2003 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER — Owner-Reported Problems
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 246 complaints · 4 recalls
Verdict & Safety Summary
Most-reported system: ENGINE (29 complaints · 11.8%)
Safety signals:
- Crashes 22
- Fires 15
- Injuries 20
- Deaths 1
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Component Problem Distribution
Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 29 | 11.8% | 1 crashes · 3 fires |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 28 | 11.4% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 28 | 11.4% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| SUSPENSION | 27 | 11.0% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 25 | 10.2% | 1 crashes · 4 fires |
| STEERING | 19 | 7.7% | 1 crashes · 1 fires |
| WHEELS | 16 | 6.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| AIR BAGS | 13 | 5.3% | 10 crashes · 2 fires |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 10 | 4.1% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 136 | 55.3% | 13 crashes · 9 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Problem & Recall Timeline
Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time
- Campaign 04V268000 was reported 114 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2004-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2004-Q4 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2005-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2005-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2005-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2006-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2006-Q2 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2007-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2026-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 03V076000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 04V268000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08E033000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09E012000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE02082 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE04028 |
Safety Recalls (4)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 03V076000
- Report date
- Component:
- POWER TRAIN
- Consequence:
- IF THIS OCCURS, THE CLUTCH MAY NOT DISENGAGE WHEN THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH ASSEMBLIES WITH THE UPDATED DESIGN PARTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 14, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 04V268000
- Report date
- Component:
- STEERING
- Consequence:
- POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND RELOCATE, OR REPLACE AS NECESSARY, THE POWER STEERING HOSE AND CONFIRM TORQUE OF THE HOSE FASTENER AT THE STEERING GEAR END. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 08E033000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- THE NUTS INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGING FOR THESE BALL JOINT ASSEMBLIES ARE MISSING THE INTENDED PREVAILING TORQUE (SELF-LOCKING) FEATURE. IF THE INCORRECT NUT WAS TO BECOME LOOSE, THE JOINING MEMBERS MAY LOOSEN LEADING TO A SEPARATION OF THE BALL JOINT. THIS MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- FEDERAL MOGUL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE PARTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 22, 2008. OWNERS CAN CONTACT FEDERAL MOGUL AT 877-489-6659.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 09E012000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Complaint Narrative Explorer
Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Showing 0 of 246 complaints · page 1 of 10
No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.