2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER — Complaint #1277987
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about EXTERIOR LIGHTING:FOG LIGHTS filed April 25, 2016
NHTSA complaint #1277987 (ODI reference 10861357) concerns a 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER and was filed on April 25, 2016. The owner reports the failure occurred on April 25, 2016. The vehicle had 180,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to North Carolina based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as exterior lighting:fog lights, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: yes, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same CHRYSLER PT CRUISER cohort independently describe similar exterior lighting:fog lights failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FOG LIGHTS ILLUMINATED INDEPENDENTLY AND WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ODOR AND EVIDENCE OF SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. AFTERWARDS, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO TURN THE FOG LIGHTS OFF AND THE ODOR DISSIPATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1277987 |
| ODI Number | 10861357 |
| Date Filed | April 25, 2016 |
| Failure Date | April 25, 2016 |
| VIN | 3C8FY68B92T |
Similar EXTERIOR LIGHTING:FOG LIGHTS Complaints for 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WITH THE FOG LAMP ILLUMINATED, THE CONTACT NOTICED A BURNING SMELL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERS
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED AND SHE HEARD A RATTLING SOUND COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS STATIONARY. SHE FEL
FOR THE PAST 4 MONTHS MY CAR FOG LIGHTS COME ON FOR NO REASON. WOKE UP IN THE MORNING AND THEY WHERE ON AND IF THEY TURN ON WHILE DRIVING IT SEEMS TO AFFECT THE RADIO NOW WHEN I SHUT OFF THE CAR I PUT
BATTERY FAILURE WHEN FOG LIGHTS GO ON DUE TO FAULTY SWITCH
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.