2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser acceleration problems

Filed Nov 27, 2018 · Acceleration, Electrical · 55,000 miles · WA

Intermittently all dash lights come on and all gauges begin fluctuating and the car will begin to sputter and sometimes dies and then it doesn't do it again for miles

Filed Nov 9, 2018 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 40,000 miles · MD

More often than not, all the lights on dash illuminate when the car is first started, sometimes flashing on and then off when driving. If driving, sometimes the car will either accelerate or slow down. Because the speedometer goes back and forth, I have no idea how fast I'm going. If I slow down when approaching a red light or to make a turn, the car has cut off. Looking online, this appears to be a common problem of pt cruiser owners, yet I've never seen a recall. Diagnostics ran a few times and no reading shows up. Only told, it appears to be an electrical issue.

Filed Oct 2, 2017 · Acceleration, Electrical · 95,510 miles · OR

I was in a hwy. All of a sudden, all the gauges light up and I lost power. I push the gas pedal but no acceleration. I managed to park on the side. I turned off the engine and restarted the car again. This happened just 3 weeks after I bought the car. It happened again one month later. It has been now one week later. I am afraid it is going to happen again. It is a very safety hazard since I always travel on a busy highway.

Filed Sep 29, 2016 · Acceleration, Electrical · 125,000 miles · IA

All warning lights flash while driving, car dies then restarts, very dangerous in traffic. Chrysler can't find the issue, took it mechanics they can't find the issue. Seems like there are 100's of issues with many different years of the pt cruiser however chrysler is ignoring and there is nothing to fix. Some days this happens a lot then it will go 3 or 4 days without.

Filed Nov 28, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · 41,000 miles · FL

Purchased vehicle a couple of years ago with about 32,000 miles, everything has been great until a couple of weeks ago. At about 41,000 vehicle has started stalling when moving, horn will not quit, starting issues and dash lights flash on and off. This is a very dangerous issue and I have read most of the prior 60 complaints dating back to 2010 and nothing has been done by chrysler . I have heard on the national news that there is finally a recall with this vehicle but my VIN # is not included for some reason.

Filed Jul 1, 2014 · Acceleration, Engine · 36,700 miles · NC

As stated in a previous complaint. The gauges start lighting up and the vehicle shuts off, I have found that if you wiggle the key it can stop what is happening. It is very dangerous because the vehicle loses all power when this happens and when traveling on the highway or trying to pass this could cause serious injury. I received notification that this item has been addressed by your office for other chrysler and dodge vehicles but the recall did not include the pt cruiser. The federal safety agency campaign id number: 14v373 sounds identical to what my vehicle is doing. I also have video that shows what the vehicle is doing. Please advise if the pt cruiser is going to be included in this recall and if not and I pay to have the ignition switch replace will I be refunded in the event that the pta cruiser is included in the recall. This is a very costly repair. In addition I would like to address the horn on my vehicle. It has been repaired previously by the chrysler dealer but does not work properly. When depressed it sticks or doesn't work at all without alot of force. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Filed Oct 29, 2013 · Acceleration, Electrical · 35,000 miles · NC

Driving at 55mph and all the gauges (gas, speed, tach) went to zero and fluttered up and down, the vehicle stalled. Was fortunate enough to be able to pull over safely and restart the vehicle without incidence. The vehicle has repeated this on several occasions. I was able to record on my phone the instrument panel while it was acting up. Think I have isolated the problem to the key and ignition. I have found if I wiggle the key when this happens it stops. This could be very dangerous since you lose power to the vehicle while driving, it happens without warning. Several internet searches reveal alot of people with the same complaint. I think chrysler should so be responsible for repair of this problem, they evidently produced a product with a defect that could potentially cause loss of life or bodily damage.

Filed Oct 16, 2013 · Acceleration, Electrical · 74,660 miles · CT

I just purchased this vehicle and had it for less then 3 weeks. I drove it a total of 5 times. When I was driving to work on a major highway, the car started to act up. The speedometer went from 55 to zero then back up to 80, I lost the ability to steer and accelerate, all of the lights came on the dash board, the car fuel gauges went up and down, and finally the car stalled. I was on a major highway which was a very scary. No codes were recorded for a mechanic to find out the problem. The problem is not fixed, and seems to be a problem with several pt cruisers from what I have researched. I am working with the dealer attempting for a refund, as I feel my safety and the safety of others are at risk.

Filed Oct 15, 2013 · Acceleration, Electrical · 74,000 miles · CT

I was driving on a major highway, doing about 55mph. All of my gauges started to light up, the speedometer went from 55 to zero then up to 65, the lights flashed on and off, the car then started to slow down to about 40, would not accelerate, then eventually just shut off. I was driving on a major highway, but able to pull off to the right side lane. The wheels tightened so I could not steer, I shut the car off and left it for about 20 mins. It started again but struggles to go over 40 before it starts acting up again. I can not find the problem, no codes are recorded. I am convinced that this is a serious safety issue with pt cruisers as I have read similar problems.

Filed Jun 21, 2013 · Acceleration, Airbags · 73,000 miles · FL · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chrysler pt cruiser. The contact stated while traveling 30 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact applied the brakes, but the vehicle did not slow down causing the contact to crash into a tree. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 73,000.