10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
57,345 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 Nitro electrical problems

electrical problem

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2011 Dodge Nitro Owner Comments (Page 3 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #11

Oct 202014

Nitro 6-cyl

  • 63,534 miles

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

I purchased my 2011 Dodge Nitro brand new from gulf gate Dodge here in houston tx. Since then, I have had numerous issues with this truck starting in 2013. Last year, the water pump went out. This year the fuel injectors went out. In both occasions, I paid out of pocket to get the issues corrected. I have also called the dealership to ask for assistance, and have had no luck. They were probably as helpful as a grain of rice. I was not made aware that my repairs were covered under my powertrain warranty until the repairs were done, (how convenient). Now the most recent situation seems to be an electrical problem with the driver's side power master window switch (pmws). Back in Aug 2014, the driver window went out. Then 10/17/2014(Friday) the passenger back window went out. 10/20/2014, Monday evening, my fianc went (around the corner) to run an errand and returned home with in about 15 minutes, screaming grab the ph!, and come out side the driver side door caught fire. Apparently, the (pmws) started to smoke and caught a fire. He told me he was unable to get out through the driver side, and crossed over to the passenger side. When I did make it outside to the truck. You could smell the burn, and see where the side door panel was melted. I reported this to Chrysler on 10/21/2014. Today is 10/30/2014 and in spite of the "someone will contact you in 24hrs" statements, I am still waiting on the call. I am still really deeply disturbed with the thought that my kids father could have died, or even worse if it would have been either of my 2 small kids or my self. Since the incident with my truck. I have had to pay for a rental car, walk to the stores, walk my kids to the bus stop. I'm having to catch the metro bus in the we hours of the morning just to make it to work in time. I'm very sadden, upset, and confused with this. I will never purchase any Chrysler vehicles again.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #10

Sep 242014

Nitro 4WD 6-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
The first sign of issues was in September, one morning after my car had been locked all night like always, the car alarm on the vehicle just sounded. I ran outside and unlocked the car then locked it again and went inside, I went back and forth multiple times, each time after locking the vehicle the alarm would sound within five minutes, I proceeded to turn on the car, I had system warnings present stating my trunk was unlocked. I closed the trunk multiple times but the warning never subsided. I had to leave the car unlocked while parked until I took the car into the dealership later that day, the mechanics could not replicate the "gate ajar" warning, and the car alarm system problem couldn't be fixed that day. Two days later, keeping my car constantly unlocked, I took my Nitro in for an evaluation, I left with a copy of the diagnosis, after the hour they hooked my engine up to their computer they still were unable to tell me what was wrong. The next day after 5 hours in the shop and $708 Dodge reprogrammed the tipm and replaced my spark plugs. The car problems were solved for two days, then again my car alarm went off while locked, the gate ajar warning also comes on randomly. I made an appointment to bring it in one last time, the day before I brought it in I was driving at 65mph and the car just shut off without warning. I had to remove the keys and jumpstarted, the car was okay until later that evening when the dash computer started flashing random warnings while driving. Today my car was in the shop for 10 hours, they reprogrammed the tipm again, and the mechanics have no fix for my car. Every issue I am experiencing is that of the vehicles recalled in the Chrysler tipm recall, Dodge refuses to refund or replace my tipm and state that my VIN was not affected. I am in a rental car for the night, tomorrow I have the option of taking the car home as is.

- Colorado , CO, USA

problem #9

Nov 212013

Nitro

  • 33,000 miles
This is about the ignition key. An extra key costs $200, this is a safety issue if somebody loses their key and was not able to afford a spare. It is extortion by Dodge. Also-- to check the transmission fluid? make an appointment with the dealer and pay $25 minimum. Neither my mechanic nor the quick oil change place can check it-- there is no dipstick, there is a special tool and where the dipstick would be it says "dealer only" and that is true. More extortion. It is not right and needs to be stopped. "a" pillars are extremely thick-- di to the styling, overall visibility is severely compromised in this vehicle. They should all be recalled. Trans and 4WD are jerky and growl and howl. Dealer: "they're all like that". these are also very much safety issues. Thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Three Rivers, MI, USA

problem #8

Sep 282014

Nitro 6-cyl

  • 21,500 miles

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

Horn started blaring on it own. I was in my house with my Nitro in my drive way. At appox. 10am the horn started blaring on its own. I tried disabling the alarm to no avail. I ended up disconnecting the battery to get the horn to stop. This is the second time this have happened, the first was about two months ago and I had to disconnect the battery then to get it to stop.

- Vista, CA, USA

problem #7

Mar 182014

Nitro 6-cyl

  • 34,585 miles
Mid Nov. 7:45am while driving I noticed a low roar like the Nitro was stuck in first gear but it wasn't, sound continued and the car was not picking up speed. I turned into a parking lot, waited then turned it back on and went to work. At 2:30 the dash thermometer said "120 degrees? I have the temperature on my phone so I know it was 80. I choose to ignore it and not take it into the dealership because I didn't want to make a big fuss and I needed my car. Wed, 3-12-14 7:50am I was driving the 2011 Dodge Nitro to take kids to school. It turned off while turning, my blinker stopped working and there were not lights-on the dash. The wheel was very stiff, I rolled to park along the curb. I put the car in park and turned the key to start the car and it started. Big safety concern so I chose to bring it in for service since. I took in into the dealership at 8:10am that same morning. Bustter torres checked in my car. He said he could not ?duplicate" the problem and could not figure out what caused the car to stop while driving.. fri 3-14-14 7:55am I was preparing to turn right, as I was approaching I had my blinker on and my car turned off as I was about to turn into the drive way. I was able to turn my wheel (the steering wheel was very stiff) and roll into the driveway. I noticed there were no lights on to indicate anything, I heard a click when the car turned off. I then turned the key to start the car and the car started fine. Car sat at dealer for 4 days without service because employee messed up and did not create a new work order. Not apologetic, made excuses when confronted. Had wrong mileage, employee just guessed. We had to argue to get them to check actual mileage. Horrible customer service all around, no respect for us as customers. Car still not repaired, car is a lemon.

- Rowland Heights, CA, USA

problem #6

Feb 162014

Nitro 6-cyl

  • 55,127 miles
I purchased this vehicle in November 2013, unaware that there was a recall on the tipm. Here it is a few months later and my vehicle breaks down. I had it towed to the dealership. They told me diagnostic and a check up was done and they couldnt find anything wrong. The vehicle started right up. I picked up my truck Tuesday 02/18/2014. I live less then 2 miles from the dealership. When I got home the vehicle would not start. Called dealership back stated to wait 30 minutes and try to restart it. I ended up waiting an hour before it could start and took it back to ed voyles. They ran a diagnostic in front of me. The truck wouldnt start so they pushed it into repair shop. I recieved a call the next day stating it was the tipm. The charge was $1,030 and $117 for running test. I decided to research the vehicle only to find out there was a recall for that part. I called Dodge @ 800-247-9753 on 02/20/2014 spoke to rep she stated there was a recall but my vehicle VIN# was not apart of the recall. I informed her that they should have recalled all the vehicles because its the same exact issue. She stated they could not repair the vehilce and my warranty will not cover it.

- Atlanta , GA, USA

problem #5

Oct 232013

Nitro

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Nitro. The contact stated that there was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 13V3282000 (air bags, electrical system). The vehicle was included in the recall however, the part needed to complete the repair was unavailable. The dealer and manufacturer were notified and neither could provide an expected date for the remedy part to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #4

Oct 022013

Nitro

  • 43,449 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Nitro. The contact stated that while starting the ignition, the air bag warning indicator illuminated intermittently. The failure also recurred whenever the vehicle was driven at any speed. There was a recall associated with the failure under NHTSA campaign id number 13V282000 (air bags, electrical system) and the contact's VIN was included in the recall, however the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was notified and they were unable to provide an expected date for the remedy part. The approximate failure mileage was 43,449.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #3

Feb 012013

Nitro

  • 26,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Nitro. While driving 20 mph, the seat belt warning lamp illuminated despite all the passengers being secured in the seat belts. The wiper blades then independently powered on as all of the warning lights on the instrument panel simultaneously illuminated. The engine seized and the contact was unable to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for and was diagnosed as a ground wall wire being loose. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The approximate failure mileage was 26000.

- Fort Rucker , AL, USA

problem #2

Oct 012011

Nitro

  • Automatic transmission
  • 5,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Nitro heat. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the windshield wipers activated and the instrument panel gauges failed simultaneously. The vehicle was taken to dealer however, the failure was not present and the dealer was unable to perform a diagnostic. The failure recurred later however the cause of failure remained unknown. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle for inspection when it recurred. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000. The current mileage was 17,300. Updated 10/19/12 updated 10/23/2012

- Boscobel , WI, USA

problem #1

Nov 302011

Nitro

  • 5,500 miles
Using my keyless entry fob, I unlocked my door and tried to start my vehicle. The vehicle would not start, but the dash lights came on so I knew the battery was not dead. I thought the battery on the key fob might be going out, so I went to purchase another key fob battery. With the new battery in the key fob, I tried to unlock my vehicle and it would not open. I used the key to manually unlock the car door, and the alarm went off. I tried to deactivate the alarm with the key fob and by inserting the key in the ignition and tried to start the vehicle. The vehicle would not start, and the alarm would not deactivate. I thought the key fob was bad, so I got my extra key fob and tried it. With the extra key fob, I still incurred the same problem -- could not start my vehicle. I had to use Dodge roadside assistance to have my vehicle towed to the dealership. The next morning, the service manager at the dealership said he experienced the same problem with the key fob and was unable to start the vehicle. He remedied the problem by pulling the fuse. After he re-inserted the fuse, he was able to use the key fob and start the vehicle. In checking the diagnostics, no errors were reported. I am very worried that this is going to happen again, and I am not going to be able to start my vehicle.

- Anadarko, OK, USA

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