"How reliable is the 2006 Chrysler Pt Cruiser?"

"Based on 511 NHTSA complaints, the 2006 Chrysler Pt Cruiser has a median complaint mileage of 60000 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 2006 Chrysler Pt Cruiser?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2006 Chrysler Pt Cruiser is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 511 total complaints filed."

2006 Chrysler Pt Cruiser: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 511 complaints

511

Total Complaints

60,000mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

34,500 25th Percentile

60,000 Median Mileage

91,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

122

Engine

Air Bags

Power Train

Engine And Engine Cooling

Exterior Lighting

Steering

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Glass, Side/Rear

Horn

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING AT 50-55 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, AND THEY DETERMINED THE PROBLEM INVOLVED THE STARTER ASSEMBLY SOLENOID VALVE. REPAIRS WERE MADE. HOWEVER, THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. CURRENTLY, THE VEH..."

"2006 PT CRUISER HORN SOMETIMES WILL NOT WORK. *TS THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE HORN MUST BE APPLIED A CERTAIN WAY. *JB"

"DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE IS ONLY A SMALL AREA ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO ACTIVATE THE HORN. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY REPLACED THE STEERING WHEEL BUT THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 3/22/2006 - THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Electrical System 122 complaints

25th: 40,750 mi Median: 65,000 mi 75th: 93,000 mi

Engine 54 complaints

25th: 54,554 mi Median: 70,000 mi 75th: 106,000 mi

Air Bags 29 complaints

25th: 29,218 mi Median: 45,436 mi 75th: 78,172 mi

Power Train 22 complaints

25th: 49,146 mi Median: 90,257 mi 75th: 122,016 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 20 complaints

25th: 23,750 mi Median: 34,000 mi 75th: 58,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 96 FL: 65 GA: 33 TX: 31 VA: 21 NC: 20 OH: 20 MI: 16 IL: 16 WA: 15

Who Files Complaints?

9.8%

Original Owners

90.2%

Second+ Owners

Chrysler Pt Cruiser — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2001	799	58,000	Structure	48
2002	658	52,000	Electrical System	54
2003	353	49,000	Electrical System	30
2004	290	52,718	Electrical System	23
2005	244	59,000	Electrical System	12
2007	203	53,000	Air Bags	23
2008	171	59,750	Electrical System	17
2009	158	52,000	Electrical System	5
2010	30	30,000	Engine	1

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28