10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 8
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
79,288 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.

2008 Dodge Nitro electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Dodge Nitro Owner Comments (Page 2 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #169

May 212019

Nitro

  • 108,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Started vehicle and drove a block with heater and wipers running. The heater shut off and on and the horn started blaring off and on. During this time the locks were going up and down too. Pulled over, turned ignition to the off position and removed the key. The engine still ran for a little bit, horn still blaring, and front/back wipers still ran without a key in the ignition. Eventually the engine shut down with everything except for the wipers. The wipers continued to run until we had the vehicle towed away a couple hours later. There was smoke coming from the fuse box and a terrible smell of a melting electrical system. This is a huge safety concern because I could have been on the highway traveling over 75 miles per hour in the rocky mountains when this all occurred. Thankfully this happened while exiting a business instead. Recall needs to happen before someone dies. Unfortunately the local shop couldn't take my vehicle in to inspect. Tried other shops in nearby towns plus a dealership and they were not able to take the vehicle either. So I eventually had the vehicle towed from Eagle, co to the denver metro. Cost me nearly $600 just for the tow to my house. I still need to have it towed to the local garage and accessed. Looks like it will cost plenty. The garage suggested fixing the problem was not worth the effort. The cost to remove, replace, service, adjust, reprogram, and install would exceed $5500 and that would not guarantee the vehicle to properly work. Blue book value for private sale is listed at $5804 when the vehicle was running properly. Ended donating vehicle to vehicles for veterans so they could part out the remaining items that were still good. Purchased new/used vehicle to replace the Nitro. I would like to recover at least the blue book value of $5804 if possible. This breakdown has caused financial hardship within our home.

- Westminster, CO, USA

problem #168

May 302019

Nitro

  • miles
When parked my vehicles head lights, dome lights and car unlocks randomly over and over. It causes my battery to die and the remote isn't even being touched.

- Spring Branch, TX, USA

problem #167

May 212019

Nitro

  • 108,000 miles
Started vehicle and drove a block with heater and wipers running. The heater shut off and on and the horn started blaring off and on. During this time the locks were going up and down too. Pulled over, turned ignition to the off position and removed the key. The engine still ran for a little bit, horn still blaring, and front/back wipers still ran without a key in the ignition. Eventually the engine shut down with everything except for the wipers. The wipers continued to run until we had the vehicle towed away a couple hours later. There was smoke coming from the fuse box and a terrible smell of a melting electrical system. This is a huge safety concern because I could have been on the highway traveling over 75 miles per hour in the rocky mountains when this all occurred. Thankfully this happened while exiting a business instead. Recall needs to happen before someone dies. Unfortunately the local shop couldn't take my vehicle in to inspect. Tried other shops in nearby towns plus a dealership and they were not able to take the vehicle either. So I eventually had the vehicle towed from Eagle, co to the denver metro. Cost me nearly $600 just for the tow to my house. I still need to have it towed to the local garage and accessed. Looks like it will cost plenty.

- Westminster, CO, USA

problem #166

May 152019

Nitro

  • 177,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Since I purchased the vehicle in 2010, it's had strange electrical issues. First, the door locks have been malfunctioning. After a couple of uses, they no longer respond to the remote, or door lock button. Nor will they automatically lock while the vehicle is in motion. That's very dangerous. The second issue is that the horn would randomly honk. The honking stopped for about a year. Tonight, the honking started at random and wouldn't stop. The key wasn't in the ignition and the car was parked. I had to remove the negative battery cable to avoid a visit from the police for disturbing the peace. The third issue is that the airbag light came on. Yet another strange issue. When starting the engine, there will be S long start as if the starter stays engaged for too long. Sometimes, the engine will start, not idle and just stop. The engine has started and barely had any power and would barely move.

- Concord, CA, USA

problem #165

Apr 182019

Nitro

  • 108,500 miles
As I was driving to work, the alarm began going off, the wiper blades both front and back turned on, the doors were locking & unlocking themselves as I was driving & my vehichle stalled in the middle of the morning rush hour. Thankfully, I was able to once again start it long enough to pull off to a safer area. I propped the hood open after doing some quick research on youtube as to what it could be causing the alarm wiper blades to turn on. I tapped the tipm (or fuse box) a bit just like in the video iooked up and sure enough the alarm shut off & my car started once again. I've looked at several forums online between Dodge Nitro users & they all seem to be having the same issue pointing to the tipm. In the forums the owners of these vehicles are stating there's thousands of Dodge/Chrysler vehichles with this same issue. Yet, there has been no recall. Not only does the tipm replacement cost approximately $1,000. But it is extremely dangerous to drive these vehicles that are stalling in the middle of traffic, during rush hour & with children in the car. Please take a look into this issue, don't ignore the thousands of people that are having this issue with Dodge/Chrysler vehicles & do a recall. Once, again I feel that it is very dangerous for a car to stall & behave in that manner while in motion. Not only for the driver but for other drivers around these cars with defective tipms.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #164

Apr 012019

Nitro

  • 120,000 miles
Vehicle lost power, brakes & steering, all warning lights lit up, wipers and pump running continually, horn blaring continually, and fan motor running even with keys out of ignition. This happened in rush hour traffic on the way to work and I barely got it off the road and out of traffic before coming a stop against a curb! replaced the tipm & battery within the last 4 months and it's only gotten worse!

- Loveland, CO, USA

problem #163

Mar 122019

Nitro 6-cyl

  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Nitro. The contact stated that the remote start key was not working, the vehicle alarm kept sounding, and the doors would not lock or unlock occasionally even with the key. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000.

- New Kensington, PA, USA

problem #162

Mar 042019

Nitro

  • 230,000 miles
Tpmi issue -while driving wipers and washer came on by themselves. Horn beeping and headlights went out. Looked on line and there were thousands having the same issue.

- Camillus, NY, USA

problem #161

Jan 022019

Nitro

  • miles
4 big things wrong: First, the fuel spills out onto the ground when filling it up at gas station because it does not click off. I am always in a hurry to leave the gas station so no sparks ignite the fuel on the ground and then blow up my truck. Second, there are electrical problems. None of the inner dome lights work and the passenger headlight has a short in the wiring. 3rd, the heater stopped blowing through the main vents and also it gets cold then hot then cold again. The temperature on heater wont stay warm. 4th:the transmission is slipping and wont run right. It will not move when gas is pushed then after a few seconds it will kick in and go. Then it slips between gear shifting. Its an automatic

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #160

Sep 242018

Nitro

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Nitro. Within months of purchasing the vehicle, it stalled several times without warning. An independent mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure, but stated that the totally integrated power module may need to be replaced. The contact planned to take the vehicle to milford Chrysler (500 us-209, milford, pa 18337, 1-(570) 296-2636) for further diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA action number: DP14004 (electrical system). The manufacturer issued two tsbs on the electrical system, but no recalls. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

- Milford, PA, USA

problem #159

Sep 012018

Nitro

  • 175,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving my 2008 Dodge Nitro and felt a jerk then air bag tried to deploy and vehicle lost power while driving down the road. It did this twice and air bag on drivers side is trying to deploy with light and dinging every time driven. The gas cap will not seal causing check engine light to stay on and there has been contant electric issues. Head lights and tail lights have to now be constantly replaced and air bag light is always coming on with dinging noise. I believe I'm having issues with the drive train and several other issues that are all recalls in this year of Dodge Nitro.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #158

Oct 302018

Nitro

  • 165,000 miles
The breaks on my 2008 Dodge Nitro keep locking up completely while I'm driving down the hwy. Which causes my truck to come to a abruptly forcefule stop. Especially when I'm traveling at speeds of 65 or more. I can get the brakes to release by unhooking my battery for about 10 minutes. Long enough for the system to reset. My brake pads are slightly worn. My ABS light is also on / on my dash.

- Southport, FL, USA

problem #157

Oct 142018

Nitro

  • 230,000 miles
Car had not been driven regularly due to it throwing codes preventing it from being safety inspected. Driven briefly around 12:00 noon on Thursday, October 11th, 2018 to see what codes it would throw. On Friday, October 12th, 2018 car was moved out of garage & parked in driveway where it sat until Sunday, October 14th, 2018 when it spontaneously combusted and local fire department had to be called to extinguish fire. Vehicle is a total loss.

- Luebbering, MO, USA

problem #156

Sep 032018

Nitro

  • 80,000 miles
While driving or car sitting it randomly starts honking horn, wipers going, wiper spray, lights flashing. Dangerous while driving on road due to lack of visibility. Suspect tipm (totally integrated power module) is the problem.

- Winton, CA, USA

problem #155

Jan 132017

Nitro

  • miles
Electrical for door panel went out. Can't roll windows up or down, and can't lock door from driver side. But the light is still on in the panel.

- Austell, GA, USA

problem #154

Sep 202017

Nitro

  • 72,000 miles
When I start my truck it do not start right away. I have to try at least 3 times. When I put my truck in reverse the car stalls an then I have to appl the gas hard an it jerks an doesn't move. I have to put the car in drive the try to reverse again. There's also a loud rubbing noise while in reverse. There's also a electrical problem the radio goes in an out. There is black padding around my car battery to keep the wires from touching. I complained to the dealer several times. The heat was not working. They took the truck and made the repairs. The only thing that was fixed was the heat. I am still dealing with the other issues. I have three children. Two of them have disabilities. Autism and adhd. This situation is very stressful. When I purchased this leased SUV I had all these problems an I still have them.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #153

May 112018

Nitro

  • 70,000 miles
We were driving straight through a parking lot on Friday, May 11 and suddenly the wipers in the front and back started going at an accelerated rate and the wiper fluid was continuously pumping out and the horn was continuously honking. I got into a parking spot, tried to turn the car off and it wouldn't. I was even able to turn the key in the ignition to the off but it was still running and I could pull the key out while it was running.. I was so startled I am not sure if the lights or any signals were going off. I did research on the web and apparently many, many people have had that and it is the tipm. It is not an isolated incident with these Nitros. I brought it to the dealer today and they said it would be okay but gave me their card in case it happens again. Honestly, I am afraid to drive this thing especially reading about the many incidents they have had. I reported this to Chrysler as well.

- Summerville, SC, USA

problem #152

Aug 022016

Nitro

  • 55,000 miles
It constantly honks horn, flashes lights and locks and unlocks unattended with or without keys in ignition.its so bad runs battery down. Noticed it's tried to stall while driving going around curves or turns. It's been diagnosed as the tipm and warranty won't cover it. I've disconnected the battery due to annoying others as well plus running battery down.this is getting to be a bigger problem.more and more issues.it's definitely a safety issue and needs to be fixed by Chrysler!

- Madisonville, KY, USA

problem #151

May 082018

Nitro

  • 0 miles
Doors unlock lights inside and out all lights come on when no one is touching the keys they keep doing it every couple of minutes and stay on for up to five minutes draining the battery. The vehicle is parked keys out and it still happens

- York, PA, USA

problem #150

Apr 232018

Nitro

  • 140,000 miles
There have been variant problems such as the power locks stop working or go on and off by themselves, even when no one is by the car (we can hear it). Now the car turns off while driving, even just goes black on the dash and the engine stops.

- Lake Geneva, IL, USA

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