NHTSA Complaint #10447313 — 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER

RECENTLY, I NOTICED A PUDDLE OF OIL FORMING UNDER MY CAR WHEN IT WAS PARKED BRIEFLY. A CHECK OF OIL SHOWED THAT IT WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL, BUT WELL WITHIN RANGE. TOPPED UP OIL AND STARTED ENGINE, AND STEADY STREAM OF OIL WAS SEEN TO BE COMING FROM CRANK OIL SEAL. THE DAY BEFORE THIS CAR DID NOT DRIP A DROP OF OIL. MECHANIC FOUND SEAL WAS IN TACT, BUT COMPLETELY LOOSE FROM ENGINE. HAD SEAL REPLACED BY CERTIFIED MECHANIC, AND IN LESS THAN 15 MILES THE OIL LEAK RETURNED. AFTER SEEING MULTIPLE SIMILAR ACCOUNTS ON INTERNET, HAD THE MECHANIC OPEN THE ENGINE AND FOUND THE CRANK END PLAY TO BE WELL OVER .020" AND THE THRUST BEARING WIPED ALONG WITH DAMAGE TO THE CRANK THRUST FACE. ODDLY CHRYSLER SEEMS TO ONLY INSTALL THE THRUST BEARING ON ONLY THE TOP HALF IN THIS DESIGN. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE THE THRUST BEARING FAILS, THE CRANKSHAFT THEN WALKS INTO THE BACK OF THE SEAL AND KNOCKS IT OUT. FORTUNATELY, I NOTICED THE PUDDLE, BEFORE THIS FAILED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS COULD HAVE EMPTIED THE OIL IN MINUTES AND SEIZED UP THE ENGINE AT SPEED. THIS IS CLEARLY A KNOWN DESIGN FLAW THAT CHRYSLER IS AVOIDING TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR. NO ENGINE SHOULD HAVE THIS SORT OF FAILURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY! *TR