2007 Dodge Caliber

ENGINE STALLS ON 1.8L 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. SINCE PURCHASING IN NOV 2006 THE ENGINE HAS STALLED OVER 20 TIMES IN VARIOUS SITUATIONS. THE COMMON FACTOR IS WHEN COMING TO AN IDOL THE RPM'S WILL DROP TO APPROXIMATELY 500 THEN COME BACK UP TO IDOL AT ABOUT 800-1000. IT USUALLY STALLS WHEN IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC BUT HAS STALLED IN UNSAFE CONDITIONS AT LEAST 5 TIMES. WHEN PUSHING IN THE CLUTCH TO DOWNSHIFT WHILE MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC LANES IT HAS STALLED. THIS CAUSED ME TO LOOSE POWER STEERING AND FORCED ME TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE STEERING WHEEL, RESTART THE CAR AND SHIFT INTO THE APPROPRIATE GEAR WHILE BROADSIDE TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER TWICE AND MOST RECENTLY TOLD THAT DODGE SAYS IT'S THE WAY THE ELECTRONICS FOR SHIFTING ARE CONNECTED OR SOMETHING OF THAT SORT. THE ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON TWICE BEFORE AND WENT OUT THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE DEALERSHIP STATED IT HAD STORED A STALL CODE. THE ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON TODAY. *JB

THE FIRST WEEK I HEARD A HARD & SOLID CLICK NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE 6-15-06. ON 6-18-06 WHILE IN STAND-STILL TRAFFIC THE VEHICLES OIL LIGHT LIT UP & CHIMED PRIOR TO THE ENGINE STALLING & IN NEUTRAL WITH THE CLUTCH TO THE FLOOR. ON 6-19-06 I TOOK IT IN TO THE SHOP. JOHN AND I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP 6-22-06 SPOKE WITH BOB CORLETTE ABOUT THE MULTIPLE MECHANICAL FAILURES. WE WERE TOLD BY BOB THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO. WE SPOKE WITH DAVID TINDALE (WHO PROVIDED THE OWNERS MANUAL) & WHO REASSURED BOTH OF US THAT THE PROBLEMS WOULD EITHER BE FIXED OR IF THEY COULDN'T BE FIXED THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO ENACT THE LEMON LAW & REPLACE THIS CAR WITH A NEW ONE. I DROPPED THE VEHICLE OFF THE FOLLOWING WEEK 6-26-06, LEN THOMAS SAID THE STALLING PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. SINCE PICKING UP MY VEHICLE, OVER THE LAST 2 WEEKS THE VEHICLE HAS STILL STALLED AT LEAST 8-10 TIMES. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM LORI AT THE DEALERSHIP ON A FOLLOW UP TO MY SERVICE WHERE SHE STATED SHE TOO HEARD THE CLICKING NOISE SINCE SHE DROVE THE VEHICLE. SHE ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED ON HER WHILE AT A RED LIGHT, BUT WROTE IT OFF TO POSSIBLY HER ERROR AND SO THIS WAS NOT DOCUMENTED TO SERVICE. ON 7-12-06 W/ LEN THOMAS & DAVID TINDALE TO PLEASE CALL ME BACK IN REFERENCE TO WHAT LORI STATED ABOUT THE STALLING PROBLEM. I CALLED AND SP/ W DAVID TINDALE & LEN THOMAS ABOUT THESE MECHANICAL ISSUES 7-13-06. I ALSO FOLLOWED UP W/ A CHRYSLER CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE REQUEST 7-13-06 FILE NUMBER 15156132. LEN THOMAS CALLED AFTER SPEAKING WITH CHRYSLER ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AND FOUND THAT THERE WERE 4 OTHER 2007 DODGE CALIBERS IN THE US THAT HAVE BEEN EXHIBITING THE SAME STALLING PROBLEMS. FURTHERMORE, WHILE SITTING IDLE IN TRAFFIC MY SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY RACES UP TO 20 MPH AND BACK TO 0 AND RACES TO 40 MPH AND BACK TO 0. THIS HAS NOW OCCURRED APPROX. 6 TIMES IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS. I REPORTED THIS NEW MECHANICAL FAILURE TO LEN THOMAS 7-20-06. *JB

WHILE ACCELERATING I WAS HEARING A RATTLING NOISE IN THE ENGINE OF THE CAR. THERE ALSO WAS A RECALL ON THE CAR REGARDING A FAULTY PCM WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO DETECT AN ENGINE THERMOSTAT MALFUNCTION. I TOOK MY CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE RECALL, AND THEY LOOKED AT MY ENGINE AND FIXED THE RATTLE WHICH THEY TOLD ME WAS DUE TO THE PCM NEEDING TO BE RESET....I READ ANOTHER COMPLAINT ABOUT THE ENGINE RATTLE AND THOUGHT I WOULD PUT MINE IN SO THE PERSON COULD READ THIS AND NOW THAT THE RATTLE IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING DUE TO THE RECALL AND NOT THE TYPE OF GASOLINE THEY WERE USING AS THEY WERE TOLD. *JB

AT 200 MILES, MY CAR'S ENGINE STARTED TO RATTLE AND MY POWER LOCK HAD A SHORT. I CALLED AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP UNTIL 1000 MILES LATER THEY CHECKED THE PROBLEM. THEY GAVE ME AN EXCUSE FOR THE MOTOR RATTLING WAS THAT THERE WAS SUCH THING AS WINTER AND SUMMER FUEL AND THAT I SHOULD CHANGE GASOLINE STATIONS AND BRANDS TO SEE IF THAT WOULD CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I FOLLOWED THEIR INSTRUCTIONS AND WENT PRACTICALLY ALL OVER TOWN GASHING UP. I JUST HAD IT CHECKED AGAIN AT 1527 MILES, THE NOISE GOT WORST. THE MOTOR RATTLES WHEN I ACCELERATE AND WHEN IT ALSO REACHES THE REGULAR TEMPERATURE. IN THE MORNING WHEN MY ENGINE IS STILL COLD IT DOESN'T RATTLE BUT AS SOON AS IT REACHES THE REGULAR TEMPERATURE IT STARTS RATTLING. MY MOTOR RATTLES A LOT WORST. YESTERDAY AT 1430 MILES AS I WAS WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO TURN GREEN, MY CAR WAS GOING TO STALL. MY RPM GAUGE WENT DOWN AND THEN WENT BACK UP. I GOT THE SAME EXCUSE ONCE AGAIN THAT IT WAS THE TYPE OF FUEL AND THAT THERE EXISTED NO REPAIR FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID "THE CAR IS WORKING THE WAY IT WAS DESIGNED" AND "IT IS ALL THROUGH COMPUTERS NOW, DODGE FIXES THE PROBLEMS AND SENDS US THE SOFTWARE AND WE HOOK UP TO YOUR CAR. IN THE MEAN TIME, THERE IS NO REPAIR AVAILABLE AND IT WILL EVENTUALLY GET REPAIRED". THE ONLY THING THEY DID WAS ADD A MOPAR FUEL ADDITIVE BUT I STILL HEAR THE NOISE. I HAVE USED REGULAR, MID-GRADE, AND PREMIUM AND USED DIFFERENT STATIONS AND FUEL COMPANIES AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THE RATTLING IS SO BAD THAT NOT EVEN WITH THE AC FULL BLAST CAN YOU TUNE IT OUT. AS FAR AS THE POWER LOCK IS CONCERNED IT WAS REPAIRED, THEY SAID IT HAD A SHORT. THE BAD THING IS THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER POWER LOCKS BUT THE ONLY ONE ON THE DRIVER SIDE. AS FAR AS SAFETY IS CONCERNED,YOU ARE UNABLE TO OPEN THE REAR PASSENGER DOORS OR THE REAR DOOR, AS THEY HAVE NO POWER LOCKS YOU HAVE TO DO THIS MANUALLY. I HAD TO TEACH MY CHILD TO PULL ON THE LOCK IN ORDER TO OPEN THE DOOR IN THE MEAN TIME THIS GOT FIXED. *JB