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PT Cruiser Electrical and Lighting Problems

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Comments

  • radaasjocaradaasjoca Member Posts: 1
    :) jBeavers;to day i repaired the same problems on my sons 2002 PT. what i found was the power feed wire to the fuse block under the dash had burned in side of the gray molex plug. to repair i pulled out the 40AMP green fuse under the hood that was marked head lights.then under the dash i released the molex lock pulled it apart. i cut the red wire with a white stripe feeding the plug and the same wire on the other side of the plug. went and bought a 50AMP toggle swicth at the auto parts store and wired it between the two cut wires for a quick safety kill switch and problem sloved.All lights on again. good luck! :)
  • dcoffmandcoffman Member Posts: 2
    Hi out there I have been trying to help out a friend, Pt Cruiser=Problem, the tail/brake lights keep blowing out at automated car wash or heavy rain, tried sealing up lens assembly, back of connectors got long life bulbs, any fix would be great! Thanks "D" Area 51 Racing Lucky 13 send to area51racing@hotmail.com!
  • dcoffmandcoffman Member Posts: 2
    Here is the fix, at the area were you untwist the harness to replace the bulb, next to this is a post. In this post there is a hole-fill with water proof calk, use alot on the outside area facing you, this area gets hit by a strong blast of water.
    "D" Area 51 Racing Lucky 13
  • beerockbeerock Member Posts: 2
    I'm having this same problem exactly right now with a 2003 PT did you ever get it figured out? what was it?
  • bear49bear49 Member Posts: 3
    I had it narrowed down to the battery or ignition switch assembly I tested the Specific Gravity in the battery and found one weak cell. I replaced the battery and reset the computer now it works fine now. My wife's coworker had the same thing on her 2005 PT but had to replace the switch assembly on hers. Hope this helps..
  • dt76111dt76111 Member Posts: 1
    just had this problem yesterday- I realize it's been a few months but do you recall which fuse # to pull? My owner's manual indicates the fog light fuse is #21 I think but there is no fuse slot for 21
  • chnybergchnyberg Member Posts: 6
    My fog lights stopped working around 40K...but would come on intermittently when driving at night with the light on (of course). I pulled the fuse..I don't remember which one it was..
  • beerockbeerock Member Posts: 2
    excellent I'll give it a shot on my days off.
  • buttons44buttons44 Member Posts: 1
    Have a problem with a 2007 PT where rear RIUGHT tail light , the bulb keeps blowing out/shattering. This time noticed where bulb INSERTS , locks in place, MELTED area which no makes imposible to lock in positon/hold(so momentarily have duct taped in position) The bulb is SHATTERED, like it exploded..and with te signs of overheating indicated by the "melted" factorwondering what is cause etc/how dangerous etc and more etc. Wondered if replaced the entire tailight if THAT would cure the "shattering" of light bulbs but if is an OVERHEATING or electrical, how do I track that to find way to repair/replace/fix or etc.
    The first shattered bulb, did not comprehend how could have occurred, but when happens AGAIN, and then the Melting, obviously something malfunctioning.
    (am presently on doubletime duty , family member in hospital and can NOt afford delays and certainly do not need stops for malfuctioning tail light and all that such entails as well.
    IF any others have experienced this too , if any have suggestions to resolve, would appreciate.
    (am adding , this is NOT my car, is hsubands and is what available to drive back and forth..HE is in the hospital, recent leg amputee with complications so need reliable transportation, will appreciate any assit of info in this particular matter as am NOT auto mechanically inclined !! Thanks )
  • alanandersonalananderson Member Posts: 2
    I have been having a problem with the water indicator light coming on when turning or slowing. I have checked the level and it is fine. I've even filled it above the indicated level to see if that changed the symptom but it did not. I have examined the fill/overflow tank and don't see any wiring going to it but I have not removed it to check in the rear. Does anyone have any suggestions? :confuse:
  • jackyclarkejackyclarke Member Posts: 1
    My pt cruiser is having wiring problems with fog lights, they stay on and there has been smoke from the steering column. Is there a recall now or has there been in the past. How to fix this please ...
  • alanandersonalananderson Member Posts: 2
    I had this happen last year. The multifunction switch on the steering column is bad and needs replacing. Also it is likely that you need to replace the wiring harness if there is smoke. Something is melted, you can bet on that.
    This happened to me while Chrysler was in bankruptcy and the parts were not available anywhere. I had to buy a junked out steering wheel/column and have them take the parts from that.
  • billybugbillybug Member Posts: 8
    Many cars have highly recommended timing chain/belt replacement intervals. Does the PT cruiser has a timing chain problem?

    Bill
  • mmerrillmmerrill Member Posts: 1
    i have n tail lighys or dash lights all fuses are good and put new bulbs in
  • frhrwafrhrwa Member Posts: 6
    2004 PT.. dash lights all went out, guages don't work.. once a month I hear a ding.. everything works for about 2 minutes, then .... gone again.. any clues ?.. thanks..
  • rick78626rick78626 Member Posts: 1
    I'm having the exact same problem with the driver side stop/tail light bulb.. However, I have not had the melting issue yet. First time it happened the bulb was shattered. Second time, the bulb had a hole melted into it. Third time it was shattered again, and as a result, I got a traffic warning for driving without a brake light.
    These three incidents have happened within a three month span.
    I've considered getting a toggle fuse for it, to try to alleviate the symptom, but would prefer a real fix - especially if it can be done on the cheap.
    Any solutions will be greatly appreciated.
  • jloraschjlorasch Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 PT Cruiser, the other night the alarm starting going off. When I went out and checked the car some of the dashboard lights were on like the key was in the ingnition-Air bag/Oil/Seatbelt/Engine. I was able to start the car but 20 mins. later it was dead. Replaced the battery and car ran great the whole day. That night the same thing happened with the alarm and dashboard lights. Has been at the mechanic for 3 days and no resolution. It runs fine all day but in the morning they come in and battery is dead. They can't find anything that is draining battery out. This is my only transportation and can't afford to get anything new. Any suggestions...Please let me know!
  • suzrassuzras Member Posts: 1
    I'm having the same issue with my 2001. Check out these suggestions at this link http://www.ptcruiserlinks.com/forum/tech-performance-forum/15113-exploding-light- s-3.html

    Sounds like many of us are experiencing the same issue, but there isn't a recall (?)
  • elizabeth21elizabeth21 Member Posts: 1
    i have a 2005 pt cruiser,defroster ,windows,and ac.stopped working.checked the fuses.what else could it be...
  • ifloresiflores Member Posts: 1
    edited March 2011
    This happened to me 3 times. Took it to the dealer and was told that they replaced the battery, bulbs and a wire and was told that would take care of the problem. It did for about a 1yr and a half then the fog lights would not shut off again. Took it to the dealer and was told that it was the steering column that needed to be replaced. Had it replaced and seemed to be fixed. NOT! 3rd time as I was taking the off ramp on the 101 fwy to my destination the fog lights came on, on it's own and the smoke came out of steering column and it started getting hot. I was lucky that I got to my destination and that my brother (a mechanic) was around and was smart enough to safely take out the fuse for the fog lights which prevented what could have been fire, damage to the car or even harm to me. Went to a good mechanic and he replaced the steering column with an after market and I haven't had the problem so far. I did file a complaint with safercar.gov.
    FYI, I saw today (3/23/11 on nbcla) on the news that 2 young girls were killed by a rental car (PT Cruiser) from fire that came from the steering column that there was a recall (I was never notified of one) on the steering column but that rental cars by law don't have to have them done. A city official is making it law that car rental agencies have to get the recalls done on their rental cars too.
  • postie65postie65 Member Posts: 1
  • chnybergchnyberg Member Posts: 6
    Easy..to the right of the clock, and above the EJT CD button are two spots. One is labeled H and the other is labeled M (Hours..Minutes) Take an ink pen or something similar and press on the H spot to advance the hours, and on the M spot to advance the minutes.
  • chnybergchnyberg Member Posts: 6
    This happened to me long ago..I just pulled the fuse.
  • kanorkanor Member Posts: 1
    We just bought a used 2001 PT Cruiser Limited about 1 month ago. Car is in great shape and we love the gas mileage. All was fine the first three weeks and now we are having trouble. We have keyless remote that works fine. However, after we turn on the car and start driving we get a constant beep signal with the warning that a door is open. The first time this happened we went around and shut all doors but it did not stop the warning. As we were driving with the constant beep the door locks started to unlock and lock on their own over and over again. It now does the beeping and unlock and lock whenever driven. At the same time we heard the panic alarm honking when the car was parked. It started about 6 hrs after it was parked and off, which was around midnight. This panic alarm problem has happened 3-4 times now but does not happen if we leave the car unlocked. The Chrysler dealer wants to replace part of the sensors or the computer but we wonder if there is an easier and less expensive way to stop these things from happening. Dealer also says they have never seen electrical problems with a cruiser. We don't buy that one. Any ideas? Thanks.
  • frustrated322frustrated322 Member Posts: 2
    This is the exact thing i have going on right now! Can not figure out what the hell the problem is. Mine ran fine for a couple months, now its doing this again.
  • frustrated322frustrated322 Member Posts: 2
    Well i have 265,00 on my 2001 PT cruiser right now, and am just starting to have problems.
  • bfcobfco Member Posts: 1
    Recently I experienced a strange occurance to my 2005 PT Cruiser convertable (37500 miles) as I was driving along. The first symption was the radio started having short static burst on the speaker like the antenna was loose, then I noticed the instrument panel warning lights and traction control lights started to flash on and off. This seem to occur every time I hit a bump. I Tried to pounding on the dash, and it seemed to make it happen. THis kept up until I got to work. I Turned the car off and thought this might reset it. But I could not turn the car back on or start the engine. The key turned but it was like I had a dead battery (The car was in Park and the doors were closed). I left it there and came out during lunch and it started up ok and no more problems with the lights. I drove home and two days later took it to my mechanic to have the oil changed. I mentioned the problem, he could not find anything wrong with the car. Does anyone know why this is happening? The car works ok now, but I am afraid it might come back and strand me someplace.

    Don
  • brierwolfbrierwolf Member Posts: 1
    Yep, us too. Our 2006 convertible with 70K miles developed this gremlin while we were miles away from home on vacation--panel's idiot lights would come on and the engine would go off! Many times, it would start, then die after a few seconds--many times nothing--like dead battery. Once it died while waiting at intersection. Some friends with PT told us to have the steering column replaced, but our mechanic claims that the best he can do is to find one in a low-mileage salvaged car--which means to me that it'll happen again. We can still get it to come back to life when we bounce the tilt column a bit. And, I certainly do not know if there's a connection here or not, BUT, right before this first began, I noticed that the console dash area around the AC controls and up to the radio was nearly too hot to touch! Yes, the headlamps were on as it was raining at this time. Can anyone out there give me a good reason NOT to sell it?
  • aygrca77aygrca77 Member Posts: 1
    My engine light has recently been staying on and going off. When the light is on my car will not start...if I sit for a few minutes it will eventually start up. This has been going on for a while but now seems that it's getting worse and takes much longer for it to start up. It also jerks like it wants to turn off while driving it. I called a mechanic and he mentioned that it sounds like an electrical problem but nothing else electric im not having trouble with. Any suggestions on what it may be...the car has a little over 70K. Any suggestions are welcome.
  • jillybugjillybug Member Posts: 1
    I've been looking online for others with this same issue but haven't found one. My husband is going to look at the car when he gets home, but I'm pretty sure we're going to the mechanic for this one! The car will start, with issues, but will not go and the steering wheel is completely locked and will not unlock.

    When I start my PT cruiser turbo 2005 it makes a high pitched whine. The engine light and oil light come on. Steering wheel will not unlock and nothing happens at all if I tap the gas. Can switch gears, and the radio and lights fades in and out every few minutes. Could it be a computer problem?
  • neecee54neecee54 Member Posts: 1
    2001 cruiser.. headlights won't come on.. brights work and fog lights and running lights.. what happens is I turn the headlight switch on and the regular lights don't come on so I run an brights then about 35 mins into the trip the regular lights come on.. after we got home we turned the lights off and then back on they worked fine... last night we turned them on and nothing drove about 10 mins. and lights.. they still won't come on... any suggestions on what the problem is? :cry:
  • gocchisamagocchisama Member Posts: 1
    Mine has just recently started to do that as well. When I had it looked at, I was told it was a malfunction of the Ant-theft system. The way it was explained to me was that the car thinks it's being stolen due to the malfunction so it prevents juice from the battery from starting the engine. The battery itself is fine, which explains why the dash lights and everything still work. I was advised to look online at forums such as these for a fix. Otherwise I would have to pay $100/hour at the dealership for diagnosing plus the cost to fix. It has been some time since you posted this topic so if you have come across a solution, could you please post what your problem ended up being and what you did to fix it?
  • srichardson569srichardson569 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 PT Cruiser GT Turbo i bought in March of this year. When i start the car now, it makes a beeping noise (4-6 beeps) and then stops. What is that? Does anyone have any idea what it is? I have only had one other "issue" with this car and its with the trunk door. I will lock the car with the keyless remote and it locks fine but when i unlock it the trunk door shows it's open even though i didn't open it. The dealership said it maybe the touch pad. Has anyone else had this happen? I thought you had to hit the unlock button on the remote a FEW times before it would unlock the trunk? It used to be the trunk wouldn't unlock at all unless i used the REAL key but now it pops the trunk on one push on the remote. This is frustrating. I love the car and will keep it for a long time but i can't afford to do electrical work and it not fix the car! Help!
  • richard148richard148 Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem with my 2002 PT. What was the fix?
  • willwisbeywillwisbey Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    Did you get the air light sorted. Mine has been more or less constantly on for a couple of months beeping at me every minute or so. Worse, I have been told that it's a fault that might not be repairable.

    Is it as simple as the airbag genuinely not working (the mechanic says not) or something else?

    Answers might save me a fortune!

    Thanks

    Will
  • ksbpksbp Member Posts: 1
    My daughter's cruiser seem to be losing power lately. We bought it a few months ago with fairly low miles, and she says that sometimes it dies when she's pulling out of the driveway. I'm wondering if this is due to a PT Cruiser being a little harder to to keep going because of the way it idles. (This would be in comparison to my Chevy van.) Anyway, her battery was shot, and she took it in and got it changed out today. I wasn't with her when she picked it up, but she said that she had to put the pedal more than half way down to get it to 40 mph. Her boyfriend then mentioned that he sort of floored it the other day when he was jumping the battery to get it started, and it only went up to 25rpm. They both said that it isn't as fast as it was a few months ago. They didn't mention this to the dealership, but I'm going to call on problem this week. The dealership did a diognostic check on the car today to make sure it was the battery and found nothing else wrong with the car. Has anyone had this problem? Suggestions on what it could be? Thanks in advance!
  • ptorbikeptorbike Member Posts: 1
    This sounds like a problem with the cam position sensor. Fortunately for you, it is a very easy and inexpensive fix. It took me about 15 minutes to do myself, with help from an online step by step instruction I found. I am not a mechanic, so anyone should be able to do the same. The part cost about $15 at a local auto parts store.

    The cam position sensor basically counts the revolutions of the cam as it detects a magnet on the cam. It's simple.

    Good luck!
  • violaman0910violaman0910 Member Posts: 1
    I took my base 2.4L 2007 pt cruiser convertible to Jiffy Lube, where they tried to replace the passenger side high beam bulb only to find the wire had been frayed apart by the drive belts. :mad: Now the regular headlight lamp is not working. The bulb was bad (I checked) but a replacement bulb is not lighting. :surprise: :confuse: The wires for the regular light weren't frayed, but they had started to crack due to being dried out. I inspected the wiring on the high beam bulb that came out of the car and after stripping some of the wire to crimp it together I discovered that the wire itself seemed to be corroding from the INSIDE. Now I'm afraid that the wiring itself has gone bad for the drivers side headlights.

    How do I go about diagnosing this and is there any way to re-wire the headlamps myself?

    Seriously disappointed in Chicago.

    :sick:

    So frustrating
  • jpelderjpelder Member Posts: 235
    My mother's PT Cruiser had the same problem, and I believe I have found the solution. It appears that a small crack appeared in her tail light assembly (above and behind the bulb), which allows water to enter just above the tail light bulb. It is very hard to see or find, but when this water drips onto the hot bulb, the bulb shatters. I started replacing her driver side tail light bulb last fall, and had done so twice in about two months. I replaced her bulb again 2 weeks ago, and it lasted less than a week. I also noticed her other tail light was out, so replaced both, and within a week both were blown. I noticed water in one of the blown bulbs, which led me to search for the leak. Right above the light bulbs, in the assembly, a crack develops right near one of the plastic reinforcements in the assembly housing. It developed in both tail light assemblies, and I assume this is a defect which is created from the heat of the bulb . Water from the rear tires gets thrown up into this area, and hits the tail light assembly. I filled the back side of this cavity with a silicone window seal (had a partial tube in the garage), which sealed the crack, and so far so good. We tested the lights again today since we had a good deal of rain, they're still just fine. I hope this helps, as this was a very frustrating issue, which had me checking wires, ground, etc, but I think this may be your issue.
  • crazycruisercrazycruiser Member Posts: 2
    I bought a used 2001 pt cruiser in September. It did not come with the remote for keyless entry. Whenever I would use my key (in any door) the lights would flash until I started the car or put the key in the "on" position. A few weeks ago the automatic lock buttons on the doors stopped working. Then about a week and half ago the doors started locking/unlocking on their own. THIS week, the alarm keeps setting itself off. It does this muted rapid beeping (sounds like the battery is dying) and I can't get it to shut off. When trying to leave for work today the car wouldn't let me unlock the door with my key unless I held it in the unlock position while opening the door at which point it would lock once again as soon as I removed the key, the honking would continue until I shut the door and then resume when I started the car. I have just spent the better part of the afternoon reading forums trying to find a solution, I went back to the car to try a few things and now it is just doing the muted beep intermittently while locking and unlocking the driver's side door. I have read many posts about similar issues but no one seems to be giving a clear cut answer. I cannot afford to take the car to the dealership where they have apparently "never heard of something like this" so if anyone knows of anything at all I can try at home before forking over big bucks to the dealership PLEASE PLEASE help!
  • crazycruisercrazycruiser Member Posts: 2
    Here's a list of possible solutions I have read about:

    - driver's side key cylinder switch
    - multi-function switch
    - try manually locking/unlocking all doors (tried this one, no luck)
    - loose screw in driver's side door
    - replace rke (no idea, not too car savvy) and replace key fob
    - replace IOD fuse

    Any information on these? Have any worked/not worked??
  • jamnjimjamnjim Member Posts: 2
    edited May 2012
    has happened twice sinceDec2011purchase. Replaced sparkplugwires&sparkplugs(E3brand) Could it be electrical output? Fuel injector? Has low output turbo. 57k mis
  • jamnjimjamnjim Member Posts: 2
    Has a low output turbo. Has happened twice since Dec 2011 purchase. 57k mis.Replaced spark plug wires&sparkplugs(E3 brand).Could it have been the electrical output source? Fuelinjector malfunction?
  • unhappyfaceunhappyface Member Posts: 1
    I having problem with car only have 52,000 miles on it ...with all the lights on the dash coming on the hands going up and down have took this car to the shop for last three weeks alternator was replace a new battery put in no one no what the problem is has any body else had this problem ...I'm so unhappy with car brought it new in 2005.. everyday i drive to work about 10 miles the lights come on and all so they clean cc. Thank you please let me no if someone else having the same problem. N.A.
  • chnybergchnyberg Member Posts: 6
    No I haven't had that problem...but I would say...it's better than the lights going off....especially at night! I only had the problem with the fog lights not coming on..then coming on at night...took out the fuse..
  • PileofTurdcarPileofTurdcar Member Posts: 3
    Hey there,.. i had the same problem until the pulled a fuse on the dashboard (lower, left hand side; left of the steering wheel) you have to take the face off first then there's all these fuses..Ironically, my husband got the info off this website... not sure if they still have which number fuse it was but i had the exact same prob's and the dumb dealers couldnt help whatsoever.. it has to do w/ pulling the fuse for the fog lights..(i think that's what fixed the problem)
  • bnanasbnanas Member Posts: 1
    My 2003 PT with @ 127K just started today.
    Looked like my brights were on, at least the indicator light.
    Checked it out and found that one of either my lights, fog lights or parking lights had to be on. I did tie up/put tension on my turn signal and got them to shut off.
    Came in side, Googled the problem, found this blog.
    Pulled out fuse#8 and now fog lights off....looks like my 'brights' probably won't work either now.
    fyi..when car was about 3 yrs old had problem with turn signal and replace that switch then. Sounds like same problem now. I was thinking it was close to $300 at the time, but notes make it sound cheaper.
    Thanks for everyone's posts on this topic.
  • giraffe516giraffe516 Member Posts: 2
  • giraffe516giraffe516 Member Posts: 2
    2001 PT Cruiser - all of a sudden the tail lights stopped working - brake lights and turn signals included. The back up lights and third brake light work. All fuses have been checked any clues???
  • jwalker13jwalker13 Member Posts: 1
    The headlight on my 06 Cruiser only works when I turn on my brights. Replaced the bulb and it's still not working. Could it be a fuse or would it be an electrical problem?
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