Why does my PT Cruiser overheat at idle with the radiator fan not coming on?

Short answer: If your PT Cruiser runs fine on the highway but overheats sitting in traffic, and the radiator fan never comes on, the fan isn't getting power or has failed. On these cars the usual suspects are the fan relays on the fan shroud, a fuse, a burnt or cracked fan wiring connector, or the fan motor itself. Owners on Allpar and Chrysler Forum fixed theirs by swapping relays, repairing a melted connector, or replacing the fan.

Symptom: The temperature gauge climbs at idle or in stop-and-go traffic and drops once you're moving, the A/C blows warm at idle, and the fan behind the radiator isn't spinning.

What to check first

1. With the engine warm and idling, look at the fan. Turning the A/C on should also make it run.
2. Check the fan fuses in the fuse box under the hood (the box Chrysler calls the TIPM).
3. Swap the fan relays. Owners on Allpar say there are two relays on the fan shroud (one high speed and one low). Swapping them shows if one is bad.
4. Look at the fan's wiring connector for melted plastic or brown burn marks. Owners on Chrysler Forum found shorted connectors.
5. Don't keep idling it while hot. Shut it off if the gauge climbs past normal.

Likely causes

1. Bad fan relay. Owners on Allpar point to the two relays on the fan shroud as an easy first check.
2. Melted or shorted fan connector or wiring. On Chrysler Forum, two owners found the fan harness plug shorted or cracked and wired around it.
3. Failed fan motor. One Chrysler Forum owner replaced the fan at about 66,000 miles.
4. Blown fuse. A blown fan fuse often points to a shorted connector or a fan motor drawing too much current.

What it usually costs

The owners in these threads didn't post prices. Relays and fuses are cheap. A fan assembly costs more, so test the relays, fuse and connector first.

Is it safe to keep driving?

On the highway it may run cool, but in traffic it will overheat, and overheating can damage the head gasket. Until it's fixed, avoid traffic, watch the gauge, and shut the engine off if it climbs. Verify with a mechanic.

DIY or shop?

DIY for relays, fuses and connectors if you're comfortable with basic wiring. Shop if you need wiring diagnosis.

Recalls, bulletins and complaints in plain words

• No recall covers the radiator fan.
• NHTSA complaints: 27 keyword-matched complaints for Chrysler PT Cruiser 2006–2010 (of 733 unique complaints queried, NHTSA complaints API by model year, queried 2026-10-18; keywords: cooling fan, radiator fan, fan, overheat, temperature gauge).
• NHTSA's recall lookup returned no data for some of these model years when we checked, so run your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What owners report

• In PT Cruiser cooling fan issue on Allpar, a 2007 2.4L owner with about 179,000 miles found the fan wouldn't come on. Members said to swap the two relays on the fan shroud, check the fan fuse in the under-hood fuse box, and inspect the wiring.
• In 07 2.4L non-turbo PT Cruiser rad fan inop on Chrysler Forum, a 2007 owner's car overheated at idle and the fan never ran. Others said the engine computer only flags problems up to the relays, one 2002 owner had a shorted harness plug that was wired around, and another replaced the fan at about 66,000 miles and also found a cracked plug.

My take

My advice as a former lot tech: whenever I checked a used car, I'd let it idle until the fan kicked on. If the gauge passes the middle and the fan still isn't spinning, that's a cooling system that needs work before the car is sold, not after.

Vehicle focus: 2006–2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser, mainly the 2.4L non-turbo.

Safety / mechanic note

Overheating can blow the head gasket. Hot coolant can burn you, and the fan can start on its own with the key off. Verify with a mechanic.