2008 DODGE CALIBER Complaints

CAR WAS ALREADY WARMED AND DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 5 MILES, AFTER STOPPING AT A GAS STATION TO REFUEL AND RE-STARTING, IT WAS IDLING VERY INCONSISTENTLY AND RUNNING ROUGH, SHAKING. THERE WAS A DASH INDICATOR FOR ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL FLASHING. I TRIED DRIVING IT AND THERE WAS JERKING AND PULLING AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULDN'T SHIFT PAST 2ND, CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND 12-15 MPH. I MADE IT HOME (ABOUT 2 MILES) AND LEFT THE CAR FOR ABOUT 6 HOURS. UPON RESTARTING AND WARMING, THE CAR DROVE FINE. ABOUT 1 1/2 WEEKS LATER, THE SAME DASH LIGHT CAME ON, STEADY NOT FLASHING, CAR RUMBLED, THEN LIGHT WENT OFF AND THE CAR WAS FINE. THIS HAPPENED ON AND OFF FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS. THEN, WHEN READY TO LEAVE FROM WORK ONE DAY, I STARTED THE CAR TO WARM IT AND THE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON, THE CAR WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH, IDLE WAS FLUCTUATING BETWEEN ABOUT 500-1500 RPMS AND SHAKING. I LEFT THE CAR, ASSUMING WHEN I CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY IT WOULD START AND BE FINE JUST LIKE THE 2 TIMES BEFORE, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. I DROVE THE CAR TO A NEARBY MECHANIC, MAXING OUT AT ABOUT 15 MPH, STRANGELY THE CAR SEEMED TO PICK UP SPEED WHEN I EASED OFF THE ACCELERATOR, AND STEADY LOSS OF SPEED WHILE GOING UP HILL. THE MECHANIC COULD NOT FIX OR EVEN DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, SAID IT HAS TO GO TO THE DEALER. IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE THROTTLE CONTROL. I WILL UPDATE IT ONCE I HEAR FROM THE DEALER LATER TODAY. *TR

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND GETTING ONTO A FREEWAY ENTRANCE, WHEN RIGHT WHEN I WAS MERGING, MY CAR COMPLETELY LOST THROTTLE CONTROL AND BOGGED DOWN. IT WAS VERY FOGGY OUTSIDE AND A SEMI TRUCK ALMOST RAN INTO THE BACK OF MY CAR. I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY AND HOME WITH MY CAR IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS LIMP MODE. THERE WAS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, ONLY A RED LIGHTNING BOLT LIGHT, AND MY ESP (TRACTION CONTROL) WAS ON ALSO. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY GOES OUT IN THESE CARS QUITE A BIT. NO BODY IN MY CITY HAD ONE AND LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO SOURCE ONE FROM ANOTHER STATE. EVERYONE THAT WAS OUT SAID THEY WERE ON BACK ORDER. THIS FURTHER CONFIRMED MY THOUGHTS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ALONG WITH READING ABOUT 10 OTHER CASES AND A CAR FORUM WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY MEMBER THERE ALSO. I UNDERSTAND THINGS WEAR DOWN AND BREAK AND NEED TO BE REPLACED, BUT WITH MY CAR ONLY HAVING 70,000 MILES ON IT I FIND IT A LITTLE RIDICULOUS, AND ON THAT FORUM THERE ARE SOME WHERE THEIR THROTTLE BODIES HAVE GONE OUT AT 30,000 MILES. I'M JUST SURPRISED THAT NO BODY HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED IN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. ONE PARTICULAR MEMBER ON THE FORUM I READ HE STATED THAT THE CAR HAD COMPLETELY DIED ON HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION. I HAVE A 4 YEAR OLD SON AND IT JUST BUGS ME TO THINK THAT WHAT IF I HAD HIM IN THE CAR AND THAT SEMI WASN'T ABLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY IN TIME? ALL I'M ASKING IS THAT DODGE EITHER MAKES A BETTER QUALITY THROTTLE BODY AND PUTS OUT A RECALL OR AT LEAST REPLACES THE THROTTLE BODY UNDER THE RECALL FOR FREE. I HAVE WROTE TO DODGES CUSTOMER COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT, BUT HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING BACK SO I FIGURED MAYBE I WOULD TRY HERE AND SEE IF ANYTHING CAN BE DONE. *TR

REFERENCE CHRYSLER TSB 23-035-07 FOR SOME (POSSIBLY) VALUABLE, RELATED INFORMATION. TAIL LIGHT LENS CONDENSING AND CONTAINING WATER. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO MY LOCAL DODGE DEALER ABOUT THIS MATTER TWICE. THE SECOND TIME I REPORTED IT, I HAD GONE IN FOR REGULAR SERVICE AND, BY CHANCE, WAS GIVEN A 2011 DODGE CALIBER AS A RENTAL. BOTH TAIL LIGHTS HAD CONDENSATION AND AT LEAST 1/2" OF WATER IN THEM. I POINTED THIS OUT THE GENERAL MANAGER, TELLING HIM I THOUGHT IT WAS A DEFECT, WITHOUT LETTING HIM EVEN KNOW THAT IT WAS 'HIS' CAR. HE ONLY NODDED IN AGREEMENT. I TOLD HIM THAT THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE ABOUT IT EXCEPT FOR ME TO PURCHASE A REPLACEMENT LENS ASSEMBLY. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO TSB'S RELATED TO THIS. WHEN I TOLD THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT THE TSB I FOUND, THEY SAID THE REFERENCE TO "EXTERIOR LAMP" IS TO THE 'HEADLAMPS' AND NO OTHERS. THOUGH MY DEALER IS WILLING TO HELP ME WITH THE COST OF A REPLACEMENT LENS ASSEMBLY, AND SINCE I FEEL THIS IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT, AND I DO NOT THINK IT IS FAIR TO THEM TO CARRY THE BURDEN. FINALLY, IF ONE WERE TO PERFORM A GOOGLE SEARCH RELATING TO THIS ISSUE THEY WOULD FIND THAT THERE IS CLEARLY AN ONGOING AND PERVASIVE ISSUE WITH NOT ONLY THE DODGE CALIBER LINE OF MOST YEARS SINCE PRODUCTION STARTED, BUT MANY OTHER MODELS AS WELL. IN PARTICULAR, THE CALIBER FORUM SITES HAVE MANY COMPLAINTS POSTED REGARDING THIS MATTER AND THE LENGTHS THE OWNERS HAVE HAD TO GO THROUGH TO RESOLVE THE MATTER ON THEIR OWN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE CALIBER. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE STALLED WHEN FIRST STARTED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE TEST RESULTS DETERMINED A DEFECTIVE PCM. THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THE PCM REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND FILED A COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE CALIBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, IT JERKED VIOLENTLY. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT ACCELERATION POWER WAS REDUCED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE MANUFACTURER'S RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 107,000.

HAVE ISSUES WITH BOTH FRONT STRUTS, BOTH BALL JOINTS, AND BOTH INNER AND OUTER TIE RODS. WHILE DRIVING YOU CAN FEEL SHAKING AND VIBRATIONS. ALSO STEERING IS STARTING TO BECOME BAD BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS BEFORE AN ACCIDENT OCCURS AND SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *TR

SECOND TIME THIS AS HAPPENED IN LESS THEN 3 YRS. DRIVING CAR NO WARNING LIGHT EVER CAME ON THE FIRST TIME. LOST POWER CAR DIED. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP $600 COST NO REAL ANSWER FROM DEALER SHIP. NOW DEC 25TH 2013 DRIVING HOME AND LIGHT ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON . CAR PUTT'S ALONG . AGAIN THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED AND DODGE WILL HAVE A LAW SUIT ON THEIR HANDS. I AND MANY OTHERS WILL TELL OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES NOT TO BUY ANYTHING MADE BY DODGE . PRETTY SAD SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO DIE TO GET THIS COMPANY TO DO A RECALL AND FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE CALIBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, A LOUD CLICKING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE (TIPM) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY AND OUTER TIE ROD VERY BAD AFFECTING STEERING AND HANDLING. SHIMMIES ON THE HIGHWAY, COULD BE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. MECHANIC RECOMMENDS A TRIP TO THE DEALER IMMEDIATELY SINCE I DID BUY EXTENDED WARRANTY. *TR

FAILURE OF BOTH FRONT LOWER BALL JOINTS. CAUSED PULLING WHILE DRIVE AND TURNING. *TR