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I started having the same problem that you guys are having. The problem started with the car doors locking and unlocking themselves. Eventually, the car wouldn't start. The PT only had about 73,000 miles on it. I had been raised around my dad working on cars, and I have a good understanding of mechanics. {I use to work in a factory running machinery, too. So....} Anyhow, due to unemployment status, I didn't have the money to waste on the problem.
I also am working hard on a college degree.
I know the starter was good, and I also replaced the battery. It didn't work! I also had to re-set the computer several times by taking out the #11 fuse from the fuse panel on quite a number of occassions. I also spoke with several mechanics about the issue--they were stumped too!
I bought the car used, and I also didn't have a warranty.
When I contacted a local dealer about the issue. I was informed to come in for a meeting with the main sales manager, the owner's son. Well, I wish I didn't do that!
The man told me that I needed to quit school, get a job, and get the car fixed! :surprise:
Guess what?! I went to a local Ford dealership informed them of the issue, and I now have a brand new Ford Focus with a warranty. :shades: I like the car, and I hope it does last a while. It gets better gas mileage than the Cruiser did. The handling is superior quality too. The seat is a little uncomfortable, but the Focus makes up for it on road handling. It has a much quicker take off which has saved me quite a number of times on the highway when transfer trucks have changed lanes too soon behind me. Also, it brakes quite well for a car without ABS. I just miss the look of the PT. But, I don't think having that look is as important as having a car you feel you can trust and you feel safe in. I had become afraid that the PT would just shut off in the middle of the interstate with traffic behind me. I didn't feel safe in it any more.
But, I am disappointed with the PT issue. I always wanted one. I just didn't know that I would have this kind of trouble.
I say the PT Cruiser is a :lemon: just like the Ford Pinto and the Chevrolet Vega.
I hope that you all have better luck than I did trying to figure out what is wrong. :confuse:
I also noticed several other items of interest on the car. Oil smell, exhaust smell coming thru the vents every so often, not getting the gas mileage I expected, and my brakes started sqeeking.
I took the car in on Wednesday, the 27th of December 2006 to have Chrysler look everything over. They found I had an Oil leak already, but nothing was found when they checked out the lights for any power surges or flickering. And as for the other issues, nothing as well. They did perform a test for the MPG and noted the car gets 20.86 mpg.
They kept the car overnight and fixed the oil problem. When I picked it up in the late evening, I turned on the heat and what do you think happened? That's right! The lights flickered in the dash and the head lights.
So, the dealership does not want to look it over as they feel the test they ran was good enough.
I'm afraid that down the road, I'm going to experience some of the problems I read on this topic. Fire or smoke coming from the car and I being told it's not covered, making me have to take them to court.
Anybody have any advice?
I've been testing it since the day I bought it and I can only get 20mpg from it. I drive 70 miles a day for work. Nearly all Highway but a few miles. I've driven an entire tank at 65mph as well as 70mph, 75mph, and 80mph to see what I can get. 80mph get's me 19mpg while 65/70mpg get's me 20mpg.
I had Chrysler perform a test because I felt the car was not getting the advertised mpg for highway miles. They tested the car at 20.86mpg at 70mph.
I do love the car, but I'm very unhappy with the mpg. Are there any American model cars that get mpg as the Japanese and Korean's do? I don't want to buy one, but curious to know what cars our country produces in this catagory that complete with the foreign cars.
Just trying to see if anyone had anything smilar...it's kind of a high pitched sound.
Is there a fuser or switch, possibly for an automatic choke, that I should look to replace?
Any ideas what part I should be looking at?
Thanks for your help,
Wallace R
Last week the wife's 2001 PT with 70k miles refused to turn off the dash lights when the ignition was turned off. Then it wouldn't start, but did when jumped after the battery drained. Then when I ran it to charge up the battery, it kept running when the key was turned off! The wife got in it and, for unknown reasons (I guess it just likes her better since she babies it so) it did turn off.
I checked the battery terminals and found some corrosion, so I cleaned them off, sprayed on some stuff I had to prevent that corrosion and it ran well over the weekend.
Last night, out of the blue (or was it the black), it was parked outside the house and for no apparent reason the panic alarm went off and I had to go out and click at it with the key gizmo (~ pardon the technical jargon, please). No, there was no one messing with it ~ the same thing happened the next morning (today) about 8 hours later. Again, it turned off when we clicked at it, but when my wife went to start it, the battery was again dead.
We had it towed to our non-dealer mechanic. He charged it up, trouble-shot the usual things like the ignition switch and such and they checked out fine, but the car dash lights stayed on again when the ignition was turned off and it wouldn't turn over when he tried to start it. At that point, the mechanic started pulling fuses to see which one controlled those lights. They stayed on until he pulled the 10A fuse for the air conditioner (!). He plugged it back in and the car started right up. It continued to start and work fine for a couple hours and he called me to come pick it up, admitting that he didn't know what he did, if anything, to correct the problem, but it was working fine now. That fuse, which didn't even need replaced, cost $150 ~ so far.
(I note at this point that we have used this mechanic for a long time and trust his work)
I went in to pick up the car. It started up fine for me and I drove it to a nearby gas station where, after the fillup, the car again refused to turn over although the dash lights turned on and off appropriately when the key was turned.
The mechanic drove over and fiddled with it to no effect. At that point all we could do was have it towed back to his shop where it sits until tomorrow when he will dig into it again. But he admits he doesn't know what else to do at this point except more of the same.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what he should check? After visiting this and other sites, I will suggest he check the multi-function switch again as well as resetting the battery polarity. What else?
Thanks
PT gone whacko electrically
Re gas mileage, I used to get 20-23 mpg city and 25-30 long distance. Gas mileage has definitely declined with age. I put a STP treatment in it a couple of months ago but that only helped slightly for a short period of time.
just...went...away.
We had the car at the mechanic for nearly 2 weeks so he could try various options (cold/hot start ~ moving/not moving & etc) and the problem just stopped happening. It's been a month or so and no repeat of any of the problems.
The unable-to-turn-car-off situation only happened once. Wish I had more concrete solutions for you, but it is what it is. We were fortunate in that we had transport options and could 'wait it out' (not that it necessarily was a solution). Just be aware that a dealership might do what someone above mentioned ~ start replacing $600 wiring harnesses or whatever ~ until the problem disappears. And that it might not even be the fix it needed.
Good luck.
I just bought and a 2006 PT Cruiser and it quit for the very first time last Sunday (doing 70 mph). All I can think of is, oh great I'm stuck with a Lemon. At any rate I have had Chrysler vehicles for years and one thing that always seems to go out on them is the Ignition coil, which controls the spark. The coil heats up and shorts out after it cools it is good to go again. They always seem to be weak in Dodge and Chrysler cars and trucks. Did you ever have the coil replaced on your car? I'm thinking this will be my first plan of attack... unless you tried it and it didn't work then its plan B what ever that will be.
Thanks.
Sincerely, Kevin
I have a 2003 PT limited which has the fog light issue, exactly as everyone has described.
I have found mine starts to act up when the interior is very hot (i live in Florida), the fog lights keep coming on and i keep taping the multi function switch on the end to turn them off, once the A/C cools the interior they stop coming on by themselves.
I also found that when i leave the car the only way to stop them coming on is to turn the left turn signal on, just as described.
Its good to know other people have gone through this, and tomorrow i will be calling the 800 number which was posted earlier.
Thanks to everyone who has offered advice.
So, a couple days ago I was running errands all day in the heat again and the car STALLED while I was driving. It took constant turning the car on again to get home. The engine light was on. We took it to a dealership across the street Sat around 5pm (could hardly get it there- cont. to stall repeatedly) and come Monday day the tell me that they had to replace the battery of the car to do the diagnostics and nothing was wrong with it! It was back to normal. That problem was not my battery-the car started fine it just shut down when you tried to drive it. I don't know what to think but I am very frustrated. I know there is something not right. Anyone have any suggestions??
Someone please help.
The body is just cherry on this car. No nicks or scratches. Inferno Red. Very slick. Every power option that I like. But, don't want to buy it, if it's going to be trouble. Been there, done that.
You might want to try a Google search for some PT Cruiser enthusiast forums - there are a few really good ones and you generally won't encounter the same rude responses you see here. I'd post links to a few but I'm at work and a Google search cannot be done from here (firewall).
My wife has an 03 GT Cruiser that I surprised her with for Christmas a few years ago and I occasionally "cruise" the forums for advice and money-saving tips.
In the future, try twisting the plug wire boot before pulling on it to break the seal. Also, apply some dielectric grease in the boots to make them easier to remove next time.
Chris (Chrysler Master Tech