2003 Chrysler Pt Cruiser Fuel system Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO JERK AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE IN TRAFFIC. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO RESUME DRIVING. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. WHEN THE CONTACT LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD, SHE NOTICED FUEL AROUND THE ENGINE AND THE AREA WHERE THE POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LOCATED, WHICH CAUSED A FUEL ODOR TO EMIT THROUGH THE AIR CONDITIONER BLOWER. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING FUEL, WHICH CAME FROM THE FUEL LINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 138,528.

NHTSA ID

11064139

Incident

Jan 8, 2018

Mileage

138,528 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE CHECK ENGINE AND AIR BAG WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WHERE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, CPU, SPARK PLUGS, AND FUEL CAP WERE REPLACED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 151,000.

NHTSA ID

10949870

Incident

Nov 30, 2016

Mileage

151,000 mi

CAR STOPPED AT RED LIGHT. ENGINE DIED AND SMOKE BEGAN TO RISE FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT, THEN FLAMES SHOT OUT. DRIVER COULD NOT GET DOOR OPEN AT FIRST THEN AFTER SHORT TIME LOCKS RELEASED AND DRIVER WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE. FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED FLAMES AND SAID FIRE APPEARED TO BE STARTED BY FLUID LEAKAGE. THIS MODEL HAD BEEN SUBJECT TO RECALL DUE TO FIRES. CAR HAD RECALL FIX ON 9/23/04. IT NOW APPEARS THE RECALL FIXES WERE NOT PERMANENT AND THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM CAN RECUR. IT IS POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING. ATTEMPTS TO DISCUSS THE PROBLEM WITH CHRYSLER WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. CHRYSLER STONE WALLED AND FALSELY RIGGED THEIR RESPONSE PROCEDURE SO AS TO AVOID ANY RESPONSIBILITY. CHRYSLER REFUSED TO ALLOW ME TO SPEAK WITH ANY PERSON IN A POSITION OF AUTHORITY. THE CLERKS I SPOKE WITH STATED THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE IN TOUCH WITH ME. FINALLY AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE AT CHRYSLER, AND AFTER MORE THAN ONE MONTH FROM ORIGINAL CONTACT, A LETTER DATED MAY 13, 2015 WAS RECEIVED FROM CHRYSLER STATING THEY HAD TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO CONTACT US AND THE CLAIM WOULD BE DROPPED IF WE DID NOT RESPOND IN 10 DAYS. THIS QUITE SIMPLY IS A LIE! NO ATTEMPT WAS EVER MADE TO CONTACT US, EVEN AFTER WE CONTACTED CHRYSLER ON THREE OCCASIONS ASKING TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE. THE LETTER INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT DEKRA AUTOMOTIVE TO ARRANGE AN INSPECTION. WE DID AND GAVE THEM ALL THE INFORMATION ONCE AGAIN. WE OFFERED TO SEND PHOTOS OF THE DAMAGE BUT DEKRA WAS NOT INTERESTED. ON MAY 27 WE RECEIVED A LETTER STATING THEY WERE UNABLE TO INSPECT THE CAR SINCE IT HAD BEEN SOLD (SALVAGED) AND WERE CLOSING THE FILE. THUS, CHRYSLER HAD CREATED CIRCUMSTANCES THROUGH OBFUSCATION AND MANIPULATING THE RESPONSE TIME WHICH THEY FELT RELIEVED THEM OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY, EVEN THE NEED TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE WITH US. THIS FIRE HAZARD STILL EXISTS.

NHTSA ID

10733139

Incident

Apr 19, 2015

Mileage

85,000 mi

GAS FUMES INTERIOR OF CAR NO PHYSICAL GAS UNDER VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10363878

Incident

Nov 2, 2010

Mileage

135,000 mi

FUEL LINE ABRASION AND LEAKAGE ON FUEL LINE FROM FIREWALL TO FUEL RAIL. 2003 MPT CRUISER WITH 5 SPEED AND 146,000 MILES FUEL ABRADED THRU FIRE WALL INSULATION AND RUBBED WHILE THRU PROTECTIVE SLEEVE AND FUEL LINE FUEL LINE SPRAYED FUEL ALL OVER ENGINE, CONVERTER AND FIREWALL DRIVER NOTICED FUEL SMELL AND STOPPED CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10275627

Incident

Jul 2, 2009

Mileage

146,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED; HOWEVER, AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC PERFORMED A FUEL INJECTOR FLUSH, CLEANED THE BATTERY, INSTALLED FUEL SYSTEM CLEANER IN THE TANK, AND ALSO CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY. THE REPAIRS DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL REPEATEDLY. THE CONTACT HEARD A THUMPING NOISE AND THE VEHICLE WENT FROM 55 TO 15 MPH BEFORE STALLING. IN ADDITION, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR HAS REMAINED ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

NHTSA ID

10254777

Incident

Jul 15, 2005

Mileage

55,000 mi

APPROACHED VEHICLE AFTER VISIT AND NOTICED STRONG FUEL SMELL FROM 20 FT. AWAY. OPENED CAR DOOR, FUMES EVEN STRONGER. FELT DIZZY & DISORIENTED. CALLED SERVICE TO HAVE IT TOWED (DID NOT WANT TO START CAR WITH STRONG FUMES). WAS TOLD THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH FUEL LINE (RECALL) AND THAT IT WAS REPAIRED. NEARLY 1 YEAR LATER, SAME PROBLEM, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. 1/2 TANK OF GAS LEAKED IN ONE DAY. NO OBVIOUS SOURCE OF LEAK FROM EXTERIOR. LINGERING GAS SMELL IN INTERIOR. WAS TOLD NVLD PUMP WAS REPLACED. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY, POSSIBLE ADVERSE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES, LIKELIHOOD OF FIRE. CAR HAS HAD MANY OTHER ISSUES AS WELL, INCLUDING SMELL FROM AC SYSTEM (ORIGINALLY NON-FUNCTIONAL) WHICH SMELLS LIKE AN ELECTRICAL FIRE/BURNING PLASTIC. DEALERSHIP IS DISMISSIVE. POSSIBLE LEMON. *TR

NHTSA ID

10242301

Incident

Sep 11, 2008

"CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" CAME ON REGULARLY, PROMPTING VISITS TO THE DEALER. WAS TOLD I WASN'T "CLICKING" THE GAS CAP ENOUGH TIMES UPON CLOSING IT. NUMBER OF TIMES TO BE CLICKED STARTED OUT AT 3 AND EVENTUALLY MOVED UP TO 7, INCREASING WITH EACH RETURN VISIT UNTIL I SCREAMED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SERVICE AREA AND THEY ACTUALLY FIXED THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE LEAK DETECTION PUMP AND THE NATURAL VACUUM DETECTOR. SUNROOF MOTOR WOULDN'T RUN CONTINUOUSLY, THE SWITCH WOULD HAVE TO BE PUSHED REPEATEDLY TO GET THE ROOF TO CLOSE, MOVING A FRACTION OF AN INCH AT A TIME. THIS HAPPENED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. PARTS REPLACED INCLUDED THE SWITCH, THE MOTOR, AND EVENTUALLY THE ENTIRE SUNROOF MOTOR ASSEMBLY. THE BIG PROBLEM: CAR WOULDN'T START, EVEN AFTER BEING JUMPED. THIS HAPPENED ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS DURING THE FIRST 16 MONTHS I OWNED THE CAR. PARTS REPLACED INCLUDE THE BATTERY (REPLACED TWICE) THE STARTER, THE STARTER RELAY, AND FINALLY THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE. THE CAR WAS DEEMED A LEMON UNDER THE FLORIDA LEMON LAW AND I WAS REFUNDED MY MONEY FROM CHRYSLER UNDER A "BYBACK" PROGRAM NOT ARBITRATED BY THE STATE.*K

NHTSA ID

10091251

Incident

Sep 17, 2004

Mileage

30 mi

I SMELL STRONG FUEL WHILE DRIVING. AS FAR AS I CAN RECALL, THE SMELL OCCURS WHILE THE AIR CONDITIONING IS ON. SINCE I LIVE IN TEXAS, MY AIR CONDITIONING IS ALMOST ALWAYS ON, SO THE FUEL SMELL IS A CONSTANT REMINDER. I CHECKD IF MY AIR CIRCULATION KNOB IS TURNED TO INTERIOR ONLY. THAT DIDN'T MATTER. THE SMELL OF FUEL IS THERE WHETHER AIR CIRCULATION IS EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL. I BELIEVE THERE WAS A RECALL RELATED TO FUEL/GASOLINE DELIVERY PROBLEMS FOR MAKE : CHRYSLER MODEL : PT CRUISER YEAR : 2002 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 02V215000 RECALL DATE : AUG 07, 2002 COMPONENT: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY I DON'T KNOW IF MY PROBLEM IS THE SAME AS 2002 MODEL RECALLS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND ADVISE. I COULDN'T TELL IF THIS LEADS TO FIRE OR INJURY TO MYSELF AND FAMILY. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! *AK

NHTSA ID

10078811

Incident

Mar 1, 2003

THE GAS TANK FILLER PIPE AND CAP BROKE WHILE DRIVING. GAS NOZZLE SLIPPED DOWN NEAR WHERE THE REAR BRAKES WERE LOCATED. CONSUMER WAS NOT ABLE TO PUT GAS INTO THE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10057760

VEHICLE MADE A RATTLING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING. CONSUMER STATED GAS WAS LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10055403

Incident

Oct 31, 2003

Mileage

1,610 mi