2008 Dodge Caliber

I FIRST EXPERIENCED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL PROBLEM LAST MONTH WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY HOME AND LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE SAID HE WOULD LOOK AT IT.. WHEN I GOT THE CAR BACK HE SAID HE CLEANED THE THROTTLE SENSOR AND SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY ISSUES PAID $75. WELL A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON AND WAS ON THE ENTIRE DAY THEN WENT OFF. NOW WHEN IT CAME BACK ON AND THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE LIGHT CAME ON WITH IT. THE CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 2 MILES AS I WAS DRIVING TOWARDS THE LIGHT I HAD TO IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE CAR AND TURN BACK ON. THANKFULLY THERE WAS NO ONE AT THE LIGHT BEHIND ME WHEN I DID THAT. BUT I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND SEEN THAT MANY OTHER HAS HAD THIS ISSUE WITH THEIR CARS DATING BACK 2007. MY CAR IS A 2008 WHICH SEEM TO HAVE BEEN FINE TILL NOW. I HAVE HAD THE ALTERNATOR GO OUT AND REPLACED FOLLOWED BY THE BATTERY BEING REPLACED THAT SAME WEEK. I'M AFRAID TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE CAR NOW. IT'S KIND OF SCARY TO BE ON THE ROAD AND HAVE THE CAR JUST STOP ON YOU. AND HAVE SOMEONE BEHIND YOU NOT PREPARED TO BE STOPPING SO QUICKLY. I PICK MY GRAND BABY UP FROM SCHOOL AND I WOULD HATE TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN WHILE SHE IS IN THE CAR. I WANT TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES WITH THIS PROBLEM BUT DON'T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK. I HAVEN'T PUT THE MILEAGE DOWN BECAUSE IM AT WORK PUTTING IN THIS REPORT AND ITS DARK. BUT THE MILEAGE IS WELL OVER 150,000. *TR

I AM WRITING TO DISCUSS A POSSIBLE DANGER IN THE DESIGN OF THE FUSE BOX. THE FUSE BOX UNDER THE HOOD OF THE DODGE CALIBER APPEARS TO ALLOW TOO MUCH MOISTURE BEYOND THE UPPER SEAL. EVERY 10,15, AND 20 AMP MINI FUSE DEVELOPS EXCESSIVE OXIDATION ON THE CONTACTS. THE OXIDATION MAY CAUSE MALFUNCTIONS IN TWO WAYS. THE FIRST IS PHANTOM ERROR CODES AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS. THE SECOND IS THE CVT TRANSMISSION MAY SLIP OUT OF GEAR WHILE DRIVING CAUSING SUDDEN LOSS OF DRIVE POWER AND LEAD TO COLLISIONS. ANOTHER ISSUE THAT CONCERNS ME IS THE POTENTIAL FOR CIRCUITS TO OVERHEAT RESULTING IN ELECTRICAL FIRES UNDER THE DASH AND UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CALIBER. *TR

WE WERE NOTICING THE CAR BEING SLUGGISH AND NOT WANTING TO PICK UP SPEED SO WE MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET IT LOOKED AT. BEFORE THAT COULD HAPPEN THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT POPPED ON WHEN I WAS GOING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION, THE CAR WOULDN'T GO ABOVE 20MPH AND FELT LIKE IT WANTED TO STALL OUT. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS AND THE ETC LIGHT WENT OFF AFTER A FEW SECONDS. I WAS LUCKY IT WAS VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING AND THE INTERSECTION WAS EMPTY. I CONTINUED ON MY WAY TO WORK ABOUT 1/2 MILE AND THE ETC CAME BACK ON. I MANAGED TO GET IT TO WORK AND PARKED IT. I LOOKED UP WHAT THE LIGHT MEANS AND PROCEEDED TO GOOGLE WHAT IT WAS FOR MY CAR. I WAS SOCKED BY HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS EXACT PROBLEM FOR THE MAKE AND MODEL. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THIS ISSUE WAS NOT KNOWN OR RECALLED. CAR OWNERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BEFORE IT BECAME A HAZARD. I LEFT WORK AND PRAYED MY CAR WOULD MAKE IT THE 1/2 MILE TO MY HOME. UNFORTUNATELY , THE ETC LIGHT CAME BACK ON THEN STARTED FLASHING. AFTER READING OTHER CAR OWNERS POSTS I DECIDED NOT TO RISK STALING IT ON A BRIDGE SO I COASTED IT INTO A GAS STATION WERE IT CHUGGED OUT. I WALKED THE REST OF THE WAY HOME IN 85 DEGREE WEATHER. WE TOWED THE CAR TO OUR REPAIR PLACE, THEY HOOKED IT UP TO THE COMPUTER TO READ THE CODES, THEN THEY RESET THE CONTROLS HOPING IT WOULD BY PASS A GLITCH. IT DIDN'T. THEY THEN HAD US BRING THE CAR TO A DODGE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS FAMILIAR WITH HE PROBLEM "THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH THESE CARS." THEY COULDN'T GET TO IT UNTIL AFTER THE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND. THEY INSTALLED THE REPLACEMENT THROTTLE BODY $272.42 (PART 4891735AC) AT A COST OF 566.00 TOTAL. WE JUST GOT THE CAR BACK TODAY. IT IS RUNNING SMOOTHER BUT ONLY TIME WILL TELL IF THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. UPDATED 02/27/2015 *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE CALIBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG WAS DEFECTIVE CAUSING THE HORN TO MALFUNCTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,500.

FIRST TIME DODGE OWNER AND NEVER AGAIN...AS I WAS DRIVING AT 45 MPH FIRST MY BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON THEN 10 SECONDS LATER ALL THE PANEL LIGHTS CAME IN CAR LOST ALL POWER BUT NEVER SHUT DOWN I PULLED OFF 6 LANE INTERSECTION TO A SAFE LOCATION AND TURNED CAR OFF AND IT WOULD NOT START BACK I WAIT 2 HRS IN 90DEGREE HEAT 6 MONTHS PREGNANT FOR A TOW TRUCK I CALL DODGE DEALER AND THEY SAID 160 TO LOOK AT IT BUT SOUNDS LIKE FUSE BOX OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SAID TYPICAL IN THESE CARS SO I JUST HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD TO DISH OUT ALL KINDS OF MONEY. JUST UNDER A YEAR AGO I REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY AGAIN NOT CHEAP.... NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR AND AS SOON AS I AM ABLE I AM GETTING RID OF IT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL, MY CAR BEGAN SHUTTING DOWN ON A MAJOR ROAD PUTTING MYCHILDREN AND MYSELF IN DANGER. THE THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND WAITING A COUPLE OF MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE EXTREMELY SLOW TO GE THEM TO SCHOOL SAFELY. THIS SOUNDS SIMILAR TO THE SAME PROBLEMS CURRENTLY HAPPENING WITH THE CHEVY COBALTS. IS IT GOING TO TAKE CHRYSLER/DODGE KILLING PEOPLE BEFORE THIS GETS RECALLED? I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO CONTACT THEIR LOCAL NEWS STATIONS ALONG WITH NATIONAL NEWS STATIONS! CAR COMPANIES ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN MAKING THEIR MONEY AND NOT LOOKING AT THE SAFETY ISSUES OF THE DEATH TRAPS THEY ARE SELLING TO CONSUMERS. I WILL BE ENDLESSLY PURSUING THIS MATTER UNTIL DODGE STEPS UP AND PAY FOR THE REPAIR! I WILL CALL EVERY NEWS STATION UNTIL SOME ATTENTION IS BROUGHT TO THIS MATTER AND HOLDING CAR COMPANIES LIKE DODGE/CHRYSLER RESPONSIBLE FOR SELLING AND MANUFACTURING FAULTY VEHICLES. I HAVE GONE THROUGH ALL COMPLAINTS LISTED ON THIS SITE AND NUMEROUS OTHERS. SOMEONE IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB! *TR

CAR WAS ALREADY WARMED AND DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 5 MILES, AFTER STOPPING AT A GAS STATION TO REFUEL AND RE-STARTING, IT WAS IDLING VERY INCONSISTENTLY AND RUNNING ROUGH, SHAKING. THERE WAS A DASH INDICATOR FOR ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL FLASHING. I TRIED DRIVING IT AND THERE WAS JERKING AND PULLING AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULDN'T SHIFT PAST 2ND, CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND 12-15 MPH. I MADE IT HOME (ABOUT 2 MILES) AND LEFT THE CAR FOR ABOUT 6 HOURS. UPON RESTARTING AND WARMING, THE CAR DROVE FINE. ABOUT 1 1/2 WEEKS LATER, THE SAME DASH LIGHT CAME ON, STEADY NOT FLASHING, CAR RUMBLED, THEN LIGHT WENT OFF AND THE CAR WAS FINE. THIS HAPPENED ON AND OFF FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS. THEN, WHEN READY TO LEAVE FROM WORK ONE DAY, I STARTED THE CAR TO WARM IT AND THE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON, THE CAR WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH, IDLE WAS FLUCTUATING BETWEEN ABOUT 500-1500 RPMS AND SHAKING. I LEFT THE CAR, ASSUMING WHEN I CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY IT WOULD START AND BE FINE JUST LIKE THE 2 TIMES BEFORE, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. I DROVE THE CAR TO A NEARBY MECHANIC, MAXING OUT AT ABOUT 15 MPH, STRANGELY THE CAR SEEMED TO PICK UP SPEED WHEN I EASED OFF THE ACCELERATOR, AND STEADY LOSS OF SPEED WHILE GOING UP HILL. THE MECHANIC COULD NOT FIX OR EVEN DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, SAID IT HAS TO GO TO THE DEALER. IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE THROTTLE CONTROL. I WILL UPDATE IT ONCE I HEAR FROM THE DEALER LATER TODAY. *TR