2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Lighting Problems

FRONT TIRES KEEP GOING FLAT AND I AM TOLD BECAUSE CAR HEAVY IN FRONT. I AIR THEM ONCE EVERY 2-4 WEEKS. FRONT LAMPS ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH AND HARD SEEING AT NIGHT. CAR PURCHASED FROM BELLEVUE, WA FORD WHICH JUST BURNED DOWN FEW WEEKS AGO AS A USED CAR AND WAS NOT INFORMED OF THIS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ICON ILLUMINATED INDEPENDENTLY ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WERE NOT ACTIVATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE TURN SIGNAL HANDLE. THE CONTACT DEACTIVATED THE FUSE BUT LATER NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE WINDOW CONTROL SWITCH ON THE DASHBOARD CONSOLE. THERE WAS ALSO AN EXCESSIVE VIBRATION COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WHEN BEING DRIVEN AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE MOTOR MOUNTS WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

FOG LIGHTS GOING ON/OFF WITHOUT ACTIVATION BY DRIVER. AFTER MOTOR WAS SHUT OFF FOG LIGHTS CONTINUE TO STAY ON. TRYING TO CONTROL FOG LIGHT FUNCTION THRU MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH NOT SUCCESSFUL. HAD TO PULL FOG LIGHT FUSE FROM FUSE PANEL. PT CRUISER WEBSITES CONFIRM THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH ON MOST MODEL YEARS OF PT CRUISERS. *TR

IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR LIGHTS WERE NOT ON WITH THE HEADLIGHTS AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS(SAME BULBS) WERE NOT WORKING. UPON INVESTIGATION, BOTH LIGHT BULBS HAD BURST. WHEN TAKING IT TO THE PARTS STORE, THEY FELT THAT THE BULBS HAD BROKEN BECAUSE WATER HAD GOTTEN INTO THE HOUSING WITH THE BULBS. THE HOUSING WAS NOT CRACKED, SO IT WAS NOT DUE TO AN ACCIDENT. AND THE BULBS ON BOTH SIDES HAD FAILED SIMILARLY WHICH WOULD INDICATE A COMMON CAUSE WHICH WOULD SEEM TO BE A DESIGN DEFECT. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THANKS TO A STRANGER, I WAS INFORMED ABOUT IT BEFORE AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED. *TR

THE MULTIFUNCTION LIGHT SWITCH CAUSES THE FOG LIGHTS TO TURN ON AND OFF AT RANDOM, EVEN WHEN IGNITION IS OFF. ISSUE HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 25 MPH WHEN THE FOG LIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE SWITCH FOR THE FOG LIGHTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) MALFUNCTION ON THE HEADLIGHT/FOGLIGHT MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH ON A CHRYSLER PT CRUISER 2005, [XXX] (EXPORT VEHICLE, RUNS IN BRAZI). IT STARTED UNWITTINGLY TURNING ON THE FOGLIGHTS EVEN WHEN THE CAR IGNITION WAS OFF, IT LEAD TO DRAIN CAR BATTERIES AND FOR ME TO THINK AT FIRST THAT WAS A PROBLEM WITH MY BATTERY, SINCE WHEN I SAW THE CAR THE FOGLIGHTS WERE OFF BECAUSE IT DRAINED THE POWER. THEN, AFTER A HOT DAY I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT ON A RAINY AND DANGEROUS HIGHWAY AND MY FOGLIGHTS WENT OFF AND I FELT A SMELL OF BURN CABLE AND SMOKE INSIDE THE CAR, SO I STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND SAW SMOKE COMING OUT OFTHE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH AND GOT REALLY SCARED. AFTER SO MANY DAYS AND SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET I FINALLY DISCOVERED THAT THE BATTERY DRAIN HAD TO DO WITH THE FOGLIGHTS SWITCH. I TOOK ALMOST 6 MONTHS TO DISCOVER IT AND SO MY FOGLIGHTS REFLECTOR STARTED TO MELT AND LOOSE THERE FLEXIBILITY. I WENT TO CHRYSLER DEALERS IN BRAZIL AND THEY SAID THEY CANT DO NOTHING FOR ME SINCE THE CAR IS NO LONGER IN WARRANTY. THE THING IS, THERE IS MORE THAN 550 COMPLAINTS (AND COUNTING) ON A WEBSITE EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM AND WHAT THE MANY DANGEROUS POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES. AND 95% OF THE CARS IN THOSE COMPLAINTS ARE NOT UNDER WARRANTY FROM CHRYSLER MANUFACTURE. NOW I ACTUALLY RUN WITH THE CAR WITHOUT THE FUSE RESPONSIBLE TO FOGLIGHTS. IT COST ME A BRAND NEW BATTERY AND 2 DAMAGED FOGLIGHT REFLECTORS AND THE OBLIGATION OF RUNNING WITHOUT FOGLIGHTS ON HIGHWAYS. (THAT ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WITHOUT THE PROPER ILLUMINATION! HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/CHRYSLER-PT-CRUISER/TF81KHBDLDVT92AH2. *TR

THE FOG LIGHTS ON MY 2005 PT CRUISER COME ON BY THEMSELVES. ENGINE OFF - KEYS NOT IN IGNITION. DEAD BATTERY TWICE IN THE PAST 24 HOURS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. HE STATED THAT WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN, THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD BECOME CLOUDY WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY RISK WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS APPEAR TO BE CLOUDY DURING THE DAY SINCE THE SUN REFLECTS ON THE LENS AND THAT THE PLASTIC ON THE LIGHTS HAS DETERIORATED. THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE NOT BEEN REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 47000. UPDATED 02/17/10 *BF UPDATED 02/17/10

I OWN A 2005 PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS FOR THE PAST YEAR WITH THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH LOCATED ON THE STEERING COLUMN. THE FOG LIGHTS WILL NOT TURN ON AS THE SWITCH IS BROKEN AND SOMETIMES THERE IS VISIBLE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE COLUMN FOLLOWED BY THE STENCH OF BURNING RUBBER. I RESEARCHED AND FOUND OUT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF CAR. THE FOLLOWING LINK IS A WEBPAGE DEVOTED TO THE PROBLEM WITH THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH AND WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW MANY PEOPLE THIS IS EFFECTING. CHRYSLER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS THE PART HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE PART FIXED AS I SEE THIS AS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED AT THE COST OF CHRYSLER. IN THE WEBSITE YOU CAN SEE OVER 800 PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. THERE HAVE BEEN ACTIVE POSTS SINCE 2005.HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.NET/FORUM/AUTOS/CHRYSLER-PT-CRUISER/TF81KHBDLDVT92AH2. *TR

THE FOG LAMPS STAY ON EVEN WHEN THE SWITCH IS IN THE "OFF" POSITION. I HAVE READ MANY OTHER OWNER'S COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS HAS RESULTED IN MY BATTERY BEING DRAINED TWICE. *TR

THE FOG LIGHTS WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALERSHIP REMOVED THE FUSE UNTIL WE COULD SCHEDULE THEM TO WORK ON IT. WHEN WE TOOK IT IN TO BE FIXED, THEY REPLACED THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH. *TR

BOTH BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED AT SAME TIME. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME. BULBS RECEIVE MAJOR DAMAGE. MAJOR CHANCE FOR REAR END COLLISION WHEN BULBS BLOW. ANY OTHER REPORTS OF THIS TYPE? THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

2005 PT CRUISER GT CONVERTIBLE WITH 50,000 MILES.I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND NOTICED FOG LIGHTS ON. THE FOG LIGHTS CANNOT BE TURNED ON WITHOUT THE HEADLIGHTS BEING ON. BUT HERE WAS THE FOG LIGHTS ON AND IT DRAINED MY BATTERY COMPLETELY. THE ONLY WAY I COULD TURN THE FOG LIGHTS OFF WAS TO TAPE THE UNIVERSAL SWITCH, SO THAT THE FOG LIGHT SWITCH WAS FORCED TO CLOSE. AFTER SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL YEARS, I AM WONDERING WHY THE NHTSA DOESN'T DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.*AK

FOG LAMPS REMAIN ON WHEN SWITCH IS IN THE OFF POSSITION. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN MANY "PT" FORUMS ON THE INTERNET. THE SOLUTION IS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH THAT CONTROLS ALL THE LIGHTS.*NM

HEADLIGHTS ARE SO CLOUDY, LOOKS TO BE UNSAFE. HAVE TRIED 3 DIFFERENT PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET TO CORRECT THIS BUT SO FAR NOTHING HAS HELPED. SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE OUT IN THE WEATHER LIKE A HEADLIGHT COULD BE MADE FROM SOMETHING BETTER THAN THEY ARE. *TR