12th Feb 2005, 02:30

That's too bad you are having the rough idling problem with your PT Cruiser.

I just purchased a 2003 PT Cruiser Touring Edition with the 2.4L Automatic engine. It runs great. It idles slightly rough, but there is absolutely no misfiring or stumbling through any of the power band.

I have had my PT Cruiser for about 3 weeks now since the middle of Jan. 2005 and have been happy ever since.

I could suggest you take your PT Cruiser into another mechanic, not Chrysler. I kept getting the run-around with my Ford Focus I used to own. That engine ran terrible and the transmission didn't shift well at all. Ford never found any problems. But I didn't take it into another mechanic... how stupid of me. Oh well. I am very happy with what I have now.

24th Nov 2005, 21:42

Well I have had the 2002 pt cruiser and it started to do the same and I just changed the sparkplugs and it is getting better gas and runs smooth. tune ups help too, I am going to do that here soon.

12th Dec 2007, 22:41

I have a similar problem with rough idle with the 2.4L fuel injected PT Cruiser. PCM is a new replacement with new plugs, coil pack and wires. Yet it still misfires when idling and back fires when taking my foot off the gas pedal at 60 mph. The car has 29,000 miles so this is not what it should be doing. It is now out of warranty, and I am afraid to drive it on a long distance trip. If any of you have even partially solved this problem, please post your answer here.

29th Jul 2008, 02:25

My PT Cruiser has a rough idle, but a higher grade of gasoline will smooth it out. It is like this car was built to run premium gas.

18th Nov 2008, 00:44

I have a 2005 PT Cruiser with 75K miles. It stumbles at idle even with the A/C off. I'm thinking of changing the spark plug cables, and if that doesn't work, flushing the transmission.

12th Apr 2009, 12:08

I have a 2005 PT Cruiser GT with about 27,000 miles on it and suddenly it makes what sounds like a grinding or rubbing sound from underneath. When I apply the brakes it stops and when it warms up it doesn't do it. It only occurs as the car is in drive. Car is running fine and no check light coming on.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

13th Apr 2009, 07:52

I have a 2004 PT Cruiser GT with 27,000 miles on it, and recently it started to make a grinding/rubbing type sound underneath the car. It would stop when the brakes were applied, and it only seems to do it when it's in drive.

Any suggestions on what this may be?

Thanks.

20th Nov 2009, 15:47

Purchased 2004 P.T. new. At 30k miles wheel bearings went out on both front wheels. Car runs rough when at idle, back hatch struts are useless (in-op) at 30k. Now have to replace from right c.v. joint. Paint on rear bumper (car is purple) is totally faded out. Car has 40k miles now after five years.

I am unhappy with this vehicle and unhappy with Chrysler.

Bought car new for 15k, worth 2k now with only

40k miles. A foreign car (Asian or European) would just now become broken in instead of just broken. And we ask why is the U.S. automotive industry in trouble. I am near 60 years old and was born and raised in Detroit living there in the 50's and 60's when a Chrysler product was just great (50k warranty).

Tampa, Florida (my F-150 has 170k and is running great)

3rd Jan 2010, 09:32

I have a 2004 PT and had the problem with it running rough. It seemed to be a problem with the air conditioner dragging it down, and after $1500 in repairs, it still didn't run right. Went to another dealer and was told there was an update the computer needed and new plugs designed to fix the problem. $250 tuneup, but it seemed to fix it. That was 3 years ago, and it still runs fine at 93,000 miles.

4th Jan 2010, 23:05

I'm pretty scared now, I've been looking for a"new-used" car for a while; my $7,000 was hard to come by, not to mention hard earned. I have two young kids, on waitress wages I can't afford to be taken for a ride in what might be a money pit! I'm checking out two PT Cruisers.. a 2004 or a 2006, both are in decent shape, more than I could ever imagine ever sitting in a driver seat of.

Please if any one can help me. I won't be able to afford costly repairs, and need something safe and reliable for my young ones. Comments and opinions welcome.

5th Jan 2010, 17:10

DON'T BUY A PT CRUISER!! I've seen a ton of these broken down on the side of the road, and I've had plenty in my shop. Do yourself a favor and find yourself a mid-90's Honda or Toyota. If you can find one in decent shape with no more than 150,000 miles already on it, buy it and quick! Just remember to keep up with the maintenance on it (oil changes every 3,000 miles, transmission fluid changes every 30,000 miles, and, most importantly, timing belt changes every 60,000 miles.) Do this, and you can't go wrong.

I've owned 90's Honda's myself (no Toyota's, however, they are good as well) I've never had a Honda break down on me, and all of my Honda's have made over 250,000 miles. The most I ever got on a Honda was 500,000 miles before I sold it in perfect running condition! May I also add that the biggest repair I've ever had done to a Honda was the replacement of a muffler after I bottomed out on a speedbump, not even the car's fault. I know what it's like to be low on cash, I'm not doing so great myself right now, but having a reliable, well-built Honda or 'Yota in the driveway can give you one less thing to worry about: Your car.

2nd Jul 2010, 19:05

If you look through the pages of carsurvey.org, cars.com, home.autos.msn.com, edmunds.com and all the others out there that have owner reviews, you will find EVERY car has issues. No car is above transmission problems, electrical problems, or any other failure of a part that can and will break. What you have to do is to get a car that was well-maintained (have a mechanic inspect it) and then continue to maintain it as best you can. Changing the oil and other fluids regularly goes a very long way in keeping engines and transmissions healthy.

"Do yourself a favor and find yourself a mid-90's Honda or Toyota."

As a mechanic you should be aware that Honda Accords (and all others on the same chassis like the Honda Odyssey, Acura CL, and Acura TL) suffer from severe transmission failures between the model years of 1998-2002. The earlier models from years 1994-1997 also suffer their fair share of transmission failures as well. There goes your theory of the previous person doing themselves a favour and obtaining one. I know of these issues because I have 6 coworkers with vehicles on this chassis (5 Accords and 1 Odyssey), and 4 of the 6 have had transmission troubles. Of these 4, one is hiccuping as I write this, 3 have had complete failures, requiring one rebuild, one replacement, and one conversion to manual. The unbreakable myth about Hondas (and as we have recently seen, Toyotas) is nothing more than hype and a myth.