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 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This occurs all the time wether I am driving on residental road or on a highway going 70 MPH. My car feels like it is losing power which it is. All the lights on my dash are lit up like a christmas tree and I have to pull over to the side of the road very carefully as I lose steering as well. Sometimes I can just restart the car and everything is fine, sometimes it is a few minutes and a few times it has taken a few hours. I have taken the car in to get the codes read but they tell me it is either the gas cap is loose or another issue with the fuel. I took it to my mechanic and they put it on their computer and got different readings. I was told it was a fuel vacuum problem which was corrected. I still have the issues. Now sometimes the engine jerks and pulls but I don't loose power. Mechanic is unable to find problem. …
I've had my PT Cruiser for atleast 3 years now. Today as I was driving all the lights started going on and off on the dash board and was acting as if it were going to stall out. However , every time I hit the gas the MPH gauge would go up. However my gauges on my dash board had stopped working until I'd hit the gas petal again. It did this for at least a few minutes I was on a busy road when it happened and was not able to pull off the road. I've been hearing a lot of rumors going on about PT cruisers losing power and locking up on people and bad things happening I think Chrysler needs to get on the ball and fix these issues with their vehicles since we are only the ones that buy them under faith of safety. I had this happen one other time when I first got it but I didn't think nothing of it. The issue seems to be happening more and more often. …
I purchased the vehicle in December of 2016. The odometer reading was 74,000 miles at that time. It functioned without problems until March 2018. The car was driven about 2 miles and then was parked for about 5 hours. I started the car and drove about 2 blocks at about 25 MPH when all the dashboard lights came on, the gas gauge went to empty and I felt a loss of power. It recovered after a few seconds. It happened again about 1 minute later. I coasted to a stop sign and turned off the engine. I turned it back on about 30 seconds later and drove on. I turned onto a busy street and after driving a few blocks in traffic the power loss happened again. It recovered on its own after about 5 seconds. I got off the busy s street and onto a side street. It happened again after driving a few blocks and did not recover. I coasted into a parking spot and turned off the ignition. …
I'm driving the car and all the lights come on in the middle. All the hands like fuel hand and RPM start bobbing up and down. It drops in speed. So I press on the gas. It comes back up in speed but it guns the engine and starts jerking. Every warning light comes on again all the hands start bobbing again and it drops in speed but this time it cuts off! In the middle of the highway! I coast to the side and crank the car again. It starts doing the warning lights and the hand gauges bobbing but this time it didn't cut off. This was the first incident on 12/23/2014. I purchased this vehicle on 11/22/2014! If I had known that PT's were faulty, I would never have bought it. This incident has happened numerous times since. Sometimes at higher speeds sometimes at lower speeds. Sometime just sitting parked it cuts off! …
I'm driving the car and all the dash lights instrument cluster lights come on & off blinking . All the hands like fuel hand and RPM start blinking up and down. It drops in speed. So I press on the gas. It comes back up but it guns the engine and starts jerking. Every time warning light comes on all the hands start blinking again and it drops in speed but this time it cuts off! In the middle of the highway! I coast to the side and crank the car again. The dash lights and all the hand gauges blinging but this time it didn't cut off. I purchased this vehicle on 2009! If I had known that PT's were faulty, I would never have bought it. This incident has happened numerous times since. Sometimes at higher speeds sometimes at lower speeds. Sometime just sitting parked it cuts off! From the research I've done since,there have been a lot of the same complaints about the PT. It's not safe! …
Sporadic instrument cluster powers on and off illuminating all lights. When condition occurs it is vastly distracting unable to determine vehicle speed accurately. When the issue is present the engine will typically shut off. This seems like an incredibly bad condition to allow in a vehicle and contacting Chrysler LED to no solution for resolving. Internet search suggests this is not a one off situation and exists across several model years. Chrysler does have a recall notice "01V288000" for model year 2001 which appears to be very similar in nature. Due to the highly distracting nature of this condition and frequency of similar owner reports it seems particularly egregious that a recall notice does not exist.
After starting and running normally for about 20 minutes, the vehicle will begin to exhibit electrical issues. The gauges will drop to zero and then slowly return, the warning lights will flash, and the warning chime will sound repeatedly. It seems like when this happens the engine goes through a start cycle. Most of the time, this problem is otherwise asymptomatic, but occasionally it results in sudden power loss to the engine. It does not seem to matter if the vehicle is moving or not; it happens if the vehicle is stopped, moving slowly, moving quickly, etc. The engine has lost power more than once at a critical moment (turning left, clearing an intersection) and multiple times in moving traffic.
Driving at various speeds, all warning lights flash on and off, then all guages go up and down dramatically, the loss of power, car comes to stop but engine doesn't die. Turn off engine, then on then same thing 2-3 more x on way home. Dangerous. Due to faulty TIPM made by Chrysler? This has happened 20 different days in last month, also battery dead once, engine cooling fan failed twice, rear taillights blew from electrical surges 3x, twice power window wouldn't go. Taken into shop two diff. Occasions but can't repeat problem so they can't fix it. Help! Car was on highway several times and on 30-40 MPH streets other times.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser. The contact stated that the air bag indicator turned on and off by itself while driving 20 MPH. Also, the horn did not work due to the air bag indicator that was wired into the horn. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The contact called hilltop Chrysler dealer and was advised that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The dealer stated that if there was a failure with the horn or air bag, the repairs would be at the contact's expense. The failure mileage was 77,000.
More often than not, all the lights on dash illuminate when the car is first started, sometimes flashing on and then off when driving. If driving, sometimes the car will either accelerate or slow down. Because the speedometer goes back and forth, I have no idea how fast I'm going. If I slow down when approaching a red light or to make a turn, the car has cut off. Looking online, this appears to be a common problem of PT Cruiser owners, yet I've never seen a recall. Diagnostics ran a few times and no reading shows up. Only told, it appears to be an electrical issue.
Electrical complaints in other PT Cruiser years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the electrical system of the 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser, 62% of the model year's 97 complaints. The component named most often is horn (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser. 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 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 51,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
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.