There are 12 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiserin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
SHIFT LEVER GEAR CONTROL SNAPPED BACKING OUT STUCK IN STREET WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE VEHICLE IN MOTION
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST INCIDENT. WHILE DRIVING THE VECHILE WILL SUDDENLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. THE TEMPERATURE GAGE GOES UP AND THE CAR SHUTS OFF. CAUSE ME AND MY FAMILY BODY TO JERK BACK AND FORTH. THE CAR IS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. WHEN THE CAR SHUTS OFF THERE IS NO WARNING, THEREFORE OTHER VECHILES ALMOST CRASHES INTO THE BACK OF THE PT CRUISER. MY CHILDREN AND I FEELS IN SAFE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000.
DASHBOARD LIGHTS GO OUT AT WILL AND ENGINE LIGHTS SHOW CODES EVEN AFTER REPLACING SENSORS NOW 02 SENSORS NOT WORKING .LOOK LIKE THIS HAD BEEN A ONGOING PROBLEM FOR YEARS NOW AND CHRYSLER FAILS TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP MYSELF AND OTHER PT DRIVERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM.
WHILE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT THE CAR JUST TURNED ITSELF OFF. RESTARTED AGAIN BY TURNING THE IGNITION. HAS DONE THIS SEVERAL TIMES SINCE AND EVEN WILE RUNNING ON THE FREEWAY AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. HAVE TO MANAGE TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY AND WAIT A BIT TO RESTART VIA THE IGNITION SWITCH. ONE TIME A GENTLEMAN EVEN PUSHED THE CAR TO HELP BE GET IT OFF OF THE ROADWAY. HAVE TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO REPAIR AUTO BY CHANGING OUT THE VARIOUS SENSORS INDICATED BY THE CODE SHOWN IN THE MILEAGE/SPEEDOMETER GAUGE. NUMEROUS TECHNICIANS HAVE TRIED TO REMEDY THE SITUATION. WORKS FOR AWHILE, THEN REVERTS TO STALLING AGAIN AND AGAIN. *JS
APPROXIMATELY 3 -4 MONTHS AGO I TOOK MY CAR TO THE MECHANIC BECAUSE THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS INTERMITTENTLY COMING ON. A COMPLETE DIAGNOSTIC WAS COMPLETED AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT "NOTHING IS WRONG WITH IT." A WEEK LATER THE PROBLEM CONTINUED AND THE BATTERY LIGHT BECAME COMING ON. ABOUT A WEEK AFTER THAT, I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 40 MPH WHEN ALL OF THE LIGHTS (BATTERY, TRACTION OFF, ABS, BRAKE, AIRBAG, OIL, ETC) CAME ON AND BEGAN FLASHING AT DIFFERENT INTERVALS. MY HEADLIGHTS AND DASHLIGHTS ALSO BEGAN TO FLICKER BEFORE THE CAR DIED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD PURCHASED A NEW BATTERY JUST WEEKS PRIOR, SO THIS WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. I AGAIN TOWED THE CAR TO THE SHOP WHERE I WAS AGAIN TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS. I'VE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR FOR TWO WEEKS AND TRYING TO IGNORE THE BATTERY AND AIRBAG LIGHTS FLASHING. LAST NIGHT WHILE TRAVELING ON A MAJOR ROAD AT 50 MPH, THE CAR'S LIGHTS AGAIN BEGAN FLASHING, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT, AND THE CAR EVENTUALLY DIED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE CAR WAS TOWED HOME AND AFTER SITTING FOR AN HOUR, IT RESTARTED, BUT THE LIGHTS WERE STILL FLICKERING. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN FOR STATE INSPECTION WHEN THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE WAS PROGRAMMED INCORRECTLY AND CAUSED THE ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM SOFTWARE TO PROVIDE A FUEL SYSTEM READING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHERE THEY ADVISED THE DEALER TO PERFORM A DIAGNOSTIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 105,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH THE ENGINE STALLED AND RESTARTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER SEVEN TIMES BUT THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DETECT A TROUBLE CODE DURING THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY STATED THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE POWER TRAIN WIRING HARNESS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,278.
HAVE A 2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER AND ONLY 45,000 MILES ON IT. AFTER FEELING A BAD VIBRATION FOR A WEEK OR SO AND NOISES WHEN MAKING TURNS, I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO WHERE I HAD NEW TIRES PUT ON THINKING THEY HAD DEFECTIVE DETAILS TO THEM. COME TO FIND OUT THAT THE FRONT BEARINGS ARE BAD ALREADY. THINKING TO MYSELF THAT THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING IN THIS EARLY OF MILEAGE, I STARTED LOOKING INTO TRYING TO REPLACE THEM MYSELF AS THE COSTS EVERYWHERE FOR THIS REPAIR IS TOO MUCH FOR OUR FAMILY TO BEAR RIGHT NOW. IN LOOKING FOR THE DIAGRAMS FOR THE FRONT END, I CAME ACROSS THIS FORUM WITH 155 POSTS OF THE SAME COMPLAINT ON THIS MODEL CAR FROM 2001 TO CURRENT MODELS, INCLUDING ONE POST OF A LADY WHO LOST HER SON IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS FAULTY PART/ASSEMBLY. I TRUELY BELIEVE THIS WARRANTS FURTHER REVIEW AS IT SEEMS WITH SO MANY OF THE SAME ISSUE (AND THIS IS ONLY WHAT HAD BEEN POSTED, NOT INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO HAD THIS ISSUE AND JUST KEEP PAYING FOR THE REPAIR OVER AND OVER) IT MAKES ME QUESTION THE QUALITY OF CHRYSLER PT'S FOR SURE. PLEASE REVIEW THIS AS IT MAY SAVE SOMEONE'S (INCLUDING MY OWN) LIFE. WEBSITE FOR POSTS FOR YOUR REFERENCE IS HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/CHRYSLER-PT-CRUISER/TIL09OD8D72ERULQA/P4
TRANSMISSION PARKING PALL BROKE. AFTER PLACING CAR IN PARK AND EXITING VEHICLE, THE CAR STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS. HAD TO GET CAR OPEN QUICKLY AGAIN AND APPLY BRAKE TO KEEP VEHICLE FROM STRIKING A PERSON OR ANOTHER VEHICLE. *TR
CAR HAD SHAKE IN FRONT THROUGH STEERING WHEEL AND RT. FLOORBOARD. CHANGE TIRES AND WHEELS. CHANGES TIRES TWICE. REPLACED LEFT FRONT AXLE WITH SINGLE AXLE. REPLACED SAME AXLE WITH TWO PIECE AXLE. STILL HAS SHAKE IN IT. FACTORY TECH SAID LIVE WITH IT. *NM
WITH ONLY 21,000 MILES MY 2005 PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE BASE MODEL EXPERIENCED A FAILURE OF THE MANUAL CLUTCH ASSEMBLY. I HAD DRIVEN ABOUT 100 MILES OF OPEN HIGHWAY AND WAS ENTERING A MORE URBAN SETTING WITH FREQUENT STOPS AND STARTS DUE TO TRAFFIC LIGHTS. AFTER ABOUT THE 5TH OR 6TH LIGHT MY GEAR SHIFT LEVER WOULD MOVE BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR. LUCKILY I HAD ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP IN SAVANNAH GA. IT TOOK 3 DAYS TO COMPLETE THE REPAIRS BECAUSE THE ENTIRE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY AND HOUSING HAD TO BE REPLACED. ALTHOUGH A MANUAL CLUTCH IS CLASSED AS A "CONSUMABLE" PART CHRYSLER AGREED TO SHARING HALF THE REPLACEMENT COST FOR THE PARTS DUE TO A MECHANICAL FAILURE. I DROVE MY FIRST PT CRUISER ( AN EARLY PRODUCTION 2001 MODEL ) OVER 86,000 MILES AND NEVER HAD A CLUTCH PROBLEM. I AM NOW 18,000 MILES INTO THE LIFE OF THE REPLACEMENT CLUTCH WITH NO SIGNS OF ANY PROBLEMS. *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026