Driving down the interstate and suddenly the cruise control turns off and car starts sputtering and bucking. ( hmm, think I read this a few times already) Anyway sine then I replaced cam sensor and like clock work the bucking continues. I noticed a previous post with cruise control shutting off and not working and that is exactly what I am dealing with so next I will also check wiring and hopefully the problem will cease, I still owe a considerable amount on this junk and can't keep dumping money into it.

I bought this 2005 PT Cruiser used in August 2013. It was an emergency situation due to my job and I thought I had found a real blessing....which has turned into a curse. I have repaired the sensor twice now and yesterday the same problem occurred. I'm a senior citizen and cannot afford to keep having this car repaired nor can I sell it because I owe more than its worth (according to my son, it's not worth much to anyone with its problems).

What can I do? Keep repairing the blasted thing and keep making the payments. I also am going to call the dealer and give them a piece of my mind, and there's not much left of that to give!

So now the car is in the shop for 4 days and they tell me its the Power Train Module that is failing. Like I said, they placed an order for the part in Portland and it should be in the next day. Well the next day comes and no part. Big surprise! They tell us that 8 other places had ordered the part the same day and now they have no idea when the part will be in. They gave me the option of leaving my car with the dealership until the part comes in and renting a car at $30.00 per day, I CAN"T AFFORD THAT!! (not knowing when that would be) or taking it home and taking my chances. I have an elderly parent to whom I have to care for and cannot be without a car. I am taking my chances... We now have contacted Chrysler direct and they are trying to track down the part. They now have their parts expediters working on it. It so far has been a week with no idea of delivery.... Will update when I hear back from Chrylser

Okay we already replaced the CAM Sensor and again, the check engine light came on. We took it to the dealer who ran diagnostics and said now it appears that the Oxygen sensors are bad. They replaced both of them and the light went out and it seemed to run okay. We were set to go away for the weekend and thought all was well. So we tok our trip to the ocean and the car was fine all the way down there. The next day we went for a short drive and on our way back to the hotel the light came on and the car sputtered and almost died. We put the car in neutral and pumped the gas and it did not stall. We were extremely concerned about the car getting us home. We were in a small town with no tow truck or rental cars. We took the chance and got it back home and again straight to the dealer. This time they said that its the Power Train Module. The placed an order for it from their supplier in Portland and said it would be in the next day. See next complaint.....

Chrysler PT Cruiser is a piece of junk, both of them the check engine light comes on. Mine goes into limp mode and you can't get up past 2900 RPM out of the blue. Works fine for a drive or two, then back in limp mode, new tank of gas it will be fine for a day then back into limp mode. Add Gas Treatment it may be fine for a day, then back into limp mode with check engine light on. These cars are total junk, I'll never own a Chrysler product again. I'll be posting complaints everywhere I can find a place to post to warn people of these crappy worthless piece of junk cars. Chrysler should be ashamed of their product.

Driving home in June, my check engine light came on, the bell "dinged," and the car started bucking when I stepped on the gas. Luckily, I was able to pump the gas pedal until it changed gears and got back up to speed. The most annoying time this happens is when driving on the interstate, but it mostly happens when taking off from a stoplight. When I took it to the mechanic, he put the car on the computer and it said that the A/C compressor & sensor needed to be replaced (over $800 for new parts & labor)...I had to get the sensor repaired first for $65, then found a used compressor for $100, and was charged $186 to have it put in. Not even two days later, before going on a 300 mile trip, the car started bucking again. Needless to say, we didn't take the car on the trip, but instead had to borrow a vehicle from my sister. When we returned from the trip, the car ran fine for about 3 days, then bucked every time we drove it over the weekend. This week, it ran fine up and down the interstate while going to work, but this morning, it started bucking once more. I found this site while doing a search on the problem. Have you all noticed that the cruise control won't work when it starts to buck? Makes sense, but there's no logical connection. I will talk to my mechanic about the cam sensor in the morning.

Update from Oct 26, 2010: Last Friday, I took the car back to the mechanic and asked him what options we had and showed him some information I had found online. After not being able to get a conclusive problem on the computer, he told his boss that he was going to track back from the Cam Sensor to the computer...when he did this, he found that the wires had been touching, causing the sensor to short out. He went ahead and replaced the wiring, along with the cam sensor. So far, I have not had any problems, but we'll see what happens this week.

8 hours into our 16 hour drive, in the middle of Oregon, my car car made a weird noise, the check engine came on, it began sputtering and bucking whenever I pushed on the gas, and wouldn't accelerate. Luckily, I was headed down the mountain, so I was able to coast into the rest stop at the bottom. I was 10 miles away from the nearest town with an auto mechanic! Thank God for roadside assistance (and that my cell got service at the rest stop, there was no service anywhere else on that stretch). The mechanic told me it was the cam shaft sensor which cost me $165 for parts and labor. If anyone is stuck near Canyonville, OR, Bill's Towing, Tire, and Automotive is a great place; they went out of their way to get me back on the road, were very friendly, and didn't take advantage of my situation.

I didn't have any other issues during the rest of the 8 hour drive. Hopefully, that doesn't happen next time! I gotta say, I HATE this car.

While on a 275 mile round trip to northern North Carolina, on Hwy 40, I pulled of to an exit for gas. Upon rentering the highway the car began to spitter and sputt and act like I was on a wild bronco. MY LIFE WAS IN GRAVE DANGER, as cars approaching were racing by 70 to 80 mph, and here I was barely able to get up to 25 mph. I immedately put the flashers on and kept to the shoulder of the road until the car finally kicked in and was able to slowly reach 50 mph, which seemed like an eternaty.

Upon my arrival back home I made an appointment with the Chrysler dealership for an inspection. I was told it NEEDED A TUNEUP.... WHAT! The car had just over 28,000 miles, and it was not covered under warranty, according to the dealership, and would cost me over $300.00, which I did not and do not have. I then took to car to the mechanic I & my husband always use for work on our other cars (when needed) and his respond was the same, the car need a tuneup, and told me it should be the dealers resposibility since it only had 28,000 miles. (An average car is not required a tuneup until at least 50,000.00 miles.) My PT CRUISER, even though I purchased it "USED" was still within the 5 yr warrant period and had not been "abused" since my purchase in 2006 with a little over 18,500 miles.

I pray no one else has found this to be a problem or has contributed to anyones death. And I might add that to the date of this complaint the car is still acting the same, I just stay away from all major highways in fear of my own safety. Question: When is a tuneup due on a 2005 PT CRUISER? I seem to have misplaced the owners manuel.