2004 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER Engine Problems

IT STARTED WITH THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND THE MIDDLE STICK LIGHTS (P,D,R,N++) I CAN'T SEE AT NIGHT WHAT SPEED I'M GOING OR MY LEVELS OR ANYTHING BC THE LIGHTS QUIT WORKING, I HAD THE BATTERY REPLACED I'VE HAD THE BATTERY CHANGED TWICE, I'VE HAD THE THERMOSTAT CHANGED TWICE BUT IT STILL OVER HEATS NOT TOO LONG AGO WITH BOTH OF MY TODDLERS IN THE CAR ON A 3 LANE HIGHWAY LOCKED UP ON ME COULDN'T USE THE STEERING WHEEL OR BRAKES HAD TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BREAK IT'S JUST BEEN REPETITIVE I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM MY SISTER WHO'S GRANDMOTHER GOT TIRED OF PUTTING MONEY INTO IT IT STUTTERS SOMETIMES LIKE IT'S SLOW TO SHIFT INTO GEAR TO ACCELERATE IT CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE. IT WAS MY FIRST CAR IT'S NEVER BEEN WRECKED, I NEVER THOUGHT TO CHECK FOR ANY RECALLS, I BOUGHT IT IN JULY OF 17. IT'S ONLY HAD...

I BOUGHT THIS CAR LAST YEAR FROM A PRIVATE OWNER I DID NOT KNOW THAT IT HAD A OVER HEATING PROBLEM I REALLY HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING SO I THEN STARTED LOOKING IT UP AND FOUND OUT THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AS ME AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ ABOUT IT THE DEALERSHIP SHOULD FIX MY PROBLEM SINCE THE PROBLEM REALLY COMES FROM THEM FROM IT WAS MADE

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE WILL SPUTTER AND DIE. WHEN PULLING UP TO A STOP LIGHT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON AND THE ENGINE WILL IMMEDIATELY DIE. WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65MPH THE ENGINE WILL SUDDENLY DIE.

JUST UNDER 78,000 MILES TURBO GOES OUT, TOOK TO DEALERSHIP, REPLACED TURBO (TOOK 6 MOS) FINALLY RETURNED THE VEHICLE AND WITHIN 1 MONTH HEAD GASKET GOES OUT (BLOWING WHITE SMOKE), WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH ON A SIDE ROAD (DEALER SAYS KNOWN PROBLEM, WANTS ANOTHER $2000 FOR HEAD GASKET, LOCAL DEALER SAYS "THE HEAD GASKETS FOR THAT CAR ARE THE WEAK POINT, WHEN YOU RETURN THE COMP RATIO TO NEW/NORMAL WITH A NEW TURBO. IT WILL BLOW THE HEAD GASKET OUT") REPLACED MYSELF (CANT AFFORD DEALER) NEW HEAD GASKET (MULTI LAYERED POS), NEW BOLTS (REQUIRED), NEW TIMING BELT, NOW IT WONT START, TESTED ALL SENSORS, CAM, CRANK, O/P, WATER, THROTTLE POS, REPLACED COIL, REPLACED PCM, CHASED AND INSPECTED ALL WIRING, STILL NOTHING ENGINE CRANKS OVER, BUT-IT WILL NOT START. MECHANICS AND DEALERS ALIKE SAY ITS NORMAL FOR THIS CAR BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA OR REASON FOR IT NOT STARTING,...

WHILE DRIVING, SOMETIMES WHEN DRIVING, THE CAR WILL JERK TO THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT WITHOUT PROBACATION. VECHILE ACCELERATES WITHOUT FOOT BEING ON THE PEDAL. ONE TIME I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, BUT THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND THE ENGINE STARTING REVING. I HAD TO USE BOTH FEET WITH EXTREME FORCE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN. FINALLY, I JUST THREW THE CAR INTO PARK; ONCE IN PARK, THE CAR KEPT REVING. THE PEDAL WAS NOT PRESSED.THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THREE OCCASIONS. THIS MAKES FOR UNSAFE DRIVING, AND ONLY DUE TO MY GOOD DRIVING SKILLS DID I AVOID AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURING FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS.

VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN, UP TO 4,000RPM WITH MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL. WHEN I STOMPED ON THE BRAKES CAR WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN, ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN AT 4,000RPM. TO SAVE MY LIFE AND OTHERS SHIFTED CAR INTO NEUTRAL, PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF IGNITION. AFTER A MINUTE OR TWO RESTARTED THE CAR AND SAME SYMPTOM WERE PRESENT, ENGINE REVIVING TO 4,000RPM, FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL, ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AS A PRECAUTION. NOTE THAT WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED THE CAR WAS NOT IN CRUISE CONTROL MODE, SIMPLY DRIVING AROUND TOWN RUNNING ERRANDS. THIS SITUATION IS SCARY BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW WHEN, HOW, IF IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN, TOTALLY UNPROVOKED AND NON-SENSICAL AS TO WHY IT IS HAPPENING, WHAT TRIGGERS THE PROBLEM. THIS HAS NOW OCCURRED TWICE RECENTLY AND BECAUSE OF THIS NIGHTMARE SCENARIO I AM HESITANT, VERY VERY HESITANT TO DRIVE THE...

CAR MAKING NOISES. *TR

DRIVING ON FREEWAY WHEN ALL THE ENGINE LIGHTS ON THE DASH LIGHT UP, FLICKER, THEN GO DEAD. THEN THE CAR LOSES POWER, INCLUDING STEERING AND BRAKES AND CANNOT BE CONTROLLED. IT WILL START AGAIN LATER AND WILL BE OK FOR A FEW DAYS OR WEEKS WHEN THE PROBLEM RE-OCCURS. NEITHER AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC NOR CHRYSLER CAN FIND THE PROBLEM. IT HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AT ANY SPEED AND CIRCUMSTANCE. I MANAGED TO GET VIDEO DURING ONE SUCH EPISODE ON SURFACE STREETS. THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE PROBLEM GM IS HAVING AND SHOULD LEAD TO A RECALL BEFORE ANYONE IS KILLED. I CAN'T IN GOOD CONSCIENCE SELL THE CAR, AND AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT BUT HAVE NO CHOICE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OTHER PT CRUISER OWNERS AND CHRYSLER HAS TURNED A DEAF EAR TO THE PROBLEM. *JS

ROUGH IDLE AT STOPPED INTERSECTIONS, LUNGES AND STALLS. STALLS A APPROXIMATELY 15-25 MPH WHILE MAKING LEFT OR RIGHT TURNS MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN WHILE PLACING THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND STARTING THE ENGINE AGAIN. THE FOG LIGHTS TURN ON BY ITSELF AFTER THE VEHICLE IS PARKED AND THE IGNITION IS TURNED OFF DRAINING THE BATTERY. HAD TO DISCONNECT THE FUSE IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. TO THIS DATE NON-FUNCTIONAL FOG LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE HAS SEVERAL ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS FROM INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NOT FUNCTIONING WHILE DRIVING TO RADIO AND CLIMATE CONTROL NOT WORKING UNTIL YOU STOP THE VEHICLE AND TURN IT OFF. THEN START THE VEHICLE AGAIN THEN IT WORKS PROPERLY FOR ANOTHER FEW DAYS. THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM. WHEEL BEARING HAS BEEN AN ISSUE TOO AND CURRENTLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS MISFIRING. CAR SHUT OFF AT AROUND 60MPH. DRIFTED OFF ROAD AND RESTARTED AND WENT A MILE OR SO AND IT SHUT OFF AGAIN WE KEPT DOING THAT UNTIL WE GOT HOME. THE NEXT DAY WE TOOK IT TO OUR MECHANIC IT RAN FINE ON THE WAY THERE, AROUND 15 MILES. HE PUT IT ON HIS COMPUTER, IT READ BAD INJECTORS SO HE REPLACED THEM. THEN HE TOOK IT FOR A RIDE AND IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS MISFIRING AGAIN HE PUT IT BACK ON HIS COMPUTER AND IT READ BAD COIL SO HE REPLACED THE COIL PACK,PLUGS AND PLUG WIRES. IT RAN FINE FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS . UNTIL NOW 10/30/2012. . TOOK BACK TO MECHANIC, HE REPLACED O2 SENSORS. RAN FOR 2WKS. SAME THING AGAIN! ONCE AGAIN TOOK BACK TO MECHANIC . HE PUT IT ON HIS COMPUTER ONCE AGAIN...

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE WILL SPUTTER AND DIE. WHEN PULLING UP TO A STOP LIGHT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON AND THE ENGINE WILL IMMEDIATELY DIE. WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65MPH THE ENGINE WILL SUDDENLY DIE. SOMETIMES IT WILL START UP AGAIN RIGHT AWAY, BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT TAKES A FEW MINUTES TO START BACK UP, WHILE PEOPLE ARE HONKING AND HAVING TO GO AROUND MY CAR. MOST OF THE TIME THE CAR WILL RUN ROUGH AFTER RE-START, BUT WILL RUN NORMALLY AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT, UNTIL THE NEXT TIME IT DIES. MANY OTHER PT OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING. VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY! FOUR MECHANICS HAVE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. NO LUCK. HAVE REPLACED THE ECM AND JUST ABOUT EVERY SENSOR AND REPLACEABLE ENGINE PART. NO LUCK. THIS IS OCCURRING IN OTHER CHRYSLER VEHICLES, TOO. IT SEEMS LIKE NO ONE HAS...

CONSUME TOO MUCH OIL SINCE GOT THE NEW CAR. LOST ABOUT 1 QT EVERY 3K. NOW AT 65K, LOST 1 QT ABOUT EVERY 1K MILES. *TR

MY CAR STARTED OVERHEATING, SO WE HAVE REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT, FAN FUSES, AND IT IS STILL OVERHEATING. MY COUSIN HAS THE SAME CAR ONLY A 2002 WHICH IT OVERHEATED AND CAUSED THE HEAD TO BLOW. THERE ARE MANY MANY MANY COMPLAINTS ON LINE HOWEVER I AM NOT SEEING VERY MANY PEOPLE WITH THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE. JUST DOING A SEARCH ON LINE FOR PT CRUISER OVERHEATING PROBLEMS THERE ARE TONS OF THEM. WHY WOULD THERE NOT BE A RECALL ON SOMETHING THAT IS A KNOWN ISSUE? I HAVE A 2001 DODGE CARAVAN THAT HAS NEVER HAD ANY SERIOUS PROBLEMS, WITH 200,000 MILES ON IT. THIS CAR HAS 90K ON IT AND THERE IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD REPAIRED, LIKE DOUBLE WHAT THE CAR WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED FOR I HAVE ABOUT $10,000.00 WORTH OF REPAIR BILLS, THAT'S A LITTLE LIKE A LEMON CAR. *TR