Total Complaints
14 filings
CHRYSLER CHRYSLER · model year
14 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2002CHRYSLERCHRYSLER carries 14 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 3 injuries, and 1 fatality. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2002 CHRYSLER is suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint with 2 filings, followed by suspension:front:macpherson strut (1) and unknown or other (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 81 investigation files overlapping the 2002 CHRYSLER, and 5 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
14 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT | 2 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | 1 |
| STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT | 1 |
I JUST BOUGHT A 2002 PT CRUISER FROM JUST ADD GAS IN ALBANY LOUISIANA I LOVE THE CAR , BUT AFTER I GOT IT HOME AND DROVE IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS I FOUND OUT THAT THE BRAIN IS HAVING PROBLEMS , I TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE AND HAD THEM PUT THE TESTER ON IT AND THEY DETERMINED THAT IT IS THE BRAIN ,OR AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM GOING TO THE BRAIN , I AM TRYING TO LOCATE ONE AT THIS TIME . *TR
Mileage: 110,000
I JUST BOUGHT A 2002 PT CRUISER FROM JUST ADD GAS IN ALBANY LOUISIANA I LOVE THE CAR , BUT AFTER I GOT IT HOME AND DROVE IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS I FOUND OUT THAT THE BRAIN IS HAVING PROBLEMS , I TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE AND HAD THEM PUT THE TESTER ON IT AND THEY DETERMINED THAT IT IS THE BRAIN ,OR AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM GOING TO THE BRAIN , I AM TRYING TO LOCATE ONE AT THIS TIME . *TR
Mileage: 110,000
JEEP 2002 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 09V117000 - WE HAD A FIRE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT FROM A SHORT IN THE WIRING FOR THE HEATED SEAT WHICH CAUSED THE HEATING TO NO LONGER WORK. MY HUSBAND REMOVED THE BURNED AREA/DEBRIS. WE CALLED CHRYSLER AND EVEN THOUGH THE RECALL EVENT HAPPENED TO US IN THE YEAR AND MAKE OF THE VEHICLE RECALL, OUR VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL SO THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE FAILURE. *TR
Mileage: 82,000
TL* - THE CONTACT RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL 2W125384-F23 FOR LOWER BALL JOINTS FROM DAIMLER CHRYSLER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT HAS BEEN OVER A MONTH AND CHRYSLER HAS TOLD HER THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THE PARTS. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THEY ONLY GET ENOUGH PARTS TO DO 1 CAR A WEEK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN SHE MAKES A RIGHT TURN, THE CAR FEELS AS THOUGH SHE HAS RUN OVER SOMETHING.
Mileage: 100,000
TL*- THE DEALERSHIP DOES NOT HAVE PARTS FOR THE RECALL. EACH TIME CONTACT CALLS PARTS ARE NOT IN. THE LOWER BALL JOINTS RECALL. NO. CIMS482-00-85. HE HAS RECEIVED A SECOND RECALL ON SAME PART.
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED, HOWEVER ACCELERATION POWER WAS LOST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN BY A DEALER.
Mileage: 15,031
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE TAILGATE OPENS WHILE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. THERE WERE NO OCCURRENCES THAT WOULD HAVE AN AFFECT ON THE LATCH. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN LOOKED AT BY THE DEALER.
I PURCHASED MY 2002 PT CRUISER WHEN IT WAS ABOUT A YEAR OLD. THERE WAS SLIGHT DISCOLORATION ON THE BUMPER THAT LOOKED LIKE TAPE WAS THERE. IT WASN'T VERY NOTICEABLE AT THE TIME. NOW, A FEW YEARS LATER IT LOOKS RIDICULOUS. THERE IS A LINE THAT LOOKS LIKE TAPE ABOUT 1.5 INCHES WIDE ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE BUMPER, IT IS VERY NOTICEABLE. IT IS ON THE REAR AND FRONT BUMPER. THE BLACK PART AROUND THE WINDOWS IS ALSO DISCOLORED. *JB
300M NOT EVEN 3 YRS. I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. I WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID PACK AND SENSORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, PAID ABOUT $700, WITHIN TWO MONTHS THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED.*AK
Mileage: 105,000
WHILE DRIVING MY 202 CHRYSLER 300M THE STEERING MECHANISM FAILED AND I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *JB
Mileage: 117,000
HOOD STRUTS FAILED ON MY 2002 CHRYSLER PROWLER--HOOD COMES DOWN ON MY HEAD! *JB
Mileage: 6,000
SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT ON 19 DECEMBER 2002, MY STEP-SON, AGE 35, AND I WERE DRIVING SOUTH BOUND ON I-35 NEAR PERRY, OK IN MY 2002 DODGE DURANGO. I WAS DRIVING AND MY SON WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, SLEEPING. HE WAS WEARING HIS SEAT BELT. I CHANGED LANES TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE (THIS IS A SOUTHBOUND INTERSTATE) AND WAS TRAVELING AT 70 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED. AS I APPROACHED THE VEHICLE IN THE RIGHT LANE WHICH I WAS PASSING, IT SUDDENLY SWERVED INTO MY LANE (LEFT, PASSING LANE). HER BUMPER CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY VEHICLE ON THE FRONT QUARTER PANEL NEAR THE WHEEL WELL. (SHE SAID LATER THAT SHE FELT A SLIGHT BUMP WHICH SHE DIDN'T RELATE TO ANOTHER CAR AT THAT MOMENT). AS HER CAR SWERVED INTO MY LANE, I ATTEMPTED TO SWERVE TO THE LEFT TO AVOID HER. AT THE MOMENT THAT I PULLED THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT, HER REAR BUMPER MADE THE CONTACT WITH MY DURGANGO LISTED ABOVE. MY AIRBAG IMMEDIATELY DEPLOYED, STOPPING ME FROM BRAKING OR CONTROLLING THE ST
Mileage: 12,050
COMPLAINT ABOUT PROBLEMS INVOLVING THE 2002 CHRYSLER VAN. *MR THE CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE STATUS OF HIS COMPLAINT. *SCC
FRAME/STRUCTURE OVER THE RIGHT SIDE STRUT HAS RUSTED. THIS COULD RESULT IN STRUT FAILURE AND VEHICLE LOSING STEERING. *AK THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO BE UPDATED ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE COMPLAINT. *SCC
Mileage: 127,000
Recall 23V-413 Post Remedy Failures
Intermittent Loss of Electric Power Steering
Recall 19V-293 Post Remedy Failures
Engine Stall With Intermittent Restart
Intermittent/Comp Loss of Power Steering
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.