CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2007 Dodge Caliber has all kinds of suspension problems at relatively low mileage: typically 40-50,000 miles.
The most commonly reported problems are with ball joints & control arms going bad. Tie rods & leaking struts are also reported failing in the same mileage range.
Unfortunately all the suspension problems means some owners only find out after they notice their tires are ruined.
We've given the 2007 Caliber our worst rating because these problems happen at such low mileage, & it involves a wide range of apparently defective parts. With most other cars, major suspension work is pretty rare under 50,000 miles.
1.8
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
91,521 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact's daughter owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that upon his daughter taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic, she was informed that the engine cradle had began to rust underneath the subframe. Due to the failure, several holes were formed within the engine cradle. The contact then notified the manufacturer of the failure and was informed that the vehicle was never added to the manufacturer recall list for the failure. The manufacturer offered no further assistance. The dealer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While reversing out of the parking lot, the contact noticed an abnormal noise under the vehicle. The contact immediately took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe had a lot of corrosion and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer (terry henricks Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, 1935 S defiance St, archbold, oh 43502, (419) 445-2576) was contacted and stated that the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact mentioned that the ball joints were replaced five times by an independent mechanic at 30,000 miles. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 100,011.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While the vehicle was being repaired per an unspecified failure by an independent mechanic, the contact was informed that the undercarriage was rusted and could not be repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000. Consumer stated spoke with corporate about undercarriage ( about 4 months past extended warranty expiration) approved repair. Took it to the repair shop but the shop did not have any notes from corporate. On 12/18 driverside ball - joint rusted and snapped, had towed to dealership. Contacted corporate 4 times but no response. Consumer also has issues with both front door hinges rusted out, back doors are starting too, they're difficult to close at half way shut.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While driving 30 mph, an abnormal noise was heard underneath the vehicle coming from the rear driver's side wheel. In addition, the steering wheel vibrated. The contact drove the vehicle home. The contact was able to inspect the vehicle and noticed rust on the crossmember. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While driving 30 mph, a noise was heard under the rear and front of the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was rust on the subframe, which damaged the rack and pinion. The contact was informed that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 106,070.
- Milwaukee, WI, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While driving at 40 mph, there was an abnormal noise that came from the undercarriage. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the subframe and sway bar needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While driving approximately 20 mph, the contact heard an unusual noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front driver and passenger side undercarriage had excessive rust and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
My sub frame was crumbling the mechanic said ! I brought it in to the mechanics garage, for noise in front end mechanic says the sub frame is eaten away so unsafe to drive he wouldn't let me take the car, he couldn't believe it didn't fall apart while I was driving it..what ! I take care of my car I had no idea, this should not have happened this car is not old !
The sub-frame on my Caliber is rusted out. This is only 6 yrs old, and Dodge say there is no warranty.there will be fatalities if this is not corrected on these vehicles.
No accident the tech told me that the Caliber is notorious for having a horrible suspension system because the car is too heavy for the frame. Replaced lower control arm bars, struts should have been replaced at 36,000 miles, replaced inner and outer tie rod ends, twice within 1/1/2 year, struts still bad. The vehicle is a accident waiting to happen. Chrysler just keeps ignoring these issues. Said they are going to extended the warranty only on the crossmembers, however that part directly relates to the3 lower control arm bars and I already replace. www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/dodge_caliber.html.
I noticed a periodic clunking sound coming from underneath. Upon inspection by the dealer, the K-bar or K-frame, which is the part that holds the front suspension together, was found to have completely rusted through. It is completely rotten. Chrysler was contacted and will not help with thus $1400 repair. The vehicle has only 64000 miles on it. I have never had to replace this part in any vehicle I have ever owned. This is a serious safety issue.
I was told by meineke that my engine's subframe was so corroded that the car was unsafe to drive. The mechanic told me that it was very unusual for a car this young to have a corroded subframe. I learned from online research that corroded subframes are a frequent complaint with Dodge Calibers, possibly because of the placement of the air conditioning unit. There was no recall. I immediately replaced the subframe at a cost of approximately $1,000.
Upon hitting a small pothole, the subframe broke causing a loss of steering into oncoming traffic. Luckily there were no accidents. The tires now go two separate directions. After getting the vehicle towed to a repair shop, they discovered the subframe had rusted through due to the air compressor leaking directly onto the subframe. When having our insurance adjuster from state farm out to assess the damage it was determined it was manufacturer's defect and would not be covered. I then contacted Dodge who stated that the perforation for rusting was 100,000 miles. Although the incident on the vehicle we are still paying for through an authorized Dodge dealer happened on a vehicle that has exceeding the 100,000 miles by only 10,000 miles - we are now stuck with a car that's going to cost over $1,100 to fix due to a manufacturer's defect. This incident could've resulted in a fatality. Dodge needs to be held liable for this issue.
I was slowing down to stop at an intersection and heard a thump on the bottom of the car. As I started to pull forward the steering was very difficult and the I heard a whining sound from the right front tire. I was about a mile from my repair shop so I had my brother follow me with his emergency flashers and drove slowly to the shop where I found out that the subframe was completely rotted through. In the last year, I have had to replace upper and lower control arms and the alternator.
My cars tie rods are going out, already happened once on one side and now its going out on the other, because I can feel it, this is a huge problem bc I am scared to drive my car because I have a four year old lil boy, I need this problem fixed before it falls apart and either of us die then there will be a lawsuit because my car only has 57,565 miles on it and shouldn't already going out on me, the first time they went out Dodge did pay for it in full. But now it is going out on the other side so I am asking for help or for U to pay for it again since it is a defected part, thanks
The engine cradle will not pass pa safety inspection due to severe rust and holes in this portion of what could be also called the sub-frame. This is a very pre-mature failure and all Caliber owners should be aware. Who would ever think to look at a potential frame failure in a 5 year old car? I had owned this car 1 day short of 5 years since brand new when this issue was discovered.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chesterfield, MI, USA