There are 6 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiserin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
MY VEHICLE SHUTS OFF RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH AND WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 65 MPH. VERY SCARY, DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN MY OWN CAR. FEAR FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY.
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.
PROBLEMS WITH HARD CLUTCH WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO DRIVE AND THE CLOCKSPRING WHICH BOTH ARE KNOWN ISSUES WITH THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE. *TR
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, ALL GAUGES GO CRAZY, ALL DASH WARNING LIGHTS COME ON AND OFF, VEHICLE LOSES POWER AND STALLS, VERY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING. DEALER UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM DESPITE NUMEROUS REPAIRS AND HAVING THE CAR FOR WEEKS AT A TIME. I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW UNSAFE THIS IS.SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM REPORTED BY OTHERS BUT THE DEALER ACTS AS IF THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE ISSUE BEFORE. *TR
2009 PT CRUISER WITH 53,000 MILES WAS INFORMED BY DEALER THAT HYDRAULIC CLUTCH ASSEMBLY IS NOT RELEASING CAUSING HARD SHIFTING. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE CLUTCH WAS ENGAGED, THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SHIFT IN AND OUT OF GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAULTY CLUTCH WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE SERVICE WARRANTY AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026