Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
all of the dash board instrument cluster lights turn on breifly,car speed starts to drop, lights on dash turn back off,[ all except seat belt lights] then car seems to restart itself and will reaccelerate.all this happens while we are driving in traffic at highway speeds, this is not good and could result in a very serious incident, not only for us but for othe
TIPM already replaced 1x for same issues occurring again now, a few years later and for at least the last 8 months from this posting, occurring more and more frequently now and last time occurring was feb 01, 2016. All dash / engine status lights come on for no reason, then off seconds later, occurring anytime while engine is running. Engine stalls - sputtering, power steering and breaks fail to work properly during this time, fuel level gauge wildly fluctuates and smell of gas is noticeable, all causing a dangerous situation when at highway speeds. Head lights and interior lights randomly go bright or dim for a fraction of a second. Dealership unable to diagnose as it does not stay broke long enough for their techs to diagnose with their equipment even after having the car for 2 full days, despite this problem seen visually by dealer and on video recording. …
While driving, the indicator lights on the instrument panel start flashing. The gas gauge, the speedometer, the seat belt light, and other lights, except the check engine light, flash on and off intermittently. Sometimes when the lights are flashing and the indicators are flucuating back and forth, the car has slowed as if it was going to stop. It has not stopped yet but the car did engage in some bucking action. If I stop the car and start it again after putting it in park, generally the lights do not flash for the rest of day. I took the car to my mechanic many times in reference to this issue. They could not find the source of the problem. My mechanic told me to take the car to the dealer. I took it to the dealer, they kept it for two days and were unable to duplicate and therefore diagnose the problem. …
We are being treated in a very uncaring, racist, discriminatory way by the general manager dan hamrick [phone], at #lasvegas chapman Dodge #Chrysler' @vegasdcj 3175 east sahara las vegas nv 89104. He has consistently refused to see us. He has never returned our calls. I was even threatened with great bodily harm by the service manager mike nicosia. I made a police report. We took our beautiful PT Cruiser into las vegas #chapman Dodge Chrysler on 10-13-17 because the #engine light was staying on. They installed an expensive 'defective' Chrysler #mopar totally integrated power module (TIPM) and an expensive 'defective' mopar Chrysler power train control module (PCM). Between 10-13-17 to 11-21-17 (approximately one month) I had to return my Chrysler for repairs five (5) times & they installed three (3) pcms & two (2) tipms which were no good!!! …
No headlight, high beam or low beam or turn signal right side. This began about 6/2017 when replacing bulbs did not work. A few months later the horn also stopped working. Fuel gauge stopped reading and sometimes reads full then drops toward e then May show half. Never a constant reading anymore. All fuses and relays test good. TIPM appears to be in good shape, no visible damage or defects to circuit boards. No good voltage to head lamps or turn signal (meter shows 11.5 volts, but appears to be a potential and not a good voltage. Cannot light a bulb but still shows the voltage on the meter), grounds meter good to chassis. Wiring harness appears good with no indication of damage. Runs very rough and engine light codes a cylinder 3 misfire. Runs smooth under acceleration but very rough on idle and sometimes stalls when stopping or at red lights. …
When driving vehicle the steering capability occasionally seizes and vehicle cannot be turned for a few moments. This is very dangerous since it can happen at a turn in the road. Also, at stop lights the car tries to jolt forward. Again this is occurs at inconsistent times. Additionally the car dies in idle when the temperature outside rises above 60 degrees. The check engine light came on and when code was read it stated the cooling system was in need of repair. Upon further investigation into the issue we found the fan worked but was not being switched on. So we replaced the fan switch. Immediately it blew the switch. The mechanics cannot identify the issue. While additional codes just get thrown into the pile. After some research I found that I am not the only one experiencing this issue. …
When driving on the dash board where it shows your MPH below. All the lights will flash on engine, battery, oil, air bag, seatbelt, gas. All will flash on instant deceleration instant slow down. The dials will go up and down wild. Over 5 years ago this happened the dealer would only replace when the dash board stopped working completely. Finally it stopped working I had it replaced under extended warranty. 3 moths ago it started happening again. Flashing lights, all dials going up, down, and around. Yesterday I had severe deceleration on the freeway. Extremely scary and unsafe. I pulled all the way over and drove in the slow lane. Looking/reading on here there are 4 other people from all over the united states with the same complaints. I wrote a complaint on here over 4 years ago. There is something seriously wrong with this vehicle. It needs to be looked into from a outside party. …
On 12/21/2018 I took my car to the oregon department of environmental quality to have it inspected so I could get my new tags. I had passed every two years but not this time. I was told there was a new law that required the VIN to show up on the report when they hook up their equipment to my onboard computer/diagnostic system and mine did not. I was told it needed to be reprogrammed into my system by a Chrysler dealership. I spent the next six months trying to find out why it was missing and who was responsible but just got the run around or offers to fix it for a lot of money that the deq inspector told me was unnecessary when I went through deq the second time in May of 2019. I even wrote to Chrysler but to no avail. I don't understand why my car wasn't recalled if this information is required by law but mine is missing and shows up on the deq report. …
I have a crourser PT turbo in 2006 when it began the installation of defective TIPM and comes from erratic in different functions: 1 - does not change speed box, able to random start, when I turn off from neutral (n) sometimes corrects the problem at the first opportunity and then is repeated either on other occasions. 2. Also not start on some occasions. 3 slate in opportunities does not indicate the temperature outside or indicated incorrectly and also leaves dial speedometer. 4. The speed of the fan motor does not change when the temperature of the motor increases and is over heats up to the point that you must stop it. 5 air conditioning sometimes will not cool and I have to stop and turn it off and start it again. …
As I was driving my car all the gauges and warning lights came on,gas gauge needle went to e(tank was full), lost power as I was driving. Took the car to my mechanic they tried to duplicate the problem, of course they couldn't. Then the engine light came on. Put the car in the garage...again! A week later the problem returned. My job requires me to work across all 3 shifts, I am frighten to drive my car, I often have my grandchildren in the car with. They were in the car March 25,2016 when the car began bucking and jerking while we were driving home. I was on a street doing 45 MPH, when the cars speed dropped to 5 MPH. I was impeding traffic, and cars were passing me on curves! I was on another site and see 93 other complaints, for the same issue. I am thinking there will need to be a loss of life before Chrysler corp. Does something to correct this serious problem.
Electrical complaints in other PT Cruiser years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser?
NHTSA has 138 complaints about the electrical system of the 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser, 40% of the model year's 349 complaints. The component named most often is horn (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser, though it has 1 recall 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 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.