RoadVitals

2008 Chrysler Pt Cruiser Powertrain (other) Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Powertrain (other) reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
9
Latest May 10, 2018
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
8%
of 115 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 Chrysler Pt Cruiser submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming powertrain

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Driver assistancePowertrain (other)
Filed May 10, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE TRANSMISSION MADE A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MARX AUTO CENTER (132 ROCKDALE AVE, SOUTH DARTMOUTH, MA 02748, (508) 997-2377), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.

NHTSA ID
11093247
Incident
Apr 11, 2018
Mileage
35,000 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 17, 2016
Fire reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED BACK AND FORTH AS IF THE BRAKES WERE BEING DEPRESSED AND RELEASED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND REPAIRED THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE DIAGNOSIS WAS UNKNOWN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000.

NHTSA ID
10874849
Incident
May 14, 2016
Mileage
137,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Nov 20, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD, WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE HORN ACTIVATED AND THE VEHICLE JERKED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO MERGE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

NHTSA ID
10795072
Incident
Sep 1, 2015
Mileage
103,000 mi
Powertrain (other)Steering
Filed May 27, 2014

I HAVE BEEN DRIVING THIS CAR FOR A WHILE AND ON THE DAY THIS HAPPENED I HAD RETURNED FROM WORK PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY WITH NO PROBLEMS. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO GO BACK TO WORK I BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND NOTICED THE CAR HANDLED HARD. I STOPPED SHIFTED IT BACK INTO PARK AND THEN WENT BACK INTO DRIVE STILL THE STEERING WAS HARD TO TURN. OF COURSE THE WAS LATE FRIDAY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND SO I ENDED UP RENTING A CAR FOR 5 DAYS BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY AND THE FACT I HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY SO NO CHRYSLER CERTIFIED MECHANIC WAS ON DUTY TO WORK ON MY CAR.TUESDAY MORNING I GO OVER TO THE DEALERSHIP ONLY TO BE TOLD A BELT HAD SLIPPED AND THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION FOR WHY IT HAPPENED. I WASN'T CHARGED FOR THIS BUT IT COST ME A TOW AND 5 DAYS OF RENTAL FOR A CAR SO I COULD GET TO AND FROM WORK. WHEN I GOT ON THIS SITE I COULDN'T FIND ANY INFO SO I STILL AM NOT SURE IF THE CAR IS SAFE TO TAKE VERY FAR. *TR

NHTSA ID
10594399
Incident
May 23, 2014
Mileage
89,000 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Apr 30, 2014

MY TRANSMISSION WILL NOT GO INTO THE LAST GEAR AND WAS SLIPPING. CAR HAS 38,000 MILES ON IT AND WHEN I HAD IT CHECKED OUT THE MECHANIC SAID THERE WAS A CELLINOID BAD IN THE TRANSMISSION AND WHEN HE REPLACED IT THE TRANSMISSION STILL WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY BY NOT CHANGING GEARS AND WHEN HE TOOK THE PART BACK TO THE PARTS STORE HE WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH CHRYSLERS TRANSMISSIONS. I HAD A TOWN & COUNTRY VAN SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND THAT TRANSMISSION ALSO WAS DEFECTIVE. NOW I CANNOT GET MY MONEY BACK FROM BUYING A PART THAT REALLY WASN'T NEEDED BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION IT SELF IS DEFECTIVE. MY MECHANIC FELT SO BAD ABOUT THIS THAT HE CHECKED THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERED CHRYSLER HAS A PROBLEM WITH THEIR TRANSMISSIONS. WHAT RIGHTS OR WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS? I DO NOT HAVE MONIES TO SQUANDER AND I AM STILL PAYING FOR MY CAR. THANKS. *JS

NHTSA ID
10585743
Incident
Apr 25, 2014
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Apr 25, 2014

EVERYTIME I TURN ON THE AC UNIT THE FAN DOESN'T COME ON RIGHT AWAY AND WHEN IT DOES IT POPS AND THE CAR BEGINS TO OVER HEAT. AT THE TIME I TURN OFF THE POWER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10584794
Incident
Apr 18, 2014
Mileage
89,954 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Apr 29, 2013

THE CLUTCH STARTED TO MAKE IT HARD TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION. THIS IS ARIZONA SO IT STARTS TO WARM UP TO ABOUT 100 DEGREES AROUND THIS TIME (END OF APRIL). THIS THEN OCCURRED AGAIN IN 2011 AND 2012 FROM APRIL TO THE END OF OCTOBER (WHEN IT STARTS TO COOL OFF BELOW 100 DEGREES). EVERY YEAR IT HAS BECOME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND TODAY IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL SINCE THIS AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH ALL WARM WEATHER LOCATED PT'S. *TR

NHTSA ID
10509985
Incident
Apr 29, 2010
Mileage
30,000 mi
Fuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Aug 23, 2012

THE CAR TENDS TO STALL WHEN DRIVING IN EXCESS OF 50, IT WILL JERK A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE GOING FORWARD. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR TWO WEEKS, I BOUGHT THIS CAR ABOUT A MONTH AGO. WHEN GOING ONLINE TO SEE IF OTHERS WERE HAVING THIS PROBLEM, I FOUND IT TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE SEEKING AND TRYING ALL TYPES OF SOLUTIONS. EVEN TAKING THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND STILL HAVING THE SAME STALL AND ROUGH IDLING. IT APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING. *TR

NHTSA ID
10472115
Incident
Aug 2, 2012
Mileage
133,450 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 24, 2009

MY DAUGHTER WAS ON HER WAY TO NURSING SCHOOL WHEN HER 2008 PT CRUISER ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN, WITH HER FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL, TO APPROXIMATELY 85 MPH SHE HAD TO USE BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES TO STOP IT. I ARRIVED ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER, STARTED THE CAR, THE ACCELERATOR WAS STILL STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION. CHRYSLER TOWED THE AUTO TO OLATHE CHRYSLER, THEY SAID NO CODES WERE STORED AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE AUTOMOBILE. AFTER A EXTENDED CONVERSATION, THE SERVICE MANAGER AGREED TO REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR CABLE AND THE THROTTLE BODY. BUT STATED HE DID NOT THINK THEY WERE THE PROBLEM BUT HAD NO OTHER IDEAS. WHEN I ASKED IF IT WAS SAFE FOR MY DAUGHTER TO DRIVE, HE SAID I SHOULD DRIVE IT FOR A WHILE IN CASE IT HAPPENED AGAIN. MY RESPONSE WAS IS IT SAFE FOR ME TO DRIVE HE SAID BE CAREFUL. I ALSO CALLED CHRYSLER BUT GOT THE SAME RESPONSE, WITHOUT CODES STORED IT IS VERY HARD TO FIX. THEY WERE VERY NON-COMMITTAL WHEN ASKED WILL THE CAR BE SAFE TO DRIVE AFTER THE CABLE AND THROTTLE BODY ARE REPLACED? *TR

NHTSA ID
10281526
Incident
Aug 19, 2009
Mileage
33,100 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .