10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,013 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.

2011 Dodge Caliber electrical problems

electrical problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2011 Dodge Caliber:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2011 Dodge Caliber Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Dec 162021

Caliber

  • miles

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

Car slowed down and electronic throttle control light and traction control light came on was dangerously slow to accelerate and would not maintain speed

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #21

Oct 182021

Caliber

  • miles
On multiple occasions vehicle completely shuts down and locks up when slowing down and turning. Almost rear-ended and then t-boned in middle of intersection. Takes several minutes to restart and unlock steering wheel then drives fine.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #20

Jun 092021

Caliber

  • miles
New parts, problems still exist. New battery being drained and/shorting out. Negative terminal is getting hot. Has burned up 2 new altinators! Battery light comes on shortly after new battery installed. New alternators and batteries are being ruined. Prior to all this car would stall in traffic. This car is unsafe! Also can smell something burning under the hood Even when ignition is off. I have disconnected the battery in fear of this car catching fire. Faulty ticm? I'm at wits end! Money pit! Should have a recall. All ground connections are good and both battery terminals have been replaced. Nothing I have done has solved the problem.

- Cadet, MO, USA

problem #19

Jan 012021

Caliber

  • 141,000 miles

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

For the last two weeks I have been losing throttle control. I have replaced both electronic throttle bodies. Nothing is helping. This vehicle is unsafe to drive because yoy never know when it is going to shut down on you. It could be at a red light or going 65 on the highway. This needs to be a recall

- Murrayville, GA, USA

problem #18

Feb 092020

Caliber

  • miles
Transmission constantly over heats dispite having the fluids flushed and changed. The inside light flash like they are going out and the transmission whines and whines at 60 to 70 mph. I've had this car since 2013 and have had 3 recalls. These vehicles seem to be extremely unsafe and I'm not sure why they're still on the streets. All of this happens while driving anywhere.

- Kernville, CA, USA

problem #17

May 252019

Caliber

  • 120,000 miles
Car shuts off while driving check engine light comes on car will bot drive ofer 20 mph. It is very dangerous to just shut down. Seen many issues with the dame thing and it is being said it is tipm. They dealer has said they go bad repeatedly due to corrosion because of a bad design. It is crazy having to pay 2000+ dollars to replace the same part multiple times to be just shut down in the middle of a road or interstate while driving. Has happened 5 times so dat.

- Milaca, MN, USA

problem #16

Jan 202018

Caliber

  • miles

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

On my 2011 Dodge Caliber, I was driving to work as usual, then all of a sudden my vehicle started to flash a bunch of lights. Then shut off. My RPM went up and then down. I was able to pull over for safely this time. But it happened several times after I've gotten into an accident because of it. My 2011 Dodge Caliber has sat in the middle of the road for several minutes to several hours. Sometime I can start it back up in just a few minutes and sometimes it takes hours. Had to get it towed a few times because of it. Missed several days of work and when I do get rides I'm always late. On the edge of getting fired because I not reliable anymore since I cant control when I get there. Got it towed to a dealership the brain wasnt working for awhile once the brain connected to there computer he, fixed what they was wrong wires and cleaned up the engine. It started so he assumed it was fixed. But I didnt even have it for more then a day and it started doing the same thing. But this time lightning bolt came on. Did research found out it was etc electric throttle control system. Also just looking it up there has been several complaints from various sights about the same thing. I've seen about 1000 plus complains. This defiantly is an issue for this make and model and year. Recall should be in order. Already put in a lot of money into it for the issue not even being fixed. I'm not sure why there isn't a recall yet. Not safe to drive for that matter my research has said not to drive at all strongly recommend it being towed to a shop. Very dangerous for you and other drivers. Since found out the problem car hasnt been just sitting in driveway. Highly recommend investigation and a recall to come out sooner then later.

- Bend, OR, USA

problem #15

Apr 012017

Caliber

  • 50,000 miles
Headlights have been an issue with this vehicle. Example: Low beam goes out ( thought to be normal conditions). Replaced properly and worked for a while, but not long after harness melts. Harness is then repaired and works for a while again before developing issues high beams. Harness repair does not solve the problem. Tipm may be faulty in design and causing issues with what will work in the case of headlights which is a safety concern.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #14

Aug 282015

Caliber

  • 39,000 miles
1. ignition switch slips and shuts car off when turning or with slightest touch such as momentum made when turning by attached keys or light knee tap. Occurs on any highway design that with a maneuver causes force on switch. Loss of control on highways occurs when car then shuts off. Has happened since purchase. For example: With a lanyard and additional keys, when taking an exit off a highway with a loop the- car shuts off suddenly and slows without control of steering and full brake power. (45 mph on highway-30 mph off-ramp loop) second example: Bumped the attached keys with knee (while going over speed bump) and car shut off. (25 mph- 15 mph) [speed bump and knee causes] worst occurrence of this issue occurred at 55 mph with a slight knee tap to keys on a high way. Being a stick shift model-could restart in motion without having to come to a complete stop. Have since removed all keys and only use the key by itself which has greatly reduced the occurrence, but a safety concern. Nothing clearly states this is something to be aware of and obviously, it seems to be an issue for others as well and with other models of vehicle produced by the manufacture.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #13

Apr 132017

Caliber

  • 94,000 miles
Electronic throttle control light illuminates and vehicle goes into "limp mode". replaced throttle body and dealership cannot find the issue. Happens when on city roads and highway. I have to pull to the shoulder, shut the engine off and restart engine to gain full capacity of vehicle. This occurs twice daily on average.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #12

Aug 192015

Caliber

  • 38,234 miles

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

Intermittent recurring electrical outage while driving. All chimes will sound and all dash lights will come on. The power is lost, a dash lights flash and turn off and we loose the instruments (speedometer, RPM, etc....). experience lose of power can barely get it pulled over safely. Air bag light comes on and seat belt does not lock. Dealership can not repair even with having it for 42 days time before last. Have only been able to drive 334 miles since dealership delivered car to me when they drove 170 miles and could not get it to reoccur in August 2015. I'm afraid to even drive it to dealership. Total miles put on car since purchase June 2013 is 11394. Current mileage 38234

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #11

Jul 192016

Caliber

  • 49,000 miles
I was driving on the highway between 50-60 mph and my car suddenly lost power. 2 warning lights came on the dash and I pressed the gas pedal to the floor and still my car would not accelerate. The air conditioning stopped working and again I could not increase my speed. I pulled over and put on my emergency flashers. Reviewed my manual and was able to read about the warning signs. I turned off my car and started it back up and I was able to make it home safely. Very scary drive! I had my 2 grandchildren in the car too. I have now read about many instances of this happening. I may try my dealer but I don't know if I will keep this car.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #10

Apr 242016

Caliber

  • 60,200 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power while driving approximately 15 mph. The check engine and throttle body control warning indicators illuminated. The contact pulled over and manually restarted the vehicle. The failure recurred after 3 1/2 hours while driving approximately 55 mph. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic where the failure could not replicate the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 60,200. The VIN was not provided.

- Pataskala, OH, USA

problem #9

Dec 062014

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 21,485 miles
Original complaint was filed as this number 10662585 for preliminary diagnosis. When I had it towed to the dealer, jeffy wyler Chrysler Jeep Dodge in springfield oh, they called the next day and told me the fuse box had entirely shorted out and would have to be replaced by me because the car was out of warranty for $698. I had to repair the car. My complaint is this car stopped working at 21485 miles no matter that I have owned it for just now 40 months. This car has been babied over the course of my ownership since purchasing from the dealer as a new car, no other owner. For the fuse box to fail at this low mileage tells me it is a factory problem, not mine.

- South Charleston, OH, USA

problem #8

Apr 242014

Caliber

  • 68,000 miles
I was driving on a highway going about 55-60mph when lights on my dash came on and my RPM dropped drastically. All of the sudden I could not accelerate and my car lost speed almost instantly. The first incident I was able to pull off the road to safety. This issue continued a few times after and finally it caused another vehicle to hit the rear bumper of my car. There was no damage or injury since we were at a slow speed but it could have been worse. I had my car to Dodge dealerships and they could not find the issue until recently when I took it and they said my throttle body was bad. I only have about 79,000 miles on the car and this is not a part that should, D go bad that fast.

- Pennsville, NJ, USA

problem #7

Feb 122014

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 53,850 miles
Driving home from work around 8:15pm. On Wednesday, February 12th, 2014. I was making a left hand turn onto one of the streets the leads me to my home as I always do. As I am making the left turn I felt my steering wheel losing control as I am turning and the car shifting to the left of the road onto on coming traffic. In order to prevent the car from going into the on coming traffic I tried to turn the steering wheel of the car to my right and I can see on my dash board of the car that my skid light was blinking on and off trying to stabilize the car but no success at this time I am not getting much cooperation from my steering wheel and to avoid the parked cars on my right as I am pressing the break the car or right wheel of the car made a hard impact with the curb of the side walk. I immediately put the car in park with my hazard lights and I get out to access the damages and there was no visual body damage at the time. I managed to get the car home which was just a few blocks from the accident site to discover that steering wheel was not operating properly it was like it was doing 360 turns and the left wheel of the car was very unstable. A few days after the weather was breaking I was able to call my insurance company, tow truck and mechanic to assist with the damages. The damages where alignment front wheels, steering wheel, steering column, right fog light, right wheel, bumper over and bumper splash guard.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #6

Sep 222011

Caliber 4-cyl

  • 6,394 miles
First incident occurred in the morning, vehicle stalled and restarted on it's own going around a curve. Later that day in the afternoon, vehicle stalled going around yet another curve this time not restarting. After being towed to a dealership, the PCM was flashed and I was told all would be well. Stalls on off ramp of interstate 30 miles later going 55 mph. Towed again, tipm module was replaced. Vehicle stalls again and restarts on interstate five days later going 75 mpg, dealership claims no problem this time, no codes and cannot duplicate issue after a 148 mile test drive. Stalled again a month later going down a hill at 15 mph, PCM flashed as no error codes were stored for repair at 9,931 miles. 12/08/11 vehicle stalls again going 70 mph on interstate on a bridge over a river with heavy traffic at 10,542 miles. No accident, car will not start for owner with two attempts, turns over once and stalls for two driver on his three attempts. Car started once towed to dealership. Dealership states started for them to pull into garage was just notified Chrysler engineers believe the problem this time is a win module. Car has stalled whilst moving now 5 times and has been disabled over 30 days total.

- Falling Waters, WV, USA

problem #5

Aug 032011

Caliber

  • 5,000 miles
Ignition sticks on initial daily start up and after sitting for several hours without being ran. There is also a whining noise coming from front end when vehicle is first driven and subsequently after it sits for several hours. It has been to the dealership twice for both issues. Dealer couldn't duplicate.

- North Canton, OH, USA

problem #4

Aug 102011

Caliber

  • 1,129 miles
Engine will stall while turning at low speeds, will also stall with A/C on while sitting. Has done so 5 times

- St. Augustine, FL, USA

problem #3

May 252011

Caliber

  • 200 miles
I have a Dodge 2011 Caliber..I recently bought it back on May 4,2011..within one week I had a water leak on the passenger side. I took it into the shop and they fixed the problem. About two weeks after that I was at a stop light and the light turned green and I went to go and my car didn't move. I had cars behind me so I started my car up again and it went. I called the dealership and they told me "don't bring it in lets do a time span to see if it happens again." Two weeks after that I was taking a right hand turn onto a street and it shut off again. I called the dealership and I took it in to them the next day. They had it for almost two weeks and said they coded the ABS module and I thought that was weird because my light didn't come on. So they went ahead and put a new one in. So I got it back on the Monday and on the Friday I was taking a left hand turn and my car cut off again. That was about three weeks ago and they still have my car. They called and told me that they are going to update my software. As of right now I really do not want that car back. It is a very unsafe car and I don't understand why I have to have it if the same problem still occurs. I have contacted Chrysler but they said there is nothing they could do about this according to lemon law.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

Read the next 2 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?