2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible
On the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible, the failure owners report most often is wheel bearing or hub failure, and the reports cluster around 45,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 50,000 miles. Overall it scores 71 out of 100, high risk for a 2005.
High risk for a 2005 — 88th riskiest of the 320 2005 vehicles we can rate. 93 owner reports; no fleet size estimate, so rates are unavailable.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 28 named failure modes on the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible, and the three most-reported carry 31% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Wheel bearing or hub failure leads with 12 reports and with the middle half of reports between 37k to 50,000 miles.
Other electrical problem follows with 10 reports, median 50,000 miles.
Stalling while driving follows with 7 reports, median 80,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (17), drivetrain (12) and wheels (12).
The mileage the reports cluster at
75 of the reports on the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 50,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 47% by 50,000 miles and 93% by 100,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 30,000 and 40,000 miles, which alone holds 17% of the dated reports.
23% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 28. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 7 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 7 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.11, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: wheel bearing or hub failure at $350–$1,200, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000, stalling while driving at $300–$2,500 and airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault at $300–$1,600. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
33% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel bearing or hub failure | drivetrain | 12 | 10 | 37k | 43k | 48k | — | $350–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 10 | 7 | — | 48k | — | — | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Stalling while driving | engine | 7 | 6 | — | 82k | — | — | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 7 | 7 | — | 90k | — | — | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Tire blowout or tread separation | wheels | 7 | 4 | — | 62k | — | — | $200–$1,500 | Critical |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 6 | 4 | — | 60k | — | — | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 6 | 5 | — | 42k | — | — | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 4 | 4 | — | 73k | — | — | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 4 | 4 | — | 26k | — | — | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 4 | 3 | — | 50k | — | — | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other steering problem | steering | 3 | 3 | — | 120k | — | — | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Engine knock or bearing noise | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 33k | — | — | $2,500–$9,000 | High |
| Headlight failure or clouding | lighting | 2 | 2 | — | 28k | — | — | $150–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 2 | 2 | — | 34k | — | — | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 2 | — | 63k | — | — | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Head gasket failure | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 75k | — | — | $1,400–$4,000 | Critical |
| Excessive oil consumption | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | $900–$6,500 | High |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 40k | — | — | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Turbocharger or supercharger failure | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | $1,500–$4,500 | High |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 132k | — | — | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Alternator or charging system failure | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 65k | — | — | $450–$1,600 | High |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 58k | — | — | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Wheel, stud or lug nut failure | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | $150–$1,500 | Critical |
| Tail light, brake light or signal failure | lighting | 1 | 1 | — | 50k | — | — | $100–$900 | Moderate |
| Wiper or washer failure | glass | 1 | 1 | — | 37k | — | — | $120–$800 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 22k | — | — | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 1 | — | 39k | — | — | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 2 | 1 | — | 41k | — | — | — | Moderate |
No fleet-size estimate is available for this year, so only raw counts are shown. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
There is no usable estimate of how many 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible were built, so this page reports counts and not rates. 93 reports on a car that sold in millions and 93 on a car that sold in thousands are not the same finding, and without a denominator there is no honest way to say which this is.
No fleet-size estimate is available for this year, so only raw counts are shown.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Wheel bearing or hub failure
Right front wheel bearing is bad after only 20,000 miles on my pt cruiser. I have just read 65 complaints for the same problem on http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/chrysler-pt-cruiser/til09od8d72erulqa/p2 how many people have to have the problem before a recall is done on this. This is crazy! *tr
After only 35.5k miles the dealership mechanic informed me that both front hubs and bearings need replacement. An online search revealed many many owners with the same complaint. Unsat! *tr
Other electrical problem
At first the engine surges after car stops at intersection. Slightly at first and then occurrence increases at subsequent stops with greater surge. Then engine surges and dies at stops until engine dies and will not restart. The last time the engine died at 45 MPH and would not restart until the following morning. Took car to a chrysler dealership for repair and dealer cannot locate the problem. The car is a safety hazard to the driver and passengers, as you can never tell where or when the car is going to quit running.*jb
2005 pt cruiser convertible fog lights came on while the vehicle was stopped and parked in parking lot. Came back 1 hour later and the battery was dead. Had no phone and had to walk 4 blocks in a dark vacant, "scary part of town" by myself. Called bcaa and they came out to give me a boost. The tech told me this is a rampant problem with these cars. *tr
Stalling while driving
Pcm chip in 2005 pt cruiser convertible identified by chrysler dealership as being the problem. Pcm causes myriad of electrical & transmission problems which chrysler won't admit to. When any engine light or other alarm indicator goes on in vehicle and I bring it to chrysler-they simply say there's nothing wrong with vehicle. Then the troubles start. The PCM causes stalling at a red light or at low speeds--got rear ended twice, vehicle not turning over/won't start, drains batteries (replaced it 3 times),(car was towed to chrysler because it wouldn't start) power steering mechanism leaks (replaced twice) causes electrical problems on dashboard, radio & cd player wont work (cd is stuck in player), causes car lock/alarm system to malfunction (replaced twice) car lock/system has locked me out of my car and fog lights/head lights won't turn off which then drains battery. Chrysler dealership "supposedly" replaced this PCM chip 1.5 yrs ago and the repair took a month and a half while I waited without a loaner car even though my chrysler extended warranty allowed me to have one! When I got the car back I noticed that the fog…
Pcm chip in 2005 pt cruiser convertible identified by chrysler dealership as being the problem. Pcm causes myriad of electrical & transmission problems which chrysler won't admit to. When any engine light or other alarm indicator goes on in vehicle and I bring it to chrysler-they simply say there's nothing wrong with vehicle. Then the troubles start. The PCM causes stalling at a red light or at low speeds--got rear ended twice, vehicle not turning over/won't start, drains batteries (replaced it 3 times),(car was towed to chrysler because it wouldn't start) power steering mechanism leaks (replaced twice) causes electrical problems on dashboard, radio & cd player wont work (cd is stuck in player), causes car lock/alarm system to malfunction (replaced twice) car lock/system has locked me out of my car and fog lights/head lights won't turn off which then drains battery. Chrysler dealership "supposedly" replaced this PCM chip 1.5 yrs ago and the repair took a month and a half while I waited without a loaner car even though my chrysler extended warranty allowed me to have one! When I got the car back I noticed that the fog…
How it ranks in the 2005 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
What to look at before buying one
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: wheel bearing or hub failure from about 37k.
On a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether wheel bearing or hub failure has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
Treat it as where to point the inspection, not as a prediction. A well-maintained example can sail past every mileage on this page, and a neglected one can fail well before the first of them.
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2005 — 88th riskiest of the 320 2005 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
The limits of complaint data
93 owner reports; no fleet size estimate, so rates are unavailable. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 93 reports, 75 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 81% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible?
The most-reported failures are wheel bearing or hub failure (12 reports, median 45,000 miles), other electrical problem (10 reports, median 50,000 miles) and stalling while driving (7 reports, median 80,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible problems start?
Wheel bearing or hub failure is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 45,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 35,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 50,000 miles.
Is the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible reliable?
It scores 71 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 88th riskiest of the 320 2005 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2005 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed