2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser Suspension Problems

LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS ARE BAD AT 60,000 MILES AND THE CAR IS WANDERING ON THE ROAD. CHRYSLER NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS KNOWN ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE IS HURT OR KILLED. *TR

2003 P T CRUISER WITH 44000 MILES AM TOLD IT NEEDS FRONT BEARINGS ON THE FRONT. *TR

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME, CONTROL ARMS HAVE TO BE REPLACED ON MY CAR. MAY 2007, MILEAGE 40,054, BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS WORN OUT/CONTROL ARM HOLE OBLONG: BOTH REPLACED. AGAIN TODAY, APRIL 2009, MILEAGE 55,000, CAR IS IN SHOP FOR SAME SERVICE. ALSO, APRIL 2008, MILEAGE 46,856 FRONT LEFT HUB BEARING FAILED, HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

TWO PT CRUISERS, 02-03, BOTH NEEDING TIE RODS, CONTROL ARMS, WATTS LINKAGE, WHEEL BEARINGS AT AROUND OR LESS THEN 50,000 MILES. BASICALLY THE ENTIRE SUSPENSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS UNHEARD OF. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 PT CRUISER, I HAVE 53,000 MILES ON THIS CAR, AND THE CONTROL ARMS NEED TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE GONE TO THE CHYRSLER FORUMS, AND THERE IS A LOT OF COMPLAINTS BY ALOT OF OWNERS OF CHRYSLER HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS. SOME WITH LESS MILES THAN MINE. CHRYSLER NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND RECALL THIS PART. THANKS, DARLENE SMITH *TR

I OWN TWO PT CRUISERS, BOTH HAVE HAD CONTROL ARM BUSHING FAILURES AT 45K MILES. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO CHRYSLER, ALL OVER INTERNET, FAILURES AT EARLIER MILEAGE AS WELL. THEY DO NOTHING. $650/CAR TO REPLACE CONTROL ARM. *TR

LOWER FRONT CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS AND FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS WENT BAD AT 38,000 MILES. 2 WATER PUMPS WENT BAD ON THE CAR AND CAR ONLY HAS 38,000 MILES ON IT. CAMSHAFT SENSOR WENT BAD WITH ONLY 25,000 MILES ON IT. OIL PAN ON ENGINE STARTED LEAKING WHEN CAR HAD 17,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE CONTACT FELT ROUGHNESS AND VIBRATING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT END CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,300 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 39,330.

PT CRUISER LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS NEED REPLACING AT 60K MILES. HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MECHANIC THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND COULD CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE, ADDED WEAR TO BRAKES AND TIRES, SCRAPING OF FRONT END OF CAR ON PAVEMENT. *TR

I JUST FOUND OUT THAT I HAVE TO REPLACE BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT FRONT HUB BEARINGS ON MY 2003 PT CRUISER. THE DEALERSHIP IS CHARGING ME $600 TO DO THE JOB. I HAVE 69K MILES ON THE CAR AND CHRYSLER SAYS IT IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE 7/70K WARRANTY....SO I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND TO MY SURPRISE I FOUND OUT I AM NOT THE ONLY PT CRUISER OWNER WITH THIS PROBLEM....I SEARCHED FOR FRONT HUB BEARINGS FOR A PT CRUISER AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE BEARINGS....THE BEARINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE A SEALED BEARING AND NEVER REQUIRE MAINTENANCE....THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY CHRYSLER BY ISSUING A RECALL AND PAY TO FIXED THE PROBLEM...AND REPAY THE CUSTOMERS WHO HAD TO HAVE THE BEARINGS REPLACED.... THE DEALERSHIP EVEN STATED TO ME THAT IT WAS A SAFETY HAZARD AND THE BEARINGS NEEDED REPLACEMENT....WITH ONLY 69K MILES ON THE CAR AND OTHERS WITH FEWER MILES THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN ON A NEW CAR...MYSELF AND MY FAMILY WAS NOT INJURED BY AN ACCIDENT , BUT I WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INJURED FROM THIS DEFECT???....ANY HELP WOULD GREATLY BE APPRECIATED....THANK YOU MICHAEL G KELLY *TR

BOTH FRONT BEARINGS FAILING IN 2003 PT CRUISER...HAVE BEEN GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER THE PAST YEAR. *TR

FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS FAILED AT 71,000 MILES. *TR

I READ ON THE INTERNET THAT A GREAT DEAL OF OWNERS OF CHRYSLER PT CRUISERS HAVE HAD PROBLEMS SIMILAR TO MINE. MY 2003 HAS ONLY 50,000 KM. (NOT MILES) AND I HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHEEL BEARINGS. THIS SEEMS MUCH TOO SOON TO REPLACE SUCH AN ITEM. *TR

2003 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. CONSUMER STATES DEFECT INVOLVING THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION *TGW IN AUGUST 2007 THE BUSHINGS HAD DETERIORATED AFTER ONLY 30,620 MILES. THE DEALER REPLACED THEM AT A COST OF $414.84 WHICH THE CONSUMER HAD TO PAY SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS BEYOND THE 36 MONTH WARRANTY. IN JUNE 2009, THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED EVEN THOUGH IT HAD ONLY BEEN 12,292 MILES SINCE THEY WERE INITIALLY REPLACED. THE CONSUMER WENT TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND HAD THEM REPLACED AGAIN. *JB

THE LOWER CONTROL BUSHINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES IN 46,197 MILES OVER 12 YEARS. THE LAST TIME CONTROL ARM AND BUSHING WERE REPLACED. FIRST TIME WAS 5-21-07 WITH 20,204 MILES ON THE CAR. SECOND TIME WAS 5-21-08, ONLY ONE YEAR LATER, 22,309 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, JUST OVER 2000 MILES FROM A YEAR AGO WHEN IT WAS DONE. THE DEALER COVERED IT BECAUSE IT WAS WARRANTY FROM A YEAR AGO. WONDER IF IT WAS EVER DONE THE FIRST OR SECOND TIME. WE JUST HAD THE CONTROL ARM AND BUSHINGS REPLACED 5-27-2015 AT 46,197 MILES. NOW THE DEALER ORIGINALLY TOLD MY WIFE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN UNTIL THE VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 80,000. WOW LOOKS LIKE A MAJOR ISSUE FOR THEM.

I WENT TO HAVE MY BRAKES CHECKED AND WAS TOLD MY RIGHT AND LEFT LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS WERE BROKEN. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP (TOWED IN BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT) AND THE BUSHINGS WERE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC SAID HE HAS VERY SELDOM SEEN BUSHINGS IN THE SUSPENSION BREAK WITH ONLY 60,000 MILES ON THE CAR. MY CAR IS A 2003 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. I COMPLAINED NUMEROUS TIMES ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION BUT WAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED UNTIL THE CAR WAS INOPERABLE. I AM QUITE HAPPY THAT THE MECHANIC WHO DOES MY BRAKES NOTICED THE CONTROL ARMS. I ASKED CHRYSLER TO CHECK THEM WHILE MY TRANSMISSION WAS BEING REPAIRED, IF NOT, THEY WOULD NEVER HAVE CHECKED. THE SUSPENSION IS OF COURSE, NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY ANY LONGER. REPAIR COSTS WERE NEARLY $600. *NM

PT CRUISER LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS SHOT WITH ONLY 32000 MILES. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. A DEFECT IN THE BUSHING MATERIAL IS SUSPECT AND FAILURE CAN LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL. *NM

2003 PT CRUISER GT 2.4L 96K MILES STARTED TO NOTICE TIRE TREAD PROBLEMS AT 40K. THOUGHT IT WAS A BAD ALIGNMENT FROM NTB AND THEY DID ANOTHER ALIGNMENT FOR NOW CHARGE. 10K LATER AND I AM HAVING TIRES REPLACED AGAIN! ALSO HEAR ALIGNMENT PROBLEMS AND KNOCKING COMING FROM THE FRONT END. TOOK IT IN AND SERVICE TECH RECOMMENDED ALIGNMENT AND FRONT DRIVER SIDE BEARING BE REPLACED. HE ADD THE BUSHINGS ON THE DRIVER SIDE CONTROL ARM WAS GOING BAD BUT NOT NECESSARY FOR IMMEDIATE REPLACEMENT. I HAD THE FRONT BEARING REPLACED AND ALIGNMENT DONE. FRONT DRIVERS SIDE BEARING WENT BAD AGAIN BUT ON BOTH SIDES IN THE FRONT AT 88K. NOW I AM BEING TOLD FROM THE CHRYLSER DEALER THAT HUB AND BEARING IN THE FRONT ON BOTH SIDES NEED TO BE REPLACED. 600 BUCKS. JUST SPENT 500 ON NEW TIRES AND I STILL HEAR KNOCKING ON CONTROL ARM. LONG STORY SHORT....THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS WILL NEED TO BE REPLACE ON BOTH SIDES (FRONT), FOLLOWED BY HUB AND BEARING ON BOTH SIDES (FRONT), FOLLOWED BY AN ALIGNMENT OF THE VEHICLE. DOING RESEARCH ONLINE, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SPECIFIC COMPLAINTS DEALING WITH THE CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS AND/OR BEARINGS GOING BAD AT 15,000 MILES AND UP ON THE 03 GT PT CRUISER 2.4L. CHRYSLER DOES NOTHING FOR THE CONSUMER IN EVERY CASE HENCE THE COMPLAINTS TO FORUMS AND NHTSA.GOV. TO SAY THE LEAST, THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED DAIMLER CHRYSLER AND FIXED BY THEIR EXPENSE. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 PT CRUISER THAT JUST WENT OUT OF POWER TRAIN WARRANTY 7K MILES AGO-WITH NO WARNING, NO HESITATION, LACK OF POWER, MY TRANSMISSION WENT OUT TAKING THE CONVERTER, PUMP AND TORQUE CONVERTER-LEAVING ME STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION! I WAS NOT ABLE TO MOVE IN 1,2,3,D OR R-NOW I AM STUCK WITH A $2643.50 BILL. MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE CONSTANTLY VIBRATES, BEEN TO SHOP NUMEROUS TIME TO RESOLVE BUT NO BODY CAN FIND ANYTHING-TIRES ARE FINE, CV JOINT, NOTHING CAN BE FOUND. I AM ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED TO DRIVE THIS CAR ANYMORE-MY SEAT BELT UNBUCKLES BY ITSELF, POSSIBLY LEAVING ME WITH NO RESTRAINT IN THE POSSIBILITY OF A WRECK. I AM FILING COMPLAINTS WITH CHRYSLER, BBB, DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE, NHTS, LEMON LAW AND ANYTHING ELSE I CAN FIND- *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED A KNOCKING SOUND IS HEARD WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED INTO REVERSE, OR WHEN A STOP, AND THEN PLACED INTO PARK. THE SOUND IS COMING FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE STALLS AFTER EACH START AND HAS TO BE RESTARTED. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS AND THE SKIM MODEL IN THE COMPUTER WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 07/05/06. *JB