10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 8
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
78,458 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 3 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #151

May 082018

Nitro

  • 0 miles

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

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

problem #149

Mar 022018

Nitro

  • 110,000 miles
...so, I left my house, got about a block down the street and all of a sudden my horn starts blaring, windshield wipers started moving, the windshield wiper fluid sprayed, all of my interior and warning lights starting blinking in and out and my Nitro started sputtering. At this point I had lost power steering and power brakes but I managed to pull it over to the curb and the car dies. I'm sitting there thinking to myself, "what in the hell?!" I was already startled from the horn randomly blaring, so I'm in the middle of swallowing my heart when heavy, thick smoke starts coming from under the hood....and it stinks like smoldering wiring. I snatched my keys, popped the hood (which probably wasn't too bright in hindsight) and ripped the wiring off of the battery terminals. It was hot under that hood and I'm glad I had the wherewithal to disconnect the battery. I realized then that the car was never going to start again, nor would I want to. I had a friend tow it to his shop and he had a look. The tipm, wiring harness/wiring and surrounding plastic was all destroyed. He said the wires got so hot that it would all have to be re-run throughout the vehicle, a $3500 to 4000 estimate. Forget that noise. My biggest concern is that the car was moving when all of this happened and had I not been in a quiet neighborhood this could have been much, much worse, especially considering the power steering and power brakes failed.

- Roeland Park, KS, USA

problem #148

Mar 152018

Nitro

  • 96,000 miles

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

My Nitro will not lock or unlock using the key or switches. Driver side is the I my side that will unlock.

- Bonne Terre, MO, USA

problem #147

Mar 102018

Nitro

  • 205,000 miles
Tipm failed causing all power to be lost while driving. There was a recall for the 2007 Nitro and the 2009 Nitro for the tipm and an investigation for the 2008 but no recall. This power module needs to be recalled. There are hundreds of complaints of this happening. How does one know if my 2008 Nitro doesn't have the 2007 power module that was recalled installed

- Vacaville, CA, USA

problem #146

Jan 212018

Nitro

  • 106,000 miles
Driving the vehicle suddenly stop moving, the hazard lights, wipers, windshield washer washer, horn constantly blowing, engine running but not moving, just stopped moving in city traffic, extremely hazardous and life threatening situation. I noticed on social media this appears to be a very common problem with 2008 Dodge nitroes, why have there not been a recall on such a common problem with these vehicles. This website have a number of other drivers testimonies of this extremely hazardous life threatening problem. What can be done to correct this problem immediately. The nthsa really needs to investigate this problem, someone will loss their life, especially on an interstate hwy, which I was just about ready to enter, cars traveling at 60 plus mph.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #145

Jan 012018

Nitro

  • 90,000 miles

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

The headlights randomly turn on and off even when the car is not running. This is draining the battery frequently. Replacing the battery has not helped with this issue. The turn signals will randomly begin blinking while I'm driving. The horn has begun sporadically beeping while driving and also when the car is off and parked in my driveway. The heat has completely stopped working - it only blows ice cold air which is the last thing I need when it is below zero here in the mornings when I am leaving for work. There is clearly an electrical problem which seems to escalate over time - and it seems other years of this vehicle have been recalled for these same problems. I am not understanding why the 2008 has not been recalled. I am terrified of what this problem will escalate to - I have a young child that I must Transport daily to daycare.

- Lititz, PA, USA

problem #144

Dec 072017

Nitro

  • 114,000 miles
My A/C and heat randomly stopped working out of no where. No matter how long I wait or how high I turn it, the air never comes on. It's winter time and it's dangerous to be without heat in a car. I know several people who have the same problem and mechanics never seem to know how to fix the problem. So it just keeps happening. It doesn't work when it's stationary or motion.

- Edmond, OK, USA

problem #143

Nov 022017

Nitro

  • 140,000 miles
While driving horn, wipers, windshield wipers turn on and remain on even when I turn off car. Disconnecting battery is only way to get it to stop.

- Ruston, LA, USA

problem #142

Sep 112017

Nitro

  • 100,000 miles
My son was driving and all of a sudden the horn started blowing, the wipers were wiping and the hazard lights were all going. He pulled over, turned off the car an it still didn't stop. It eventually did stop on its own after a few minutes. He took it to the dealer the next. They told him no error codes came up, charged him $95 and sent him on his way. A quick look on the internet and I see this is a common problem and they just blew it off. We will take it to our local service station tomorrow (after driving 6 hours round trip today to get it from him at school). The car only needs to last less than a year. He will buy a new car once he graduates. We really don't want to pour a ton of money into it now. He was driving on a 4 lane state highway when it happened. From what I have seen on the internet, this can cause the engine to stall as well. We are fortunate that didn't happen to him, but we are worried that it might in the future.

- Monroe, NY, USA

problem #141

Jun 102017

Nitro

  • 126,000 miles

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

Two times our vehicle has lost all power while driving down city streets. We had no brakes or power streering.... thank goodness we weren't in heavy traffic and were able to get off the street without having an accident. The horn started honking and the wipers started going with the washer fluid pouring out. My husband opened the hood and banged on the tipm and was able to get it to stop. We were then able to restart the engine and drive to our home. We had the vehicle checked and was told it is the tipm and that it will be at least $1200 to replace. We are afraid to drive it anywhere for fear that it will happen again in the middle of traffic causing an accident. There are reports of people who have had their tipm replaced in their Nitros and the same thing happened again after replacement. We are undecided at this point what we're going to do but we will think twice about purchasing another Dodge/Chrysler product.

- Duenweg, MO, USA

problem #140

May 142017

Nitro

  • 89,000 miles
The vehicle randomly turns on headlights, wipers, sprays wiper fluid, horn blows, lock/unlocks itself, windows and power lock button will not function during these episodes. This has happened with no one near the vehicle, upon opening the doors, and driving down the road. This has been occurring for a couple months very rarely. It's not done it daily for the last week. Now it has added not starting to the list of issues. You can unplug fuses and put them back and sometimes will start. Occasionally battery cable has to be pulled off and put back to finally get it to start.

- Monticello, KY, USA

problem #139

Oct 132016

Nitro

  • 210,000 miles
Driving on a long stretch of dark highway, lights started flickering on and off, finally lights went totally out leaving me in the dark not able to see forward I then crashed into the side of the off road scary, next day took to shop they said it was the tipm, goes out every 4 to 6 months going on my 3rd one lights are out, lighter, and window

- Pittsburg, CA, USA

problem #138

Apr 202017

Nitro 6-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Nitro. While the vehicle was parked or being driven the power door locks failed to lock or open the doors without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the totally integrated power module failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000. Updated 06/23/17

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #137

Apr 282017

Nitro

  • 161,000 miles
The horn on the car will go off by itself, window shield wiper fluid will go off by itself. Doors lock automatically.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #136

Jul 112015

Nitro

  • miles
The computer makes the the truck stall, wipers, horn, locks and washer fluid goes haywire and it does this while drive and parked.park brake dont lock brakes secure.airbag sensers stays on.its been happening since July 2015 took to Dodge dealer in lake charles la.had computer replace but happening all over again.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #135

Feb 242017

Nitro

  • 68,000 miles
Takata recall...once again nothing is still being done and my problems got worse it's already been diagnosed as the tipm and not only did it start out as horn blowing and doors locking and unlocking by its self and trying to stall while driving now lights are flashing while unoccupied and have flashed off going down the road..and as I went to go to work due to lights continuously flashing it ran my battery completely down left me stranded. This is a major issue.ive spoken with my warranty company they said it's not covered I've also called Chrysler and they refuse to do anything about.let me add heat and air and heated seats go hay wire as well.but I guess it's time to get a lawyer..I'm not paying big money for something that's gonna cause me harm.

- Madisonville, KY, USA

problem #134

Jul 072016

Nitro

  • miles
Horn blows will unoccupied.doors lock and unlock by itself in or out if vehicle, vehicle has stalled several times, break light on and breaks failed, heated seat either burn you or won't work, A/C comes on by itself, gas is disappearing really quick, oil light comes on, starter sticking, took to dealership and was diagnosed with tipm failing.S several times its tried to stall on me traveling on highway and Friday ran upon a slow vehicle in a curve and break light came one as I applied breaks and had little to no breaks.I almost hit the other vehicle due to this.this obviously is a safety issue and needs to be handled.and its even affect the remote start as well.it won't run 30seconds and it shuts off.can't lock doors knowing they'll stay locked either.but most importantly above all is the stalling out its all tried to do and massive amount of fuel its dumping into engine getting into my oil ruining my vehicle and the electrical issue is gonna cause something catastrophic and needs to be recalled asap.

- Madisonville, KY, USA

problem #133

Nov 032016

Nitro

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Nitro. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle lost power. The contact stated that the tire pressure warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the alternator and battery were defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the alternator was previously replaced three times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 07V291000 (electrical system); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #132

Oct 192016

Nitro 4WD 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
While driving the wipers and fluid will start going off both wipers front and back and the horn will start blaring, have to pull over and pop open the hood and bang on the fuse box, everything will stop and I am able to start the truck up and go on. Now the headlights stop working, I turn on the headlights and they come on for a split second and then off, only the running lights will stay on. I have opened the drivers door and the horn will honk and the wipers will move up briefly. Other times nothing happens for days.

- West Plains, MO, USA

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