Chrysler PT Cruiser fuel gauge problems

Filed Apr 8, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 135,000 miles · PA

No headlight, high beam or low beam or turn signal right side. This began about 6/2017 when replacing bulbs did not work. A few months later the horn also stopped working. Fuel gauge stopped reading and sometimes reads full then drops toward e then may show half. Never a constant reading anymore. All fuses and relays test good. Tipm appears to be in good shape, no visible damage or defects to circuit boards. No good voltage to head lamps or turn signal (meter shows 11.5 volts, but appears to be a potential and not a good voltage. Cannot light a bulb but still shows the voltage on the meter), grounds meter good to chassis. Wiring harness appears good with no indication of damage. Runs very rough and engine light codes a cylinder 3 misfire. Runs smooth under acceleration but very rough on idle and sometimes stalls when stopping or at red lights. I have spent several hundred dollars already on timing belts, alternators, injectors and other maintenance procedures. Dealers wont look at it without several hundred dollars to run diagnostics again and again. I suspect tipm and PCM to be defective units throughout chrysler products. You cannot drive at night because I cant get the lights to work. Car is currently parked because it is unusable and unsafe to drive.

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 Apr 17, 2017 · Electrical · 101,100 miles · AZ

While driving, the indicator lights on the instrument panel start flashing. The gas gauge, the speedometer, the seat belt light, and other lights, except the check engine light, flash on and off intermittently. Sometimes when the lights are flashing and the indicators are flucuating back and forth, the car has slowed as if it was going to stop. It has not stopped yet but the car did engage in some bucking action. If I stop the car and start it again after putting it in park, generally the lights do not flash for the rest of day. I took the car to my mechanic many times in reference to this issue. They could not find the source of the problem. My mechanic told me to take the car to the dealer. I took it to the dealer, they kept it for two days and were unable to duplicate and therefore diagnose the problem. My car has had every conceivable test and has had parts replaced and nothing has stopped the instrument panel from flashing and the car nearly stalling. I contacted chrysler corp. Customer service who was not helpful. They simply put on hold for 45 minutes to deal with my complaint. I have looked on-line and this seems to be a problem with pt cruisers. Chrsyler is employing risk management for this problem. I hope no one is killed.

Filed Dec 12, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · FL

For all you chrysler pt cruiser lovers! Problem solved today! Dashboard lights repeatedly go on and off, engine stalling while driving or idling, I have a 2006 and have been plagued with this issue for a few years now. Dealer mechanics are idiots who go for the big ticket items and hope that solves the problem. This problem for me, was caused by a faulty key ignition module, in the steering wheel. Internal parts are loose and fail to keep an electrical connection. A $60-90 retail part. Easily replaced by anyone who can use a torx screwdriver. You will get a new key to start the car with but it does not include a skip anti-theft rf module, so just keep the old key on the chain to open your car doors with. Now, how about chrysler man up and fix all these including providing new rf keys so I don't need to keep 2 on my chain. My original complaint: the federal safety agency id number: 10823650 tipm already replaced 1x for same issues occurring again now, a few years later and for at least the last 8 months from this posting, occurring more and more frequently now and last time occurring was feb 01, 2016. All dash / engine status lights come on for no reason, then off seconds later, occurring anytime while engine is running. Engine stalls - sputtering, power steering and breaks fail to work properly during this time, fuel level gauge wildly fluctuates and smell of gas is noticeable, all causing a dangerous situation when at highway speeds. Head lights and interior lights randomly go bright or dim for a fraction of a second. Dealership unable to diagnose as it does not stay broke long enough for their techs to diagnose with their equipment even after having the car for 2 full days, despite this problem seen visually by dealer and on video recording. Suspect tipm / ECM, integrated voltage regulator is at fault...

Filed Jul 2, 2016 · Electrical · 182,000 miles · MI

Fuel gauge suddenly drops to empty. Even after a complete tank refill. It would seem to be an electrical malfunction in either the sensor or dash gauge itself. It can be "cleared" from being stuck on empty by shutting off the engine and then restarting it. Also, speedometer suddenly drops to zero for several seconds and then jumps back to the present speed.

Filed Jun 15, 2016 · Electrical · 80,000 miles · AL

Upon starting the car, the gauge lights flash and bells ding, and the gas gauge fluctuated wildly. Has done this several times. So far, it has stopped doing that pretty quickly. The last time, I did notice the car seemed to have a slight whishy noise and seemed like the power was weak. In the past there have been a few times that the car would continue running after I turned it off. The button on the gear shift has to be jiggled a little to be able to remove the key.

Filed Apr 19, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · 6 miles · FL

When randomly driving all the lights on the dashboard go crazy, the fuel gauge goes to empty even when it's a full tank, the car loses power and the engine starts to stall... It's very scary because where I drive there are busy highways and I'm scared too death I'm going to get killed or kill someone.

Filed Apr 1, 2016 · Electrical · 122,500 miles · PA

As I was driving my car all the gauges and warning lights came on,gas gauge needle went to e(tank was full), lost power as I was driving. Took the car to my mechanic they tried to duplicate the problem, of course they couldn't. Then the engine light came on. Put the car in the garage...again! A week later the problem returned. My job requires me to work across all 3 shifts, I am frighten to drive my car, I often have my grandchildren in the car with. They were in the car march 25,2016 when the car began bucking and jerking while we were driving home. I was on a street doing 45 MPH, when the cars speed dropped to 5 MPH. I was impeding traffic, and cars were passing me on curves! I was on another site and see 93 other complaints, for the same issue. I am thinking there will need to be a loss of life before chrysler corp. Does something to correct this serious problem.

Filed Feb 2, 2016 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 85,000 miles · FL

Tipm already replaced 1x for same issues occurring again now, a few years later and for at least the last 8 months from this posting, occurring more and more frequently now and last time occurring was feb 01, 2016. All dash / engine status lights come on for no reason, then off seconds later, occurring anytime while engine is running. Engine stalls - sputtering, power steering and breaks fail to work properly during this time, fuel level gauge wildly fluctuates and smell of gas is noticeable, all causing a dangerous situation when at highway speeds. Head lights and interior lights randomly go bright or dim for a fraction of a second. Dealership unable to diagnose as it does not stay broke long enough for their techs to diagnose with their equipment even after having the car for 2 full days, despite this problem seen visually by dealer and on video recording. Suspect tipm / ECM, integrated voltage regulator is at fault. Extended warranty refuses to replace without a certified diagnosis by authorized repair shop. 2nd major problem with 4 engine mounts needing replacement several times, more than 10 mount replacements during life of my car, so far. 3rd major problem, transmission sometimes will not auto shift gears in a timely manor, taking up to 4 seconds to engage drive or other from park setting. I have the entire life of vehicle paperwork on all repairs and regular maintenance done for this car. Hoping there is a class action lawsuit I can get in on for this problem, seen reported numerous times on various forums like this dot site.

Filed Aug 7, 2015 · Acceleration, Electrical · 43,000 miles · CT

Almost 3 months ago, the indicator lights on the instrument panel started flashing. The gas gauge, the speedometer, the seat belt light, and other lights, except the check engine light, flashed on and off intermittently. I took it to my mechanic who could not find the source of the problem even using the diagnostic tool. In july, after servicing the car (tune-up) and with my reporting the continuation of the intermittent flashing, my mechanic told me to take the car to the dealer. I took it to the dealer, they kept it for two days and were unable to duplicate and therefore diagnose the problem. For that I paid $145.00. Sometimes when the lights are flashing and the indicators are acting crazy, the car has slowed as if it was going to stop. On tuesday of this week, the car shut itself off completely when I started to drive after stopping for a traffic signal. I was able to get the car started again after putting it in park and then turning the key in the ignition. I contacted chrysler corp. Customer service who were not helpful. I have looked on-line and this seems to be a problems with the cruiser. I am afraid this stoppage will happen on the expressway and I will be injured or killed. If this is and has been a problem, would you not think chrysler would try to fix it before someone is injured or killed. I do plan to take it back to the dealer again, however, I am concerned about my safety and I do not wish to continue to pay for unfruitful diagnoses. I hope you are able to investigate - maybe they will try to find a "fix". Thank you. *tr.....updated 09-29-15