I have a brand new Dodge Caliber 2009. It has 4000 miles on it. Yesterday morning, I turned on my car and put my car in reverse. As I was moving backwards, my car was moving backward cricked, so I was turning the steering wheel to straighten it out. The steering wheel locked and would not turn or move. I pressed on the break. The break locked halfway. So, I decided to put my car back in its parking spot. So, I put my car in drive and pressed the gas. The gas petal was locked too. The most scary thing was the car moved in reverse rather than forward at this point. I pressed on the break again, and once again, the break was locked (and the driving wheel was still locked). I turned the car off and turned it back on and the car was fine at this point.
What could be the reasoning behind this situation with my car? Should I wait to see if this happens again with my car before taking it into the shop? Hope this email was not too confusing?
Yes, it is extremely confusing.
My best guess is that the engine actually stalled while you were in reverse gear. The clues are the “locked” steering wheel and the unresponsive brake pedal. Did you happen to notice if the tachometer was registering any engine speed during this episode?
If I am correct that the engine stalled, this indicates a real problem, as modern engines simply do not stall unless there is a defect. And, any defect in a 2009 car with only 4k miles on the odometer is covered by your various warranties, so a trip to the dealership is definitely in order.
However, if there are no stored trouble codes in the car’s OBD II system, the dealership may not be able to figure out what happened. This is the time to begin to educate yourself about the terms of the Lemon Law in your state, just in case this problem recurs and the dealership is unable to resolve it.
If you go to www.carlemon.com you can see a summary of the Lemon Law for your state.
There is also a strong possibility that I have totally misinterpreted your post.
As I suspect that English is not your native language, perhaps you could have this posted again by someone who is a native speaker of English.
VDCdriver’s theory that the engine stalled is the only answer that seems plausible.
If, however, the engine was still running when the steering and brake failed to work, you have serious problems, like broken engine and transmission mounts that let the drive train get WAY out of place. That seems a very remote possibility, but if it is the case, call a tow truck. Do not drive the car.
I agree and maybe some broken parts or missing bolts on the motor/transmission mounts is the problem. But one thing puzzles me which is the gas pedal “locking up”. Has Chrysler started selling cars that are totally “fly by wire”? I have trouble envisioning any sort of mechanical failure that would lock the steering wheel, brake, gas, and put the car in the wrong gear. Now, if there is a computer involved …
vtcodger–
Think about what happens after an engine stalls. No power assist for the steering, no response from the gas pedal (naturally), brake booster ineffective after one hard brake application, car possibly rolling backwards.
To someone who is not knowledgeable about automotive terminology, and–especially–someone who cannot clearly communicate in English, all of these very normal things that take place after an engine stall might be interpreted and communicated differently than you and I would view them.
Yes, it is possible that there is something amiss such as broken mounts, but since broken mounts are not usually known for fixing themselves, I tend to think that “I turned the car off and turned it back on and the car was fine at this point” really means something along the lines of “I restarted my stalled engine, and everything worked properly”–and this would certainly help to support a theory of engine stall rather than broken mounts.
If the OP can get someone with good English skills to post the problem again, then I will give it another go, but at this point, I interpret this as a case of a stalled engine and the obvious power problems that would take place as a result of that stall. Of course, a brand new car should not stall, just as it should not have broken motor mounts, or transmission mounts, or any other broken parts, but until we get a clear indication of what really happened, this is all just speculation on all of our parts.
Hey, I don’t see where you guys get the idea that the OP does not communicate in the English language well. He might not spell too well, example (cticked and break).
Also I can’t see how a broken mount would cause the problems he mentioned, except maybe showing one gear and being in another.