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:
6 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
69,329 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.

2007 Dodge Caliber engine problems

engine problem

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2007 Dodge Caliber Owner Comments (Page 3 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #54

Nov 272013

Caliber

  • 47,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was stopped at a stop light. The light turned green and I stepped onto the accelerator pedal. As I was accelerating up a hill the entire plastic pedal broke off from the firewall and fell onto the floor. I was able to get off of the road safely, but the car is useless without a pedal.

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #53

Aug 092013

Caliber

  • 172,000 miles
Driving down the highway, all of my dash lights came on-battery, fuel, temp, etc. Car lost speed and became sluggish. Lost power steering and pulled over. Car immediately died and would not go into park. Locked up completely. After about 30 mins, it started back up and ran for pax 3 blocks before doing it again. Had it towed. Replaced the alternator, then 3 weeks later same issues. Replaced the battery. Did not fix it. Now told its a common issue for the Dodge Caliber and is the control module which is a 1000 dollar part plus labor. And that Dodge is aware of the issue and has not recalled them. I do not feel I should be stuck with the costs of a major repair that is a design flaw from the manufacturer that they have been aware of for years and is obviously a hazard when it shuts down immediately while driving with no warning. My two young children and 84 year old grand mother were with me in 100 degree weather on the side of the highway for hours while waiting on a tow and a family member to come get us since we couldn't ride in the tow truck. After reading forums online, hundreds if not thousands of Caliber owners have had the same issue. Some had cars that were only two weeks old! I would like to request an investigation and hopefully a recall happen.

- Poplar Bluff, MO, USA

problem #52

Aug 082013

Caliber

  • 94,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that after the vehicle approached a stop sign, the accelerator pedal had to be depressed numerous times to increase speed. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified on the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

- Gallion , OH, USA

problem #51

Apr 012013

Caliber

  • 68,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the electronic throttle control light illuminated as the vehicle erroneously decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be replicated. The contact also mentioned that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 68,000.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #50

Jun 262013

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 35,600 miles
Accelerated from red light to get on to the freeway, car lurched forward and stalled. Power was lost and had to limp to safely get to the side of the road. Electronic throttle light (bars with lightning bolt) came on. Shut the car completely off and restarted, drove 20 feet and the same thing happened again. Shut the car off again for 5-7 min and was able to safely get off the freeway. Took in to private mechanic the next day and was informed that the throttle body it self went bad and he as seen this a lot with different models of Dodge vehicles, yet no recall has been issued. Is going to cost me $500 to get it fixed. I bought the car brand new in 2006 so warranty is out due to age.

- Carson City, NV, USA

problem #49

Feb 282013

Caliber

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and the electronic throttle control light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis. The failure could not be duplicated. The failure recurred one hour later. The vehicle was returned to the dealer but again, the failure could not be determined. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 100,000.

- Spartanburg, SC, USA

problem #48

Mar 312013

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 100,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving on I40 from wilmington, nc the car just shut off unexpectedly throttle control light(lightning bolt) came on, car was hard to control, was slowly able to get the car off the road and restarted, moments after restart while trying to pull back onto the highway it cut off again, after attempting to get going several times it finally started and did not cut off until we reached our destination. This has happened dozens of times now with no luck finding a fix or being able to properly diagnose the problem. This is a terribly scary situation to be in on the highway, I wish NHTSA would investigate this problem as I see this has been reported to them hundres of times for this model year the oldest report of this was in 9/2006 to a brand new 2007 Caliber this is crazy, something must be done. Dodge is consistently ripping people of with repair bills that dont seem to be repairing the problem as you can read in several of the complaints.

- Franklinton, NC, USA

problem #47

Nov 152012

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 27,000 miles
Engine warning lights flash, warning check engine light disappear, reappear at will, wont start, system failure, loss of power, speed limit acute loss of power, stalling of engine while at freeway speeds, stalling out at 35-40 mph speeds, noise at gas pedal.

- Vacaville, CA, USA

problem #46

Jul 152012

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 130,000 miles
Car purchased brand new in 2007 with lifetime powertrain warranty. Driven 99% on interstate at approximately 70 mph. All manufacturer's maintenance recommendations have been followed. While driving approx 72 mph in flow of traffic, car suddenly decelerated to under 35 mph and lightning bolt (electronic throttle control indicator) began flashing. I was nearly hit by a tractor trailer barreling down on my car. I moved to the shoulder, grabbed the manual and read about the light. I turned off the car and turned it back on after about 15 minutes and the car seemed fine and I was able to get home. The next morning, the car wouldn't start. I tried several hours later and it started just fine. About 1 mile down the road in 3rd gear, the car lost speed again dropping from approx 40 mph to 10 mph. The lightning bolt was not on this time, but the check engine light came on. I pulled into the nearby car parts store and they read the engine codes (P2110 and P2118). I took my car to my mechanic at under 10 mph on a 55 mph road. The mechanic got the same codes and indicated that the throttle body probably needed to be replaced. I then contacted the local dealership, indicated what was wrong and was told that they would need me to pay $95 to inspect the vehicle before they could tell me whether or not the parts would be covered under warranty. I told her what part was in question and was told it was not under warranty, despite its drastic effect on the engine. Because it was not covered under warranty or recall, my mechanic worked on it. He cleaned the throttle body and found no problems with it. He then replaced the cam shaft position sensors, which fixed the problem. This is a serious safety issued that will get someone killed, if it hasn't already. It's possible that it has happened and hasn't been reported because a dead person can tell their version of events.

- Stephens City, VA, USA

problem #45

Feb 202013

Caliber

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that the driver attempted to accelerate but the vehicle would not respond. The contact stated that the engine rpms increased but the vehicle would remain still. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 10V234000 (vehicle speed control). The failure mileage was 95,000.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #44

Feb 082013

Caliber

  • 119,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that the electronic throttle control warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 119,000.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #43

Jan 082013

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
I do not know what to think or what to do!!!! I have had multiple issues with my Caliber since I purchased it. The first time it happened was back in 2008 or 2009 after I purchased the vehicle and it decided it needed to shut off on me in the middle of the road. A while later the entire electrical system died and I had no dash-lights/headlights/ emergency lights/ wipers/ just keep going with more electrical necessary safety equipment. Then another set of issues arose... since we have had multiple parts of the whole car fixed and or replaced most recently the suspension, transmission, and the same sensory that was fixed earlier (crankshaft sensor). Now only 4 months since all of those issues were fixed my car is worse then it was before..... driving down the road the vehicle will attempt to stall (as an automatic), the rpms have a mind of their own... oh and don't let me forget that the dealer can find no issues or malfunctions with the vehicle as it does not produce an error code when connected to a diagnostic reader. (just a side note I might be an idiot but a mechanical error will not produce a error code as it is mechanical and not electrical...but I could be mistaken). Now what happens the day I am driving down the road with my children and the vehicle decides it is done and shuts off.... I can see that there are multiple complaints about the same issue and there have been no major fixes/recalls/statements. If it is a well known fact that Dodge and their cvt transmissions have malfunction issues; why can't there be one swift fix to make the vehicle safe to drive. Or since no one has died at the hand of Chrysler due to these malfunctions it is not important enough to be addressed?

- Sunrise, FL, USA

problem #42

Oct 122012

Caliber

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the accelerator pedal became detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was stopped in the middle of the highway because the contact could not accelerate to the shoulder. The police reported to the scene and pushed the vehicle to the shoulder where the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer replaced the accelerator pedal but did not provide a cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #41

Oct 122012

Caliber

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the accelerator pedal fractured while under the contact's foot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the pedal was completely fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Ben Salem, PA, USA

problem #40

Oct 062012

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 71,600 miles
I was driving to work going up a hill when the car shook a little and started to decelerate. I noticed there was a blinking symbol on the dash of a lightning bolt between two lines. I was not able to accelerate fast enough to keep my speed going up the hill, and decelerated very quickly. Anytime I was at a stop light it took about 5 seconds before I was even able to move forward. During the 5 seconds, the car seemed like it was going to stall at the intersection. Once I reached work I looked up the light in the owners manual and found it to be an electronic control light. I tried turning off the car and turning it back on only to realize that nothing had changed. This could easily cause an accident and from what I understand there is no fix, only theories.

- Layton, UT, USA

problem #39

Jan 012011

Caliber

  • 60,000 miles
The electronic throttle light comes on in the 2007 Dodge Caliber and then, within a few seconds, all power is lost in the vehicle. The driver has about 30 feet to get safe and stop. At this point, if you wait about 1 minute and restart the car, it is driveable. This happens completely randomly and with no warning, causing a real road hazard. Chrysler is unable, or unwilling, to acknowledge this known defect and the repairs suggested don't appear to fix the problem.

- Calgary, AA, USA

problem #38

Jul 252011

Caliber

  • miles
I purchased this car used from a dealership due to the fact that I have an hour drive to and from work and it appeared to have great gas mileage. Within my first two weeks of ownership the starter was stuck engaged as I drove and caught fire. This I replaced knowing with age, starters and alternators die. A month after servicing the starter, I was driving on the interstate at a speed of 67mph in heavy traffic when a lightening bolt (electronic throttle control sensor light) flashed and the car jerked as if it were to stall. I contacted my local Dodge dealer who informed me that it probably was the throttle body and that I might as well drive the car for a bit because the light was not staying lit. Every since then the light has flashed on atleast once a month with the car violently jerking as to stall. I started the car last week and the idle was miserable so figured the throttle body had gone. Took the car to the local dealership to read codes on the pc. Code was for the throttle body. The throttle body was replaced by a certified dealership mechanic. Within 30 miles and 30mins after leaving the garage the car was jerking to stall as before but the light was not on. Seem to be a serious problem considering stall on interstate at those speeds and hit by a semi would cause instant death. The value of my car is no longer high but you can guarantee the loan and payments are. I am a preschool teacher and make a very small income. Took car instantly back to dealership but I know they will find nothing, charge to much, and send me on my way with a death sentence. Seems as though Dodge/Chrysler has decided that as long as no deaths it is ok to carry on with this refusal to admit that they made a bad product. How about robbing! all I want is my car fixed but of course they will not admit anything. Suppose I will have to call the news, fax the CEO's, and die.

- Caldwell, OH, USA

problem #37

Dec 152011

Caliber

  • 81,800 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact was driving 35 mph when the brakes were depressed and the vehicle lunged forward abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 81,800 and the current mileage was 82,600.

- Milan, IL, USA

problem #36

Mar 012012

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 37,000 miles
I had the gas pedal fixed with the 2010 recall of my particular car. I have 37,000 miles currently on my car. When I go to turn out of a gas station for example, the car loses acceleration and feels as if it going to stall. It does the same thing while going up a hill. The electronic throttle control warning light comes on. It goes off after the car regains normal speed. I feel that this should have been fixed with the gas pedal recall since they are related. I've gotten onto the Dodge Caliber forums and saw 100's of people with the same problem. Low miles and there etc light comes on as well. I feel this is a serious safety issue that should have be resolved along with the gas pedal recall. I took my car to auto zone and electronic throttle control was confirmed problem with uncertainty of how to fix the problem. All other diagnostics came back within normal limits.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #35

Feb 212012

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 49,500 miles
While driving over the whitestone bridge in NY, at the crest of the bridge the vehicles electronic throttle control failure reducing the speed of vehicle from 50 mph to 5 mph in the course of less then a minute. I was nearly killed by a tractor trailer truck who was able to swerve around my car. The cart rolled down the bridge with limited power. From all the complaints I am reading on various Caliber websites this seems to be a serious dangerous condition that should be reviewed before someone gets killed.

- Rockville Centre, NY, USA

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