Problems with 2008 Dodge Nitro POWER TRAIN

While driving the exiter ring broke causing abs/traction control/esp lights to illuminate. opening the door the spring detached, door now freely swings open. heater core needs to be replaced due to poor craftsmanship. the car no longer heats up. the rear window wiper no longer works properly. the doors in the rear of the car no longer lock or unlock when using the electric lock control. the heat shield from under the car broke off the vehicle.

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.

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

Premature rust through of oil pan and trans. pan. due to defective materials. will leak and cause a possible fire and or loss of control of the vehicle.

The heat shield protecting the tunnel on my 4x4 dodge nitro broke loose and began rubbing on the drive shaft. the heat shailed failed and corroded at all fastening points. the heat shield and drive shaft were both damaged. the service bulleting about the heat shield and drive shaft from the 4x2 model of the 2008 dodge nitro should also apply to this model year.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge nitro. while driving 15 mph, the air bags deployed without warning or impact. upon stopping the vehicle and looking underneath, the drive shaft was detached and on the ground. the dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. there were no injuries. the failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Driving down road when all of a sudden heard herendous squealing noise so loud couldn't stay inside vehicle while moving. upon examination i discovered a heat shield had fallen against and wrapped itself around the drive shaft. i now know the aluminum piece to be the heat shield from the transfer case. this shield is one involved for recalls of same year make and model two wheel drive. my dodge nitro 2008 is a 4x4 model not included in said recall. my question to the government as well as chrysler is one of why not??? fix my vehicle safety hazard too...

This situation has happened quite a few time and has escalated over the time period. the first time i walked out to my car. i pressed the key to unlock it and the horn started honking, the windshield wipers and spray was going and the lights flashed. this lasted approx. 5 seconds. and stopped. the next incident occurred while driving down the fwy. same symptoms occurred, but this time lasted approx. 30 seconds then stopped. the third incidence: same symptoms but would not stop. i opened up the hood, for some reason slapped the fuse box and it stopped but when i went to drive it would not shift from 2nd to 3rd. gear. this kept happening with increasing frequency and duration. i took it in to the dealer. as i was waiting in line to check in, it happened. everyone was stunned and amazed, and laughed at my possessed vehicle. now they can't get it to happen while it is on the computer. it has been almost 2 weeks and i still don't have my car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge nitro. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 13v121000m (air bags, power train, structure) in the mail several months ago and stated that the dealer informed her that the parts needed to complete the service were not available. the manufacturer was not notified. the contact had not experienced a failure.

The tipm failed in my 2008 dodge nitro cause me to lose shifting capability. i lost all control of electrical features. the window wipers, fluid, horn were all on and uncontrollable. i turned the car off but it kept running. the door locks locked and unlocked randomly. after reading about the incident the 2007 dodge nitro had its tipm recalled and i believe this falls under the same category. below is the action number. nhtsa action number : pe07027nhtsa recall campaign number : 07v291000. *tr

1. every time i fill up gas spilld out all over! 2. the gear shift pops out of first gear on a regular basis when taking of from a stop. 3. the emergency brake has stopped working at all! i contacted my local dealership with a recall i received on the under body transmission tunnel shield and they have yet to fix the problem say im on the list its been months! *tr

It has been more then a month awaiting parts for a n10 recall for a drive shaft in my 2008 dodge nitro rt. not only is it a liability for me but it is a liability for my family. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge nitro. the contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph, an unusual noise emitted from underneath the vehicle. there was a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 13v121000 (air bags , power train , structure) and the part was unavailable. the dealer was unable to provide an expected date for the remedy part to become available. the vehicle had not been diagnosed. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the failure mileage was unavailable.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 dodge nitro. the contact stated, while driving multiple times and while at stop lights the vehicle stalls. the contact had an independent mechanic repair the vehicle. the problem still occurs. the problem with the vehicle occured from the point of purchase and after repairs from the independent mechanic. the independent dealer was notified of the issue. the manufacturer was notified. there was no approximate mph and failure mileage. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge nitro. the contact stated that while stopped at a stop sign she noticed a vibration from the front end of the vehicle. additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was hesitant to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. the technicians replaced the brakes however, after the repair the failure continued. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer but the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 62,000. *tr

Tl* the contact 2008 dodge nitro. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park. the contact had to use excessive force to shift the vehicle out of park. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the gear shift was replaced. the failure recurred after the repair. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the gear shift cables were replaced. the failure continued. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 53,600 and the current mileage was 53,700. updated 07/19/12*lj

I have been a police officer for over 21 plus years of my life worse dodge vehicle i have ever owned. this vehicle is a 2008 dodge nitro.i am praying that this will help before somebody gets killed in this vehicle. the road noise in this vehicle is so loud u cant hear yourself talk. the vehicle started shooting wiper fluid driving down the roadway, turned windshield wipers on and they don't work. stopped the vehicle without wrecking because of traffic they come on and wont turn off. horn goes off all the time going down the roadway. the headlights will turn off without any notice. the transmission will stop shifting, stops u in the roadway. the back running lights go off and on. the air conditioner has now stopped working. the window will roll down at any given time. this has happened several times in rain storms where nothing works vehicle will shut off. i know the 2007 had a recall on the tipm but nothing yet on the 2008. i had this vehicle in the shop sense may i had no other means of getting to work so i'm driving this vehicle now and letting my wife drive my truck. the mechanic said i should sell this death trap. i cant do that i will trust that someone on this site will help. do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. please help with getting these problem placed on an active recall. been making payments on a vehicle i cant even drive. i would even be glad to let yall run test on this vehicle. they call me moparlawman. i don't know how long i can stay fateful to a company putting vehicles out for sale like this. thanks *js

While driving, vehicle begins to sound horn, windshield washers/wipers activate. sometimes won't shift beyond 2nd gear while entering freeway. headlights, tail lights, flashers come on whenever they feel like it. a/c stops working, then works again. all interior electronics occasionally fail. engine shuts itself off. dealer states it is the tipm. cost to repair with extended warranty - $410... new tipm installed, occasionally still have minor issues. *tr

When sitting at a light or otherwise in idle dodge nitro 2008 slt stalls and feels like it is trying to die. *tr

While driving in heavy rain or slushy snow a electrical component on the transfer case that switches the vehicle from two wheel drive to four wheel drive shorts out and renders the four wheel drive useless. this has happened on my vehicle 5 times in the last 3 years. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge nitro. the contact stated while driving 70 mph, the vehicle shifted into limp mode and the rear wheels seized. the contact stopped the vehicle and disconnected the battery; however, when he restarted the vehicle it began to function normally. the contact also stated that the vehicle experienced various electrical failures which caused the interior lights and windshield wipers to involuntarily turn on and off. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but they were unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 60,000.

Chrysler denies responsibility and no lawyer wants to fight chrysler. i am not putting my family's life in jeopardy with that car. on 2/18/08 i leased a 2008 dodge nitro at crestwood dodge. on 3/31/08 my wife routinely started the nitro, put her foot on the brake (and not the gas) and engaged the gear from park to reverse. within a split second, the car made an unusually loud noise and the car bursted backward taking out the right side of our gate and a portion of the fence adjacent to the gate. this took her by surprise. she applied the brake but the brake was not able to engage as the transmission had torqued the engine so hard that it forced her into the side of the house and the rear bumper rammed into a brick pillar supporting the roof of the front porch and damaged the car. the impact of hitting the house and the pillar eventually stopped the momentum of the nitro. i called the service mgr at crestwood to see if there were any known recalls on the transmission malfunctioning on the nitro. he told me no. i asked him for advice on what to do. he referred me to the chrysler customer claims resolution group. (cccrg) i filed a claim with this cccrg. then we received a form letter from them stating that they will send an investigator to see if there was a problem with the nitro. cccrg informed us that an investigation was performed at dearborn collision and that we will receive an answer. they referred me to the case mgr. on 4/9/08 we received a letter stating that the inspector found no indication of a malfunctioning defect. i spoke briefly with dearborn collision and asked about this investigation. they stated that the investigator hardly looked at anything. never even started the car and that he were in and out within a few minutes. on 4/10/08 i spoke to the case manager and discussed how we can just get a new lease. he advised me that if i would have to go to the dealership and arrange a meeting with the district mgr that governs crestwood dodge. *tr