2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 180 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (26 complaints · 14.4%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 11
  • Fires 12
  • Injuries 18
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2004 →
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)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 26 of 180 owner complaints (14.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 26 complaints, 14.4% of reports ENGINE 26 · 14.4% · 2 fire reports VISIBILITY: 21 complaints, 11.7% of reports VISIBILITY 21 · 11.7% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 16 complaints, 8.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 · 8.9% · 2 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 16 complaints, 8.9% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 16 · 8.9% · 3 fire reports SUSPENSION: 15 complaints, 8.3% of reports SUSPENSION 15 · 8.3% STEERING: 14 complaints, 7.8% of reports STEERING 14 · 7.8% · 1 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 7.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 13 · 7.2% · 2 fire reports WHEELS: 13 complaints, 7.2% of reports WHEELS 13 · 7.2% AIR BAGS: 9 complaints, 5.0% of reports AIR BAGS 9 · 5.0% · 9 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 63 complaints, 35.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 63 · 35.0% · 4 crash reports 4 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

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 26 14.4% 0 crashes · 2 fires
VISIBILITY 21 11.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 8.9% 0 crashes · 2 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 16 8.9% 0 crashes · 3 fires
SUSPENSION 15 8.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 14 7.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 13 7.2% 0 crashes · 2 fires
WHEELS 13 7.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 9 5.0% 9 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 63 35.0% 4 crashes · 4 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

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2004; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2004. 2004-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2006-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2007-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2008-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2009-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2012-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2012-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Mar 2004 Jan 2026 Recall campaign 04V268000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V268000 Recall campaign 04V481000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V481000 Recall campaign 07V149000 ◆ Recall campaign 07V149000 Recall campaign 08E033000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E033000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Investigation PE04028 ● Investigation PE04028 Investigation EA07004 ● Investigation EA07004
  • Campaign 07V149000 was reported 999 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2004-Q3 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q2 Owner reports 5
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 5
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 10
2006-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 3
2007-Q2 Owner reports 5
2007-Q3 Owner reports 4
2007-Q4 Owner reports 4
2008-Q1 Owner reports 4
2008-Q2 Owner reports 6
2008-Q3 Owner reports 3
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q2 Owner reports 7
2009-Q3 Owner reports 5
2010-Q1 Owner reports 6
2010-Q2 Owner reports 6
2010-Q3 Owner reports 2
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 3
2011-Q4 Owner reports 6
2012-Q1 Owner reports 6
2012-Q3 Owner reports 5
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2013-Q3 Owner reports 3
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 6
2014-Q3 Owner reports 9
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q2 Owner reports 3
2015-Q3 Owner reports 3
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2017-Q1 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 2
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q3 Owner reports 2
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 2
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 04V268000
Recall campaign 1 04V481000
Recall campaign 1 07V149000
Recall campaign 1 08E033000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Defect investigation 1 PE04028
Defect investigation 1 EA07004
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V481000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    CONTACT BETWEEN THE BRAKE TUBE AND THE TRANSAXLE HOUSING OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME MAY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO PERFORATION OF THE BRAKE TUBE, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A LOSS OF BRAKING FORCE IN THE LEFT FRONT/RIGHT REAR CIRCUIT OF VEHICLE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL REVISED BRAKE TUBES. THE RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 25, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07V149000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    IF THE GLASS SEPARATES WHILE DRIVING, IT COULD STRIKE ANOTHER VEHICLE OR INJURE A PEDESTRIAN.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR QUARTER GLASS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 30, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
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
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 180 complaints · page 1 of 8

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
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

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.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources