2007 Dodge Caliber

I HAVE A 2007 DODGE CALIBER SXT THAT I HAVE OWNED FOR JUST OVER 3 YEARS. IT HAS 38,000 KM/23,612 MILES ON IT. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP TODAY TO SWAP OUT MY WINTER TIRES FOR MY SUMMER TIRES. WHEN I PICKED IT UP, I WAS TOLD BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE LOWER BALL JOINTS ON THE FRONT NEED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY ARE WORN. IN FACT, HE TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND I SHOULD GET THESE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT THE WARRANTY HAD JUST EXPIRED AND THAT THE COST TO REPLACE THESE WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $1000.00. HE SAID THAT THE CLUNKING NOISE IN THE FRONT END INDICATES THAT THIS IS TRUE. I DO NOT HEAR ANY CLUNKING NOISE AND MY VEHICLE RUNS AND DRIVES VERY SMOOTHLY. I HAVE NOT PURSUED THIS MATTER WITH DODGE YET AS AT THE MOMENT I AM IN SHOCK. THIS VEHICLE IS A HIGHWAY DRIVEN VEHICLE AND USED VERY SELDOM IN THE CITY. THE ROADS THAT I DRIVE ARE PAVED AND VERY WELL MAINTAINED. I DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT AND IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, ABUSE THIS VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS PRACTICALLY NEW GIVEN THE VERY LOW MILEAGE. I JUST WANTED TO DOCUMENT THIS PROBLEM IN CASE THERE ARE OTHER CALIBER OWNERS OUT THERE WHO RUN INTO THIS PROBLEM. NOT ONLY DO I NOT HAVE $1000 TO REPLACE THE BALL JOINTS, I NOW HAVE THE STRESS OF KNOWING THAT MY VEHICLE IS DANGEROUSLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

I OWN A 2007 DODGE CALIBER SXT. RECENTLY TOOK IT IN TO BE REPAIRED BECAUSE CAR WAS PULLING SEVERELY TO ONE SIDE WHILE DRIVING AND MAKING BAD GRINDING SOUNDS. MECHANIC DISCOVERED THE INNER AND OUTER TIE RODS AND ALSO THE BALL JOINTS ON BOTH SIDES IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WERE SO DETERIORATED THAT HE DEEMED THE VEHICLE UNDRIVEABLE UNTIL REPAIRS WERE MADE. IN HIS OFFICIAL OPINION THEY WERE THE WORST HE HAD EVER SEEN THAT DID NOT RESULT IN THE TIRES FALLING OFF. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON THE DODGE CALIBER MODELS I HAVE SEEN THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THAT MAKE AND MODEL OF VEHICLE. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR TIRES FALL OFF AT 65 MPH ON A HIGHWAY? I DO NOT WANT TO BE DRIVING WHEN THAT HAPPENS. NO THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT LED TO A DEATH YET, BUT DO WE REALLY NEED TO WAIT UNTIL IT DOES BEFORE CHRYSLER IS FORCED TO UPGRADE THE PARTS ON THEIR VEHICLES? $1000 WORTH OF PARTS AND SERVICE ON A 4 YEAR OLD CAR IS RIDICULOUS AND TO KNOW THAT BECAUSE THEY CHOSE TO USE LOW QUALITY PARTS THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED TO MY TIRES FALLING OFF AT 65 MPH IS UNSETTLING. *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2007 DODGE CALIBER AUGUST 2007. NOTHING HAPPENED UNTIL THE WARRANTY WAS UP. HERE IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED AND MILEAGE. 40,000 RIGHT FRONT STRUT 45,000 LEFT FRONT STRUT 50,000 OUTER TIE RODS REPLACE L AND R 55,000 BALL BEARINGS AND LOWER CONTROL ARMS HAVE TO BE REPLACED 65,000 REPLACE 2 SENSORS THAT ARE NOT COMMUNICATING SO CAR IS STALLING AND NOW HOT WATER SPRAYING ON MY FOOT WHEN GAS IS PUSHED DOWN AND BURNT MY FOOT THIS CAR SHOULD OF HAD MANY MORE RECALLS THAN IT HAS. DODGE/CHRYSLER HAS DONE NOTHING TO HELP ME WITH THESE COSTS AND NOW I AM STUCK. *TR

I HAVE A 2007 DODGE CALIBER SXT THAT I HAVE OWNED FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS. I WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC TODAY THAT THE BALL JOINTS ON THE FRONT NEED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY ARE DANGEROUSLY DEFECTIVE AND IF THEY BREAK WHILE I AM DRIVING, THEY COULD CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT BALL JOINTS SHOULD NOT BE WORN OUT ON A CAR THAT IS 2 YEARS OLD AND ONE WITH 41,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. HE SAID THAT THE BALL JOINTS WERE LIKELY DEFECTIVE AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURE. THE FRONT TIRES CAN BE FREELY MOVED AND JIGGLED WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY WITH LITTLE EFFORT. I HAVE GOTTEN NO HELP FROM MY LOCAL DODGE DEALER IN REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE BALL JOINTS AND AM FORCED TO RISK MY LIFE EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL I CAN AFFORD THE REPAIR WHICH WILL COST BETWEEN $500 AND $1,200. BECAUSE THE PARTS WERE LIKELY DEFECTIVE AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURE, I SUSPECT THAT ALL OTHER DODGE CALIBERS MANUFACTURED AT THE SAME TIME WITH THE SAME PARTS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND THE OWNERS ARE SIMPLY UNAWARE THAT THEIR VEHICLES ARE DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. *TR

2007 DODGE CALIBER SE (AND OTHER MODELS) MAY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ITS SUSPENSION OR ALIGNMENT THAT CAUSES TIRE "CUPPING" WHICH CAN RESULT IN TIRE FAILURE OR LOSS OF CONTROL. TIRE CUPPING ON MY CALIBER BEGAN PRIOR TO 20,000 MILES. OTHER REPORTS I'VE SEEN ONLINE BEGAN MUCH EARLIER - SOME WITH SLIGHTLY MORE MILEAGE. MY VEHICLE WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND TIRES WERE ALWAYS INFLATED PROPERLY AND ROTATED ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDATION. MY VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND TAKEN TO A CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION ON THE PROBLEM. THEY INDICATED THE VEHICLE WAS "FINE" BUT THE TIRES NEEDED REPLACED. THE TIRES ON MY VEHICLE WERE DUNLOP 205/70 R15S, WHICH CAME FROM THE FACTORY. OTHERS I'VE TALKED TO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THOSE TIRES AND OTHER BRANDS FROM THE FACTORY AND IN THE AFTERMARKET. THE COST TO REPLACE TIRES IS $300 MINIMUM, WHICH IS BAD ENOUGH, BUT A BIGGER CONCERN OF MINE IS POSSIBLE TIRE FAILURE OR LOSS OF CONTROL ON WET ROADS DUE TO THE IRREGULAR TIRE WEAR. THERE ARE SEVERAL DODGE CALIBER FORUMS ONLINE THAT DOCUMENT THIS PROBLEM. FOR MONTHS THE SITES CLAIM DODGE/CHRYSLER WILL ISSUE A RECALL OR SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE ISSUE, BUT SO FAR THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED. *TR

I BOUGHT A 2007 DODGE CALIBER NEW. I STARTED HAVING FRONT END "VIBRATIONS" ALMOST IMMEDIATELY (WHEN I DROVE OUT OF THE DEALERSHIP AFTER DELIVERY) MAINLY FROM 60-70MPH. TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. TOOK IT BACK NUMEROUS TIMES AND WAS TOLD ONCE THE TIRES WERE BAD; I REPLACED THEM AT MY EXPENSE. SAME PROBLEM. TOOK IT BACK AGAIN AND WAS TOLD ONE OF THE RIMS WAS BENT; I BOUGHT NEW RIMS (ALMOST $1,000). TOOK IT BACK AGAIN AND WAS TOLD THE RIMS WERE BAD AGAIN. HAD THE RIMS CHECKED AND THEY ARE PERFECTLY ROUND. BOUGHT ANOTHER SET OF TIRES (SAME AS FACTORY); SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE 69,000 MILES ON MY CAR AND IT STILL DOES THE SAME THING. I GUESS I HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT SINCE "IT'S MY IMAGINATION." *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 DODGE CALIBER. THE VEHICLE HAS FIRESTONE TIRES, SIZE P215/55/R18, AND DOT NUMBER VN0AF31. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE TIRES. AT 4,000 MILES, THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE NOISE AND ADVISED HIM TO CALL THE TIRE MANUFACTURER. THE TIRE MANUFACTURER WAS UNABLE TO ASSIST UNLESS THEY RECEIVED A REPLACEMENT ORDER FROM THE DEALER. THE DEALER, WHO IS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS, REFUSED TO ASSIST. THE CONTACT PURCHASED FOUR NEW TIRES IN JANUARY OF 2007; HOWEVER, AT 10,000 MILES, THE NOISE RECURRED AND TREAD SEPARATION WAS VISIBLE ON ALL 12 TIRES. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND INSPECTED THE ALIGNMENT ON THE VEHICLE, BUT THE NOISE CONTINUED. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT IF THE CONTACT SIGNED AN AGREEMENT TO RELEASE THEM FROM THE MATTER, THEY WOULD REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED AT NO COST TO THE OWNER AND THE FAILURE RECURRED AT 8,000 MILES. AFTER RECEIVING ANOTHER DIAGNOSIS FROM A TIRE MECHANIC, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CAMBER SUSPENSION IN THE WHEEL AREA WAS INACCURATE. THEY FURTHER STATED THAT NO ADJUSTMENT COULD BE MADE UNLESS THE FRAME WAS ADJUSTED. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY $300 TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT; HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE THAT IT WOULD CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT REIMBURSE OR ASSUME ANY LIABILITY FOR THE REPAIR COSTS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT HAS TWELVE TIRES THAT HAVE FAILED. THE INITIAL FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,000.

WE'VE HAD THIS '07 DODGE CALIBER SINCE 9 OF '07 AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS TO OCCUR AT ABOUT 2 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE. THE CAR STALLS AT LOW SPEED, WE'VE HAD BRAKE PROBLEMS WHICH WHEN WE FIRST TOOK IT IN TO OUR DEALER WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. UPON SEVERAL VISITS ABOUT NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT TIRES AND WHILE PRESSING THE BRAKES THEY WOULD PUTTER AFTER ABOUT 40MPH, WAS TOLD THE WHEEL BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SINCE THEN WE WOULD STILL EXPERIENCE THE NOISE TILL IT GOT SO BAD, CHRYSLER FINALLY SAID - YOUR ROTORS NEED CHANGING. SINCE WE WERE OVER 20,000 MILES WE WEREN'T COVERED BY WARRANTY. WAS TOLD THIS WAS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I COULD UNDERSTAND IF THESE PROBLEMS HAD JUST STARTED, BUT THEY DIDN'T. CHRYSLER HAS SAID THEY CANNOT ASSIST ME WITH A REFUND NOR WOULD THE SENIOR STAFF AGENT GIVE ME HIS BOSSES NAME TO COMPLAIN FURTHER. I AM VERY DISSATISFIED WITH CHRYSLER. MY MOM IS ABOUT 80 YEARS OLD AND PURCHASED THIS CAR BELIEVING THAT THE COMPANY WAS RELIABLE AND WOULD STAND BEHIND ANY PROBLEMS. WE WOULD LIKE OUR MONEY BACK OR TRADE THIS VEHICLE IN FOR A COMPARABLE AMOUNT. *TR