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Chrysler PT Cruiser Transmission Problems

104 messages,  Last post on May 09, 2013 at 4:17 AM

You are in the Chrysler PT Cruiser Maintenance & Repair Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chrysler PT Cruiser, Transmission, Wagon


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Messages Page 9 of 12

#73 of 104 Transmission Dead by jhazy119

Jan 04, 2011 (11:24 am)

Hello, my girlfriends 2003 PT was working fine after 3 plus yrs or ownership, being meticulously maintained (except trans oil & filter never done), and New Years Day we were coming back after shopping and the transmission started acting like a manual and jumping out of gear. It has the 4 speed auto trans with OverDrive and it happened intermittently at first and after about three miles of trying to limp home it died all together and I tried all gears with the same result it would run a few yards and stop pulling the car and acting like it popping out of gear and as I had foot on gas it would overrev thats how I noticed it wasn't working. I am a mechanic from the old school and I can tell you this, there was NO check engine or any other lights to indicate a problem, I checked the fluid level and color and smell of the fluid; all was normal, up to hot level indicator, and smelled like fresh fluid, NO burnt smell. There was no indication of a problem other than it will not engage in any gear now. I consulted several mechanics around the area and theanswers I got were just as many, and varied from a dirty filter to solenoid problems, to old age because the car has 102,600 miles on it.
Anyway my questions is multi-fold in that are there callback issues with these transmissions or is it as simple as a dirty filter? I had thought that these issues might cause a computer code, so as soon as I find my OBDI & II scanner in storage I'm checking to see if there are related issues along that line. Any and all input will be considered before I bring it to a garage ande waste god knows how much to diagnose it, especially after reading the posts here so far...!

#74 of 104 pt go no mo'! by uggy

Jan 25, 2011 (1:35 pm)

Ironic: Taking the PT cruiser out to fetch my 2000 FORD Excursion from the mechanic, the car: 2001 limited automatic 89,000.00 miles on it, I am second owner, had to go up an off-ramp from a four lane into the back roads towards the mechanic. halfway up there was a tremendous explosion sound and it threw some part or other away! We (bro and I) pulled into a gas station (modern one, nothing there to work on cars, but you can get a hoagie!), saw nothing wrong under the car or under the hood! No loss of fluids yet. Headed off into the country, made it 4 miles from civilization and with great fanfare: booming, knocking, over revving, and the throwing of a pin, the PT went no more. Not even in reverse! pushed it back to an intersection, called AAA, had it towed 4 miles the other way to the mechanic. THERE WAS NO WARNING, THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF FAILURE OF ANYTHING AT ANYTIME, GREAT AMOUNTS OF TRANNY FLUID POURED OUT, TRANNY SHOT, WHY? CAR NEVER ABUSED, NEVER TOWED ANYTHING, SHORT HOPS TO AND FROM WORK, AROUND TOWN. There seems to be a pattern of failure of these Chrysler Transmissions, any help from a recall, or any help in general???

#75 of 104 pt go no more by ash23

Jan 26, 2011 (12:51 pm)

I have a 2001 pt cruiser and have owned it about 5 months. It has 86,000 miles on it. I was on the interstate with the cruise control on 75 passing a semi and all of a sudden I heard a pop and car slowed dramatically down. I tried pushing the gas but wouldnt go faster so had to coast to slow lane and shoulder or interstate. I never had a warning like slipping of gears or anything. And full of transmission fluid. I have called around and if its the transmission got a quote for 1,600 all the way up to 2,200. Hope its not trans. Also my heater only works on high setting. Low and medium dont work does anybody have that problem and know how to fix it? Aggrevated I still owe on car

#76 of 104 Re: pt go no more [ash23] by rasec8711

Jan 26, 2011 (8:01 pm)

Replying to: ash23 (Jan 26, 2011 12:51 pm)
Hey! Sorry to hear about your problem. I had the same exact problem about 3 years ago with my old PT Cruiser. For me it was the timing belt. Have you replaced that?
 
I also never had a problem with the Cruiser, no warning, no check engine light, no nothing, until one day on a road trip it just lost complete power and started slowing down and had to pull over to the side of the road (5 hours from my departure point and 5 hours from my arrival point) it sucked! I had to get it fixed in a little town that had a few mechanics, and the cost of the repair was somewhere around $650.
 
So yeah, I'm almost 100% sure that it's the timing belt since it sounds like it has the same exact symptoms as mine.
 
ALSO: Don't try to start it again. Many people told me to unplug the battery so that the code would get erased from the computer and the car would start, BUT this will mess up the valves in the engine and will make the repair SUPER expensive. The PT is pretty smart and stops the engine once it feels the timing belt breaks, this is to prevent damage to the valves. So DON'T TRY TO TURN ON THE CAR.
 
My car also had 85,000 miles on it when this happened

#77 of 104 Re: 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser (intermittent engine light) [dcurts] by solitaj

Apr 23, 2011 (8:02 am)

Replying to: dcurts (Apr 19, 2010 2:27 pm)
Get your computer changed before it goes over 90,000 miles, it is free from Chrysler to change it once on a car. I had to last year and had to pay $3000.00 for all the work on my 2003 pt cruiser. My transmission is slipping now and I replaced the alternator, timing belt, heads, lower engine mount, complete tune up, and so much more last year. I wish I would have know before I purchased the car. I just replaced the alternator again this year and the battery. The check engine light came on and now the transmission is slipping.

#78 of 104 Re: Transmission Dead [jhazy119] by jhazy119

Apr 25, 2011 (6:27 am)

Replying to: jhazy119 (Jan 04, 2011 11:24 am)
HMMMmmm...
I guess no one reads or monitors this page in an effort to aide and assist would be needy motorists with their auto troubles.
Just another SELF-MOTIVATED; EGO-MANIACLE web page claiming to be able to assist those in need...!
Should have checked with Kelly Blue Book.

#79 of 104 Re: Transmission Dead [jhazy119] by dcurts

Apr 25, 2011 (8:32 am)

Replying to: jhazy119 (Apr 25, 2011 6:27 am)

#80 of 104 Re: Transmission Dead [jhazy119] by josh99216

Apr 25, 2011 (9:11 am)

Replying to: jhazy119 (Apr 25, 2011 6:27 am)
Not sure where your frustration is coming from as it appears you have had several responses to your post, latest being two days ago. However, I will tell you that yes, the cruiser is known for tranny problems and it seems to happen around 100,000 miles. My buddie bought a cruiser a couple years ago with 105,000 miles on it. It was very clean and looked brand new inside and out... You could tell the car was very well taken care of. About a week after he bought it, the transmission started slipping (no leaks and no warning light). He immediately called the dealer he bought it from and they agreed to bave their mechanic look at it. It turned out that the transmission needed to be replaced or rebuilt. Do to the cost of replacing it $2,000+ he decided to have it rebuilt for $1100. The dealer agreed to cover half the cost as he had only bought a week earlier. Car ran great for about a year. Then another bummer, he was driving home one day and just as he turned the corner to his house he heard a pop and the engine she off, he was able to coast into his driveway. We couldn't figure out what was wrong with it as again there were no leaks but the engine would not start. He bad it towed to a chrystler dealer this time and it turns out his timing belt broke. This turned out to be another $1000 bill. Be had it the work done along with the water pump as apparently that is quite the chore and much cheaper to have done while the engine was apart for the replacement of the timing belt. After he got the car back the A/C quit working so he took it back and the dealer told him he would need a new fan and the cost would be several hundred dollars so I suggested he take it to another dealer for a second opinion. So he took it to yet another dealer (a reputable local 5 star dealer). After a quick check it turns out the last dealer that replaced his timing belt unplugged his fan and tried charging him for a new one! So they plugged his fan in and he also had them do a tune up with new plugs and wires etc. The car ran better than it ever did until he ran it into a tree totaling it about 5 months later. Anyhow, these cars are fun to drive but appear to me to be high maintenance vehicles and even then be prepared for some pocket dipping repairs. I hope this helps. Have you had your car looked at or repaired?

#81 of 104 2003 PT Cruiser - Total Loss by sandra29

Apr 29, 2011 (10:16 am)

I took my 2003 PT Cruiser to a shop to have a steering problem fixed. It had 107,000 miles on it and was showing no transmission problems. Next thing I know, the shop calls me and says the differential went through the transmission after the mechanic repaired the steering problem and was driving it. They said I need a whole new transmission for a total of over $4,000! They then charged me over $800 for the steering problem they "fixed" so I could then have my car TOWED away! The car was only worth around $3,000 before this incident, so it was a total loss and I am out of a car. I can't prove that the shop caused the problem,so I can't take them to small claims court. The shop blamed Chrysler saying that they knew about the problem but weren't taking responsibility for it! Has anyone considered a class action lawsuit? Sounds like there are plenty of people that have experienced the same problem! I won't use Pro Alignment again and will NEVER buy a car from Chrysler again. Bought a 2010 Ford Fusion SEL and hope to have a better experience! So far I love the car! (P.S. At least Ford didn't take bailout money!)

#82 of 104 problems shifting by windrider422

Jul 19, 2011 (11:53 am)

i have a 2007 automatic that wont shift on its own but I can manually shift. Any ideas?

Messages Page 9 of 12

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