PT broken when paid for

[Ervin48]

My family and I were on a road trip between New Orleans and Biloxi, MS this past weekend. The first fifty mile was uneventful. Two miles from the Mississippi state line my tach stop working so I drove with the RPM gage, minutes later I felt a slight jerk. My car did not lose power and I was able to maintain my current speed of 75 mph. Two miles past the Mississippi state line I was able to pull into the visitor center where I checked the engine for smoke and smell. The engine idle was smooth but the check engine light was on, so I decided to continue the remainder of the trip, approx 60 miles. Returning to the wheel I shift the gear box to reverse and then to drive and there were no movement. I continued with my trip in another car and towed the PT to my home the next day instead to a dealership or transmission shop. I would like to trouble shoot the switches before paying a dealership or a transmission shop. Anyone have suggestions? By the way, I made my last payment and received my title last week. Bad timing because I planed to trade it this week. Thanks for any input.

[CREWZIN]

Sorry about your trouble. Sounds like your the victim of the dreaded 41TE transaxle problem. The auto transmission on the PT Cruiser (also the minivan) is a weak link. Although thousands of owners have no problems, there's quite a lot that do break down, some luckaly before the warranty runs out. I don't have the information at hand, but there's a part or two inside the tranny that is prone to brake.

If you do a Google search of "41TE problems" you'll see what I mean about the tranny.

[ucantcme]

That's unfortunate...I just wanted to say I made that trip every weekend in my PT....I lived in Slidell and traveled to the base in Biloxi for gas and groceries.

[Ervin48]

Thanks a lot. A part of me would like to keep my PT. The other part say trade. This is my first maintanence problem since ownership. I should ride it out. I will search the web for more information before I make the decision to keep after repair. Thanks again.

[KIMS CRUZER]

May I ask what year your PT might be? I have two payments left. I recently had trouble with overheating, before that I never had any problems with my PT. I too am considering a upgrade, especially with the new warranty.

[Ervin48]

Kims,

Sorry for the late response. My PT is a 2003 under 50,000 miles. I had it hauled to a transmission shop last week and it will be ready for pick up this week. It was explained that when the speed gage went out my onboard computer did not know my current speed and must have shifted into a lower gear. That was the cause of the slight jerk I felt. By droping to a lower gear, unknowingly I kelp moving at a speed much higher while in that lower gear, thus screwing up the trans. A costly fix because since Hurricane Katrina, the prices in this area has elevated to maximize profits. Two year later, we are still getting screwed. Make your decision wisely.

Ervin48