Had problems with my 02 pt cruiser not starting for 7 years and went on line and found others were having the same problem. Called chyrsler and told them they were going to fix and pay for problem. Service manager said he knew what the problems was and notice chrysler was putting cheap parts on their vehicles. He upgraded the cables connecting to and from the battery and have not had this problem since. The cables were under volted and weren't able to charge the battery and I got stranded sometimes. Chrysler called dealer and had this work done at no expense to me. It's not the battery, alternator or the other connection I can't remember. It has been 3 months and I haven't had any problems since. Please let your service manager know that it is the low voltage battery cables to these areas. Having problems starting, hesitation starting or wouldn't start at all happen after not driving the car sometimes for 2 days just after bringing it back to the dealer.
2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser electrical complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 97, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Car won't start at times. Had to jump it then it started. Something draining the battery if car sits for a day or two. Changed battery 3 times, still having problem. Bought car brand new, dealer still can't find the problem. Car not reliable. Started having problems not long after I bought it. I've had to charge the battery and then after a few days would have trouble starting.
Found 2002 pt cruiser with dead battery on occasion, no consistency. Replaced battery (7.75 years old, 90k miles) after 3rd instance over 2 months, issue resolved for about 2 weeks. Car parked in hot parking lot, fog lights were dim when approaching car. Car would not turn over to start, had it jumped. Upon returning home, went to turn off car, fog lights would not turn off. Fiddling with light switch would make them go off temporarily, then right back on. Found turning left blinker in on position kept fogs off. Researching issue, found the following forum: http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/chrysler-pt-cruiser/tf81khbdldvt92ah2 where hundreds of people have experienced the same issue. Waiting to hear from chrysler on replacement part, as all online sources say it is back ordered 30-60 days.
I purchased my 2002 chrysler pt cruiser a few years ago now. I have sent chrysler many letters about these problems. The most recent incident was very scary. I bought the car at about 31,000 miles. About a month later my paint started peeling off of the front bumper and my dash started to crack. Mind you I keep my car garaged and it is washed and waxed regularly by a shop that I have used for years with no problems. I went back to the dealer I bought it from and they were gone. So I contacted my next closest dealer. They said they could not do anything for me. About a month after that my cpu went out which was covered under the extended warranty that I purchased. They had to replace it twice before it finally lasted more than a day. Then my dash completely crumbled. It cracked from the windshield to the front in the center and on both sides. I wrote a letter and email with no answer. I then contacted chrysler by phone and the lady told me to f%*k off and hung up on me. So I gave up. Obviously I was not going to get anywhere with them. Then about 3 months ago my check engine light came back on. I took my car to a friend who is a licensed mechanic and he scanned it on the computer and said it was my cpu again! I took it to the dealership and was told my warranty had expired. So I wrote another letter because this repair was going to be $1400.00 dollars. No response. But the scariest was about 2 weeks ago I was driving with my 13 month old niece in the car and smoke started coming from the left hand side of my steering column. I almost had got in a wreck trying to get us to safety. The smoke stopped so I figured whatever it was done for now. We were on the side of the road in a not so desirable neighborhood at night so I decided to take my chances with the car. We headed off on our way and my headlights started flickering. I parked the vehicle at home and the next morning my fairly new battery was dead. My flood lights would not turn off and had been on all night.
Failure of multifunction switch: initially the fog lights would come on when the turn signal was engaged. This first began in approximately 11/2008. Initially this happened only occasionally, but became more frequent. Now the fog lights always remain illuminated, even when the car is turned off/parked. This required that I remove the fuse controlling the fog lights so that the battery would not be drained. After researching on many different message boards, it became apparent that this is a very frequent problem with pt cruisers. Not only is it annoying, but it is also a potential fire (electrical) hazard. I feel I recall is warranted.
Horn and radio stopped working...I replaced the clock spring...and it started all over again after about a month. I have had to replace a radio and speakers because of the intermittent problem. It causes my radio display to "pop" in and out and when it goes out I have no horn. The problem started about a year after I bought the car in 03.
Multi function switch, lights just quit working, very dangerous. I have never had a car were something as basic as the headlights quit working. All lights failed, interior, headlights, dash lights, tail lights.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. When the turn signals were activated, the fog lights could have caused a fire in the wiring panel of the vehicle. The contact wrote a letter to the manufacturer, but they stated that nothing could be done. The current mileage was 86,663 and failure mileage was 45,000. Updated 11/24/08 *cn when the turn signals were used, the fog lights automatically activated and would not go out for quite some time. Eventually, the fog lights stopped working. Updated 11/26/08.
2002 chrysler pt cruiser recall notice for instrument cluster. Consumer states that the dealership told her that there was no recall for the instrument cluster. *nj the consumer sent in a copy of the recall letter. Recall # 01v288000
Dashboard cracked in center from front window to inside edge, running across vent, which has falling into dash in pieces; also frequently "shorts out" and radio, inside lights, dash lights, all go out making night driving dangerous.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. Whenever the vehicle was started, the lights would illuminate, but the engine would not turn over. The dealer stated that the starter needed to be replaced. The starter has been replaced three times within the same month, but the failure persists. The current mileage was 106,000 and failure mileage was 102,000.
Fog lights won't turn off had to pull the fuse, it's a 2002 pt cruiser. Same as alot of people are having the same problem. Just got the cruiser used don't thing it's right for me to have it fixed, so many complaints unbelievable, don't get it deal should fix it for free don't need a fire. Thanks
The multifunction turn signal switch allows stops working and fog lights stay on making the battery run down and the only immediate remedy is to disconnect the fog lights, I pulled the fuse. I have read many complaints about this on the internet, it is a big problem.
I have a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser and have noticed the fog indicator light on the dash is lit. When I looked in the front indeed the lights were on. The switch was off but the lights were still on. I noticed a smell of smoke in the car and it drained my battery to zero volts. The auto alarm also seems to engage for no reason. After checking the web I found out that this is quite a big problem and some people have actually had fires and smoke from under the dashboard. It would appear that there is a short in the switch. The problem is that the fog lights have never been used so the switch cannot be worn out.
Complete failure of everything on the dashboard, I.e. Speedometer, gas gauge, cooling, odometer. No dashboard lights, no interior lights. Fog lights stay on unless you turn on your turn signal after turning off the car. This has been discussed as a problem that has occurred many times on the sites that I have visited. The car is a 2002 pt cruiser, and there was a recall for the instrument cluster microprocessor to be malfunctioning causing the problems described above, however my pt was not covered under that recall.
The multifuction turn signal switch allows stops working and fog lights stay on making the battery run down and the only immediate remedy is to disconnect the fog lights. This part has failed three times on my pt cruiser.
Multi-switch fails causing the fog lights to come on when car is off or randomly when driving. Plastic part inside switch mechanism holding metal contact from connecting two terminals overheats and melts thus becomes shorter and cannot keep the contact away from the terminals. Dealer told me when I bought the car that I should not use the fog lights unless needed and I did as told. After two batteries and many attempts to get chrysler to fix the problem they admitted was happening on all pt cruisers sold by my dealer, I had to purchase and install a new multi-function switch assembly. I have the original an can send if wished.
There is a widespread problem with the chrysler pt cruiser wherein the multi-function switch on the column malfunctioned, causing the fog lights to come unexpectedly, completely draining the battery . This problem has been going on for sometime and chrysler refused to correct it, which would appear to have been caused by defective parts. The repair charge wa s upwards of $200.
Dashboard cracked in 2 locations. Potential safety hazard if wires are exposed. Could potentially ruin cables for headlights, break lights and turning signals
Trouble with multifunction control switch for pt cruiser headlights. The fog lights on the pt cruiser illuminated intermittently without operator interface or fail to shut off when multifunction switch is operated. This caused battery to fail. No audible indication that lights remained on.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. The vehicle's dashboard began to crack vertically. The vehicle has not been diagnosed. The vehicle purchase date and engine size were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 70,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. The contact noticed a crack in the middle of the vehicle's dashboard. The contact was informed that debris from the crack could fall on the accelerator pedal and cause a crash. The crack could also cause the lights on the instrument panel to fail. The manufacturer stated that they would not perform the repair because the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The VIN was unavailable. The current mileage is 64,500 and failure mileage was 61,000.
My '02 pt cruiser has had many incidents over the past 4 years. The instrument panel occassionally flickers or does not light up at all. The radio display/clock feature will turn off while music is still playing. Headlights dim when radio/instrument panel is changed. The ABS failed on the interstate whlie going 65mph. The car slid for a long time, causing a large bald spot on all 4 tires. Then subsequently the car shut off and took a few minutes before the car was able to turn back on. The starter has died 3 times, each time being replaced. The car gets roughly 13mpg at all times. There is no safety under the seat to prevent rolling objects from rolling into the front seat and potentially affecting the use of pedals. The car frequently does not allow me to turn the key. I have had all of these problems, even while taking excellent care of my vechicle.
Fog light switch is faulty. This switch leaves the lights on at all times which drains battery and leaves the driver stranded. This problem has been documented in hundreds of pt cruisers. Http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/chrysler-pt-cruiser/tf81khbdldvt92ah2.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 MPH, all the warning lights around the speedometer illuminated intermittently. Each time the warning lights illuminated, the headlights dimmed. The fourth time the problem occurred, the illumination was followed by the entire instrument panel failing. The vehicle was taken to a private repair shop, who determined that the instrument cluster had become completely inoperative. There was a the federal safety agency recall # 01v288000, pertaining to the under dash wiring. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. Updated 11/30/2006 -
For the past 4 months my car fog lights come on for no reason. Woke up in the morning and they where on and if they turn on while driving it seems to affect the radio now when I shut off the car I put turn signal on and it seems to make it stop.
Dt*: the contact stated the instrument panel cluster failed while the vehicle was started on september 15, 2006. The vehicle operated, but there were no instrument readings. There was a the federal safety agency recall # 01v288000 regarding an error in the instrument in panel cluster micro- processor. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to
From the first month that I purchased my vehicle the engine light has been on more than off. I read the owners manual and it said that it was a vacuum issue and it would correct itself. The dealership charged me to diagnose and to fix it but now I see that there was a the federal safety agency 01v288000 on a cluster panel issue. Why was I charged for something that a dealership should check for to see if it is a known defect?
Dt: the contact stated the driver's side and passenger's side air bags deployed while driving down the highway. There was no prior warning. Also , the right front brake had a loud popping and squealing noise, this caused the steering wheel to vibrate. The right front brake overheated, it turned the rim red hot. He could smell the brake dust from the right front brake. He contacted the dealer, they have repeatedly replaced the brakes, brake pads, disc caliper, and rotors. He was still having the same problem with the vehicle. *ak updated 12/7/2005. The battery had to be replaced at 14972 miles.
Battery failure before warranty expiration. Replacement failure after warranty & no monetary payment by company.
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