2007 DODGE CALIBER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 DODGE CALIBER. WHILE AT AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR ROUTINE SERVICE, THE TECHNICIAN NOTICED THAT THE ENTIRE SUBFRAME WAS RUSTED THROUGH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 186,624.

ON NOV. 22, 2016 I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AT 6:00 AM. MY CALIBER STARTED MAKING A HISSING NOISE, AFTER ABOUT 2 MINUTES OF THIS THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND I LOST ALL ELECTRIC POWER. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE SHOP AND THE STARTER WAS REPLACED. 2 WEEKS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS TIME NOTHING WAS REPLACED, DUE TO THE CAR STARTING AT THE GARAGE. AGAIN ON DEC. 20 THE SAME THING WITH THE EXCEPTION OF I WAS ON MY WAY HOME. THE STARTED WAS AGAIN REPLACED. THIS RECURRED ON JAN 9, 2017. THE STARTED WAS REPLACED AGAIN. IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON JAN. 20, AGAIN THE STARTER HAS BEEN REPLACED. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING ELSE WRONG. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. LUCKILY I HAVEN'T BEEN DRIVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, BUT IF THIS WOULD OCCUR AT 65 OR 70 MPH IT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON-LINE, I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *TR

WHERE DO I START! FROM DAY ONE WE HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THIS CAR. CRUSE CONTROL DIDN'T WORK, BROUGHT BACK TO DEALER THE FIRST WEEK TO BE FIXED. ONE MONTH LATER, FRONT SPEAKER WENT OUT, ANOTHER TRIP TO THE DEALER SPEAKER WAS REPLACED. AT 34,611 MILES, CAR WAS STUCK IN PARK, WOULD NOT SHIFT AT ALL. TOWED TO DEALER, REPLACED STOP LAMP. AT 35,031 MILES, FRONT END MAKING LOUD KNOCKING NOISE, YOU GUESSED IT, ANOTHER TRIP TO DODGE, LOWER CONTROL ARMS REPLACED. SKIPPING TO JANUARY OF 2017, CAR NOW HAS 124,000 MILES LOUD CRUNCHING SOUND COMING FROM FRONT DRIVER SIDE. THOUGHT OH, ANOTHER BALL JOINT NEEDS REPLACING, WHICH HAS BEEN REPLACED IN JANUARY OF 2016, ALONG WITH MORE CONTROL ARMS, SWAY BAR LINK, AND STRUTS, ABOUT $1200.00 IN ALL. TOOK THIS PILE OF CRAP TO LOCAL MERLIN'S SHOP, SHOWED ME THE ROTTED CROSS MEMBER WITH LARGE HOLES IN IT, COMPLETELY ROTTED THROUGH, BACK CROSS MEMBER WAS IN BAD SHAPE AS WELL. ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED WITH THIS CAR, TRADED IT IN FOR A 2011 CHEVY AND GOT $ 500.00 WHICH WAS PRETTY GENEROUS. HOW COULD DODGE NOT RECALL THIS ISSUE, MY WIFE WOULD DRIVE THIS 5 DAYS A WEEK 40 MILES A DAY ON THE HIGHWAY, LUCKY SHE COULD OF BEEN INJURED OR WORSE, SHE ALWAYS SAID THE FRONT END WAS NOT RIGHT, THIS HAS BEEN RUSTING OUT FOR YEARS. I GUESS SAFETY IS NOT A PRIORITY WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS, THEY NEVER SENT ANY WARNING OUT TO HAVE THIS CHECKED OUT. I WILL NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER CHRYSLER/DODGE OR JEEP PRODUCT.

I'VE OWNED THE CAR SINCE NEW, RECENTLY WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH A DEAD BATTERY. AFTER REPLACING THE BATTERY, THE CAR WOULD NOT GO MORE THAN 20 MILES PER HOUR AND WE HAD ENGINE FAULT CODES. ONCE WE CLEARED OUT THE CODES, THE CAR RAN FINE. HOWEVER, WE NOW HAD A FRONT HEADLIGHT THAT WAS OUT. REPLACING THE BULB DIDN'T WORK. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS BOTH ON WAS TO TURN ON THE HIGH BEAMS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH FROM A DODGE DEALERSHIP AND ON THE INTERNET, I HAVE FOUND THE ISSUE IS WIDESPREAD AND DUE TO POOR DESIGN OF THE FUSE BOX ON THESE VEHICLES, ALSO KNOWN AS THE TIPM. I BELIEVE THE DRAIN ON THE BATTERY WAS CAUSED BY THE POOR DESIGN OF THE TIPM AND WITH THAT ONE INCIDENT, STARTED THE FAILURE PROCESS. THIS VEHICLE HAS 150,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. I HAVE REPLACED THE TIPM WITH A USED ONE FROM A AUTO SUPPLY YARD, I STILL GET INTERMITTENT STARTING OF THE VEHICLE AND WHILE BOTH HEADLIGHTS ARE WORKING, THE HIGH BEAMS ARE NOW NOT WORKING.

CROSSMEMBERS FRONT AND REAR SUBFRAME ARE RUSTED THROUGH AND PERFORATED. DAMAGING FRONT END PARTS BY INSTABILITY...CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE. CAR JUST PURCHASED FROM UNSAVORY CAR DEALER...

MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AND I WAS THE PASSENGER. 12/23/15. THE CAR WAS A 2007 DODGE CALIBER. APPROX 80,000 MILES ON IT. NO PRIOR ACCIDENTS. A CAR TURNED INTO DRIVER SIDE. MY HUSBAND WAS NOT HURT. BOTH CARS GOING APPROX 10 MILES AN HOUR. I WAS HIT WITH AIR BAG. I RECEIVED A BROKEN RIB, NEW BRIDGE COMPLETELY KNOCKED OUT(OR SHOULD I SAY IN.). MY BACK, NECK, ANKLE STILL GIVE ME A LOT OF PAIN TODAY. MY BODY BRUISED HEAD TO TOE. CONCUSSION.

I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY IN FILLING FUEL INTO THE GAS TANK. FUEL MUST BE ENTERED VERY SLOWLY IN THE FILLER NECK OR THE HANDLE FROM THE PUMP WILL "TRIP" AND NOT ALLOW ANY FURTHER FLOW OF FUEL. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH AND TALKING TO OTHERS I THOUGHT THIS PROBLEM MIGHT BE DUE TO A CLOGGED EVAP HOSE OR ITS CHARCOAL CANISTER. I TOOK IT TO AN NATIONALLY KNOWN SERVICE STATION WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM TO BE NOT IN THE EVAP SYSTEM BUT IN A DEFECTIVE "ROLLOVER VALVE" WHICH IS INTERNAL TO THE FUEL TANK. IT IS ESSENTIALLY A "CHECK VALVE" WHICH PREVENTS FUEL FROM SPILLING BACK OUT OF THE TANK IN THE EVENT OF A ROLLOVER ACCIDENT. IF THIS ROLLOVER VALVE IS STUCK "PARTIALLY CLOSED" DURING FILLING, THEN IT COULD ALSO BE STUCK "PARTIALLY OPEN" AND ALLOW FUEL TO DANGEROUSLY SPILL BACKWARD THROUGH THE FILLER NECK IN THE EVENT OF A ROLLOVER ACCIDENT. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED DODGE DEALER TO INVESTIGATE THE ABOVE. THEY CHECKED INTO THEIR DATABASE AND FOUND THIS DEFECTIVE PART TO HAVE CAUSED A RECALL ON SOME OTHER 2007 DODGE VEHICLES (AVENGER, DAKOTA AND I BELIEVE RAM'S) BUT THE FREQUENCY WAS NOT JUSTIFIED FOR DODGE CALIBERS. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT MY PROBLEM DESCRIBED IS ONE AND THE SAME AS THOSE MODELS LISTED ABOVE (AND MAY VERY WELL BE THE SAME AFFECTED PART) AND THAT MY DEFECTIVE "ROLLOVER VALVE" SHOULD BE REPLACED AT DODGE'S EXPENSE. THE REPAIR INVOLVES REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE FUEL TANK.

TIPM MODULE DOES NOT POWER LIGHTS TO SEE WHILE DRIVING AND LED TO POWER DRAINS. LED TO COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER ON HIGHWAY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 DODGE CALIBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT SUB-FRAME HAD EXPERIENCED SEVERE CORROSION. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRAME WAS CORRODED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 85,000.

THE CROSSMEMBER IS RUSTED AND HAS A HUGE WHOLE IN IT. I GET REGULAR OIL CHANGES AT THE DODGE DEALER, WITH NO MENTION OF THE CROSSMEMBER ISSUE. STARTED HEARING NOISE IN FRONT END TOOK TO MECHANIC AND INFORMED OF ISSUE. AFTER SOME RESEARCH FOUND 10 YEAR EXTENSION OF WARRENTY ON THIS PART. WENT TO GET REPLACED AND FOUND OTHER SUSPENSION ISSUES CAUSED BY THE SEVERE RUST, WHICH THEY WILL NOT COVER. VEHICLE NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND THE COST FOR US TO FIX IS MORE THAN THE WORTH OF THE CAR!! AT THIS POINT HAVE NO TRADE IN VALUE FOR CAR...