2001-2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser Brake Job Guide: Symptoms, Costs and the Right Parts

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

A brake job on a 2001-2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser usually means front pads and rotors first, with the rear axle following later. What the rear needs depends on how your car was built: some PT Cruisers have rear drums with shoes, others have rear discs with pads, so confirm which one you have before you order anything.

How the PT Cruiser brake system is laid out

Every PT Cruiser from 2001 through 2010 uses power-assisted disc brakes up front. Chrysler's owner guide describes a dual hydraulic system: if one half loses pressure, the other half still stops the car, but with more pedal travel and less braking effectiveness. The split is diagonal, which is why the brake tube recall described below refers to the "left front/right rear" circuit.

The rear is where PT Cruisers differ. Depending on model year, trim and options, the rear axle has either drum brakes (shoes inside a drum) or disc brakes (pads and a caliper on a rotor). Brake catalogs split the car the same way: Hawk's fitment listings, for example, separate "Rear Disc Brakes - Exc. GT Turbo" cars from the GT Turbo, which has its own front and rear pad and rotor fitments. The turbocharged GT models use four-wheel disc brakes; many other trims came with rear drums.

The quickest check is to look through a rear wheel. If you see a rotor and a caliper, you have rear discs. If you see a closed, round drum, you have drums. Do this before ordering, because rear pads will not fit a drum car and GT Turbo parts will not fit a standard PT Cruiser.

Symptoms that your PT Cruiser needs a brake job

• Squealing when you brake. Many disc pads have a small metal wear tab that scrapes the rotor when the friction material gets thin. A high-pitched squeal is the usual first warning.
• Grinding. Metal-on-metal noise means the pad backing plate or shoe is touching the rotor or drum. At that point the rotor or drum is almost always damaged and has to be replaced along with the friction material.
• Pulsation or a shaking steering wheel. A pedal that pulses at highway stops points to uneven rotor thickness or deposits on the front rotors. A pulse felt more in the seat than the steering wheel can come from the rear rotors or out-of-round drums.
• Pulling to one side. A sticking caliper slide, a seized caliper piston or a collapsed brake hose can make the car pull under braking and wear one pad much faster than the other.
• Low or soft pedal. A spongy pedal usually means air or moisture in the fluid; a pedal that slowly sinks can mean a leak or a worn master cylinder. On drum cars, out-of-adjustment rear shoes also make the pedal travel further.
• Brake warning light. Chrysler's owner guide says the red brake light can mean the parking brake is on, the fluid in the master cylinder has dropped below a set level, or there is a problem with the anti-lock system. It also warns that driving with that light on is dangerous because part of the brake system may have failed.

Low fluid deserves a closer look. The owner guide notes that the fluid level drops as the pads wear, so a slightly low reservoir can simply mean thin pads. A reservoir that keeps dropping, or a wet spot at a wheel, is a leak and needs to be found before you top it up.

Front vs rear: what wears and in what order

The front brakes do most of the stopping on a front-wheel-drive car like the PT Cruiser, so the front pads nearly always wear out first. Plan on the front axle being the first brake job and the one you repeat most often.

On rear disc cars, the rear pads outlast the fronts, but rear rotors can rust heavily on the inner face because they do less work and stay cooler. On rear drum cars the shoes last a long time; the more common rear problems are a leaking wheel cylinder, a seized adjuster, or rusted return springs. The parking brake works on the rear brakes, so a parking brake that no longer holds, or one that drags, is often the first sign that the rear needs attention.

Always service both wheels on an axle together. Replacing pads or rotors on only one side leaves the car braking unevenly.

What to replace at the same time

• Rotors with the pads if they are grooved, below the minimum thickness stamped on the rotor, heat-spotted or causing pulsation. New pads on a worn rotor bed in poorly and often come back noisy. Browse replacement brake rotors and brake pads by vehicle.
• Hardware. Pad abutment clips, shims and slide pin boots on disc brakes, and springs and adjusters on drums, lose tension and corrode. A brake hardware kit is inexpensive and is the most common fix for pads that rattle or wear unevenly. Drum cars can use fresh brake shoes at the same time.
• Calipers if a piston is seized, a boot is torn or the caliper is leaking. A car that pulls or wears one pad down to the plate usually needs a replacement caliper, and calipers are best done in pairs.
• Brake hoses. Chrysler says the hoses should be inspected every time the brakes are serviced and at every oil change, and replaced immediately if they show cracking, scuffing or worn spots, because a worn hose can burst. See brake hoses.
• Brake fluid. Chrysler specifies Mopar DOT 3 (SAE J1703) in the master cylinder, with DOT 4 acceptable if DOT 3 is not available. Use fluid from a tightly sealed container and never let petroleum-based fluid into the system; the owner guide warns it can damage the brake seals and cause partial or complete brake failure.

On a manual-transmission PT Cruiser, the brake fluid reservoir also feeds the hydraulic clutch. The owner guide explains that the two systems are separated inside the reservoir, and that a low reservoir with no brake leak can be a clutch hydraulic leak instead.

How hard is the job, and what drives the cost

A front pad and rotor job on a PT Cruiser is a straightforward home job with basic hand tools, a jack and stands, and a torque wrench: remove the wheel, unbolt the caliper, hang it so it does not stretch the hose, swap the pads and rotor, clean and lubricate the slides, and reinstall. Tighten caliper and wheel fasteners to the values in the factory service manual rather than guessing. Rear discs are similar. Rear drums take more patience because of the springs and the self-adjuster, so do one side at a time and keep the other side assembled as a reference.

Cost comes down to a few choices:

• Pads only vs pads and rotors. Pads alone are the cheapest job, but only if the rotors are still in good shape. Adding rotors raises the parts cost and avoids a comeback for noise or pulsation.
• One axle vs both. Most PT Cruiser brake jobs are front-only. Doing front and rear together costs more up front but puts everything on the same service cycle.
• Parts vs labor. Doing it yourself removes the labor. Drums usually take a shop longer than rear discs because they take longer to rebuild and adjust.
• Add-ons. Seized calipers, a leaking wheel cylinder or a fluid flush all add to the total.

Kits that pair pads with matching rotors take the guesswork out of ordering; brands such as Power Stop build kits by vehicle, and our full brake parts catalog lets you shop by part type.

Check for the brake tube recall

NHTSA recall 04V481000 covers certain PT Cruisers equipped with four-wheel ABS, the 2.4L high-output turbo engine and the five-speed manual transaxle. On those cars the left front brake tube could rub on the transaxle housing and eventually wear through, which could cause a loss of braking in the left front/right rear circuit. The remedy was a revised brake tube installed by the dealer, and the recall began in October 2004. If you own a turbo manual PT Cruiser, check your VIN on NHTSA's recall site and, during any brake job, look at that tube for rub marks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my PT Cruiser have rear drum or rear disc brakes?

It depends on the year, trim and options. The GT Turbo has four-wheel discs; many other PT Cruisers have rear drums. Look through a rear wheel: a rotor and caliper means discs, a closed round drum means drums. Order rear parts only after you have checked.

What brake fluid does a PT Cruiser use?

Chrysler's owner guide specifies Mopar DOT 3 brake fluid meeting SAE J1703, and says DOT 4 is acceptable if DOT 3 is not available. Use fluid from a sealed container and never add petroleum-based fluids.

Why is my brake warning light on?

According to the owner guide, the light comes on when the parking brake is applied, when fluid in the master cylinder is low, or when there is an anti-lock brake fault. If the parking brake is fully released and the light stays on, check the fluid level and have the system inspected before driving.

Do GT Turbo brake parts fit a regular PT Cruiser?

No. Brake catalogs list the GT Turbo separately from other PT Cruisers for both front and rear pads and rotors. Always match parts to your exact configuration.

Should I replace the rotors every time I replace the pads?

Not always. If the rotors are above minimum thickness, smooth and not causing pulsation, they can stay. If they are grooved, warped, heavily rusted or near the minimum, replace them with the pads.

Sources

1. Chrysler 2008 PT Cruiser Owner's Guide (Mopar) - brake warning light meaning, dual hydraulic system, brake hose inspection, fluid level and pad wear, DOT 3 / SAE J1703 fluid, shared clutch reservoir
2. NHTSA recall data, 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser - recall 04V481000, brake tube to transaxle clearance and remedy
3. Hawk Performance fitment, 2006 PT Cruiser rear disc brakes (exc. GT Turbo) - separate rear-disc fitment for non-turbo cars
4. Hawk Performance fitment, 2005 PT Cruiser GT Turbo - GT Turbo-specific front and rear pad and rotor fitments