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.
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?
The engine stalls when I take off more times than none I'm stuck idling in traffic almost causing accident the frame that hold motor mounts are bad I've replaced motor mounts twice in a less than a year the car heats up after 70 miles an hour I have 5o pull over and let it cool off this happens 3 to 4 times a week with the engine stalling and overheating didn't find out til after I leased the car from AtoZ auto on gen McMullen and it's financed through car financial services I believe they knew the car was damaged I got scammed and have to pay 425 dollars a month on a car that can't be fixed I've spent a lot trying to fix the car
The car will stall and not take off after being stopped at a light for too long. Will shut off as well along with throttling as if it wants to shut off
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Caliber. While driving long distances, the vehicle overheated and the check engine indicator illuminated. After waiting thirty minutes, the vehicle operated as designed. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 176,417.
After 60 minutes driving at highway speeds the engine revs rise but speed falls. Transmission overheating warning comes on although the temperature has not risen very much. Car has to be stopped and needs to wait 20 minutes for temperature to return to "normal". Dodge dealer cannot diagnose the problem as they will not take a long test drive.
It was raining and as it was raining my car started to blink all lights and started slowing down no mechanic can seem to figure out what was going on but as I was driving every warning light started going crazy the tachometer went crazy and so did my speedometer eventually my car started to slow down even though it the accelorator was pushed to the floor. And than eventually it just stopped all together when I tried turning the car back on.the started wouldnt engage and the engine would start till I put unhooked the battery and hooked it back in. This has happened on several occasions 12/25/2016 6/15/2017 and again today 11/3/2017 this has happened several times when my father owned the vehicle as well before I purchased it from him.
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Caliber. When the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle would not accelerate more than 5 mph and an unknown warning sensor illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body and throttle control failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Electric fault started a fire under the hood resulting in all components to completely burn. A burning smell started while I was driving, I checked the temperature gauge and the needle was under the cold tick. I continued driving to the nearest parking which took about 1 minute and smoke was already coming out visible from the hood. I don't live in the us, so statae, zip code and phone numbers I entered are dummy. I live in the uae, abu dhabi phone: 0091502124224
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated the vehicle stalled while driving 45 mph and made an abnormal nosie. When the failure occurred, the electronic throttle body control warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle exhibited the same failure listed in NHTSA campaign number: 08V528000 (power train). The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.
For the last 3 years I have had trouble with the car loosing acceleration after driving it for a period of time. At first it would go several hours but now I can't go for a 30 minute drive and over 70mph before it looses acceleration on the highway. I will be driving and then the RPM's race all the way to the maximum, the temp. Gauge comes on and it looses power. I can put the pedal to the floor and it won't go anywhere. I have to sit and wait for it to 'cool' off which is crazy since it's not over heated. This can take anywhere from a half hour to an hour each time. When I try to start out again after it's set, I can go another mile before it happens again and I start all over. I have had it to several mechanics and they can't find anything wrong. They don't have the time to take it out on a drive like that to have it happen to them. It's a hazzard and I've been almost rear ended a few times by semi's and other cars. This car is very unsafe but it's all I have. I now have a piece of something hanging from the undercarriage and the front end is very loose. This is a death trap yet when I call the company, nothing is done. So glad they stand by their product. At the bottom of this complaint it asks when it happened, it happens every time I get on the highway so there's no specific date, all the time.
Driving over 2 hours on highway (highway interstate 81) (route 80 ) (New Jersey turnpike)engine starts whining rpms rise over 4 & stay, speed drops to 25-30mph can't get up incline transmission overheat light comes on, had to pull over my son almost got killed because car had no power had to let car sit for an hour, this has happened 5 times car has been towed to 2 dealerships 1st dealership(zimmerman Dodge sunbury, pa) couldn't find a problem 2nd dealership(salerno-duane summit, NJ) replaced the computer, car still has the same problem car is now being towed to 3rd dealership(nichols Dodge burlington, nc) 69,000 miles on this car this car is very unsafe to drive this has happened at least 5 times July 2014, October 2014, April 2015 July 2015, October 2015,
Vehicle automatically slows down at speeds of 60 to 70 mph when car is driven for a minimum of 3 hours. Feel this is very dangerous. Example: Driving with my grandchildren on expressway; temperature light came on, car lost power and slowed down to 45. Called wrecker, towed to a Dodge dealer, . they found nothing wrong. Vehicle does this on a continual basis. Speeds of 60 to 70 mph while traveling for a minimum of 3 hours. Very dangerous on expressways. Had my grandchildren with vehicles coming up on me at 70, had my father in the car a couple of times. When it comes on now, I pull off road, wait 30 minutes or so and then continue on my way which affects my long distance trips. Called Dodge website (?) they said to take it in to a dealer when it does this. I do take it in and they can't find anything wrong. Please help me, this car is used on long distance trips. This is a very dangerous car and hope it is recalled before someone is seriously injured. If it is not a car to be driven long distance than they should recall everyone of them! thank you. I hope you can help me.
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an unrelated failure and they discovered that the engine cradle support mount was completely rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 96,702. MA 10/29/2015 updated 10/11/2017
I bought my car used in June of 2014 and thought it was in pretty decent shape at the time, little did I know. I was driving my car (2009 Dodge Caliber) and hit a small pothole and heard some rattling afterwards. I assumed it was maybe a clamp on my exhaust and so wasn't real worried about it and figured I would have my mechanic check it out in a week of so. I got concerned after a couple days because the rattling turned into clunking. I sent it to my mechanic and he said there was major rot on the engine cradle which was rotted and broken and both front control arms were no good and sway bar bushings also needed replacing, two days before this noise I was on the highway traveling at speed limit, had this all fallen apart I could have been killed. The cost to repair all the parts which were, as far as my mechanic is concerned, faulty and should be recalled, was $1920.13 !!! this car is 6 years old with 86,000 miles on it and should not have the rot in these places as severe as it is. I know on the Dodge Caliber forums many owners have similar problems with the major front end parts rotting. This is a major problem and I wouldn't even have noticed had my mechanic not put it on a lift and looked at it and even then once he took off the engine cradle to replace it he noticed the rotted parts that were covered by the cradle, thank god I didn't lose control and get killed as I travel a lot on the highway, this problem needs to be brought to light and Caliber owners need to have their mechanics check out their cars before someone's engine falls out and they get killed. When I purchased this car it was most likely rotted pretty bad and I didn't know that was a defect in them at the time. I see lots of these cars for sale still on lots, people need to have the front ends inspected thoroughly before they purchase one.
When driving for long distance with two or more in car, transmission overheats and slows car until it cools. It will not cool unless stopped and shut off. This takes about 20 minutes.
First time happened noted above. Was driving from Ohio to mi to take my grandchildren home. Lost speed on major highway doing 70 mph. Car went down to 45 and I was just about rear ended by a semi. I was in pure shock and didn't know what was happening to the car. I kept going because I could not pull off. Got to exit, read book, waited and waited for it to cool down so I could drive. Wouldn't...got to grandchildren's home, called crown motors in holland mi. They stated they could not find anything wrong, no codes, etc. The car was still sluggish when the wrecker picked it up and towed it to them. It has happened 4 times since then, and when I call to make a complaint, they have said: "take it to the dealer when it is doing it" not possible. This car is unsafe to drive. Please help me. I take it in and nothing is found. It makes and is still making a high whinning, wheezing or whatever noise in the engine just before the vehicle starts to loose speed. I am not a mechanic, but is something sticking in this. Please help me. I am afraid to drive any more than 2 hours in this vehicle. Thank you so very much for helping me!!!
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the engine stalled and the door latch failed. The vehicle was able to restart after several attempts. In addition, the check engine and fuel warning lights illuminated. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic stated that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
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- Seattle, WA, USA