3.3

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,600 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #14

May 212015

PT Cruiser

  • miles
Front tires keep going flat and I am told because car heavy in front. I air them once every 2-4 weeks. Front lamps are not strong enough and hard seeing at night. Car purchased from bellevue, wa Ford which just burned down few weeks ago as a used car and was not informed of this

- Bellevue, WA, USA

problem #13

Dec 032012

PT Cruiser 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler PT CRUISER. The contact stated that three of the rims were causing the tires to leak air. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem, however no solution was offered. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000. Updated 9/4/14 the consumer stated as of 8/18/2004 the vehicle has not experienced any crashes or injuries. The tire pressure is maintained on a daily basis. Updated 09/15/2014

- Flarence, OR, USA

problem #12

Feb 012014

PT Cruiser 4-cyl

  • miles
Chrysler PT CRUISER convertible 2005, repeated loss of air, tire flat, tire blew out on highway, tires replaced multiple times. Goodyear reports rim issues. Chrysler non-respondent, Goodyear simply replaces. Research yields multiple complaints on multiple websites stating the same issue. This is a road hazard and safety issue.

- Decatur, GA, USA

problem #11

Jan 012013

PT Cruiser 4-cyl

  • 53,000 miles
Wheels on car are defective, flake and tires will not hold air. Bought the car in December, 2012 with -53,000 miles on it. After researching, I found this is common with the 2005 PT CRUISER's. I own a 2011 Chrysler product and 2005 PT CRUISER and they refuse to replace the wheels. Said wheels are $884/per wheel+60 labor/per wheel+tax. Went to CEO of Chrysler. Corporate office called, acted like they were going to help, then backed out. Cost to replace my wheels/tires today (cheapest I can get is $1,600). Two of many complaints on internet: Contact owns 2005 Chrysler PT CRUISER and stated that the chrome wheels were flaking. As a result, the air pressure was seeping out and causing the tires to go flat. Contact stated he had to replace the tires a total of 7 times. Vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed problem was not with the tires but with the rim itself. Manufacturer was made aware of failure, offered no assistance and vehicle was not repaired.failure mileage was 65,000 and current mileage was 91,000. Maryville, tn; I have a 2005 PT CRUISER turbo convertible with factory 17" chrome wheels and chrome is flaking off of inside of wheel rims prevents tire from gripping proper seal. Tires repeatedly go flat while parked and while driving. Have replaced all four tires with new ones, had tires cleaned/re-mounted/resealed multiple times. Three different tire professionals tell me it is a factory defect. Tire blew out while driving last week and almost lost control. Online, I have found several other PT CRUISER owners with same problem. Have made dealership and doug betts, Chrysler vp of customer relations, aware of the problem but they refuse to correct it. This is a safety issue, especially since it is not an isolated incident. I have been dealing with this problem personally since Feb. 2010. - kings mountain, nc, usa.

- Garland, TX, USA

problem #10

Jul 012006

PT Cruiser

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler PT CRUISER. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph when one of the tires became flat. The contact could not recall which exact tire was flat because the failure because the failure recurred approximately twelve times and each time, it was a different tire that experienced the failure. The vehicle was taken to and independent mechanic where the contact was advised that the front and rear driver and passenger side rims were corroded and pitted. The rims were cleaned but the mechanic advised that air would continue to escape from the rim and cause the tire to go flat. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

- Solon, OH, USA

problem #9

Oct 022008

PT Cruiser

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler PT CRUISER. The contact stated that the chrome wheels were flaking. As a result, the air pressure was seeping out and causing the tires to go flat. The contact stated that he had to replace the tires a total of seven times. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the problem was not with the tires but with the rim itself. The manufacturer was made aware of failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and current mileage was 91,000.

- Maryville, TN, USA

problem #8

May 142009

PT Cruiser

  • 22,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 PT CRUISER. While driving 35 mph the front end of the vehicle elevated up and down. The contact stopped the vehicle and noticed that the driver side tire was separated from the wheel. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who located the failure due to the wheel hub steal band speared causing the tire to fail. The dealer replaced the wheel hub band and tire. On October 31, 2010 the right wheel hub steel band, bolts, and bearing separated causing damage to the tire, front and rear fender. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who replaced the right wheel hub, steal band, bolts, bearing and tire. The manufacturer will be contacted. The failure mileage was 22,000 and the current mileage was 40,000.

- Margaret, AL, USA

problem #7

Oct 052010

PT Cruiser

  • 50,706 miles
First occurrence the right front wheel bearing failed, 38,00 miles. Second occurrence the left front wheel bearing failed at 50,706. Both times we had it replaced. Neither wheel came off but the mechanic's said the right front was close. No noise coming on the right front but the left front did and we took it in. Would like to know how to prevent this since the occurrence were within one year of each other and they are sealed bearings. Should we have them repacked annually or what.

- Gillette, WY, USA

problem #6

Apr 022008

PT Cruiser

  • 20,000 miles
I own a 2005 PT CRUISER turbo. Have had continuing problems with the air leaking out of the tires. Finally, was told the rims had a coating problem that eroded so they don't seal properly. Had to buy 4 new rims. Sounds like a manufacturing defect to me since the tire company said this was common on the PT CRUISER.

- La Grange, IL, USA

problem #5

Feb 232010

PT Cruiser

  • 99,000 miles
I have a 2005 PT CRUISER turbo convertible with factory 17" chrome wheels. The chrome is flaking off of inside of wheel rims prevents tire from gripping proper seal. Tires repeatedly go flat while parked and while driving. Have replaced all four tires with new ones and had tires cleaned, re-mounted & resealed multiple times. Three different tire professionals tell me it is a factor defect. Tire blew out while driving last week and I almost lost control. Online, I have found several other PT CRUISER owners with the same problem. I have made the dealership and doug betts (Chrysler vp of customer relations) aware of the problem but they refuse to correct it. This is a safety issue, especially since it is not an isolated incident. I can provide additional information if needed and cite online resources where I saw others complain of same issue. I have been dealing with this problem personally since Feb. 2010.

- Kings Mountain, NC, USA

problem #4

Apr 212010

PT Cruiser

  • 32,100 miles
Front passenger wheel bearings wore out at 21,919 miles 4/12/2008, replaced them, and then they wore out again at 32,100 miles (same wheel). Causes steering wobbles & could lead to a crash.

- Portsmouth, VA, USA

problem #3

Feb 102009

PT Cruiser

  • 44,700 miles
PT CRUISER 2005, from wheel bearing are defective.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #2

Jan 012009

PT Cruiser

  • 72,901 miles
I have a 2005 pt crusier turbo and I recently had one of my tires go flat with no puncture or damage to the tire. I replaced the tire and in two weeks the new tire went flat, again no apparent damage. I took it back to the tire store, they said that the tire was fine, however the inside of the rim was peeling off and the seal that is formed could not hold due this peeling of the coating on the rim. I asked for a new tire, they agreed and it held for about three weeks, however when the weather got extremely cold, the tire went flat over night again with no damage. The rims are defective according to the tire dealer.

- Pipersville, PA, USA

problem #1

Nov 062008

PT Cruiser

  • 25,000 miles
The tire on my 2005 PT CRUISER was flat and when I went to get it fixed was told that the tire was fine but the finish was coming off the rim and this caused the tire to go flat. I went to a national automotive repair chain to get it fixed. I was told that they could put a type of sealant around the tire so it would not go flat. They could not guarantee it would not go flat as they stated this was a common problem for PT CRUISER. I have talked to other PT CRUISER owners and looked on the internet in regards to this and found that indeed, this is a very common problem with this particular car model. I feel that this is a defect and that the company should replace the rims before a tire or tires go flat while driving the car. I was fortunate as the car was parked. But to be stuck in winter with the possibility of having multiple flats while driving is a very risky Venture for me as well as the public. I would appreciate having this matter looked into and what my future options are in regard to my PT CRUISER.

- Swansea, IL, USA