2008 DODGE CALIBER Complaints

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK, HEADLIGHTS AND DASH LIGHTS STARTED TO FLICKER, ALL THE INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON. SMOKE STARTED COMING IN THE VENTS INTO THE VEHICLE WENT TO STOP, BRAKES GRABBED FOR A SECOND THEN WENT OUT COMPLETELY, EVEN SHIFTING THE VEHICLE TO PARK DID NOTHING. STOPPED THE VEHICLE BY HITTING GUARD RAIL CALLED POLICE, WITHIN MINUTES THE ENTIRE FRONT END WAS IN FLAMES. *TR

MY 17 YR OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING OUR 2008 DODGE CALIBER WHEN ACCELERATION WAS LOST. THE CAR STARTED SHAKING WHEN SHE TRIED TO GIVE IT FUEL AND THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM LIKE CAME ON. NEEDLESS TO SAY, SHE WAS VERY SHAKEN BY THIS ORDEAL. WE HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT WE PURCHASED THROUGH CARMAX, WITH A 300.00 DEDUCTIBLE, HOWEVER THE WARRANTY COMPANY WOULD ONLY PAY 144.00 DOLLARS OF THE 647.00 TOTAL BILL. THE CAR HAS APPROX 70,000 MILES SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE THROTTLE SYSTEM WOULD BE DEFECTIVE. ACCORDING TO THE REPAIR SHOP, THE NEEDLE INSIDE THE THROTTLE THAT FEEDS THE FUEL WAS DEFECTIVE. LUCKILY MY DAUGHTER WAS NOT ON THE MAIN HIGHWAY WHEN IT WENT OUT, OTHERWISE IT COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SERIOUS. I AM VOICING MY COMPLAINT ON THIS PART AND ALL BE WARE OF THE THROTTLE NEEDLE GOING BAD. I WILL ALSO MAKE THIS A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH DODGE AS WELL. *TR

AS YOU START TO DRIVE THE TRANSMISSION BEGINS TO MAKE A LOUD WHINNING NOISE AS YOU SPEED UP IT GOT HIGHER PITCHED. TOOK TO DEALER 10/12/12 AFTER PAYING $112 FOR THEM TO TELL ME THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD AND NEEDED REPLACED. THE COST OF THAT WAS GOING TO BE $3700 AND THERE WAS NO ASSISTANTS BY DEALERSHIP. INFORMED ME THAT IT IS A PROBLEM WITH CVT TRANS BECAUSE IT IS UNSERVICABLE. TOOK TO LOCAL TRANS SHOP PAID $3200 FOR A REMANUFACTURED, WAS SUGGESTED THAT WE GET RID OF CAR BECAUSE THEY FEEL IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. WORST WARR. EVER AN TRANS OF 18MONTH 18,000 MILE. CALLED DODGE DIRECTLY AND THE DECLINED TO HELP IN ANYWAY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM LISTED WITH THESE CARS OR TRANS. *TR

I WAS IN GEORGETOWN ONTARIO ON THE WEEKEND AND GOT IN MY CAR TO DRIVE BACK TO WINDSOR ON MONDAY OCT 8TH. THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON BUT WE HAD FROST OVERNIGHT AND KNEW THIS WAS A NORMAL CHANGE IN TIRE PRESSURES. I STOPPED AT THE GAS STATION AND PUT AIR IN TIRES AND MADE SURE THEY WERE ALL THE SAME PRESSURE. THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT IMMEDIATELY WENT OUT. WE DROVE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT WENT ON AGAIN. I STOPPED AT THE NEXT SERVICE CENTER ON THE 401 AND CHECKED THE TIRES. I COULD SEE THE RIGHT FRONT VALVE STEM WAS CRACKED. WHEN I TURNED IT, THE AIR STARTED TO QUICKLY EXIT THE TIRE. I HAD MY WIFE PUT HER THUMB ON IT WHILE I GOT THE JACK OUT AND INSTALLED THE SPARE TIRE. I HAD TO HAVE THE TPM SENSOR AND VALVE STEM REPLACED @ $150. READING ON THE INTERNET, THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME ITS DUE TO CORROSION AND HAS HAD TO REPLACE SOME. HE SAID CHRYSLER HAS NOT COME UP WITH A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM ON MY MODEL VEHICLE. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 38,000 KM AND IS JUST OVER THREE YEARS OLD! THE VALVE STEM SHOULD NOT BE CRACKING! THIS IS A BIG SAFETY HAZARD, IF THAT STEM HAD LET LOOSE WHEN I WAS PASSING SOMEONE ON THE 401 IN THE LEFT LANE, I COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I AM NOW WORRIED ABOUT THE OTHER THREE VALVE STEMS. *TR

2008 DODGE CALIBER. WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH THE BATTERY CHARGING LIGHT CAME ON. NEXT DAY TOOK CAR TO AUTO STORE TO HAVE BATTERY TESTED AND THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY. NEXT MORNING AT 2:00 AM WHILE DRIVING MY HUSBAND TO WORK, ALL LIGHTS ON PANEL STARTED COMING ON ONE AT A TIME AND CAR LOST POWER AND WE COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. THE CAR IS AT THE SHOP TODAY AND MECHANICS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED. THEY NOTED THE BATTERY WAS BAD, BUT I JUST HAD A NEW BATTERY PUT IN AND THEY STATED THE STARTED WAS NOT BAD. WHAT IS WRONG SO I CAN GET IT FIXED. ALSO CHANGE OIL LIGHT ALWAYS COMES ON EVEN WHEN I HAVE JUST HAD THE OIL CHANGED; WHICH I DO EVERY 3,000 MILES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE ON VEHICLE IS 57,000 MILES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE AT 60 MILES PER HOUR AT NIGHT IN A HEAVY RAIN, MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. I COULD NOT SEE BUT I LUCKILY STOPPED ON THE SHOULDER. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES THE WIPERS STARTED UP. I TRAVELED 20-30 MINUTES AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. AFTER PULLING OVER AND WAITING SEVERAL MINUTES, THEY RESTARTED. I DROVE OFF AND SOON IT HAPPENED FOR A THIRD TIME. AFTER WAITING SEVERAL MINUTES, THE RAIN STOPPED AND I TRAVELED HOME. THIS FAILURE IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE CAUSE LISTED IN THE 2008 JEEP LIBERTY RECALL DUE TO A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR. I AM BEING CHARGED $343 BY A DEALER TO REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR. *TR

DRIVING THE CAR DOWN THE ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON. THE CAR LOST ENGINE POWER WILL RUNNING VERY ROUGH. CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND BECAME HARD TO HANDLE. WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I WAS ON A CITY STREET. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON A VERY BUSY STREET OR THE HIGHWAY I COULD HAVE BEEN STUCK RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC WITH NO OR VERY LITTLE POWER TO GET IT OUT OF THE ROAD. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AT HIGHER SPEEDS OR MORE TRAFFIC. THERE WAS NO WARNING OTHER THEN THE LIGHT THAT CAME ON WHEN IT HAPPENED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE CALIBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WOULD EITHER DECELERATE OR STALL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NEED TO REST FOR A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE IT WOULD FUNCTION AS NORMAL AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE THROTTLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

THE CAR HAS JUST SHUT DOWN 3 DIFFERENT TIMES NOW (WHILE DRIVING) AND HAS LEFT US STRANDED IN THE ARIZONA DESERT EACH TIME. WE WILL BE DRIVING AND SUDDENLY NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR COMES TO A STOP AND WILL NOT TURN BACK ON UNTIL ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER. I TOOK IT TO BRAKES PLUS AFTER IT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME AND THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. IT THEN HAPPENED AGAIN A FEW MONTHS AGO, AND NOW AGAIN TODAY. I AM SCARED TO PUT MY FAMILY IN THE FAMILY CAR. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS. I'M GOING TO CALL DODGE AND GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS. I CAME ON HERE TO SEE IF ANYONE HAS HAD THE SAME ISSUE. APPARENTLY THEY DO. I WILL NEVER BUY A DODGE AGAIN UNLESS THEY COME UP WITH AN ANSWER TO THIS. *TR

AT 41000 MILES, OUR 4 YEAR OLD VEHICLE, SHOULD NOT HAVE NEEDED NEW BALL JOINTS. RESEARCH TELLS ME DODGE HAS BEEN VERY AWARE OF A PROBLEM FOR YEARS, BUT HAVE NOT DONE ANY TYPE OF A RECALL. ALL I CAN SAY IS THANK GOD WE FOUND THE PROBLEM BEFORE WE WENT TO THE MOUNTAINS. *TR