2007 DODGE NITRO 4X4 Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 DODGE NITRO 4X4. WHEN THE CONTACT FILLED UP THE FUEL TANK, GASOLINE WOULD SPEW BACK OUT OF THE TANK. SHE ALSO SMELLED POTENT GASOLINE FUMES INSIDE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD MONITOR THE ISSUE. AS TIME PROGRESSED, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME FAILURES. A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED AND THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP AND TANK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. HE HAS SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION AND VIDEO THAT DEMONSTRATES THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 44,000.

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE THROUGH A LEFT HAND TURN, DOES NOT MATTER WHAT SPEED YOU ARE DRIVING THE ESP/TCS INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON THE DASH AND THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ENGAGES CAUSING LOSS OF POWER AND SOMETIMES STEERING UNTIL YOU ARE THRU THE TURN. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP,THEY SAID THEY TOOK THE VEHICLE FOR A TEST DRIVE AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THEY ALSO INFORMED ME THAT SINCE "NO CODE" SHOWED UP ON THE COMPUTER THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM. WHAT CAN I DO AS A CONSUMER TO GET THIS PROBLEM RECTIFIED. MY VEHICLE HAS A 36,000MILE WARRANTY AND I HAVE 35,000 MILES TO DATE ON THE VEHICLE. I FEEL THE DEALERSHIP SHOULD TAKE A LITTLE MORE RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS MY SITUATION BUT THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE BOTHERED. WHAT COURSE OF ACTION DOES A CONSUMER HAVE UNDER THESE CONDITIONS? *TR

ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS MY VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AT 55 OR 65 MILES PER HOUR ON A HIGHWAY. ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE DASH COME ON AND GO OUT AND THE CAR COASTS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND THEN THE CAR KICKS BACK ON WITHOUT WARNING. IN ONE INSTANCE I WAS ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I WAS GOING DOWN A HILL AND COULD NOT STOP BECAUSE THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE HOWEVER THEY INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND THEY UPDATED THE COMPUTER. THEY INDICATED THAT THIS SHOULD STOP THE PROBLEM, BUT IT DID NOT. THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST, IN FACT ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2009 IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND MY 2 YEAR OLD WAS IN THE CAR AND IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE I WILL NOT FORGET. THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN WHILE COMING THRU AN INTERSECTION BECAUSE THE LIGHT WAS CHANGING AND I COULD NOT STOP BECAUSE THERE WAS NO POWER FORTUNATELY THE LIGHT WAS QUICK AND THE CAR'S POWER CAME BACK ON. I IMMEDIATE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, SINCE THAT TIME THE CAR HAS BEEN WITH THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE I REFUSED TO DRIVE IT BECAUSE IT IS UNSAFE. MEANWHILE CHRSYLER'S CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN RUDE AND NOT WILLING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM, THE DEALERSHIP CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND CHRSYLER CANNOT OFFER ANY RESPONSE. *TR

DEFECT NOTICE RCDNN-08V525-3946.PDF REPORTS A DEFECT IN 2007 DODGE NITRO PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AFFECTING VEHICLE SAFETY. THE RECALL ONLY INVOLVES VEHICLES WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. IT SHOULD ALSO COVER VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, BECAUSE THE SAME DEFECTIVE PARKING BRAKE PART IS USED FOR BOTH MODELS, AND THE SAME DEFECT IS FOUND ON THOSE WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS- THAT IS, THE PARKING BRAKE WILL NOT HOLD ON THOSE EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS. MY 2007 NITRO (W/AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) PARKING BRAKE WILL NOT HOLD THE CAR FIRMLY WHILE STOPPED ON AN INCLINE, AND THE CAUSE IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS FOR THE MANUAL- TRANSMISSION-EQUIPPED NITROS. THE RECALL SHOULD INCLUDE BOTH MODELS. MY NEW YORK STATE INSPECTION REQUIRES THE PARKING BRAKE TO HOLD, FOR SAFETY REASONS, AND DODGE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART ON MY VEHICLE, AS WELL AS THOSE OWNED BY OTHERS, IN ORDER TO KEEP THEM OPERATING SAFELY. A SHORT ONLINE VISIT TO DODGENITROFORUMZ.COM WILL CONFIRM THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER NITRO OWNERS AFFECTED BY THIS DEFECT, YET DODGE IS ONLY RECALLING THE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. THE REST OF HAVE A USELESS PARKING BRAKE. *TR

MY 2007 DODGE "NITRO" BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO LESS THAN ONE (1) INCH OF BEING HARD ON THE FLOOR. ON PRESENTING THIS PROBLEM TO THE LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP, THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT THEY COULD SHOW ME A 2008 "NITRO" WITH BRAKE PEDAL THE SAME WAY. MY CONSTANT CONCERN IS WHETHER I WILL BE ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE SAFELY AT ALL TIMES. I CERTAINLY PAID FOR BRAKES AND FEEL I SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED BRAKES THAT ARE SAFE AND DEPENDABLE. I REPORTED THIS CONDITION WHEN I FIRST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, AND TOLD THIS WAS NORMAL. *TR

2-3 TIMES A WEEK MY CAR'S ELECTRICAL JUST SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING. A/C EVERYTHING. IT STARTED WITH JUST THE TPM GAUGE GOING OFF SAYING IT WAS A FLAT BUT HAS NOW ESCALATED TO ALL THE ELECTRICAL IN THE CAR. I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN APRIL 2008 EVEN THOUGH IT IS AN 2007 MODEL , I HAVE TAKEN IT ABOUT 3 TIMES TO THE DEALERSHIP, NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD WITNESSES IN THE CAR WHEN THIS HAS OCCURRED. I AM WORRIED THIS COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT IS A DISTRACTION AND ALSO I FEEL THIS COULD LEAD TO THE WHOLE CAR SHUTTING OFF. PLEASE HELP *TR

WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING TOOK TO DEALER THEY SAID THEY REPROGRAMMED A COMPUTER BUT ALSO SAID THAT THEY COULDN'T GET THEM TO STOP I DON'T THINK ITS FIXED. *TR

MY 2007 DODGE NITRO HAS HAD SEVERAL ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. THE DOOR LOCKS ARE OFTEN INOPERABLE, THE WINDOWS GO UP AND DOWN WHEN DRIVING, THE RADIO IS OFTEN ON WHEN ENTERING THE VEHICLE, AND THE BACK GATE PERIODICALLY WILL NOT OPEN. LASTLY, WHEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS UP TO 55 MPH THE ENGINE CUTS OFF CREATING A STALL WHILE IN ADDITION ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES (HAZARDS, LOCKS, ETC.) DO NOT FUNCTION AT ALL. *TR

- VEHICLE DELAY WHEN PULLING OUT OR BACKING UP, THEN WITH OUT NOTICE SURGE. - DRIVING UP LARGE HILL, COMING UP ON TRACTOR AND TRAILER AHEAD, DOING 45 MPH, LEFT OFF GAS SLIGHTLY TO ADJUST SPEED WENT TO RESUME SPEED THERE WAS NO RESPONSE, NO POWER, LIGHTS DID NOT COME ON DASH AND ENGINE HAD NOT CUT OUT. TWO TO THREE SECONDS LATER, ENGINE/VEHICLE REGAINED POWER. -PULLING OUT OF DRIVE WAY, ON A INCLINE AND ACCELERATING, THEN LEFT OFF GAS TO LEVEL SPEED BEFORE A BEND. VEHICLE THROTTLE DID NOT RESPOND AND CONTINUED AT SPEED. APPLIED BRAKES, " BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND". DROVE VEHICLE INTO SOMEONE'S YARD, AND SHUT ENGINE DOWN. - DRIVING A CONGESTED STREET IN A TOWN, NO MORE THAN 25 MPH, BETWEEN STOP SIGNS. VEHICLE CONTINUED AT SPEED WHEN LEFT OFF GAS, BRAKES DID WORK. LEFT AMPLE ROOM TO STOP, BASED ON PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 DODGE NITRO 4X4. DURING ACCELERATION, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKS AND INCREASES TO 85 MPH. THE GAS PEDAL MUST BE PLACED IN NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO STOP. THE DEALER COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AND REPLACED THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE SAME FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,000. UPDATED 01/29/08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED CURRENTLY THE DEALER IS REPAIRING THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL. UPDATED 01/29/08 *TR