PT Cruiser chiming and sputtering

I have a 2006 PT Cruiser and I’m having a weird problem.

While driving, the car will start chiming (like I’ve left the keys in
with the door open). The warning lights on the dash (oil, airbag,
etc) will start flashing, the speedometer will move around wildly and
the engine will start surging. It never actually cuts off but it
seems close to stalling. This will sometimes last a few seconds and
sometimes several minutes.

The problem is intermittent. I’ve taken the car to the dealership
several times and they can find nothing wrong with it. They tell me
there is no record of the malfunction.

My girlfriend is the primary driver of this car. I have never seen
this happen but today she called while it was happening and I could
hear it over the phone.

There are about 32,000 miles on the car and would like this fixed
before the warranty runs out.

Any ideas?

 

Yes. Your not going to like it, though.

Get a statement from the dealership in writing that there is
nothing wrong with the car. Then, trade it in for another used
PT Cruiser.

Once the factory warranty runs out you will lose quite a lot
of value in the car. The problem you have right now is that
the dealership probably knows that there is a problem but
they also know that if they stall you, it will soon become
your problem. If you trade it in then it becomes a situation
where the dealership has to fish or cut bait, they cannot
claim that your trade in value is very low because the car
has a problem, while at the same time claiming that there
is no problem and thus no warranty work is needed. Most
likely they will take it in trade and give you full book on
it then quietly dump it through an auto auction.

Troubleshooting this kind of intermittent can take many,
many hours. Hours that the warranty reimbursement from
Chrysler absolutely will not cover. The dealership knows
this. They don't want to lose the money. Thus they will
stall you till the warranty runs out then claim there was never
a problem with the car. It makes no difference that you
took it in before the end of the warranty period. In theory
since you complained, the warranty should cover it. In
practice unless they document a problem before the warranty
runs out, you don't have dick and you will have to fight -
with lawyers of necessary - to get any satisfaction. What
you end up losing in your time and possibly lawyer fees will
never be covered by warranty, nor will rental on a car while
the dealership lets the car sit in their service bay a week.

You probably will lose some money in trading it in right now.
But, you will lose more if you keep doing what your doing.
Particularly since it sounds like you and your girlfriend
aren't married and she is depending on you to fix this car -
that's a great recipie to drive a wedge between both of you.
You will end up arguing at the dealer and when they find out
your not the titled owner of the car they will claim they have
to talk to your girlfriend, she will beg you to talk to the dealer,
and the three of you will go round and round and round
until warranty runs out.

If this was your car and you were single and had time on
your hands, and you had the luxury and time to keep taking
it back to the dealer, bitching on the phone with them every
day, and a spare car that you could drive so you wern't
continuing to rack up the mileage on this one, then the
situation would be different. Because, that is literally
what it takes to get an intermittent fixed - you have to
camp out and or picket the dealership until they agree to
have one of their mechanics drive the PT for a week as his
own personal car until it acts up. And for a 2 year old car
that is near the end of warranty they will fight doing that
tooth and nail.

Ted

 

I have a 2006 PT Cruiser and I’m having a weird problem.

While driving, the car will start chiming (like I’ve left the keys in
with the door open). The warning lights on the dash (oil, airbag,
etc) will start flashing, the speedometer will move around wildly and
the engine will start surging. It never actually cuts off but it
seems close to stalling. This will sometimes last a few seconds and
sometimes several minutes.

The problem is intermittent. I’ve taken the car to the dealership
several times and they can find nothing wrong with it. They tell me
there is no record of the malfunction.

My girlfriend is the primary driver of this car. I have never seen
this happen but today she called while it was happening and I could
hear it over the phone.

There are about 32,000 miles on the car and would like this fixed
before the warranty runs out.

Any ideas?

As long as you keep it documented there shouldn't be a problem once it goes
out of warranty. Make sure they have scanned all modules for any fault
codes.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

I agree. Once it's 'formally' in the records, you should be covered.

I had a turbo engine throw a rod and they offered me either a refund from
the first problem or to fix it. When they checked, they found I reported a
'rattle' at 6000 miles that came and went but they couldn't find. The
offered refund was based on devaluation all the way back to then since
I reported the rattle right away. (Essentially a new car)

That's not to say all dealers are ethical, but you can always go elsewhere.

If you want a little bit of extra assurance, leave a digital camera in the
car, and try to trap the problem on video. If you SHOW the tech
what happens, zooming in on the dash so they can SEE the flashing
and hear the chimes, it's a lot different than describing the problem.

I did that with my cable company. After a couple service calls that
always ended with 'it looks ok now', I started videotaping the problem
and played the tape. I got the problem bumped up to corporate, and
while I had to scream and be really obnoxious, I finally got the problem
fixed, and 8 months of cable for free out of it. (Turned out the contract
installed didn't 'droop' the cable correctly, and my whole neighborhood
had to be rewired!)

 

I agree that you need to stay on them. Don't they have a scan tool
that
can record the "event" when it happens?

If it cannot be fixed, I would suggest checking to see if your state
has
an arbitration program, or "lemon law." It should be in the back of
the
warranty booklet. The programs are listed in state order.

If the panel rules in your favor, Chrysler would buy the car back,
less an amount
per mile on the odometer. While this is not the best answer, it is
better than
losing substaintial trade in value if it cannot be fixed, and it is
out of warranty.

-KM

 

It is always a good idea to check the battery contacts for corrosion and to
make sure they are not loose. Same thing with computer connections and all
grounds. Follow other suggestions regarding getting a record of the problem
with Chrysler but also have them check contacts and grounds.


I have a 2006 PT Cruiser and I’m having a weird problem.

While driving, the car will start chiming (like I’ve left the keys in
with the door open). The warning lights on the dash (oil, airbag,
etc) will start flashing, the speedometer will move around wildly and
the engine will start surging. It never actually cuts off but it
seems close to stalling. This will sometimes last a few seconds and
sometimes several minutes.

The problem is intermittent. I’ve taken the car to the dealership
several times and they can find nothing wrong with it. They tell me
there is no record of the malfunction.

My girlfriend is the primary driver of this car. I have never seen
this happen but today she called while it was happening and I could
hear it over the phone.

There are about 32,000 miles on the car and would like this fixed
before the warranty runs out.

Any ideas?