2009 DODGE CALIBER Complaints

I TOOK MY WIFE'S 2009 CALIBER TO OUR MECHANIC BECAUSE SHE HEARD CLUNKING NOISES FROM THE FRONT END. WE WERE INFORMED BY OUR MECHANIC THAT A PIECE OF FRAME STRETCHING ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE IS SEVERELY RUSTED. THE STEERING RACK AND SWAY BARS ATTACH TO THIS FRAME WORK. ALSO FRONT END COMPONENTS. THE VEHICLE MAKES LOUD PLUNKING NOICES WHEN GOING OVER SMALL AND LARGE BUMPS AND MUCH WORSE WHEN HITTING POT HOLES. NO OTHER RUST IS APPARENT ON ANY FRAM WORK UNDER THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY NINE YEARS OLD. I THINK THAT'S EXTREMELY ODD FOR SUCH A YOUNG VEHICLE. I FEEL THIS MAY BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE VERY SOON AND THINK THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A RECALL THAT I AM UNAWARE OF.

WHILE TRAVELING AT VERY SLOW SPEED (WAS NAVIGATING THRU PARKING GARAGE), WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE PASSENGER SIDE-CURTAIN AIRBAG DEPLOYED (NO ONE WAS IN THE RIGHT-FRONT SEAT AT THE TIME). THERE WAS NO IMPACT/CRASH (NOT EVEN A BUMP), THE AIRBAG JUST DEPLOYED BY-ITSELF. CONTACTED FIAT/CHRYSLER. THEY SENT AN INVESTIGATOR/INSPECTOR FROM HOUSTON (2 HOURS AWAY). TO DOWNLOAD BOSCH AIRBAG COMPUTER DATA, AND INSPECT THE VEHICLE. INVESTIGATOR SPENT TWO HOURS TAKING HUNDREDS OF PICTURES, MEASUREMENTS, ETC. NOTE: SEAT BELTS DID NOT LOCK, AS WE ARE TOLD THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO ON AIRBAG DEPLOYMENTS. FINALLY, AFTER REQUESTING MULTIPLE TIMES (AS OWNERS MANUAL SAYS WE ARE ENTITLED TO, FIAT/CHRYSLER PROVIDED INFO DOWNLOADED FROM AIRBAG COMPUTERS WITH CDR (CRASH DATA REPORT, EVEN THO THERE WAS NO CRASH). WE UNDERSTAND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT EVENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECORDED. AFTER 3 MONTHS OF THE VEHICLE SITTING, NOT BEING DRIVEN, THE REPORT SAYS THERE WAS [NO EVENTS RECOVERED]. SO... IT SOUNDS LIKE THE AIRBAG COMPUTER DIDN'T KNOW THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED, BUT THE AIRBAG/SRS LIGHT ON THE DASH, REMAINS ILLUMINATED, WITH NO IDEA, WHATSOEVER, CAUSED THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. FIAT/CHRYSLER'S OFFICIAL RESPONSE: THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WE CAN RENDER NO MORE ASSISTANCE WITH THE MATTER.

THE CVT TRANSMISSION KEEPS FAILING. TO DATE, I'VE HAD IT REPLACED UNDER THE LIFETIME POWERTRAIN WARRANTY FOUR TIMES. ONCE AT 17000 MILES, AGAIN AT 92000 MILES, AGAIN AT 117000 MILES, AND NOW AT 135000 MILES. NO ROOT CAUSE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, YET EACH TIME THE SAME FAILURE MODE HAPPENS - WARM TEMPERATURE, LIMP MODE, AND EVENTUALLY A SCREAMING SOUND WITH NO ENGAGEMENT.

IT WAS RAINING AND AS IT WAS RAINING MY CAR STARTED TO BLINK ALL LIGHTS AND STARTED SLOWING DOWN NO MECHANIC CAN SEEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON BUT AS I WAS DRIVING EVERY WARNING LIGHT STARTED GOING CRAZY THE TACHOMETER WENT CRAZY AND SO DID MY SPEEDOMETER EVENTUALLY MY CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN EVEN THOUGH IT THE ACCELORATOR WAS PUSHED TO THE FLOOR. AND THAN EVENTUALLY IT JUST STOPPED ALL TOGETHER WHEN I TRIED TURNING THE CAR BACK ON.THE STARTED WOULDNT ENGAGE AND THE ENGINE WOULD START TILL I PUT UNHOOKED THE BATTERY AND HOOKED IT BACK IN. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS 12/25/2016 6/15/2017 AND AGAIN TODAY 11/3/2017 THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHEN MY FATHER OWNED THE VEHICLE AS WELL BEFORE I PURCHASED IT FROM HIM.

ENTIRE SUB FRAME IN FRONT IS ROTTED TO THE POINT VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVEABLE, DO OTHER RUSET IS VISIBLE IN FRONT. VEHICLE BEGAN TO SQUEAL WHEN DRIVING AND FRONT LEFT TIRE CLOSE TO FELL OFF

MY HUSBAND FILED A COMPLAINT THIS MORNING ON OUR 2009 DODGE CALIBER AND HE ALSO WENT TO TALK TO PEOPLE AT BOB SWOPE FORD IN ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY AND THEY INFORMED HIM THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT THE RUSTING OF THE SUB FRAME ON OUR CAR WE HAVE ONLY OWNED THIS CAR FOR YEARS AND WE STILL ARE IN DEBT ON IT UBIQUITOUS FRAME IS SO RUSTY IT IS ABOUT TO BUST OPEN AND IT IS TO DANGEROUS FOR US TO DRIVE HIM & I BOTH ARE ON DISABILITY AND WE CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX THIS PROBLEM I HAVE TALKED TO SEVERAL PEOPLE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AN WE ARE ALL IN AGREEMENT THAT THERE IS NO WAY THIS COULD HAVE RUSTED THAT BAD IN 2 YEARS SO THERE FOR IT HAD TO BE LIKE THIS WHEN WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I AM NOT ONE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ANYTHING BUT I JUST FEEL THAT THIS IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY GO TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM THERE IS NO WAY OTHER WISE THAT WE CAN DRIVE THIS CAR AND IT IS MY ONLY TRANSPORTATION BACK ; FORTH TO THE DR. AND I AM ALSO ON HOME OXYGEN SO I NEED THIS VEHICLE TO GET TO AND FRO I CAN'T TRADE THIS ONE IN BECAUSE WE OWE TO MUCH ON IT THANK YOU [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WE HAD TO HAVE A CONTROL ARM AND LOWER BALL JOINTS PUT IN OUR CAR AND OUR MECHANIC INFORMS US THAT THE SUBFRAME HAS RUSTED OUT PRETTY BAD AND WE HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR 2 YEARS AND IT'S ONLY 8 YRS OLD I DON'T THINK IT'S OUR PLACE TO REPLACE THE SUB FRAME I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY NEITHER WE GOT THE CAR AT BOB SWOPE FORD IN ELIZABETHTOWN KENTUCKY WE HAVE COMPLAINED TO THEM BUT THEY DO NOT RESPOND COULD YOU PLEASE HELP US GET THIS PROBLEM SOLVED IT WAS CHECKED BY SWOPE ON OR AROUND THE FIRST OF OCTOBER AND THEY DIDN'T SAY A WORD ABOUT THIS PROBLEM

"TAKATA RECALL" WHEN I DRIVE THE VEHICLE FOR ABOUT 30 TO 45 MINS ON HIGH WAY THE TRANSMISSION HEATING LIGHT WILL APPEAR AND CAUSES THE CAR TO GO INTO LIMP MOLD UNTIL TRANS IS COOLED DOWN IT WILL NOT GO OVER 60 MPH WHEN THIS HAPPEND TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY TELL ME THIS IS SOMETHING THAT DODGE CALIBER DOES.

SUBFRAME ROTTEN/RUSTY!!!! I WAS DRIVING TODAY AND MY CAR START MAKING WEIRD CRANKING NOISE AND IT'S PULLING ME TO THE RIGHT. EVEN THOUGH I HAD THE WHEEL STRAIGHT IT'S CLEARLY SHOWING IT HALFWAY TO THE RIGHT. IT'S DRAGGING THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRES AND IT'S HARD TO CONTROL. TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY I CAN MAKE IT HOME WITHOUT ENDANGERING MYSELF AND OTHERS. THE MECHANIC SHOWED ME THAT UNDERNEATH THE SUBFRAME IS ALL ROTTEN/RUSTY AND FALLING APART. MY CAR IS 2009, IT'S ONLY 8 YRS OLD. THERE'S SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL ON THIS. I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE HOW BAD IT GOTTEN. I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE IT FIX.

THE SUBFRAME IS COMPLETELY RUSTED AND I HAVE ORDERED A NEW ONE TO REPLACE THE OLD ONE.