CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2007 Dodge Caliber has all kinds of suspension problems at relatively low mileage: typically 40-50,000 miles.
The most commonly reported problems are with ball joints & control arms going bad. Tie rods & leaking struts are also reported failing in the same mileage range.
Unfortunately all the suspension problems means some owners only find out after they notice their tires are ruined.
We've given the 2007 Caliber our worst rating because these problems happen at such low mileage, & it involves a wide range of apparently defective parts. With most other cars, major suspension work is pretty rare under 50,000 miles.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
84,745 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I had my 2007 Dodge Caliber rear brakes replaced today, at 83,487 miles. The service professional noted on the receipt that the -??rear subframe is rotting out.-?? He suggested that I contact Dodge, to find out if there has been a recall regarding this issue. Please advise as to how this problem may be resolved, with no additional, out-of-pocket cost to me, the consumer. Thank you.
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.
This car has had the driver airbag warning light on in the dash for more than 20,000 miles.I do not know if they are "takata air bags or not. Also, the driver rear taillight has filled with water. I have been the sole owner of this car. Now the dash lights are flickering off & on when lights are turned on. The Caliber now has 96,000 miles on it. Thank you in advance for any answers.
I was sitting at a stop sign when my ABS and engine light started flashing and this annoying dinging started I made a left turn and my tires would be out of control making me think I was having a steering problem, just parking would be a problem and this annoying sound would stay on until U park the car this was done on a highway I was told by a Dodge dealership that it was my ABS module and that it needed to be replaced so I check for a recall and find out there are recalls for the same make model and year on a lot of other cars but not my VIN#.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While driving 45 mph, the contact noticed that the anti skid and ABS warning lights illuminated without warning. All of the instrument panel lights also illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the front and rear ends of the vehicle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact spoke with the manufacturer who approved the repairs performed by another dealer. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000. Updated 02/12/16
Brakes on this vehicle are no good, very hard to stop. Ball joints no good steering on this vehicle is not safe either I have noticed all the recalls and complaints.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while driving at 10 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle began to vibrate. The ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was aware of NHTSA campaign numbers: 06V493000 (service brakes, hydraulic), 10V234000 (vehicle speed control), and 07V196000 (wheels); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 140,000.
I had an accident on Friday, January 18, 2015. The car in front of me put on brakes, and I was a distance away from the car in front of me when I put on brakes as well. However, when I attempted to brake, it would not brake normally as a car should. Also, there was no anti-lock brake that kicked in. In addition, the airbags did not deploy in this vehicle. My car is totaled. Thankfully, I was able to walk away. There is something wrong with the brakes on this vehicle. I always felt like that. However, the experience that I had with this accident was confirmation for me.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While driving at very low speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the ABS would erroneously activate causing the braking distance to be extended. The contact also indicated that the check engine sensor light illuminated. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failures. In addition, the contact experienced various electrical failures. The driver side window would open, but would not roll up to close allowing rain to enter into the vehicle. Also, the front passenger side headlight would not operate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the electrical failures. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 156,000. Updated 12/30/14 the consumer was involved in accident and the vehicle was totaled. Updated 01/27/15
Vehicle was involved in frontal collision with run off tire from a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck. Frontal driver side received damage to electrical wiring harness which shut down onboard computer system. Upon impact the vehicle seized operation and shut down air bag deployment. Steering control was lost due to half shaft joint was sheered apart.
The car will lose all power when driving, almost at a complete stop. The first 2 times it happened were at night (the second during a complete downpour) and since I lose all power, the hazard lights won't even work so I have to get out of the car to alert other drivers so that they won't hit me!! so dangerous!! the first "fix" was to do a full computer system re-flash ($300). The second "fix" was to replace the transmission control module ($600). The third time this happened was 3 days after the second "fix" as I'd driven not even 100 feet from a parking spot, I turned the volume up on my radio and the car died! the 3rd "fix" will be upwards of $1500!!! Dodge knows about this problem. In fact, it is the faulty placement of the tipm that has caused this!! it was placed in a spot where it constantly receives damage from water and dirt on the road, which causes corrosion and then bam! loss of power!!!! Dodge has not created any recalls for this which is unacceptable! this problem, if it happens on any highways or in major intersections, could kill someone!!! I've done a ton of research and this is happening to too many people with the same exact model year car!!! I've contacted Dodge corporation to request a recall and/or financial assistance in this matter and they won"T do anything! I've owned this car for less than 3 months and I've already had it in the shop 3 times for this problem. When will Dodge realize that they have to do something about this" when someone dies????" I'm going to reach out to as many people as I can who have had/are having the same problem so we can get a lawyer involved!!! someone needs to do something about this problem and that someone is Dodge!!!!!!!
The vehicle has had the ignition switch slip from "on" to "accessory" twice in the last few years. The first time was on I-95 just North of richmond, va. I was driving, shifted my knee (with a long keychain), and the switch slipped. I was unable to control the car at that point. I hit the emergency lights button and tried to re-start the car. I was able to re-start the car and continue driving without accident or injury. The second time was on edwards mill road in raleigh, nc. At that point, I was not driving with the longer keychain, but a shorter one with only four keys, and the switch slipped again. Because it had happened before, I knew what I needed to do was to re-start the car, and I was able to do so successfully without accident or injury. Because at the time, I didn't think much of it, and because I had no concept that it could have been a bigger issue, and because there was no accident, I did not stop to write down or remember the dates/times of these incidents. I know that the first incident was at night; the second incident was during the day. I remember where I was because I have a photographic memory; however, because I didn't stop to look at the date or time then or later, I don't recall exact dates and times. My best guess, based on my travel schedule through richmond, va, is that it took place within the last three years, and then the second incident sometime after that. I thought nothing of these incidents even when the GM recalls started happening, because it wasn't a GM vehicle. However, the other day, I read that Chrysler vehicles were being recalled for this issue, and something triggered my memory with the switch slips. I wanted to provide this information and notice so that a decision could be made about investigating other Chrysler models, as well as to provide notice to the company of an issue.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that the brake pedal became abnormally stiff, causing extreme difficulty when attempting to brake. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told there was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 06V493000 (service brakes, hydraulic: Antilock: Control unit/module) for the antilock braking system. The contact spoke with the manufacturer and was told that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 60,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Syracuse, NY, USA