Dodge Caliber Complaints

1,939 consumer complaints on file.

#11487026September 29, 2022
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where an unknown diagnosis and repair were completed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 153,883.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484938September 17, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY, ENGINE
Subframe on the vehicle at 90,000 was found to have SEVERE huge rotted holes in the subframe that is supporting the engine. This can allow the engine to drop out of the vehicle at any given moment and cost to repair is $1200 which is insane.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484985September 17, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
It started as a popping noise while driving which evolved into a louder sound and I was able to feel it click with my feet as I was driving, and I couldn't pinpoint exactly what was causing the issue at first. After going to a mechanics and having them look at it the subframe of the car was absolutely covered in rust to the point where it was falling apart and I could see inside. The air conditioning unit was badly designed, and the residual water from that caused the entire thing to rust. They advised that it was only going to get worse and could lead to the front axle essentially just falling out and totaling the car anyways. I drive everyday to and from work so having this issue is severely affecting my daily life and quite possibly my safety if anything happens while driving it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484123September 12, 2022
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The message "Transmission Overheating" and the ABS warning light was illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle; however, the vehicle would not exceed 30 MPH while driving. The contact veered to the side of the road, where the vehicle remained. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 240,578.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482593September 2, 2022
SUSPENSION
Upon bringing our Caliber into a service shop to install shocks because we thought the severe vibration was from worn shocks, we were told the entire rear suspension subframe was rotted and rusted to the point of the driver-side rear was almost split in half. Had it been driven much farther, the left rear wheel would have been separated from the subframe. The shop did not want the car driven any further because of the safety risk to ourselves and others on the road and we had to fix this issue immediately. This is a grave issue of safety being this is a major frame component, that was clearly faulty and known about by Dodge, which could lead to a serious or fatal incident. The car has 139,000 miles on it and has been a good car mechanically thus far, prompting us to remedy the problem. Upon researching this issue, it seems as if this is a known issue by Dodge and many other Calibers are also affected. Had we known about the bulletin, we would have addressed this issue earlier.The shop costs were around $2000, which included us purchasing parts to save more money on labor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482008August 30, 2022
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
The airbag light on the dashboard kept going on and off with a ring when it came on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11481783August 29, 2022
SUSPENSION
The passenger side rear lower control are rusted off of the back frame crossmember which shows a significant amount of rust! This almost caused an accident while driving. It broke loose while driving down the highway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479885August 18, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
My car was slow to accelerate, and sounded like the engine was over-revving. The engine stalled several times, and the car itself was shaking, while driving at a moderate speed level, which I feared would have caused an accident, because it was sudden. The service warning light appeared. I had the manifold replaced by one mechanic, but the problem occurred again. I got a second opinion, that determined it was the throttle body assembly, which was replaced. That was three years ago. Now, the same issue has cropped up again. The cost was exorbitant, and is something I can't afford every few years.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479281August 15, 2022
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
The problem initially occurred in early November of 2020 when the vehicle would unpredictably stall at a stop sign or traffic light and would not immediately start for a couple minutes. After this short wait of 1 to 3 minutes it was possible to restart the car and move forward normally and the car could be driven without stalling for 2 or 3 miles when it would stall again and the engine would not start again for 2 to 3 minutes. In traffic situations this was unsafe to not be able to move the vehicle to a safe distance from heavy traffic. Finally, the problem started to occur after the vehicle was supposedly repaired and not driven for 2 -3 days and when it an attempt to start the car it would idle for 3-5 seconds and sound like it was choking before dying, and this was happening 2 weeks after it had been "repaired" by the Dodge dealer. This problem has repeatedly occurred over the two years since the original incident and has been to a Dodge dealership for unsuccessful repairs 4 different times; 11/20; 04/22 &05/22 and it is still at the dealership being inoperable. Each time the car functioned for a few miles and then broke down again. The dealer informs us that the parts that would most likely repair the car are no longer made by Dodge and the car cannot be fixed. Interestingly enough this model vehicle has had a variety of recalls starting in 2007 but never for the particular control modules that are no longer available which are The Throttle control & Power Train Control modules, which the Dealer thinks might possibly be a fix but even that is not a sure thing. The Dodge dealer that worked on the vehicle presumably would have informed me about this situation at least before they had the vehicle in for now the 4th time in 3 years with the same problem with no solution. Up to the time of these breakdowns the vehicle was well maintained and taken care of and still has low mileage of just over 69,000 miles. Is the Dodge Corporation at least partially liable?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475585July 24, 2022
SUSPENSION
Noticed the vehicle was making creaking and grinding sounds from the rear suspension. This forcing the car to struggle to reverse. Noticed a large portion of the rear suspension/subframe was rusted and was cracking.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472731July 7, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2008 Dodge Caliber with approx. 135,000 miles on it. Rotted subframe and rusted crossbar. Vehicle started swerving as if driving on ice (in the summertime!). Took it to a reputable mechanic and he wouldn't even put it on a lift. He said it was too much of a risk. I understand this is common on this vehicle, it's dangerous and should be recalled! NO more Dodge vehicles for me, ever!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471526June 29, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The car was in park on a hill, when I turned off the engine, it rolled down the steep hill and the brakes or emergency brake would not work. I crashed through a fence across the street and into a building. The car was totaled.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468503June 9, 2022
WHEELS, SUSPENSION, STRUCTURE:BODY
Vehicle has less than 100,000 miles (strictly highway miles) and rear sub frame has completely rusted through causing back alignment to be drastically out, and fish tailing, which also causes hazardous steering control on dry and especially wet roads. Rapid wear and replacement of tires on rear end. I have researched and found this to be a consistent problem on multiple sites and forums.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468433June 9, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY, SUSPENSION, WHEELS
Rotted Subframe on Dodge Caliber I was driving home after picking my kids up from school and my front tires would not steer and were wobbling while driving, losing control of my vehicle. I had to pull over on the side of the road so I did not crash with my children in the car. I called a tow company and had it towed to the closest independent service center. Yes, the problem was reproduced by a local mechanic ASE certified that the car is not driveable because the subframe was completely rotted out and needed to be replaced. No, the car is still at the garage and not inspected by manufacturer, police or insurance. There were no warning lamps, message or other symptoms prior to the failure. There were no issues driving to school and driving home it began to be hard to steer and then starting losing control over the vehicle and keeping it on the road. I slowed and pulled over to the side of the road and called a tow truck immediately. I was not going to take the chance of driving any further with my children and crash.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11465937May 24, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY, SERVICE BRAKES, VISIBILITY/WIPER
VERY BAD DESIGN OF MUFFLER. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS. THE MUFFLER HAS A HOLE ON TOP. THAT HEAT EFFECT THE BATTOM TRUNCK, THE HOOD GET MELTED, HEAT SHEILD GET BURNED AND THE ROAD ASSISTANT TIRE GET MELTED AS WELL. I WAS LUCKY I WAS ABLE TO SMELL IT. ALSO ALL BODY GET VERY RUSTED AND LOOK HOURRIBLE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11465786May 23, 2022
SUSPENSION
Cradle connected to front suspension is corroded and cracked. Causing wobble in steering wheel.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11465287May 19, 2022
SUSPENSION
I was driving down to road and the the k member (subframe) rusted all the way through
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464499May 13, 2022
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, she lost control of her vehicle. The contact stated that she crashed into a pole, however, the air bag did not deploy. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated at the time. The contact stated that no medical attention was needed, and no police report was made. The contact stated that she then had the vehicle towed to her residence where it remained in her possession. The contact stated that she then contacted the dealer, as well as the manufacturer who advised her to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 189,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463515May 5, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that after driving approximately a block from her residence, she noticed that the vehicle was unable to exceed 15 MPH while accelerating. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to her residence and then the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact stated that the vehicle was diagnosed, and she was informed that the intake manifold needed to be replaced. Additionally, the vehicle subframe was rusted. The contact stated that she was informed of an unknown recall however, she was informed that the VIN was not included. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11461997April 25, 2022
SUSPENSION
Rear subframe is badly rusted making the vehicle unsafe to drive. Don’t know how long it been like this, just noticed it while doing brake work. I’ve owned the car since 2008 and was never notified of the extended warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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