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PT Cruiser Electrical and Lighting Problems

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  • aikeniteaikenite Member Posts: 1
    I am having that strange recurring instrument cluster fault. All the idiot lights flash on and all the needles (fuel, speedometer, rpm) drop to zero. So far, there has been no corresponding ignition issues or other problems with the headlights or radio. Of course, the dealership can not duplicate and have suggested replacing the instrument cluster ($1,100). I have read that many are having similar problems. Has anyone actually found a solution?
  • stan_astan_a Member Posts: 1
    Had same problem on 2001. About 4 years after purchase. Came back to car and battery near dead (fog lights still on). Pull switch would not retract. Looked in manual and pulled fuse. Eventually replaced. At about 100k proactively replaced timing belt and clutch (manual trans). This is my daily driver out of 3 cars I drive. Mileage is so-so about 20, or 23 on hwy driving. My mechanic uggest premium gas (93 octane) or best mileage. I went from using 87 octane to 89.
    Have 133k now. Burns some oil, but does not leak oil. Also noticed some corrosion on alloy wheels (chrome?).
  • vinnievsvinnievs Member Posts: 2
    My daughter bought a used 2008 PT Cruiser and after a week we noticed the reverse lights were not working. I checked the bulbs and fuse and they are good. Any suggestions?
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    Check to see if the lights activate when the shifter is slightly off the Reverse position. That can usually be readjusted fairly quickly by a mechanic.

    kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
  • maveinmavein Member Posts: 1
    ever since i accidentlly cracked the faceplate on my 2001 pt cruiser with a futon my door locks, radio and dome lights dont work. the dash says no fuse but i cant find any blown fuses.
  • ashley6573ashley6573 Member Posts: 2
    While driving all the gauges (gas, mph, rpm) drop down as if the car isn't on. The dash lights come on. The lights you see when you first start the car. A few seconds later the dash lights go back out and the gauges jump back up where they are supposed to be. So far this has not interfered with the car while its driving but it is very worrying. Any ideas?
  • wirestripperwirestripper Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 2009 PT Cruiser for my wife. The air conditioner knob wouldn't turn. My warranty covered the repair. When I picked my vehicle up from dealership, the dome light and front power outlet were not working. Checked all fuses, nothing was popped. Called dealership back. Told them they messed something up. So I took it to them again. Picked up vehicle after work and outlet was fixed but dome light still wouldn't work. They said it was not a result of the first repair so they would have to charge me $80 for another diagnostics fee. WTF. Anyways, the dome light doesn't work. When you open the door or turn the knob, the interior cargo light comes on in the back but overhead light doesn't. Checked voltage on the dome light, nothing. Where can I trace the dome light to so i can evaluate the problem? Does anybody have an electrical schematic for the interior lights? Any opinions?
  • warfwarf Member Posts: 1
    Did you get a solution to your Pt Cruiser problem... This is happening to my 2005 PT now.
  • vinnievsvinnievs Member Posts: 2
    No I never did. Someone rear ended it so I am hoping it is totaled so I can get rid of it.
  • ashley6573ashley6573 Member Posts: 2
    No, I've had it tested several times but no one can figure out what's wrong with it. It's very frustrating.
  • buckskinladybuckskinlady Member Posts: 2
    I just googled my fog light switch problem that I have been having for the past 2 months with my 2003 pt cruiser turbo GT (I have owned it since 2005). The amazing thing is that I didn't know that I even HAD working fog lights in my car (all these years!), until the fog lights apparently came on during the night, while my car was @ home (& I was sleeping!). It had been parked for the night & the engine was turned off & NOBODY was driving the car for 24 hours prior! The way I found out was that the battery was dead, was in the late AM, when I went to push the button to deactivate my burglar alarm (to drive to the market) & my car was dead... the auto-locks wouldn't flip up, so I had to manually unlock the driver's door... It actually took a few days for my husband & I to figure it all out. We suspected the battery at first, so we went down to Wally World, bought a new one (the old one was 5 years old - almost exactly) & figured that was that... But it wasn't! After taking back another dead battery, one day later, we finally got what the deal was! I LOVE my pt cruiser & it breaks my heart! Anyway, my speedometer just flipped over to 90,000 miles just before this weird stuff started happening. I've been driving my pt for 8 years now & this is ALL new to me. My pt has stranded me, by draining its own battery via those dumb fog lights, while I'm in the grocery store (or similar situations) 4 or 5 times now! I've come to realize that when I turn the engine off (the fog lights ALWAYS stay on by themselves - whether the motor is on or off)... if I flip the left hand turn signal indicator on, AFTER I TURN THE KEY OFF, & leave the car that way, with the turn signal stick in THAT position, the battery doesn't get drained while I'm OUT OF THE CAR... the alarm will still arm itself & all the doors will lock when I get out of the car & press the activation button, & vice versa when I return & hit the button to deactivate it & enter the car again. The left hand turn signal is ALWAYS blinking & the green icon for fog lights appears again @ the bottom of the speedometer when I put the key in & turn it over. HOWEVER, the problem is still ALWAYS with me... IF I happen to bump the turn signal stick (after flipping left turn on) with my knee while exiting my car, & it flips back up to the "no turn" position (which HAS happened several times), OR if I FORGET to flip the left turn signal on...the battery is once again, dead, when I get back in my car... just "CLICK-CLICK" & no spark whatsoever... It can die on me within as little as 10 MINUTES, whenever those dang lights have managed to stay on. TODAY, we may have come up with a possible TEMPORARY SOLUTION!!! I pulled the cover off my fuse box, located under the dash, on the driver's side... it has a schematic on it, of which fuses affect which electrical car functions... There is one label that says, "Fog Lights Non BUX" - We are going to try pulling the fuse out that will disable the fog lights... hopefully it won't disable anything else... I'll keep you posted on the results in an hour or so (today is October 2, 2013)... Let's all keep our fingers crossed it works!
  • chnybergchnyberg Member Posts: 6
    I pulled my fog light fuse 9 years ago because of a similar problem....it doesn't affect anything else...mine wouldn't come on using the switch, but would come on while driving somehow related to the high/low beam...
  • buckskinladybuckskinlady Member Posts: 2
    Got great news... went out to my PT Cruiser early this AM - to see if our theory works...IT DID! Yay! Took some tweezers & extracted that fog light fuse like a dentist extracts puppies... Dang fog lights are finally off, after 2 months of dealing with that defect on a daily basis, & constantly worrying about whether today will be the day I get stranded by my car again. And, Christian, THANKS for verifying it was fuse#8... also says: Fog Lmp non BUX ... on the #8 "square" on the schematic, on the inside of the little door to the fusebox, under the dash, on the driver's side. Yessiree, our group's trouble shooting was RIGHT ON... for my present situation! Doesn't seem to be effecting any other function as a substitution so far... just killed those monster bottom lights. By the way, the right hand fog light was constantly about 10 X brighter than the left one was, in my case... strange, but true. What's even stranger is I had thought my Dad had come back as my car! Although he WAS one of the best auto mechanics in the world before he passed on a few years ago... even won awards @ Indy to prove it! Thanks again... HAPPY TRAILS...
  • gtmogtmo Member Posts: 2
  • gtmogtmo Member Posts: 2
    gtmo

    Oct 01 09:50 pm (PDT)

    My wife's car (2009 PT Cruiser) blows the tail light bulbs, which I thought I had fixed with new bulbs. Aftl er replacing bulbs and before installing into the housing I checked and the tail light came on with switch and depressing the brake pedal the brake light on and off when pedal released. So put it back together and she left and I followed her going to the store. Dang ,.... I thought she was riding the brakes. When she stopped and I asked her to step on the brake with the engine off, and the brake light worked fine until she started the engine, brake light was on again. It has occurred to me why the blubs are blowing they get hot with the brake light on all the time.

    The big problem is that doesn't make sense. Can't be the brake lite switch or would be on all the time on or off. Any clues?

    Homer
  • jordan50jordan50 Member Posts: 1
    i am experiencing close to the same problem, MY son was messing w/my alarm remote when my dome light stopped coming on and the alarm won t set.The display is showing no fuse but all my interior fuses are ok. Does anyone know if there s another fuse that may control these areas. thnK U
  • gary2beachgary2beach Member Posts: 2
  • gary2beachgary2beach Member Posts: 2
    Hi all, I am looking for people who have had to replace these due to battery going dead or battery replacement when the top or windows were down or the door/s open and then the windows would not work.

    I changed my battery and the front windows were down, I could not figure out why they would not work, came to the forum and saw post about
    having to have them synched or reset at the Dealership.

    I took my car in, and an hour and a half later was told they could only wake up the driver side and the passenger side had to be replaced, so they needed to replace both as they work on the same bus, they could order them and have them in 2 days, with installation cost would be $650.

    Please I am looking for all people who had this happen to them and what it cost them, I have a lawyer friend who is going to go after Chrysler for this, a couple of reasons, but suffice to say, there is no warning any place to be found about this issue.

    Please share this so we can help others who have been taken advantage of by Chrysler Dealerships.

    By the way, the Service writer Erica, told me that I should have come to the Dealership to have my battery changed. Really, who does this?

    Also note that when I went to Myrtle Beach Chrysler (where I bought the car June 2004, yes it was one of the 1st) the 2 service writers behind the counter when I asked about having my windows reset, asked if they were on camera, had no idea what I was talking about, Erica then came behind the counter and knew about it as she had seen it once before.

    Gary
  • motomamamotomama Member Posts: 1

    PT Cruiser 2006 just had the air conditioning system replaced and it still doesn't idle right and the dash controls are now hot to touch. Do they remove the dash when this is done? If not would that wiring affect the dash?

  • myptcruiser3myptcruiser3 Member Posts: 1

    An easy solution to the fog light problem is to remove the fuse. I have a 2001 Limited edition and couldn't see paying to have the problem repaired as I have never used the fog lights since purchasing the car used several years ago. I found the left turn signal remedy cumbersome as you're bound to forget and return to a car with a dead battery.

  • yolibabeyolibabe Member Posts: 1
    PT Cruiser 2007
    I have had so many problems with it. I spent so much money for all the defective problems in repairs. I have had it shaking violently, air conditioning not working, electrical problems, seat belts. The final straw now is that it has an inner motor problem the crankshaft - which started by oil leaks all the time even after repair. I called the Chrysler dealer because now the repair mechanic from a Chrysler dealer stated that it is a manufacturer default. I am owing them a huge bill because they had to take it apart etc.

    Well, Chrysler is covering up by saying that there have been no recalls therefore they will do nothing for us. Now my PT is just parked because they need to put in a new motor. I can not afford that. I am a student, mother, and working part time struggling to make ends meet. My husband is disabled due to a work related injury.

    I need more people like you to call Chrysler and put in an official report to have them held accountable for making such a defective vehicle. I have also read that there are other years of PT's that are defective. Please support the cause. If we have enough people we can get some refunds or repairs paid etc. Thanks for the support!
  • shopdog97shopdog97 Member Posts: 160
    Hey Mr. Shiftright,

    My friend Hector's '01 PT Cruiser has set a PO401 DTC code(a while ago actually) and now the car isn't running very well. That code translates to "EGR flow restriction. Now this doesn't necessarily mean that his EGR valve is bad, but that there is a flow restriction some where in the system. Another co-wroker had the same code and replaced his EGR on his Toyota some time ago only to find that this was NOT his problem, but he had a bad Purge Solenoid which was located on or near the gas tank in his case. Hector went to Autozone the other day and had his car scanned again and it showed the PO401 code again. They then showed him the part that they said would solve the problem. He said it was a rectangular black box-like thing. He is going to buy that part tomorrow which is $60 and wants me to put it in. I just want to be sure that this is the correct part. Any suggestions from you or anyone else who has had this issue would be greatly appreciated.
  • shopdog97shopdog97 Member Posts: 160
    Just a follow up to the above story. I DID change the EGR valve and the back-pressure transducer on my friend's '01 PT Cruiser. This comes as a set with both components from AutoZone for $65. One of the parts guys there confirmed my suspicion that the valve was the likely culprit here and, in fact, it was. Within a few start cycles, the check engine light went out and the car purrs like a kitten once again. Mission accomplished!!
  • shopdog97shopdog97 Member Posts: 160
    Well, it seems my triumph to the above stories were at best SHORT LIVED!!! After nearly a week, my friend's engine light came on again and it is that damnable PO401 code again!!!! He says the care isn't missing a beat(at this time, anyway) but I think it's only a matter of time. I want to avoid having him take the car to the garage even though I know someone very reputable, so now after replacing the EGR and transducer, what can be going on now?? Anyone have another avenue to explore PLEASE respond. Thanks!!!!
  • shopdog97shopdog97 Member Posts: 160
    edited November 2014
    My friend Hector is wondering if he should get rid of his 01' Cruiser now.He diagnoses and repairs computers as a part-time job and I had picked one up for him from a client over the weekend and gave it to him Tuesday morning(Nov.4th) While he sat there idling, the car would just surge and he said this just started happening the last few days. I sat in the car and watched the tach go from around 850-900 RPM to maybe 12-1300 R's and then return to normal and maybe 2 or 3 mins. later the same thing happened, but there was no engine light on at all. I think he(and especially his wife)think the car is gonna leave them stranded somewhere. As I've said in the above posts, we changed the EGR valve and transducer 2 weeks ago now and the DTC code light went out after a few starts all by itself, only to re-appear several days ago with the same PO401 code. I also learned that on the explanation of trouble codes printout that we got from AtuoZone, there is a component called the Proportional Purge Valve Solenoid that is at the bottom right side of the engine which can also lead to the car setting this same code. It's $52 from AZ. I keep telling Hector to hang on to the car as long as he can, as he doesn't have money to replace it and in retrospect, it HASN'T left him sitting since I replaced his starter several months ago. Again, friends, any pertinent commentary on this issue would be greatly appreciated.
  • shopdog97shopdog97 Member Posts: 160
    Now Hector's PT Cruiser is setting a PO441 DTC code which means he is still having an issue with the emission control system. And of course here in Pa. it's just getting colder so he may have to take the car to my mechanic and get to the bottom of this issue before the thing DOES leave him or his wife out in the cold!!! I don't think he likes his car very much anymore!!!
  • ptcruiser2001ptcruiser2001 Member Posts: 1
    I also have an issue with the fog lights going on and staying on indefinitely. I believe the issue started about two months ago. After some experimentation I discovered the only way to keep the fog lights off was to leave the left turn signal on before turning off the engine, otherwise my battery would be dead. ( I just purchased another battery yesterday.) I have a PT Cruiser 2001 purchased November 2000 Limited Edition. It has just under 28,000 miles. I do not drive the car much I have more miles flying than driving due to my work. After reading the forum I believe I will have the #8 fuse removed to resolve the issue. It sounds like the cheapest route to go. I have never used the fog lights in 15 years.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Sounds like you definitely have a short to ground in that circuit. At least you know which circuit it's in. Time to check the wiring and see where this issue is. Might be as simple as a wire rubbed raw or a bit of corrosion causing a short.
  • notmyname2notmyname2 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 Special Edition PT Cruiser with 59,000 miles on it. Just started having an issue with the fog lights. I noticed the indicator light was on the other day and when I clicked it, as if it was the bright light indicator, it went out. A couple days ago I needed a jump to start my car but it has been running fine since then, until today. The fog lights came on and wouldn't go out.

    Googled my problem and up popped this forum first thing. Thankfully other people have found a solution to this problem. I did accidentally find out if I turned on my left turn signal, the fog lights went out. However, if I closed the door a little too hard they came back on. Going to pull the fuse and hopefully that will take care of the problem.

    I had never used the fog lights. I didn't even know I had fog lights or how to turn them on or off. I had to get the book out to find out how to turn them on and off.

    To all of those who suggested a solution to try. THANK YOU!!
  • notmyname2notmyname2 Member Posts: 2
    So far so good! Lights all work properly and no other noticeable problems after pulling the fuse. It is, as stated elsewhere, fuse # 8.
  • rahrah87rahrah87 Member Posts: 1
    Hey everyone, I'm hoping by posting someone can help me. I have a 2004 PT Cruiser. I can't drive it at night because my taillights are out. My brake lights work but the tail lights won't stay on. My blinkers won't work and my dash lights are out. I took my car to a mechanic and he fixed the tail lights but they went out again, still having these electrical issues. I don't have a lot to spend on this issue but need it fixed because I need to drive at night without getting a ticket. any suggestions or help would be much appreciated. Rhogan87@aol.com
  • judysiakjudysiak Member Posts: 6
    hi I have a 2001 PT Cruiser my problem is while driving at night sometimes all my outside lights as well as inside lights go out the dash goes dark as well as the radio goes off this is very intermittent never know when it will happen now the radio goes off during the day and then comes back on when the lights are working the mileage indicator light flickers I would appreciate any help thanks glowbug478@aol.com
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Hard to say what it is with so many things being affected. Could be a voltage regulator, but that's just a guess on my part. Have you taken it to have someone look at it?
  • judysiakjudysiak Member Posts: 6
    not yet
  • judysiakjudysiak Member Posts: 6
    opps forgot had a new lever that works the lights/turn signals high beams replaced and headlight relay
  • judysiakjudysiak Member Posts: 6
    I also have a 2007 pt convertible that the dash board gets very hot to the touch where cd player is and heat/ac and clock any ideas
  • judysiakjudysiak Member Posts: 6
    hi i have been reading the post on oct 2008 Kramerd posted the problem I am having now with the hot dashboard where the radio and ac/heater is did you ever find out how to fix it
  • marcsimpsonmarcsimpson Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 pt cruiser. I was sitting in my car and turned the lights on didn't have head lights tail lights dash lights or park lights iv got brake and turn sighnsld I replaced the multifunction switch fuses relay still nothing any suggestions?
  • judysiakjudysiak Member Posts: 6
    have you read all the problems seems like some pulled the fog light fuse I replaced the headlight relay didn't help im having problems with both my pts
  • caliberlove4caliberlove4 Member Posts: 1
    I had this problem too. I changed all four spark plugs and haven't seen the issue since
  • HeartlandHeartland Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2009 PT Cruiser that the hatch quit working awhile back.....now I am having to replace my tail lights weekly. Today while pulling the light sockets to inspect them the hatch opened. I closed it to try it again and it wouldn't work. I went back to working on tail lights and the hatch opened again. (I was moving wires around). So could my problem be a short in the wiring?
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