER OUT AND STAY OUT! AT THIS TIME, THE PROBLEM HAS STILL NOT BEEN FIXED. WE FEEL CHRYSLER HAS TWO OPTIONS--EITHER FIX THE DEFECT IMMEDIATELY (THIS IS OUR PREFERRED CHOICE) OR REPLACE THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY.