I bought a 2001 pt cruiser and within a couple of weeks the headlights stopped working. Replaced multi function switch but did not help. Had to re-wire the lights to make them work. Also it sounds like the passenger side front tire has something loose. Possibly bushings?? I've seen several complaints about the lights. What is it gonna take to get a recall in place? We got a ticket for it.
2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser suspension complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 66, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Front suspension................after front end alignment check .....both side of new tires wore out...left and right....a check later bushings wore out after 4,000 miles...................replace bushings and alignment recheck.
K-frame engine cradle rusted through. This car is garaged 90 % at home and at work. The rest of the undercarriage and body is rust free. Reported to chrysler 1 year ago. No response.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chrysler pt cruiser. The lower control arms were replaced at mileage 86,795 and then at mileage 103,000. While driving 35 MPH the drivers front wheel did not feel secure and the vehicle was taken in to a mechanic shop who indicated that they had to replace the lower control arm bushings sway bar link for $1200. The dealer nor the manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 103,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.
-steering wheel began shaking while driving car and steering became very loose. Pulled into a pep boys and was told that the front control arms and bearings needed to be replaced (the car had 75k miles). I was told that this was a very common defect with these cars and that a recall should have been warranted. $1200 repair and car started shaking again 50k miles later. -continuous oil consumption. I put a quart of oil every two weeks in the car. I have had the car completely tuned by a family member who is a certified mechanic, and it still eats oil. I mentioned this to the repair technician who did the controls arms and bearings, and he confirmed that this was also a common problem with these cars. Many of the websites I went on to research this have hundreds of the same comments for both issues.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chrysler pt cruiser. Whenever the contact drove the vehicle at various speeds, she would hear a clunking sound coming from the front end. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the lower control arms and the bushings needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 59,000. Updated 08/28/09. *lj the radiator needed to be replaced. The fog light would come on with no warning. A neew multi-function switch was needed. Updated 09/02/09.
Rear suspension bushings wore out at 40,000 mi and now again at 75,000 causing the rear end to bounce and sway uncontrollable at high speeds (45-65 MPH). Indication of worn bushings: loud clunking noise in rear end.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chrysler pt cruiser. While driving over a bump at approximately 20 MPH, the control arm bushing failed. The contact heard a loud clunking noise prior to the failure. The vehicle began jerking and swaying across the road, which caused great steering difficulty. The vehicle was driven to an authorized dealer. The mechanic stated that the failure was related to the control arm bushing. The control arm bushing was replaced. The failure has occurred a total of 4 times. The contact was very concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 36,000 and current mileage was 50,000.
Control arm bushings worn out at 37000 miles. Excessive tire wear and difficult steering.
I have had to replace the entire front "engine cradle", also known as the "k-frame" or "front sub-assembly". It is the structural steel framework bolted to the underbody that the lower control arms attach to. The steering rack is bolted to the top of it. The lower engine torsion connector is mounted to it. The reason? Total rust out! The right wheel hub and lower control arm broke away from the k-frame because of rust. The car was being driven slowly at the time, and that was a good thing, because the car could barely be driven after. No accident occurred.
The front wheel bearings are squealing and need replaced. The dealer said that it was normal... They expect to replace them all at about 50,000 miles. They quoted $550 per axle, the bearings are $60 if not from the dealer!!! Should be no reason for wheel bearings to be "typical replacement" items! 2001 chrysler pt cruiser, 55,000 miles, garage stored.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chrysler pt cruiser. While driving between 10-20 MPH, the contact heard a rattling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The dealer replaced the rear lower control arms. When the contact left the dealer, she heard a noise coming from the front end when the vehicle came to a stop. The dealer stated that the motor mount needed to be replaced. There were no warning indicators. The powertrain was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 116,280. Updated 12/13/07
Front control arm bushings are worn out at less then 40000 miles.
The front hubs and bearings on the 2001 pt cruiser needed to be replaced at 54000 miles. I was told by the dealer this was a potentially dangerous condition. After some research online I discovered that many pt owners had the same problem, sometimes repeatedly. This may be related to a design defect and should be investigated.
Premature failure of front lower control arm bushings. This vehicle had 37,000 miles with both right and left bushings failed. Without replacement, this can lead to additional suspension wear and in an extreme case, loss of control. Bushings of this type in typical vehicles lasts the life of the vehicle. According to my independent garage this component shows an inordinately high failure rate, as evidenced by their experience in replacing them in many pt crusiers. They see them at a rate of one every two weeks, and this was an independent garage, not a chrysler dealership. This problem was caught at pennsylvania annual state inspection.
Tl* - the contact stated that he had goodyear eagle tires, 205/55 r16 eagle ls. At 31,000 miles the car was pulling to the left, and he took it to a dealer and found that the belts on the tire separated, causing the tread to shift. The contact stated that at 41,000 miles the back of the car began swaying sideways to the left and right, and it was determined that the belts on the tire separated again. The contact stated that the tread was fine, the belt in the tire was faulty. *ak the vehicle had a slight oil leak. The dealer replaced transmission solenoid pack. Updated 03/19/07.
2001 pt cruiser with under 40,000 miles. Dealer checked rattling noise in rear and reports rear axle is shot. Repair costs about $2,000.00. Chrysler offered to provide parts. Dealer labor is about $600.00.
Dt*: the contact stated during an annual inspection the dealership determined the front control arm bushing was cracked. There was not a noticeable problem while driving the vehicle. An independent repair shop replaced the front control arm. Updated 6/19/2006 - the consumer feels that the rubber of the bushing poorly bonds to the steel outer ring causing failure.
At 62,000 miles, there was a clunking noise in my 2001 pt cruiser. When taken to the dealer was told the lower control arms/bushings were bad. Of course, my car was over warranty. Quote $750.00 + tax. Had replaced, now at 75,000 miles 1 year later, took my pt in for annual inspection.....yep, lower control arms/bushings bad & needing replaced again. Quote this time $582.00 + tax. Should this be a yearly thing? I have normal driving on paved roads...avoid pot holes. This needs to be addressed! I love my cruiser by a trade in might be happening!
Dt*: the contact stated the rear front bushing on the control arm fractured. The vehicle was making a humming sound when turning to the right. The bushing fracture was discovered by an independent mechanic during normal routine maintenance. The local dealership was contacted; however they have been unsuccessful in getting the part from the manufacturer.
On my 2001 pt cruiser both lower control arm bushings pulled loose from the arm which caused the car to shake violently while my wife was driving. When I took the car into the repair shop they brought me out to the car and showed me the damage to the control arms. Oddly enough there was another pt cruiser in the next bay that had the very same problem. The owner of the repair shop told me he had put control arms on at least 40 pt cruisers in the past year. I asked him if he had notified chrysler about the problem and he said he had contacted them on behalf of his customers and chrysler insisted that there was no problems with the lower control arms. My pt cruiser has 60,000 miles on it and the car that was next to mine had 34,000 miles on the odometer. As a result of this condition the front tires on my car were destroyed due to violent shaking of the front end. My wife thought the tires were falling off.
Front control arm bushings were replaced in feb of 2005 3 months they were replaced again and now november the noise that caused them to be replaced is present again. 2001 pt cruiser touring 60,000 miles.
Dt: the consumer's wife was driving when the vehicle began to pull hard to the left. She then decided to take the vehicle to a garage for an inspection. This happened without any previous incidents. The mechanic discovered that both lower control arms failed. The mechanic suggested that she should not drive the vehicle until it was repaired. The mechanic noted that this was a common problem in these vehicles. The mechanic replaced both lower control arms. There have been no further problems since the replacement. *ak (11/23/05)
Lower control arm bushings need replacement already at 29000 miles, on 2001 pt cruiser. This premature failure is a safety risk and appears to be common on this vehicle (admitted by dealer), yet is out of warranty. Should warrant a recall notice and free repair.
Dealership found cause of noise in steering. Problem was caused by lower front control arm bushings being broken (not worn). Further failure could lead to loss of control of vehicle.
Dt: consumer's vehicle was involved in a minor accident. Was in a small accident. Took vehicle to a repair shop, a repair shop, and they referred him to a dealership. They said that the bushing has been forced out of the control arm. Previously, the steering wheel shimmied and rattled back and forth. The consumer had the accident repair work done. But not the bushing and the control arm. This problem occurred for about a year.
Dt: the consumer stated the front end of the vehicle did not respond to a quick turn in either direction. The consumer took the vehicle the to dealership for an inspection and discovered that both front tie rod ends were worn and would not pass inspection. In addition the control arm had lost a bushing which created a knocking noise. The consumer has replaced tie rod ends as well as the control arm bushing. Dealer noted this was a common problem with the pt cruiser and this was a design flaw. The consumer contacted the manufacturer and they denied there was an issue with the pt cruiser and that all cars have grease fittings called "zirks" since repairs no problems as of yet. This failure occurred 32,191 miles. Chrysler did say they would reimburse $150 for the tie rods ends but that was all.
Bell crank connecting watts links. Bushing wears out before 40k miles creating loud clunking noises at rear suspension. And this suspension is highlighted on chrysler web site as a feature, not a failure. Repair is $315.05, part available. Should at least be under warranty. Many failures noted on owner forums. Also own second pt at 30k miles and it is showing (hearing) symptoms.
Severe clunking noised under the front end of my 2001 pt cruiser at 60k miles. Dealer notified that both lower control arm (bushings) had failed and needed to be replaced. Luckily, I purchased an extended warranty so the out of pocket cost was $100 deductible and $70 front end alignment. Why should control arm bushings fail so early? I believe this is a safety issue and since I found many pt owners on the web experiencing similiar suspension failures, daimler chrysler should cover all the cost.
While driving at 45 MPH rear suspension failed, causing the vehicle to sway unexpectedly. Consumer managed to stop vehicle.
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