2007 Dodge Caliber AWD body problems

Filed Jul 21, 2018 · Body, Brakes · 86,000 miles · MI

My daughter bought a used 2007 dodge caliber with 83,493 miles on it in 2016. In 2018 the car became very unstable and found the cross structure in the rear was so corroded and rusted it cracked in half. She, I, and others could have been killed. And I see now 100's of others that has the same problem. What do we do about this? Eat $5,000.00 ? This needs to be taken care of.. She was driving and I was with her at night and raining, on the freeway when it started to shake so bad I thought it was going to fall apart. We creeped it home and friends looked underneath and said omg.. So again,, how do we replace this? And what is being done? There were no notifications on this at all period. I don't care if it was 1 car. This needs to be recalled.. It could be a family with children, a head on crash, who knows.. It's dangerous.. Mad mother.. It happened on or around may 14, 2018 and I don't know exactly what the miles were at that time, gave a estimate.. This is as bad as having a drunk driver coming at you.. Please recall..

Filed Feb 15, 2015 · Body · 115,000 miles · MD

Since buying this car new I have had multiple near accidents due to the blind spots caused by both a-pillars, usually involving pedestrians from the left (crosswalks, parking lots) and crossing traffic at intersections approaching from the right. I had never had this problem with my prior vehicles (previous new vehicle = 2001 dodge durango). I have tried to adapt since identifying this problem by looking around the a-pillars but it continues to happen, especially in busy/crowded situations. On multiple occasions, I have nearly struck pedestrians (again, only those approaching from my left) or actually pulled out in front of a car approaching from my right at an intersection. Is this a common complaint since the wider a-pillars were adapted?

Filed Jan 8, 2015 · Body, Electrical · 99,375 miles · WA

We started the vehicle using the remote start, and then I inserted the keys in the ignition and turned them to disengage the automatic shutoff. Then placed our 3yr old in child seat and closed both doors on the passenger side. I was walking around the car to get in the drivers seat and heard the automatic locks engage. I was locked out with our 3yr old locked inside a running vehicle. Had to call emergency services to have them unlock the car. Never heard of a vehicle's automatic locks engaging with the ignition engaged and running.

Filed Dec 8, 2014 · Body, Engine · 71,000 miles · NY

Car only has 71,000 miles on it. On my way home from work I heard a clunking noise coming from the front end of my car so I took it to a mechanic. After inspection, mechanic reported that sub frame around lower a arm was rotted and entire back side of cradle also was rotted. Everything else under car looks new, we just don't understand why just this part of car is rotting. Chrysler should have this vehicle recalled, after doing research on this vehicle and finding this being one of the common defects.

Filed Aug 22, 2014 · Body, Suspension · 129,000 miles · NY

I also had the same problem with my 2007 dodge caliber with the front subframe. I had it in for an oil change and my mechanic (private, not dealer) said the subframe was so corroded that is was unsafe to drive. I had it repaired for approx $500.00. I waited for my letter from dodge stating my VIN # was part of the recall and when I called today - they said it was not. They also stated had I taken the car to my dealer, perhaps something could have been done.

Filed Aug 18, 2014 · Body · 87,701 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 dodge caliber. The contact stated that the cross member and sub frame were rusted and corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who discovered that there were holes and rust all over the frame and cross members. As a result, the cross members, the sub frame, and the frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,701.

Filed Jul 25, 2014 · Body · 56,500 miles · WI

I own two 2007 dodge calibers. Both purchased new in 2007. One fwd (sxt model), one awd (r/t model). I received a notice from chrysler in late may 2014 that they were extending the warranty period on the front and rear cross members of the fwd sxt caliber due to premature corrosion. They recommended having the dealer inspect these parts yearly. I believed I would receive a notice for the awd r/t model eventually since I purchased that one several months after the first. When I did not receive a notice, I called chrysler to inquire. They told me based on the VIN or the r/t model this vehicle was not included. I did inspect the front cross member of the 07 awd r/t (VIN above). The cross member is severely rusted and has several larger perforations in the cross member frame from rust. The rest of the underside of the vehicle appears to be in good condition. I believe the cross member on this vehicle is also defective. I do have a photograph of the part.

Filed Feb 23, 2014 · Body, Suspension · 95,630 miles · NH

Upon driving a loud metal to metal clunk began. Owner looked under vehicle, but was unable to see any problem. Noise was so distinct that vehicle was carefully driven to our independent mechanic. He started to go out on a road test to try to locate the problem and immediately returned to his garage. He found one sway bar link was unattached at lower end. He then used a mirror to view the top side of the sub frame and found it was rotted out. Upon removal of the subframe a fist sized hole was found in the top of the subframe and there were also cracks radiating back through more of the frame. Looking at the removed item, it was obvious that the degradation was so severe that hitting a bad enough bump or hole could very possibly cause loss of integrity in the suspension, steering or engine mounting. All in all, this situation looked extremely hazardous. And considering that a visual inspection from underneath, as during an oil change, one of which had been performed recently, did not show the damage, I would say this is a very bad situation. In researching this condition online, it sounds possible that the air condition dripping could be a contributing factor. There were a number of cases to be seen. I feel that we are very lucky there was no major incident due to this condition. This vehicle, while a 2007 has an in service date of february 2008. I hope you will find this situation serious enough to review, and I have taken a series of pictures which will help to document the problem. Thank you for your time in reviewing this for us.

Filed Jul 16, 2013 · Airbags, Body · 97,000 miles · MN · crash

Fiance had a seizure and car went to side of road. Car flopped on the left driver side and crashed into trees. Air bags did not deploy, seat belts were intact and working. Previously, seat belts were found to unlatch at times when driver was in car and car was in motion. Amazed that seat belts worked because it saved our lives. Airbags did not deploy.

Filed Jan 26, 2013 · Body, Suspension · 58,000 miles · VT

The c/member-f or subframe was cracked in three places and so rotten that while in the shop someone put their thumb through it. It was deemed unsafe to drive by our repairman. This is a 2007 rt, how many cars five years old does this happen to? The new part was $572.00 purchased at dealership, not including the labor from our repairman. We do have some pictures taken, but not viewed yet. The repairman has had the old sub-frame on display showing everyone that comes in, only because it is so unbelievable. I did read on http://www.aboutautomobile.com/forum/dodge/caliber/consumer+complaint/5641-5641 of someone else having similar problems. I contacted dodge and they said sorry not under warranty. On dodge on facebook they asked for phone number and VIN, but they have never contacted me. The air conditioning hose runs onto the sub-frame, the other person indicated this is the problem. I know my warranty was over, but I would say this is defective equipment; we had a 5 hour trip planned for the day after I brought it into the shop. I was coming home from work traveling around 45mph when it began to make cracking and thumping sounds. We had cancelled the trip due to the front end started to make a noise. Glad we did would have hated to have been zipping down the interstate when it broke. We could have been injured or killed or taken other cars with us, scary thought.