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:
8 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,758 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.
Control arm broke wheel disconnected car moving in parking lot unable to steer. Car hit pole 15 mph. Control arm broke from crossmember. Fca aware of rust fca recommended diagnostic from dealership. Service manager said technical issue. Would not repair unsafe vehicle because of accident. Fca cannot offer any help. Car has had suspension problem from the beginning. $2000. In repairs 2 prior months. Rear can no longer be aligned due to rust. Rear crossmember not replaced 2 month tire ware. No toe adjustment. Steel belts show inner rear tires. Blow out unexpectedly. Totally unsafe. Well maintained
Got the car and bought it used there were really back in 2914 nobody notified me on realms or extended warranty on the underbody rusting out and need it addressed I should of been notified and this fixed it lose and makes clunking noises the whole time I had car I want this matter resolved there should of been a noticed sent to
Vehicle was slowing down for a red light on us-23 S North of columbus oh. According to mechanic, subframe snapped due to rust that had not been detected on previous trips to shop. Front left cross member disengaged and that corner of the car hit the pavement at ~30 mph. Had we been traveling at full posted speed (55 mph) when subframe snapped this might have been a fatal accident. Chrysler's records say extended warranty for this issue under tsb 23-012-14 ended earlier this year. Chrysler issued no recall on this issue despite obvious safety implications. Car was purchased used in 2012 so of course no notification was received from Chrysler when this tsb was issued in 2014. We demand that Chrysler own up to the severity of this problem and properly compensate all affected owners. NHTSA needs to pressure Chrysler to make it right if they want to avoid a class action suit.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While driving 30 mph, an abnormal crunching noise was heard. Additionally, while having the vehicle serviced, the contact was notified that the engine cradle/cross member was rusted. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer (bryden motors, 548 broad St beloit, wi 53511) where it was diagnosed that the cross member needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and opened case number: 32546272. The contact was informed that the vehicle was no longer covered under the extended warranty. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 98,000.
- Beloit, WI, USA
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Front cross member rotted/ vehicle deemed not safe to drive. Chrysler said extended warranty ended 5-29-2017. The rest of the underside of the car is not showing signs of rust, only the engine cradle/ cross member. I believe the company needs to step forward and take care of this issue before any parties are fatally injured.
Have owned Caliber for 8 or 9 years. Few weeks ago, car started shaking when in motion and quickly became severe shaking and making loud groaning sounds no matter how fast we drove it. Took the car to mechanic who advised subframe was completely rusted out. Dealership advised our warranty ended April 2017 for a rust problem we were never notified of. Dodge csr said they notified the original owner vs a current VIN owner which is total bs.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While the vehicle was undergoing an oil change, the local dealer (zeigler Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, 4200 parkway place sw, grandville, mi 49418) discovered that the rear crossmember and front engine cradle under the vehicle were extremely corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle was originally registered in Canada and the warranty and recalls expired once the vehicle was imported. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that no recall was available for the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
I was driving my vehicle on our county road, and lost control because the car quickly and sharply veered off to the right towards the ditch. The cause is the sub frame assembly was badly corroded and the control arm assembly broke free from of the frame. We had the vehicle inspected on a recall two years ago to be checked for a corroded crossmember. We were not informed of any problem down then with the sub frame. It was very frightening, and had I been going faster I don't know if I'd be here today. It's in the repair shop now. This occurred today, August 22, 2017.
We heard there was a recall on the cross members so my wife called the Dodge dealership in sterling heights Michigan. They told her there was not. She called repeatedly and got the same answer. The people there are quite rude, if you do not believe me call for yourself. Finally, she called again and the person there told her the problem wasn't called a recall. She said ok, what is it and how do we fix it. They told her what it was called and that the time for them to fix it expired the prior month. We assumed it wasn't a big deal so we forgot about it. Until my mother, sister, and brother in law had to have theirs fixed. So I called and asked if they could help only to be told your out of luck, time has expired. If there is a safety problem with a car why should it matter if I know the magic word its called" if their is a problem with the cross members shouldn't they know what its called" it seems very dishonest and when I learned what a cross member was I was very distressed to know my wife if driving the car. If this is how they operate I hope someone takes a closer look at them before someone gets hurt!
Thought I had a loose belt called dealership where I bought car told to Dodge dealership I did that $90 service fee said I needed new alternator $1,086, I could not afford that took it to America's they said for $615 replace then they called and said need all new tie rods well that would bring it to $1077. I could only get a loan for $1,000 so the tie rods I cannot get. After the Dodge dealership had my car when they gave it back to me that car was running so bad and shaking which it never did. I bought the car I had 70,000 that was 3 1/2 years ago now I only $75,000 miles on car. My car always ran smooth on highways and city streets. There was just a noise on my car. The car ran great. People could hear the noise also as I am deaf so I could barely hear noise with my hearing aid on. I had the car inspected just a few months ago and passed inspection they drove the car.
I noticed the car making a lot of noise in the front end and had someone look to see what the problem was. After inspection and finding the problem, I was searching the internet to find the lowest price for the part for my car when I came across a recall notice for the same. I am unaware of ever receiving a recall notice. Which I have another car and have received several recall notices for it. With that being said, I contacted the corporate office and was told my car was covered by the recall, however it expired last month. I requested since it has only been a few weeks that they reconsider and was told they could not. I also requested verification that the recall notice was sent to me and was told they could not. Is there anything I can do that would get them to honor the recall? if the part is not fixed, it could cause an accident. The car is a 2007 Dodge Caliber and the recall was for front and rear crossmembers.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while driving at 15 mph, the power steering failed almost causing a crash. The contact stated that the engine cradle was severely rusted, as well as the driver's side ball joint. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that there was a premature failure with the cross member being completed rusted without warning. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was to check with the manufacturer to determine if they had a service campaign or a manufacturer recall to address the repair. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.
Due to the locations of the drainage tube from the condenser, water lays on the front cradle and causes premature rusting and rotting. Once the weakening occurs, all attachments for the front suspension wear quicker, tires and alignment are more frequently replaced and accidents or tire and suspension failure occur. The entire front suspension and tires need to be replaced at a cost of over $2000.
I have problems with suspension bar front was replaced under a 10 year manufacturing warranty back was rusting but they were unable to touch without a hole the following year I had to pay out of pocket at cunningham Chrysler in North East, pa they will have documentation of both. Now coil spring on left front side has pieces breaking off they are solid not rusted through and I will have to replace both sides on front this seems to also be a defect car was pulled into driveway no bumps when piece broke off
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mc Kees Rocks, PA, USA