Problems with 2007 Dodge Caliber STEERING

Had creaking noises from front end, as i was inspecting noticed the front crossmember severely rusted with holes. did a google search and found numerous complaints. also found a campaign from dodge stating there was an extended warranty on both the rear and front subframes/cross members. i had already replaced the rear. i contacted dodge and was told there are no longer any campaigns or recalls that are active for my caliber. i stated that the front sub frame has rusted beyond its life and my vehicle has less than 145k miles. i also asked if they would provide assistance in its repair as it is a major safety hazard. they replied with, since all warranties are expired and no recalls are in effect, they would not help or provide any assistance with any repairs.

Front and rear cross members as per x58 and revision x59 rusted notice sent july 14th 2014 to have inspected for rust dealership inspected and found no rust reinspected august 23 2018 rust found dealership stated out of extended warranty x58 no goodwill assistance available cause of extended warranty expiration.

I bought a 2007 dodge caliber from a young man come to find out he only paid $325 off of a car lot he has a dealers license and he was the only owner before me and did not tell me about the struts, there was a recall on them also has bad sensors ( gas, engine coolant and pcm internal sensors) sold the car knowingly and did not get the recalls done when needed i need something done i have five children and one grandchild who are at risk me driving and having a wreck. i do not have a document about my struts but i have had it looked at by several mechanics

I was changing the oil of my wife 2007 dodge caliber when i looked over and saw that the lower control arm was completely almost completely cracked through the middle portion of it. a day prior my wife mentioned that the car was driving a little weird. this could have been extremely dangerous for my wife and other motorist if it failed on the public roads.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 dodge caliber. while operating the vehicle, the front suspension and steering wheel suddenly shook and vibrated. in addition, the steering column made a popping noise. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front section of the subframe experienced severe rust and corrosion. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and did not assist. the failure mileage was 98,000.

Tl* 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.

Sub frame rust on 42,000 mile car, will not pass pa state inspection. steering rack not securely attached to sub frame. car steers erratically

I have replaced both front struts both sway bar links passengers side front lower control arm and bushings (ball joints) still here something hitting and while driving the car goes where it wants in steering goes into other lanes to oncoming vehicles have to pull back onto my lane like it looses steering

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 dodge caliber. while driving in a parking lot, the front driver's side wheel detached from the vehicle. as a result, the vehicle crashed into a light pole. the air bags deployed. there were no injuries sustained. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer (canandaigua chrysler dodge jeep, 2591 rochester rd, canandaigua, ny 14424) where it was diagnosed that the control arm failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired due to the crash; therefore, the contact would be responsible for the repair cost. the failure mileage was 130,000. *see voq 11090513*

My car horn, lights, power windows will not work and the car will not start the car stopped without warning and my lights when off. now the car does not turn on at all after getting a tow truck to my mechanic he stated that my power train module needed to be re program but he could not do it so i had to get another tow truck to take the car to the dealer which told me i have to replace my tipm @ $1700. plus tax. too expensive this s/b cover by dodge this was scary for my car to stopped while i was driving i could have kill myself and someone else i already paid over $200. in tow trucks

Took car in for inspection and was told by mechanic that the frame was shot, totally rusted out and could break anytime.

I was driving my vehicle on our county road, and lost control because the car quickly and sharply veered off to the right towards the ditch. the cause is the sub frame assembly was badly corroded and the control arm assembly broke free from of the frame. we had the vehicle inspected on a recall two years ago to be checked for a corroded crossmember. we were not informed of any problem down then with the sub frame. it was very frightening, and had i been going faster i don't know if i'd be here today. it's in the repair shop now. this occurred today, august 22, 2017.

The front end makes all kinds of noises. locks dont work cant open trunk.head lights work when they want to.

Thought i had a loose belt called dealership where i bought car told to dodge dealership i did that $90.00 service fee said i needed new alternator $1,086.00, i could not afford that took it to america's they said for $615.00 replace then they called and said need all new tie rods well that would bring it to $1077.00. i could only get a loan for $1,000.00 so the tie rods i cannot get. after the dodge dealership had my car when they gave it back to me that car was running so bad and shaking which it never did. i bought the car i had 70,000 that was 3 1/2 years ago now i only $75,000 miles on car. my car always ran smooth on highways and city streets . there was just a noise on my car. the car ran great. people could hear the noise also as i am deaf so i could barely hear noise with my hearing aid on. i had the car inspected just a few months ago and passed inspection they drove the car.

Tl* 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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 dodge caliber. the contact stated that while driving at 15 mph, the power steering failed almost causing a crash. the contact stated that the engine cradle was severely rusted, as well as the driver's side ball joint. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 65,000.

Where do i start! from day one we have had issues with this car. cruse control didn't work, brought back to dealer the first week to be fixed. one month later, front speaker went out, another trip to the dealer speaker was replaced. at 34,611 miles, car was stuck in park, would not shift at all. towed to dealer, replaced stop lamp. at 35,031 miles, front end making loud knocking noise, you guessed it, another trip to dodge, lower control arms replaced. skipping to january of 2017, car now has 124,000 miles loud crunching sound coming from front driver side. thought oh, another ball joint needs replacing, which has been replaced in january of 2016, along with more control arms, sway bar link, and struts, about $1200.00 in all. took this pile of crap to local merlin's shop, showed me the rotted cross member with large holes in it, completely rotted through, back cross member was in bad shape as well. absolutely disgusted with this car, traded it in for a 2011 chevy and got $ 500.00 which was pretty generous. how could dodge not recall this issue, my wife would drive this 5 days a week 40 miles a day on the highway, lucky she could of been injured or worse, she always said the front end was not right, this has been rusting out for years. i guess safety is not a priority with their customers, they never sent any warning out to have this checked out. i will never ever buy another chrysler/dodge or jeep product.

At less than 10 miles per hour the rear suspension failed while turning on to a public highway. the drivers side wheel on the back is ready to fall off it is laying against the coil spring. the car is no longer drivable. this is all within close proximity to the fuel tank also and in my opinion could be a puncture risk also. the car has 106779 miles on it ,one owner with no collision repairs ever performed and no undercarriage damage ever. chrysler is performing repairs on select vehicles with the same problem but refuse to repair this one. had this failure occurred at highway speed it is possible the results could have been catastrophic. this vehicle is less than 9 years old and has seen very little winter weather and has never been in a salt air environment. i see no difference in this problem and the one associated with toyotas truck frames of several years ago. please help before someone dies from this problem.

2007 caliber. 30,068 miles on car and lower control arms are bad and need to be replaced. noise in front end.mechanic said borderline failure

Driving 15-20 mph in residential subdivision car veered radically to the right independent of steering striking parked vehicle. right front tire turned right beyond maximum and is pinned against wheel well. left front tire straight and aligned properly with steering wheel. right tie rod bent 180 degrees with threaded portion bent parallel to it's self. obvious catastrophic failure of steering/suspension on right front side of vehicle that had the failure occurred at highway speeds death of serious injury would likely have resulted. the vehicle is a one owner dodge caliper with 33,827 miles, serviced regularly at fair oaks dodge, chantilly va

Unable to steer after swerving to avoid a collision while in an interstate highway.

Husband was driving our 2007 dodge caliber making a u-turn and noticed a jerk in the steering. proceeded to drive to our complex as it was only two miles away. made a second u-turn and same thing happened. once in our complex and proceeded to go over the first speed bump. the car stopped with the front driver side dropped. he exited the car to see what happened and noticed the subframe had snappened in half and was rusted beyond extreme.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 dodge caliber. while driving 55 mph, the horn independently activated and the steering wheel seized. all the warning lights on the instrument cluster illuminated and the gauges and meters provided inaccurate readings. the vehicle stalled as it veered into a ditch. in addition, the contact noticed smoke underneath the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 129,023.

Sub frame was so rusted it affected the steering, motor mount collapsed into the sub frame, lower control arm was almost separated from the frame. i was traveling at about 65 mph on the n.y. thruway when i started having problems with the steering . when i arrived home i investigated and found the car was so unsafe i couldn't drive it again until sub frame was replaced. i saved the frame that was removed from the vehicle if needed.

The front cross member is rusted through so bad you can put your hand in side we bought the car last year. now as we take it to the mechanics to get allignment he gave us the bad news about this. what i don't understand is why this most important part is rusted so bad while the parts around it isn't. i've got to come up with 1250 dollars for parts and labor. why no recall on this there is no warning of this part fails and while we're driving and it breaks well. crash and die . so dodge this is what you do to your customers. i'm so what i can to get the word out.

Brakes on this vehicle are no good, very hard to stop. ball joints no good steering on this vehicle is not safe either i have noticed all the recalls and complaints.

My wife was driving my car heard a squealing noise and could not control the car. the steering seemed very lose. she was by a garage and stopped and left the car there. today they looked at the car and send the undercarriage was shot and could not be fixed.. can chrysler be notified of this and should we get a second opinion? its a good thing this happened on a back road with no traffic or my wife could have been seriously injured.

Front of vehicle started to shake and drivers side front made creaking noise. took vehicle to dealer and they stated front struts and components were bad as well as drivers side ball joint. vehicle was repaired however there is vibration in the steering and the vehicle pulls hard right. also front end makes a lot of noise. dealer performed front wheel alignment and balanced tires but problem is still there and mechanics can't find the issue. vehicle is unsafe to drive and am very afraid to drive it especially since i'm disabled with young children. there are numerous complaints about the suspension issues with these cars and the problems need to be fixed before someone gets seriously injured or killed. can't understand why nothing is being done after all of these complaints have been made by so many. this is why people don't buy american cars anymore. foreign manufacturers will actually recall vehicles and stand behind their products.

Driving normally on a town road and i heard a thud. steering wheel jerked and came back to center. car swerved into the oncoming traffic lane. drove home at a steady crawl with front end shaking and feeling real loose. checked my front end and could see my spring binding over the strut and strut mounts were squeaking and making noise while turning the steering wheel. strut rods were stuck and would not compress. ordered new struts and mounts. will be replacing as soon as they come in. glad this didn't happen on the highway and there were no cars coming in the oncoming lane or there would have been a serious crash. *tr

My partner and i were at firestone to have a oil change for our car done. one of the repair guys came out to tell us our tie rods on our car were lose and would need to be replaced soon. our car has only a little over 61,000 miles on it. tie rods on a car are usually replaced at 120,000 to 170,000 miles. we bought this car used at a toyota dealership with only one previous owner. the carfax were provided and the previous owner babied the car. there were no previous car wrecks and we have had no car wrecks either. we are at a disbelief, as this serious of an issue on a car should not have to be replaced until it is expected. we take very good care of our car. we change the oil before it is due and regularly schedule check ups to make sure there are no major issues. now we are taking our car in this weekend to get the tie rods done and to see if also control arms and ball joints need to be replaced. for tie rods to go out while driving is a serious issue. we could lose control of the car and hurt ourselves or someone else. this is a serious safety issue and dodge has a responsibility to replace malfunctioning parts of the cars this is happening to. a tie rod should not go out on a car at 61,000 miles when the car is taken care of. i do not understand why a recall has not been in place and why dodge has not come forward to be accountable for the issues. the tie rods will be costing us $400 dollars alone to replace and if ball joints and control arms need to be replaced well over $1,000 dollars for parts that are wearing out prematurely. if our mechanic had not caught the faulty parts my new wife and i might be lying in a hospital somewhere hurt or worse. as responsible owners we are having the parts replaced as soon as possible. if dodge would have taken responsibility to have the parts replaced we wouldn't have to worry about our safety and others safety. *tr

I bought this car used with a 90 day full warranty and 2 year power train. in the first 90 days i took the car back to toyota used lot who in turn took it to dodge to investigate the loose steering and also the stalling issues. dodge repeatedly said nothing is wrong. to date, a year later, they wont fix the fuel pump which i have learned is a known issue on this model/year and causes stalling. i have stalled on the freeway and have children.... its very upsetting.

I have a 2007 dodge caliber and the sub frame is so rusted through that it cracked while my son was driving it. thankfully he was coming home and it happened couple minutes from home. i cannot believe a car, that is only 7 years old, can rust so severely in such a short period of time. i cannot believe dodge has not issued a recall on this. what are they waiting for? are they waiting for enough people to get into accidents and possibly kill somebody, before the recall this manufacture defect? they must have some really good bean counters. when i started looking on the internet, i was shocked to see so many complaints from people with the exact same problem as i am having, and their cars were younger then mine. i was shocked to find out that there have not been any recalls issued for this. *tr

Have had sporadic electrical issues for the last few years, chalked it up to normal wear & tear. after looking at other testimonies online, beginning to realize the issues i've had are similar to those of other caliber owners. just replaced the alternator in june 2014 and now car is shutting off while driving down the road. check engine light has been on for 3 weeks and will randomly not be on for a series of drives only to come back on again. dashboard lights do not come on all the time, i'd say more often than not night driving is done with no dashboard lights. i change headlights & taillights frequently. about to head to autozone now to have it hooked up to diagnostic machine to see if any codes come up for check engine light. chrysler needs to do a recall asap or there will be several peoples lives at risk, including my entire family seeing as how this is our main vehicle. *tr

The car would not start (lights worked, but engine would not turn over). after replacing the throttle cable and box, as well as some broken wiring, the car still would not start. the mechanic then towed the vehicle to a dodge dealership, where the computer was reset. the car ran for another week after it was first "fixed," and then again did not start (same problem as before). additionally, the light to indicate that the air bags were not functioning turned on prior to the vehicle not starting. this is more frustrating because we have had extensive issues with this car (replaced all tie rods, bushings, control arms, have a broken door from the hinge breaking, and had multiple tires wearing unevenly due to the car's suspension problems) already, and have sunk well over $6000 in repairs this year alone. *tr

Drove home from work parked my car next morning it wouldn't start. had battery power and cranked when i turned the key but would not kick over to start. towed to mechanic. he said there wasn't anything wrong with it, he cleaned the spark plugs, weather warmed up and car worked again. this happened twice, he stated i needed to take it to dodge dealership to have the computer reprogrammed (that this was a common problem for my car type) two days later, driving to work all the lights went on and the steering froze, not able to turn left or right. i was able to exit and park car without incident now having it towed to dealership. *tr

March 12, 2014 my mileage was 56700 miles i had to have my lower ball joints replaced because they had both failed. the last issue i had with steering & suspension was in march 2012. my mileage at the time of the diagnosis by the dodge dealership was 34,898 and i needed to have the passenger side tie rod replaced. there have been numerous reports to the nhtsa/ federal government regarding both the tie rods and ball joints of the 2007 dodge caliber. i have done research and have found that the tie rods and ball joints are known to dodge to be common failing parts on the 2007 dodge caliber. when i replaced the tie rod on 2012 i did notify dodge directly, my vehicle warranty had expired at that time and dodge closed my case and i was brushed off. dodge stopped replying to my emails and would not return my voicemails. i have found no fatalities in my research so far, but it is only a matter of time with this vehicle design. how many reports are required before an investigation is launched. thank you for your time and attention in this matter. *tr

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. *tr

My 2007 dodge caliber was taken to my mechanic where it was found that the main subframe had rusted through in multiple places. the car is only 6 years old and has approximately 76,150 miles. i called chrysler and mentioned it. customer service stated that they would only provide cost assistance if i had the work done at a chrysler dealership. the car was taken apart and on the lift at my preferred mechanic. i had my mechanic provide the service. i did receive a quote from a local chrysler dealership it would have cost me $ 850.00. my mechanic did the service for $ 650.00. chrysler has refused payment. this subframe components is rusted through in three locations. after only 6 years, this doesn't seem acceptable on a major front end component. *tr

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. *tr

Started to hear squeaking and clanging noises in the front passenger side of my car. it would make the noises with every bump and especially could hear it going down hills. then the steering wheel would wobble and it felt like i was driving on a flat tire, but tire pressure was fine. when it started to be all over the road, like i was constantly hydro-planning, i researched on line and found that this particular year and model of car has major problems with the control arms, ball bearings and tie rods. i made an appointment with my mechanic and told him i thought it was the passenger side control arm. he checked it out and it was both control arms with connected ball bearing, both tie rods and both sway bar end links needing replaced. he also discovered that the tires that had been put on not even 9 months ago where showing threads. cost of repair not including the new tires and alignment was $887. will be up over $1000.00 after tires are replaced and alignment is complete. i was afraid to drive on wet pavement, had very little control of the car. was always correcting the steering while driving, it just pulled and when i hit a bump it would jerk to the side where the bump was. *tr

Car is hard to start cranks very slow and there is a tapping sound like a bad lifter upon starting but goes away when the car warms up. the wheel bearings had to be replaced. alignment was way off and tires had to be replaced. brakes have to be replaced. there is a hollow noise from the rear of the vehicle. after jacking the car up to check that sound out the rear passenger wheel would not come off the ground. after replacing the front wheel bearings and new tires the car now shakes and vibrates in the front end. the car has been at the repair center for 10 days on and off. this last time it has been there for 6 days and counting. these vehicles are unsafe for the road and should be recalled and taken off the road permanently. there are way too many problems with these vehicles and the manufacturer will not do anything about it. nhtsa needs to step up and hold the manufacturer accountable before someone gets seriously injured or killed. do not wait until there is a fatality! action needs to be taken now! *tr

The first signs of a problem were a clicking sound when turning the steering wheel. it did not happen every time, and i did nothing about it until december, when a portion of a strap with electrical wire embedded began to protrude from the upper steering column. it soon began to be a nuisance as the portion grew longer and would catch on the steering position adjustment knob. i grew alarmed when the airbag light came on, and took it to the dealership. they said it was a broken clockspring, and they had to order the part. it cost me over $300 to get this repaired, and now i see toyota is doing a recall for this exact same thing, a spiral cable assembly that becomes damaged from turning the steering wheel. it is a poor design. toyota is replacing this with a better part, but i do not think dodge did that, and i had to pay to get this replaced. i am concerned it could happen again, and believe there should be a recall by dodge also. *js

Vehicle taken in for tire rotation.located excessive wear in lower ball joints,tierod ends and control arm bushings.many entries on internet of others with same vintage calibers finding same prob with premature wear. failure of any of the above components. *tr

My 2007 dodge caliber, which only has 56,000 miles driven, had to have its left front tie rod end replaced at 25,000, and now the lower control arms, right tie rod end and left strut need to be replaced. after some research, i found that many 2007 dodge caliber owners are experiencing the same problems. i think that the suspension on these vehicles, specifically the lower control arms, which contain the ball joints, are defective and need to be recalled, before someone gets killed, when their tires fall off the car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 dodge caliber. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for routine maintenance when the technician detected that the front brake rotors exhibited severe rust and corrosion. the shims, front brakes and rotors were replaced. in addition, the inner tie rods loosened from the steering rack and the front control arm bushing separated. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the failure mileage was 23,167. updated 06/05/12*lj the consumer stated that chrysler has since repaired the vehicle. updated 06/06/12 *js

Reversed out of parking spot put car in drive and nothing happened. turns out my tie rod and ball joints on passenger side basically fell apart. garage said other side is just about ready to go too. thankfully i was only pulling out of a parking spot...5 minutes later and i could have been wrapped around a telephone pole. been looking online to find many people also have had this problem. this should really be looked into further! *tr

My sisters 2007 dodge caliber only has only 32236 miles on it and the ball joints need replaced already, it cost 800 dollars to replace them, i looked on line and everybody that has a 2007 caliber is having the same problem there should be a recall on the ball joints, just look on line and u will see how many people are having trouble with the ball joints, how many complaints does it take to have a recall done, thank you for your time, please just e mail me back thank you. *tr

These cars are dangerous for people to be driving on the highlway. dodge knows the control arms are defective and they should be made to do a recall on these cars. luckily, i have not had a wreck in this. vehicle. if the control arms break while driving,it will be very bad. there are so many complaints on-line about these cars, i am shocked nobody has made dodge do something about this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 dodge caliber. the contact stated that while having routine maintenance performed on the vehicle, she was advised that the tie rod, bolts and joints were fractured. the mechanic stated that the failure occurred as a result of not having enough lubrication on the components. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 78,000.

Front lower ball joints are completely shot. found this out when i got tires fixes- car only has 52,000 miles- i am a very good driver making sure that i watch out for all road conditions. *tr