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PT Cruiser Electrical and Lighting Problems

323 messages,  Last post on Dec 22, 2012 at 4:12 PM

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

    

Messages Page 5 of 33

#37 of 323 Re: PT Cruiser Electrical/Lighting Problems [pf_flyer] by triplesevn

Dec 29, 2006 (4:32 pm)

Replying to: pf_flyer (Oct 14, 2006 8:15 am)
I bought a 2006 PT Cruiser from Steve Rayman Chrysler of Atlanta, Ga. the first of November. I started to notice that every time I turned on the heat, not A/C, the dash lights and head lights, if on, would flicker.
 
I also noticed several other items of interest on the car. Oil smell, exhaust smell coming thru the vents every so often, not getting the gas mileage I expected, and my brakes started sqeeking.
 
I took the car in on Wednesday, the 27th of December 2006 to have Chrysler look everything over. They found I had an Oil leak already, but nothing was found when they checked out the lights for any power surges or flickering. And as for the other issues, nothing as well. They did perform a test for the MPG and noted the car gets 20.86 mpg.
 
They kept the car overnight and fixed the oil problem. When I picked it up in the late evening, I turned on the heat and what do you think happened? That's right! The lights flickered in the dash and the head lights.
 
So, the dealership does not want to look it over as they feel the test they ran was good enough.
 
I'm afraid that down the road, I'm going to experience some of the problems I read on this topic. Fire or smoke coming from the car and I being told it's not covered, making me have to take them to court.
 
Anybody have any advice?

#38 of 323 Re: Fog lamp switch won't turn off [kdhobson] by kdhobson

Dec 29, 2006 (11:44 pm)

Replying to: kdhobson (Dec 20, 2006 4:29 pm)
Just a follow-up. While the service tech hadn't heard of the fog lamp problem, he had heard of the headlights coming on all by themselves. They couldn't reproduce the problem, but went ahead and replaced the multi-function switch based on the information I printed out from this discussion thread. I have the 7 year/70,000 mile Chrysler extended warranty, which they honored. All I had to pay was the $100 deductible. (Of course, it probably didn't hurt that I told him I'd already called Chrysler to report the problem.) It's been over a week now and the problem has not reoccured.

#39 of 323 Re: PT Cruiser Electrical/Lighting Problems [triplesevn] by kdhobson

Dec 29, 2006 (11:52 pm)

Replying to: triplesevn (Dec 29, 2006 4:32 pm)
No real advice other than to report the problem to Chrysler. I've never had the flickering light problem or any oil/exhaust smells (thank goodness). I have had to replace my brakes and still have occasional squeaking. As for gas mileage...it's definitely not great. If I drive mostly freeways, I might get 23 mpg. In combined city/highway driving, I get between 19 and 21 mpg.

#40 of 323 Re: PT Cruiser Electrical/Lighting Problems [kdhobson] by triplesevn

Jan 01, 2007 (5:55 am)

Replying to: kdhobson (Dec 29, 2006 11:52 pm)
I purchased the car not only for it's looks, but it's supposidly good MPG. The sticker says 20/26 City/Highway.
  
I've been testing it since the day I bought it and I can only get 20mpg from it. I drive 70 miles a day for work. Nearly all Highway but a few miles. I've driven an entire tank at 65mph as well as 70mph, 75mph, and 80mph to see what I can get. 80mph get's me 19mpg while 65/70mpg get's me 20mpg.
  
I had Chrysler perform a test because I felt the car was not getting the advertised mpg for highway miles. They tested the car at 20.86mpg at 70mph.
  
I do love the car, but I'm very unhappy with the mpg. Are there any American model cars that get mpg as the Japanese and Korean's do? I don't want to buy one, but curious to know what cars our country produces in this catagory that complete with the foreign cars.

#42 of 323 Dead battery over and over again by whunt1

Jan 12, 2007 (11:05 am)

I have a 2003 pt cruiser with a battery problem, but do not have fog lights. The problem sounds the same as the fog light problem. Everything is fine and then you go out to start the car and it is dead. Have had the car 2 1/2 years and 3 batteries. No one seems to be able to find the problem. Have had the alternator checked several times and someone even did the jump across the starter solenoid and it started just fine but they said the starter solenoid was shot and we replaced the starter ( solenoid not sold seperately). I make sure that EVERYthing is turned off before getting out of the car (dome light, radio, fan for heater) and the car still occasionally won't start. Help!!!! I have a haunted car.

#43 of 323 Re: Dead battery over and over again [whunt1] by tasmanmotors

Apr 23, 2007 (5:51 pm)

Replying to: whunt1 (Jan 12, 2007 11:05 am)
I know this is a bit late, but are your replacing the battery with a factory OEM battery - MOPAR battery? Have you tried a different battery such as Diehard, Interstate, etc. I know that the MOPAR battery is free because of the warranty, but I had a 2000 Dodge Neon, in the first two years I had 2 new Mopar batteries and they could not figure why it was dying either. I just got fed up with it and being stuck twice and needing a tow, I bought a diehard gold battery and did not have any problems upto the point when I got rid of the car. Just a suggestion or thought.

#44 of 323 Re: Burned up batterys [p100] by tasmanmotors

Apr 23, 2007 (5:55 pm)

Replying to: p100 (May 23, 2006 7:24 am)
I concur with this. I had a 2000 Dodge Neon, within the first 2 years I replaced the factory Mopar battery twice. Nothing they could find was wrong with the car. I was fed up with being stranded and having to get towed that I bought a Diehard Gold battery and had no problems after that. Mopar batteries are just poor quality. They are as cheaply made as possible.

#45 of 323 PT gone whacko electrically by enufalready

Apr 25, 2007 (1:04 pm)

I'm posting this long question in this thread because we went thru the fog light/multi-function switch replacement last year and have had a new problem that just cropped up.
 
Last week the wife's 2001 PT with 70k miles refused to turn off the dash lights when the ignition was turned off. Then it wouldn't start, but did when jumped after the battery drained. Then when I ran it to charge up the battery, it kept running when the key was turned off! The wife got in it and, for unknown reasons (I guess it just likes her better since she babies it so) it did turn off.
 
I checked the battery terminals and found some corrosion, so I cleaned them off, sprayed on some stuff I had to prevent that corrosion and it ran well over the weekend.
 
Last night, out of the blue (or was it the black), it was parked outside the house and for no apparent reason the panic alarm went off and I had to go out and click at it with the key gizmo (~ pardon the technical jargon, please). No, there was no one messing with it ~ the same thing happened the next morning (today) about 8 hours later. Again, it turned off when we clicked at it, but when my wife went to start it, the battery was again dead.
 
We had it towed to our non-dealer mechanic. He charged it up, trouble-shot the usual things like the ignition switch and such and they checked out fine, but the car dash lights stayed on again when the ignition was turned off and it wouldn't turn over when he tried to start it. At that point, the mechanic started pulling fuses to see which one controlled those lights. They stayed on until he pulled the 10A fuse for the air conditioner (!). He plugged it back in and the car started right up. It continued to start and work fine for a couple hours and he called me to come pick it up, admitting that he didn't know what he did, if anything, to correct the problem, but it was working fine now. That fuse, which didn't even need replaced, cost $150 ~ so far.
 
(I note at this point that we have used this mechanic for a long time and trust his work)
 
I went in to pick up the car. It started up fine for me and I drove it to a nearby gas station where, after the fillup, the car again refused to turn over although the dash lights turned on and off appropriately when the key was turned.
 
The mechanic drove over and fiddled with it to no effect. At that point all we could do was have it towed back to his shop where it sits until tomorrow when he will dig into it again. But he admits he doesn't know what else to do at this point except more of the same.
 
Anyone have any suggestions as to what he should check? After visiting this and other sites, I will suggest he check the multi-function switch again as well as resetting the battery polarity. What else?
 
Thanks
 
PT gone whacko electrically

#46 of 323 wierd electrical problems by raleighgirl

Apr 29, 2007 (9:16 pm)

I have a 2001 PT w/ 89,000 miles. The good news is that it has been a very dependable car for the past 7 years. The bad news is that it has started doing quirky electrical things. From the beginning, the bun warmer on the passenger side would come on without being pushed. No biggie. Two months ago I had to replace the original battery- no problems, just did it per advice of the mechanic. Last month the car wouldn't pass inspections because the fog lamps would not work. It wasn't the bulbs or the fuse. I took it somewhere else ona day that the fog lamps worked and it passed. No fog lamps since. In the last two months odd, random electrical things have occurred- the overhead light will come on, the dash lights won't come on, the temp/compass overhead light won't come on at night, etc. I plan to call Chrysler tomorrow. TG I got the inspection sticker but I'm starting to wonder if I ought to go ahead and sell the car now (I'm single, in a new city, no alternative transportation, etc)??? O my, that's not in my financial gameplan.
 
Re gas mileage, I used to get 20-23 mpg city and 25-30 long distance. Gas mileage has definitely declined with age. I put a STP treatment in it a couple of months ago but that only helped slightly for a short period of time.

Messages Page 5 of 33

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