Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl-the contact owned a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser. Started the vehicle and the vehicle stalled. Fuel odor, vehicle would not start for an additional hour vehicle restarted and caught on fire, fire department stated that the fire started along the firewall manufacturer not contacted, fire report filed, fire extinguished by fire department stated that upon start up the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was an abnormal fuel odor. The vehicle was then restarted almost an hour later. The contact then noticed fire coming from under the hood of the vehicle on the passenger's side of the vehicle. The fire department was contacted and was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed. The fire marshall stated that the fire seemed to have originated in a wiring harness installed behind the fuel lines for the fuel injectors. There was no injuries sustained in the fire. …
Car went completely dead at car wash at night leaving me and my young granddaughter stranded until we could get a jump. This happened several times with the battery not having any problems nor any lights being left on in interior. Happened to notice the other day the fog lamps were on but the switch was not turned on. It was draining the system. Had to pull the fuse to fog lamps in order to stop the drainage. This has left me stranded with small children forcing reliance upon strangers in order to restart the vehicle, on more than one occasion. Now the fog lamps are inoperative until a fix can be found, which could lead to a potential collision if driving in foggy conditions which could prove fatal due to it being a convertible. This is a gt turbo edition...updated 09/28/15
Tl* the contact owned a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser. Approximately ten minutes after parking and turning off the vehicle, it caught on fire. The contact noticed smoke and flames under the front driver's side of the vehicle where the engine was located. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was invalid.
2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser. Consumer writes in regards to the fuel leak location on the inlet nozzle fuel tank. The dealer stated check engine light on, cracked trim around A/C unit, trunk will not stay open, front brakes need replacing, and rear shock need to be replaced.
I purchased new,2005 PT Cruiser in el paso, tx. Returned car for service at 3 weeks with engine problems- missing, misfire. Dealer said nothing wrong & reset computer. Returned car following week- engine used 1/2 qt oil in one week. Could smell gas while driving car. Dealer said nothing wrong. I spoke with sales manager and tried to return car. They said no, this was normal. They said cars could use oil in first month of usage. They said this would never happen again. I was being transferred to dallas following week, they said no problem, if anything was wrong go to dealer in dallas. Sept- car used 1/2 qt oil again, gas/oil smell getting stronger while driving- effecting my asthma. Returned car to dealer for service- service said oil usage normal for up to one year. Service said that Chrysler would not do anything about issue until car was using 1 qt oil every 500 miles. …
Tl contact owns a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser. The contact noticed that there was a slight oil leak. She checked the engine and saw that there was an adequate amount of oil inside of it. Later that evening, the oil light illuminated on the dashboard. When she checked the engine, there was no oil on the stick at all. The next morning, she put four quarts of oil in the engine. Before leaving work, she put two more quarts in the vehicle as it showed that she was two quarts low. By the time she reached home, the oil light was illuminated again. She put four quarts of oil and took the vehicle to a repair shop the next morning. The mechanic told her that cam seal failed and possibly caused the oil leak. The vehicle was repaired. When the mechanic restarted the vehicle after it was repaired, all of the oil leaked onto the ground. …
Recently, I noticed a puddle of oil forming under my car when it was parked briefly. A check of oil showed that it was slightly below normal, but well within range. Topped up oil and started engine, and steady stream of oil was seen to be coming from crank oil seal. The day before this car did not drip a drop of oil. Mechanic found seal was in tact, but completely loose from engine. Had seal replaced by certified mechanic, and in less than 15 miles the oil leak returned. After seeing multiple similar accounts on internet, had the mechanic open the engine and found the crank end play to be well over .020" and the thrust bearing wiped along with damage to the crank thrust face. Oddly Chrysler seems to only install the thrust bearing on only the top half in this design. The problem seems to be the thrust bearing fails, the crankshaft then walks into the back of the seal and knocks it out. …
After coming from the store I notice a big spot of oil on the garage floor,I wipe it up went inside the house the next day I went on some errands came back to the house and some more oil, at this point call my local parts house he came up with a bad front oil seal. So I wanted to did further into this, and found a lot of Dodge, Chrysler, owner had this same problem.I pull up and copy these problem's some p/t owners said the dealer wanted to charge them to change the engine because of the thrust bearing was to far out of specs.and pushing the front seal out and causing leak. If this would happen at high speeds,this would have a terrible terrible problem. I think Chrysler knows about this, because one Chrysler tech did say he knows the 2.4l has a crank seal issue on a handful of the vehicle. Now our p/t only has 55,000 miles on it and this problem should not be. …
I purchased this vehicle used from fred beans, boyertown, pa on 8/1/13 with approx. 78K miles on it. I was driving in traffic, slowing down for a traffic, when my vehicle lost power and then began to hesitate when I attempted to pick up speed. There was no acceleration and it appeared the car would stall. It never stalled but I did pull over and shut the car off, started it again and after a few moments, was able to drive normally for a few miles. The check engine light went on and the car hesitated again. This was looked at and determined, since there was no other occurrence, to be a "glitch" and the check engine light was reset by the garage (no charge and no diagnostics). In January the same problem occurred and the garage replaced the cam sensor. Shortly after that the problem occurred again and the sensor was again replaced. …
I am so unhappy with this car, it has given me nothing but headaches. I have had front end bearing problems to electrical, but the worst problem is the one I have right now. My car is at the dealership as we speak, and I am being told that Chrysler May not cover this problem. The car has various leaks,the oil has leaked into the spark plugs, and other areas that they are not certain off, they suggested one is coming from the head gasket a part of the engine. The problems started about six months ago, first it wanted to stop on me at every light, second the engine light went on, third the oil light. I would take it to mechanics and they could not find the problem, it was getting worse and I would replace parts that were going bad, but still the problem was there. …
Engine complaints in other PT Cruiser years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser?
NHTSA has 45 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser, 18% of the model year's 256 complaints. The component named most often is engine (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.