no report yet
Visibility: glass, side/rear
Risk. IF THE GLASS SEPARATES WHILE DRIVING, IT COULD STRIKE ANOTHER VEHICLE OR INJURE A PEDESTRIAN.
2006 Chrysler PT CruiserProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 349 owner complaints about the 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser, most often about the electrical system. It is covered by 1 safety recall.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through April 17, 2025. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser has problems
349 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
138Electrical system4 crash/fire/injury
55Engine
37Visibility2 crash/fire/injury
36Engine and engine cooling6 crash/fire/injury
35Air bags21 crash/fire/injury
28Power train
21Exterior lighting
18Steering
15Structure
10418 other systems9 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 138 | 4 |
| Engine | 55 | 0 |
| Visibility | 37 | 2 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 36 | 6 |
| Air bags | 35 | 21 |
| Power train | 28 | 5 |
| Exterior lighting | 21 | 0 |
| Steering | 18 | 3 |
| Structure | 15 | 7 |
| 18 other systems | 104 | 9 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
1 recall
2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Chrysler.
Mileage at failure
When do electrical system problems start?
59kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 122 electrical system complaints. 80% were reported before 100,000 miles.
26under 30k miles98under 100k miles24100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Electrical system
12 owners mentioned a cost$800median
Middle half: $273 – $900
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2006 vs. every other PT Cruiser year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the PT Cruiser median. How we score
'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser safety ratings
2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Frontal crashNot rated
- Stability control: No
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
2 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser, and the recalls they led to.
- REAR QUARTER PANEL GLASS SEPARATIONLed to recall 07V-149
- REAR QUARTER PANEL GLASS SEPARATIONNo recall
In owners' words
What PT Cruiser owners report
Recent electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
all of the dash board instrument cluster lights turn on breifly,car speed starts to drop, lights on dash turn back off,[ all except seat belt lights] then car seems to restart itself and will reaccelerate.all this happens while we are driving in traffic at highway speeds, this is not good and could…
ON 12/21/2018 I TOOK MY CAR TO THE OREGON DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TO HAVE IT INSPECTED SO I COULD GET MY NEW TAGS. I HAD PASSED EVERY TWO YEARS BUT NOT THIS TIME. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A NEW LAW THAT REQUIRED THE VIN TO SHOW UP ON THE REPORT WHEN THEY HOOK UP THEIR EQUIPMENT TO MY…
ENGINE LIGHTS COME ON RANDOMLY. IDLE SPEEDS INCONSISTENT. WINDSHIELD CRACKED STRAIGHT ACROSS WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED UNTIL WE READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT CHRYSLER’S DEFECTIVE TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULES PROBLEMS TITLED “CHRYSLER TIPMS CAUSING POWER PROBLEMS
Own a 2006 PT Cruiser?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.