2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser Tires & Wheels Problems

I PURCHASED 4 NEW DOUGLAS EXTRA-TRAK II TIRES AT WALMART AND WITHIN ONLY A FEW MONTHS WAS HAVING MAJOR "ALIGNMENT" TYPE ISSUES. I THOUGHT MAYBE THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE BALANCED AND ROTATED AND HAVE THE PRESSURE CHECKED. WALMART TECH HAD ONE OF MY TIRES THAT WAS A FEW LBS LOW AND IT BLEW OUT AFTER HE PUT IT BACK UP TO APPROPRIATE LEVELS. BLOW OUT WAS OUT THE SIDE AND NOT VISIBLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE. OTHER SIDE BULGES WERE FOUND ON THE OTHER TIRES. SINCE THE TIRES HAD BEEN DRIVEN, WALMART ONLY GAVE ME A "DISCOUNT" ON REPLACING THE ONE THAT BLEW OUT - THE OTHERS WERE MY PROBLEM ACCORDING TO THEM. THESE TIRES ARE OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE AND NOT SAFE. *TR

2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. CONSUMER STATES THE WHEELS LEAK AIR AROUND THE RIMS CAUSING THE TIRES TO DEFLATE *TGW

TIRES , LEAK AIR PRESSURE@ 10 # PER DAY . BALANCING AND ROTATION IS DIFFICULT DUE TO CHROME PEELING OFF RIMS. MECHANIC TOLD ME THE PEELING IS INSIDE THE TIRE ALSO MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO BALANCE. I INSERTED (FIX AFLAT) TO HELP STOP THE LEAKING BUT THIS ADDED TO THE IMBALANCED CONDITION. DEALER WAS CONTACTED BUT NO RESPONSE WAS GIVEN FOR THIS CONDITION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE VEHICLE HAS COOPER TIRES, SIZE AT205/55/R16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED MODERATELY AND THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REST STOP AND THE TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE DOT NUMBER WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08T029000 (TIRES:TREAD/BELT). THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 20,000.

2 OF THE ALLOY RIMS LEAK AIR AT AN INCREASING RATE. 2 YEARS AGO IT WAS FILL MORE AIR ONCE A MONTH, LAST YEAR EVERY 2 WEEKS OR LESS AND LAST 2 MONTHS EVERY 2 DAYS. THE OTHER DAY I LOST A TIRE FROM LOW AIR AFTER DRIVING 50 MILES OVER A 7 HOUR TIME FRAME. I LOSE ABOUT 20 LBS OVERNIGHT ON THESE 2 TIRES BECAUSE THE CORROSION OF THE BASE METAL AND THE CHROME IS HAPPENING AT AN UNBELIEVABLE RATE. THE TIRE DEALERS HAVE SCRAPED OFF THE OLD CORROSION BUT TO NO AVAIL AS IT QUICKLY RECURS. I AM LUCKY IT WAS ONLY A FLAT THE OTHER DAY AND NOT A LOSS OF STEERING IN BUSY TRAFFIC. *TR

AFTER REPLACING THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON THE AUTO WE HAD A SERIES OF PROBLEMS WITH KEEPING THE TIRES INFLATED. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE CHROME ON THE RIMS WAS OXIDIZING AND IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH ALL CHRYSLER CORP. CHROME RIMS. WE HAD FIVE (5) FLAT TIRES WITH IN A TWO WEEK PERIOD AND DECIDED TO TALK TO THE CHRYSLER DEALER REGARDING THE PROBLEM. WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS SAFETY PROBLEM BECAUSE THE AUTO WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. WE THEN CONTACTED CHRYSLER CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE NUMBER AND WERE TOLD THEY WOULD NOT STAND BEHIND THERE PRODUCT BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. WE THEN SENT A LETTER TO CHRYSLER CORP. AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY RESPONSE. AGAIN WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE ARE MANY CHRYSLER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD WITH RIMS THAT WILL CAUSE A FLAT TIRE AT ANY TIME AND NO ONE AT CHRYSLER SEEMS TO WANT TO CORRECT THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

TBC SIGMA REGENT TOURING TIRE, TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE CAUSING THE WHOLE REAR DRIVER SIDE QUARTER PANEL AND REAR FASCIA TO BLOW OFF OF VEHICLE ,TIRES WERE PURCHASED A FEW YEARS AGO LESS THAN 20,000 MILES ON TIRES . *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. HE NOTICED THE LEFT FRONT TIRE PRESSURE WAS LOW DUE TO A SPLIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TIRE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 8,429.

GOODYEAR TIRE MODEL P205/50R17 EAGLE RSA. TIRE KEPT GOING FLAT AND WHEN EXAMINED THERE WAS A CIRCULAR CRACK AROUND THE TREAD, ALMOST LIKE A RETREAD WOULD SEPARATE, CAR WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION UNTIL TIRES REPLACED. TIRES CAME WITH CAR AS AN OPTION. *JB

2002 LIMITED EDITION PT CRUISER - WHEELS DEFECTIVE. THE ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEELS HAVE COMPLETELY DETERIORATED (PEELING AND FLAKING) UNDERNEATH THE CHROME PLATING (INSIDE AND OUT), CAUSING THE WHEELS TO CONTINUALLY LEAK AIR AND WEAKEN THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE WHEEL, MAKING THE VEHICLES UNSAFE. THE BEAD LIP DETERIORATED TO THE POINT OF BREAKING THE RIM. TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THE WHEELS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 39,000 MILES. THIS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I AM REPORTING THIS TO PREVENT INJURIES AND CRASHES. *NM

TIRES FAIL TO HOLD/MAINTAIN AIR PRESSURE..CHROME RIMS PEELING ,LOSE AIR PRESSURE FROM 35 LBS DOWN TO 15 LBS IN A WEEK PERIOD OF TIME. DEALER AGREES THERE IS A PROBLEM, RETAIL TIRE DEALERS HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS PROBLEM RIMS. MANUFACTURER WILL NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS UNSAFE.. CAN CAUSE ROLL OVER..BLOW OUTS. *JB

FILLING TIRES WITH AIR EVERY OTHER DAY . TIRE SERVICE DEALER SAID HE HAS SEEN SEVERAL OTHER PT CRUISER WITH SAME PROBLEM. WHAT CAN BE DONE . I HAVE BOUGHT 2 1/2 SETS OF NEW TIRES SINCE 5/2/06. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE HAD DIFFICULTIES WITH THE STEERING. UPON INSPECTION, THE TIRES APPEARED FLAT. THIS BECAME PRESENT AFTER THE RENEWAL OF ALL FOUR TIRES AT A TIRE SHOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO BALANCED THE TIRES AND PERFORMED AN ALIGNMENT. THE PROBLEM REOCCURRED AND THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY ABOUT THE DEFECT. THE VEHICLE REMAINED INOPERABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED WHO DECLARED THE PROBLEM OCCURRED ON VEHICLE'S OPERATED IN SNOW BELT STATES BUT PROVIDED NO SOLUTION.

WAS LOSING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF AIR FROM LEFT REAR TIRE. TOOK IT TO SEARS, FOR TIRE REPAIR, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TIRE WAS FINE, BUT THAT THE CHROME PLATED WHEEL WAS SEVERELY CORRODED AT THE BEAD. THEN TOOK CAR TO DEALER, WHERE THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE WHEEL WAS BEYOND REPAIR, AND ORDERED A NEW ONE. REPLACED A WEEK LATER. OK SINCE, HOWEVER I NOW HAVE TWO MORE WHEELS DOING THE SAME THING. WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED, NOT SURE WHAT TO DO. I AM AFRAID THAT THE WHEELS MAY FAIL. *JB

CHROME PLATED ALUMINUM WHEELS ON 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISE LIMITED. CHROME PEELS OFF AND THE RIM LEAKS AIR.. LOCAL DEALER WAS WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.

CHROME WHEELS PEELING, ESPECIALLY AROUND VALVE STEMS, PRODUCING MINUTE LEAKS IN AIR PRESSURE OF TIRES, DESPITE REPLACEMENT OF VALVE STEMS. HAVE CONTACTED DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED WITH NO RESPONSE. *NM

WHEEL RIM OXIDATION IS CAUSING TIRE/RIM LEAK WITH NEW TIRES. THIS LEAK MUST BE FILLED DAILY AND RUNS THE RISK OF TIRE FAILURE AND AN ACCIDENT. THIS LEAK IS ON A 2002 PT DREAM CRUISER WITH 35837 MILES

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED, ON 3/1/05 ALL TIRES WERE LOW. UPON INSPECTION BY THE SERVICE DEALER, CORROSION WAS FOUND ON THE RIMS OF ALL FOUR TIRES, CAUSING THE SEAL BETWEEN THE TIRE AND RIMS TO BE BROKEN. THE TIRES WERE REMOVED AND ALL TIRES AND RIMS WERE CLEANED AND PLACED BACK ONTO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. THE MANUFACTURER DETERMINED THERE WAS NO LIABILITY ON THE MANUFACTURER BECAUSE THE VEHICLE'S WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. UPDATED 11/3/2006 - *NM

HAD TIRES CHANGED AT DEALER. AFTER TIRE CHANGE, TWO OF THE TIRES BEGAN LEAKING. AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM CHECKED, DEALER FINALLY DECIDED THAT THE CHROME-PLATED RIMS WERE CORRODED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. NOW, AFTER HAVING TWO MORE TIRES REPLACE, THE NEW TIRES ARE LEAKING AND I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR TWO MORE RIMS. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS AT 32,000 MILES, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TIRES CONSTANTLY LOST PRESSURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. THE DEALER REPLACED THE VALVE SYSTEM AND CLEANED THE WHEEL. THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO ADVISED HER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE METAL WAS CORRODED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,000.