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 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. …
On 6/15 it was necessary for me to take this vehicle on the road. I should have known better since it's issues have been increasing in severity with each drive. I can no longer drive on the highway and local driving which necessitates stopping at traffic lights and stop signs is challenging to say the least. Becoming increasing difficult to start; engine bucks when attempting to accelerate from a stop and continues to do so while driving. It continues to stall without warning and my mechanic cannot even get my dashboard to function; none of my gauges are operational and of course I have no interior lighting at all. I have read so many similar complaints and find it difficult to understand why Chrysler has not been forced to address the issues with these vehicles beyond offering a kit for purchase which will not guarantee acceptable results. …
After 5 months of ownership, I have been experiencing recurrent problems with my 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser stopping while driving and failing to start. I have had my fuel pump replaced, alternator replaced, timing belt and water pump replaced, transmission replaced, and radiator replaced. Despite these parts being replaced, my car continues to randomly stop while driving and then does not start. These items were replaced as they were "thought" to be the problem but obviously they are not the problem. These repairs have been costly and they have not fixed the problem. Moreover, this is a serious safety issue, as the last time my car stopped while driving, I was in the middle of an intersection making a left turn. I had my children in the car. This was extremely terrifying and substantially dangerous. …
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. …
Have replaced crank shaft seal 3 times and each time the seal is blown. Dealers are aware of this issue and provide a kit $787 plus $2,000 to install) that replaces the faulty design of the crank shaft, crank shaft bearings, connecting rod bearings, and timing belt and the dealers do not gaurantee that replacing these will resolve the issue. Spoke to Chrysler customer complaint line and there is nothing that Chrysler has been willing to do as of this date unless enough consumers file a complaint. Reading online, there are tens of thousands of consumers with the same issue. The issue is common in all 2.4l size engines in various makes, models and years including Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler. Chrysler apparently corrected this design flaw in their engines in later years beyond 2007, however, have not offered a solution for prior years. …
Vehicle acceleration without depressing the gas pedal. While driving on a 2 lane highway vehicle began to accelerate. I tried pushing the gas pedal numerous times to stop the acceleration, but to no avail. I tried shifting the automatic shifter from d (drive ) to 3rd gear, but still the vehicle continued to accelerate. I applied the brakes with a full amount of pressure, vehicle was still revving upwards.. I could smell burning brakes. I was finally able to slow down where the road was level, still with full pressure on the brakes. I shifted the gears from 3rd to neutral and then park to stop the revving,but it continued and I shut the car off. I started the vehicle a few moments later and the revving now longer occurred. I was on an isolated highway in the back country. Had I been in the city the results could have been deadly. …
Electrical dash board, gauges - RPM, gas, temp, go around up and down wildly causes sudden deceleration. All trouble lights come on, battery, seat belt, oil, air bag and go on then off. I had this happened 7 yrs ago and dealer would not repair until dash board was not working. Then dash board completely stopped working and dash board was replaced under warranty. Now it is acting up again. Reading all the complaints. There are over 10 complaints from all over the county about the same issue. Today I was able to finally take video/picture of the trouble lights coming on and off. The dials and lights were going on and off going all the way around and all the way back down again. There are so many complaints about this unsafe issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser. While driving at speeds of 50 MPH or more, the vehicle would stall. The contact also stated that the vehicle would unintentionally switch gears from drive to reverse without driver intent. The vehicle switched gears without warning while driving in reverse and the vehicle crashed into a mailbox. There was moderate rear end damage to the vehicle. The failure would occur intermittently. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure and there were no repairs performed on the vehicle. There contact did not report any injuries. The failure mileage was 30,000 and the current mileage vehicle was 40,000. Updated 7/16/10 updated 07/22/10
Engine complaints in other PT Cruiser years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser?
NHTSA has 91 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser, 26% of the model year's 349 complaints. The component named most often is engine (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 1 fire 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.