2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER Suspensionfrontcontrol Armlower Arm Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHENEVER THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, SHE WOULD HEAR A CLUNKING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT END. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS AND THE BUSHINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 59,000. UPDATED 08/28/09. *LJ THE RADIATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FOG LIGHT WOULD COME ON WITH NO WARNING. A NEEW MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH WAS NEEDED. UPDATED 09/02/09.*JB

FRONT CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS ARE WORN OUT AT LESS THEN 40000 MILES. *AK

AT 62,000 MILES, THERE WAS A CLUNKING NOISE IN MY 2001 PT CRUISER. WHEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER WAS TOLD THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS/BUSHINGS WERE BAD. OF COURSE, MY CAR WAS OVER WARRANTY. QUOTE $750.00 + TAX. HAD REPLACED, NOW AT 75,000 MILES 1 YEAR LATER, TOOK MY PT IN FOR ANNUAL INSPECTION.....YEP, LOWER CONTROL ARMS/BUSHINGS BAD & NEEDING REPLACED AGAIN. QUOTE THIS TIME $582.00 + TAX. SHOULD THIS BE A YEARLY THING? I HAVE NORMAL DRIVING ON PAVED ROADS...AVOID POT HOLES. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED! I LOVE MY CRUISER BY A TRADE IN MIGHT BE HAPPENING!*JB

ON MY 2001 PT CRUISER BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS PULLED LOOSE FROM THE ARM WHICH CAUSED THE CAR TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE REPAIR SHOP THEY BROUGHT ME OUT TO THE CAR AND SHOWED ME THE DAMAGE TO THE CONTROL ARMS. ODDLY ENOUGH THERE WAS ANOTHER PT CRUISER IN THE NEXT BAY THAT HAD THE VERY SAME PROBLEM. THE OWNER OF THE REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME HE HAD PUT CONTROL ARMS ON AT LEAST 40 PT CRUISERS IN THE PAST YEAR. I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD NOTIFIED CHRYSLER ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND HE SAID HE HAD CONTACTED THEM ON BEHALF OF HIS CUSTOMERS AND CHRYSLER INSISTED THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEMS WITH THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS. MY PT CRUISER HAS 60,000 MILES ON IT AND THE CAR THAT WAS NEXT TO MINE HAD 34,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER....

DT: THE CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS DRIVING WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO PULL HARD TO THE LEFT. SHE THEN DECIDED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A GARAGE FOR AN INSPECTION. THIS HAPPENED WITHOUT ANY PREVIOUS INCIDENTS. THE MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARMS FAILED. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT SHE SHOULD NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE UNTIL IT WAS REPAIRED. THE MECHANIC NOTED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THESE VEHICLES. THE MECHANIC REPLACED BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARMS. THERE HAVE BEEN NO FURTHER PROBLEMS SINCE THE REPLACEMENT. *AK (11/23/05) *SC

LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS NEED REPLACEMENT ALREADY AT 29000 MILES, ON 2001 PT CRUISER. THIS PREMATURE FAILURE IS A SAFETY RISK AND APPEARS TO BE COMMON ON THIS VEHICLE (ADMITTED BY DEALER), YET IS OUT OF WARRANTY. SHOULD WARRANT A RECALL NOTICE AND FREE REPAIR.

DEALERSHIP FOUND CAUSE OF NOISE IN STEERING. PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY LOWER FRONT CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS BEING BROKEN (NOT WORN). FURTHER FAILURE COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE. *JB

SEVERE CLUNKING NOISED UNDER THE FRONT END OF MY 2001 PT CRUISER AT 60K MILES. DEALER NOTIFIED THAT BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARM (BUSHINGS) HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. LUCKILY, I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY SO THE OUT OF POCKET COST WAS $100 DEDUCTIBLE AND $70 FRONT END ALIGNMENT. WHY SHOULD CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS FAIL SO EARLY? I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SINCE I FOUND MANY PT OWNERS ON THE WEB EXPERIENCING SIMILIAR SUSPENSION FAILURES, DAIMLER CHRYSLER SHOULD COVER ALL THE COST.

THE BUSHINGS WHERE THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS ARE FASTENED TO THE CROSSMEMBER MINE, METAL ON METAL CONCERNING STEERING/SUSPENSION. *BF THE CONSUMERS LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE TOTALLY DISINTEGRATED. *SC *JB

THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS ARE SEPARATING FROM THE RUBBER. THIS CAN CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, RATTLES, SEVERE FRONT END VIBRATION. SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL PT CRUISER CLUB HAVE HAD THIS OCCUR AS LOW AS 5000 MILES. CURRENTLY MY PT HAS 75.000 MILES AND THE PROBLEM IS OCCURRING. I AM A 25 YEAR EMPLOYEE OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY. AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT THESE TYPE OF BUSHINGS SHOULD BE HAVING THIS SEPARATION PROBLEM. A RECALL AND MANDITORY REPAIR IS IN ORDER, BEFORE A OWNER HAS A VEHICLE ACCIDENT DUE TO THE VEHICLE LOOSING STEERING CONTROL.*AK

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHILE CHANGING MY FRONT ROTORS & PADS (AT 27K MILES), AND WITH THE SUSPENSION HANGING, I NOTICED THAT THE REAR BUSHING ON EACH CONTROL ARM HAD SEPARATION. I FIRST NOTICED THIS AT 23K000MILES (2-18-04) WHEN I WAS INSPECTING THE FRONT BRAKES, BUT THOUGHT IT MUST BE DESIGNED LIKE THAT SINCE THERE WERE SO FEW MILES ON THE CAR (I AM A RETIRED HEAVY EQUIPMENT MECHANIC). RESEARCHING NOW THE PT CRUISER SITES ON THE INTERNET I FIND THAT THIS IS, AND HAS BEEN, A COMMON PROBLEM WITH OWNERS.*AK

OVER THE LAST YEAR I HAVE HAD TO SPEND OVER $900 IN CORROSION RELATED REPAIRS TO MY 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. I SPENT $124 TO REPLACE WHEEL HUB COVERS, $150 TO REPLACE A CORRODED BELL HOUSING, AND $650 TO REPLACE BUSHINGS WHICH ARE COMING OUT OF THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS. ALL OF THESE ITEMS ARE RELATED TO DESIGN DEFECTS IN THE PT CRUISER.*AK

CHRYSLER PT CRUISER LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS ARE DEFECTIVE AND DC WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE.*AK

LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS SEPARATING FROM THE RUBBER. ONLY 13,000 MILES ON VEHICLE. *AK

I HAVE A 2001 PT CRUISER WITH 46,000 MILES ON IT, I HAVE TO REPLACE LOWER CONTROL ARMS ON BOTH SIDES BECAUSE THE BUSHINGS HAVE SEPERATED FROM THE BUBBER. I HAVE HAD CARS WITH OVER 200,000 MILES ON THEM AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT A RECALL IS IN ORDER BEFORE SOME ONE GETS HURT DUE TO LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL.*AK

UPPER & LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS FAILURE. *AK

I HAD MY 2001 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER IN THE SHOP FOR THE MANDATORY PENNSYLVANIA STATE SAFETY INSPECTION. THE MECHANICS INFORMED THE THAT BOTH OF THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE BAD IN THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY 47,000 ORIGINAL MILES ON THE CAR. I ASKED IF THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURANCE AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED THESE CONTROL ARMS ON 9 VEHICLES SO FAR. THEY STATED THEY CALLED THE LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD THEM THAT THEY REPLACE ABOUT 30 OF THESE PER MONTH. I WAS TOLD THERE HAVE BEEN NO RECALLS ISSUED FOR THIS ITEM.*AK

THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS ARE FAILING ON THE PT CRUISERS. THIS IS CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE IF THEY GET BAD ENOUGH. THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHING IS SEPARATING AND ALLOWING THE CONTROL ARM TO DROP DOWN AND HIT THE FRAME. THE OCCURRENCE IS HAPPENING TO MANY OF MY CAR CLUB MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE PT FORUM I FREQUENT. AND A LOT OF THEM STILL HAVE LOW MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLES. THIS IS A CONTROL PROBLEM AND POORLY DESIGNED (BAD RUBBER) DESIGN THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE MANAGED TO CATCH THE FUEL LINE RUB THRU PROBLEM AND DC HAS TAKEN CARE OF THAT. BUT NOW THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ALSO.. THIS ISN'T JUST CONCENING THE USA MODELS BUT ALSO THE MODELS IN OTHER COUNTRIES. AK

THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS ARE SEPARATING FROM THE RUBBER. THIS CAN CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, RATTLES, SEVERE TIRE VIBRATION OR FRONT END VIBRATION. SOME OF MY MEMBERS HAVE HAD THIS OCCUR AS LOW AS 5000 MILES. CURRENTLY MINE HAS 36.000 MILES AND THE PROBLEM IS OCCURRING ON MINE. I AM A ASE CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN. AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT THESE TYPE OF BUSHINGS SHOULD BE HAVING THIS SEPARATION PROBLEM AT SUCH A LOW MILEAGE. A RECALL IS IN ORDER, BEFORE A OWNER HAS A VEHICLE ACCIDENT DUE TO THE VEHICLE LOOSING STEERING CONTROL.

PREMATURE FAILURE OF FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS AND LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS. DEALER STATES HE HAS SEEN THIS IN OTHER PT CRUISERS. *AK