2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser: wrong fuel gauge reading

Filed Jul 26, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · 75,000 miles · WA

I purchased the vehicle in december of 2016. The odometer reading was 74,000 miles at that time. It functioned without problems until march 2018. The car was driven about 2 miles and then was parked for about 5 hours. I started the car and drove about 2 blocks at about 25 MPH when all the dashboard lights came on, the gas gauge went to empty and I felt a loss of power. It recovered after a few seconds. It happened again about 1 minute later. I coasted to a stop sign and turned off the engine. I turned it back on about 30 seconds later and drove on. I turned onto a busy street and after driving a few blocks in traffic the power loss happened again. It recovered on its own after about 5 seconds. I got off the busy s street and onto a side street. It happened again after driving a few blocks and did not recover. I coasted into a parking spot and turned off the ignition. After about 5 minutes I started the car and drove about 1.5 miles to my house without incident. The car spent several weeks in a reputable local repair shop. They could not replicate the problem, so could not diagnose. I then drove the car for about 2 months without incident. It has started doing it again. I do not believe I can safely drive it on a busy street or a freeway.

Filed May 28, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 98,000 miles · NV

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chrysler pt cruiser. While driving at various speeds, the speedometer and fuel gauge fluctuated and the engine stalled. The failures recurred numerous times. The dealer diagnosed that the camshaft, alternator, battery post, and battery needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

Filed Sep 23, 2014 · Electrical · 77,900 miles · CA

Travelling at about 60 MPH on the freeway, suddenly I noticed all the warning lights on the instrument panel coming on at once, for about 2 or 3 seconds, then going off again. I also noticed the fuel gauge and tachometer needles dancing around at the same time, before stabilizing. This happened several times within approximately 40 minutes of driving. I was afraid that the engine could stall but luckily the motor kept running without any indication of stalling. I have read several other posts and descriptions of people with identical problems and some of them described the engine stalling. Many of these state that dealerships are unable to find the problem and that chrysler has not publicly acknowledged it. I find this difficult to believe as this has the potential of a major lawsuit waiting to happen as soon as someone gets hurt as a result. There are just too many of these descriptions to believe that this issue has not been identified.

Filed Jul 29, 2014 · Electrical · 51,000 miles · KS

While driving the car will just stop, the gauges will flicker on and off and the gas gauge will drop to empty. After it shuts off, it will start back up as if nothing happened. You might be okay for a few days or months before it happens again. We have had the car back in with the dealer at least 5 times and they can't seem to duplicate the issue. Even after keeping the car for over a month or more. We then caught the gauges going crazy and recorded it for the dealer. They couldn't find a code for the issue. We had the battery replaced and it didn't fix the issue. Now they think it might be the ignition switch. We are having that replaced now. This same issue is affecting many 2009 pt cruiser owners and chrsyler has not stepped up to address the problem. It is extremely dangerous to be driving a car that just comes to a complete stop whether you are on the highway or a residential street. My hope is that there is not a loss of life or limb before something is done.

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 Dec 5, 2012 · Electrical, Engine · 79,000 miles · TX

While driving down the road all the dash lights came on and the car started beeping, the gas gauge and MPH and RPM dials go to zero. Can't pull a code and there seems to be no apparent problem that can be located by the dealer or a mechanic. This is very dangerous!