Brake Disc Caliper problems of the 2002 Chrysler Pt Cruiser

The contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Pt Cruiser. She noticed a loud rubbing noise in the steering wheel every time she drove the vehicle. The dealer stated that they could not find the cause or reason for the noise. She received recall notice (04v268000) for the power steering and the repair was performed according to that recall; however, she noticed that the recall repair did not remedy the issue. The dealer later stated that they could not hear the noise in the steering wheel and were unable to diagnose the failure. While driving away from the dealer, she smelled smoke, drove back to the dealer and smoke began to "bellow" from underneath the left front tire. The dealer provided assistance and replaced the hose, caliper, brake pad, rotor and the wheel cover. She was charged $406. 60 for the repairs. The manufacturer was advised of the repair cost; however, they advised her to take the matter up with the dealer. The following year the failure recurred, the same dealer told that the caliper was leaking. They caliper was replaced according to the warranty. She asked the dealer why they had not replaced it the first time according to warranty and was told that the first time, it was a new issue. She went back to the dealer the following year for the identical failure and was billed $239 to replace the caliper since the warranty had expired. Recently, she smelled smoke and an authorized dealer stated that the caliper was warped because of intense heat and the brake line had soot in it and that the warped caliper was holding the wheel in place. She provided the dealer with a reference number from the manufacturer. The dealer tried to speak with the representative and was unsuccessful. The current mileage was approximately 37,900. The failure mileage was 21,181. Updated 12/7/09 updated 12/08/09.

The contact owns a 2002 Chrysler Pt Cruiser. The contact stated that the left and right front tires caught fire due to intense heat in the wheels. The brake caliper also locked which caused the left wheel to lock and melt the brakes. The dealer stated that they corrected the failure in April of 2006. A different dealer confirmed that the brake line was never replaced or repaired which is why the failure has occurred. The failure mileage was 21,000 and the current mileage was 37,800.

: the contact stated while driving 15 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate and felt as if it was dragging. There was also a smell was coming from the front of the vehicle. It was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the front left brake was sticking. The caliper was replaced and bolts were tightened. One week later, the same thing occurred. This time the independent repair shop replaced the caliper with the original and suggested a visit to the dealer for further assistance. The dealer flushed the brake system and during a test drive the front left and the rear right brakes caught on fire. It was determined the rotors and pads and abs system needed to be replaced.

Premature, unexplained wear, requiring replacement of front discs and calipers, brakes.