2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2009 vehicle, but with only 158 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (60 complaints), typically at 4.8 yr or about 51,000 miles.

Complaints: 158
Median age at failure: 5.0 yr
Median mileage: 52,000 n=143
Crash / fire / tow: 3.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Electrical system 44,000 mi 2.1 yr in service

2009 PT CRUISER HAS A ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO SLOVE.WHILE DRIVING CAR ALL DASHLIGHTS FLASHES OFF AND ON GAUGES DANCE UP AND DOWN CAR LOOSES POWER AND SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING. ALMOST INVOLVED IN MANY ACCIDENTS DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. *TR

Electrical system 25,000 mi 2.4 yr in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, BEGAN TO FLASH AND THE READING ON THE GAUGES BEGAN TO FLUCTUATE. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR ERRATICALLY. THE VEHICLE ALSO STALLED THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE WHERE THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.

Electrical system 35,000 mi 3.1 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, ALL OF THE GAUGES AND WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 47,000.

Engine 79,000 mi 4.2 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ALL THE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE CAR STARTED BEEPING, THE GAS GAUGE AND MPH AND RPM DIALS GO TO ZERO. CAN'T PULL A CODE AND THERE SEEMS TO BE NO APPARENT PROBLEM THAT CAN BE LOCATED BY THE DEALER OR A MECHANIC. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS! *TR

Other PT Cruiser model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other PT Cruiser model years

How to read this