I bought a brand new Dodge Caliber Heat 2011 back in May, so far the car has given nothing but problems.
In the first week of owning the car it stalled out in the coming to a stop so I was applying braking power and the car just stalled out, so I had to restart it and then it was running normal. Of course I called up the dealership to see why this had happened. But in the mean time the car stalled out and again it was under braking power.
Long story short, after another 2 stalls (two with low fuel, and two with almost full tank of gas) I brought it to the dealership, after 3 days of driving it around, they couldn’t reproduce the problem and they tried flashing the computer to the latest update to see if that fixed anything.
Thankfully the 4 stalls were not in the middle of traffic or a busy intersection
Well its been 6 weeks and it hasn’t stalled until yesterday. I was making a left turn at a busy intersection and I had to brake to slow down before turning, well it stalled out going right through the intersection, thank god that I had enough momentum to make it to a gas station parking lot to restart the car. So this being the 5th time it stalled out, its going back to the dealership today yet again to see if they can fix it. This is a real safety concern as I could have easily been in an accident because of this.
I have done some research and have seen that people had problems with the 2007 Caliber stalling out.
My question is, has any one else seen this kind of issue with the 2010/2011 Caliber? Also what are my rights under the lemon law in this case? And any other info would be much appreciated!
Also on a side note, I also was having problems with the AC or blower not coming on. This happened twice until they replaced the module that controlled the AC unit turning on and off and haven’t had an issue with that since (knock on wood).
One thing you must do under Lemon Laws is be able to document that you were having the same problem repeatedly. This means that you need a copy of the paperwork for each visit in on this problem. It’s quite possible you have recourse under the Lemon Law for this problem but you also have to take into consideration the state you live in as it varies.
I would not put too much into a complaint of stalling on an '07 model car unless these complaints were when the vehicle was new or close to new.
My oldest son has an '07 AWD Caliber with about 75k miles and it’s been bullet-proof so far, although personally I can’t stand the vehicle. Just personal tastes.
We bought a 2011 Dodge Caliber in March. It has stalled on my wife at least 5 times. It has been so sporatic we have not taken it in yet. The car only has 110 miles on it. Speed or braking doesn’t seem to be an issue, it has happened at a stand still and in 50 MPH traffic.
Whenever I see a vehicle complaint where the engine just shuts off while braking or slowing down, I recommend checking the Valve Clearances first.
A while back, we had a few complaints about brand new Subaru Outbacks and Legacy’s that were having this same trouble, and it turned out that the valves were not properly adjust from the factory. Once they were adjusted, the problem was resolved.
I also see this same behavior in motorcycle engines on a frequent basis.
I have a 2009 Caliber and I have the same problem. I bought it used at about 40K and it’s been happening to me ever since. I have come to realize that if I’m not running the heat/ac the car doesn’t stall. As such, I haven’t run either for a couple of months and it hasn’t stalled at all. Typically it would cut off while idling at a stop sign or upon takeoff from a stand still. Like I said, no Ac/heat = no stalling. I think it’s the compressor, but I’m not a mechanic…
My 2007 caliber has developed this problem. The car dies while idling but it does this intermittently. It will idle rough intermittently more frequently and occasionally dies. After 6 months the check engine light came on. It’s been to the dealer 3 times. The code said misfire in cylinder 2. The dealer has cleaned the injectors and replaced the spark plugs. Still with problems. Then they changed the CPM module. Still no fix. Most recently they replaced the #2 injector. Still no fix. I’m getting frustrated. The car has 75,000 miles on it and ran well before this problem developed.
Have you had this '07 Caliber since new? Do you know if it has ever been in an accident (even minor) in the Driver’s side front of the vehicle? Also has the battery been kept clean and free of corrosion?
The main wire harness for these vehicles runs from under the battery at the front of the car, behind the driver’s side front fender into the passenger compartment. Many intermittent issues such as the one you are having turn out to be damaged insulation on one or several of the wires in the harness up under the battery or behind the fender. The damage often occurs in a “fender bender” or as a result of corrosive by products from a poorly maintained battery.
If you are handy at all you should be able to pull the battery and the battery tray and check out the condition of the harness.
BTW - Pulling up a year and a half old thread and adding a question is not the best idea on a message board if you want a response.
Posting a follow up wondering why you didn’t get a response after 5 minutes turns off most posters and usually results in the “crickets” you’ve been hearing all day.
