IllustrationThe car was in park on a hill, when I turned off the engine, it rolled down the steep hill and the brakes or emergency brake would not work. I crashed through a fence across the street and into a building. The car was totaled.
2009 Dodge Caliber
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2009 Dodge Caliber do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 165.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Caliber years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
230–25K
2725–50K
3750–75K
3275–100K
48100–150K
20150K+
187 reports with mileage · 45 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 64 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
13 crash reports2 fire reports9 injury reports
Service Brakes complaints
7 reportsThe engine stalls when I take off more times than none I'm stuck idling in traffic almost causing accident the frame that hold motor mounts are bad I've replaced motor mounts twice in a less than a year the car heats up after 70 miles an hour I have 5o pull over and let it cool off this happens 3 to 4 times a week with the engin…
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The engine stalls when I take off more times than none I'm stuck idling in traffic almost causing accident the frame that hold motor mounts are bad I've replaced motor mounts twice in a less than a year the car heats up after 70 miles an hour I have 5o pull over and let it cool off this happens 3 to 4 times a week with the engine stalling and overheating didn't find out til after I leased the car from AtoZ auto on gen McMullen and it's financed through car financial services I believe they knew the car was damaged I got scammed and have to pay 425 dollars a month on a car that can't be fixed I've spent a lot trying to fix the car
When the vehicle reaches 3,000 RPMs the temperature light comes on and the vehicle seems like it wants to go into neutral The engine light comes on the antilock brake system light comes on.
ON MAY 7TH, 2016 I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. MY CAR STALLED AND NO MATTER WHAT I DID, PRESSING, PUMPING, OR MASHING, MY BRAKES WOULD NOT SLOW OR STOP THE CAR. NOW, MY CAR HAS DONE THIS IN THE PAST USUALLY RIGHT AS I AM COMING TO A FULL STOP. THE FIRST MONTH I OWNED THE CAR, I CASUALLY TOLD THE SERVICE WRITER AT MY LOCAL DEALE…
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ON MAY 7TH, 2016 I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. MY CAR STALLED AND NO MATTER WHAT I DID, PRESSING, PUMPING, OR MASHING, MY BRAKES WOULD NOT SLOW OR STOP THE CAR. NOW, MY CAR HAS DONE THIS IN THE PAST USUALLY RIGHT AS I AM COMING TO A FULL STOP. THE FIRST MONTH I OWNED THE CAR, I CASUALLY TOLD THE SERVICE WRITER AT MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP ABOUT IT AND THEY SAID NOT TO USE CHEAP GAS. I TOLD THEM THAT I USE GAS FROM SHELL, NOT CHEAP GAS. THEN IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN, I WOULD MENTION IT AGAIN, BEING TOLD ABOUT USING CHEAP GAS. WHICH AGAIN, I TOLD THEM I DON'T USE CHEAP GAS IN MY CAR. I BELIEVE MY ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY THE ISSUE LISTED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V528000.
STARTED OUT WHEN I DRIVE MORE THAN 23 MILES, TRANS. OVERHEAT LIGHT COMES ON, LOOSE POWER. GOING UP HILLS, VERY LITTLE POWER. RPM WRAPS BETWEEN 3 & 4, NORMAL DRIVING, WHEN STOPPING CAR JUMPS AHEAD IF I HIT A BUMP. BREAKS SQUEAK AFTER REPLACING BRAND NEW, NOW ENGINE OVERHEAT LIGHT, ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT & MALFUNCTION I…
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STARTED OUT WHEN I DRIVE MORE THAN 23 MILES, TRANS. OVERHEAT LIGHT COMES ON, LOOSE POWER. GOING UP HILLS, VERY LITTLE POWER. RPM WRAPS BETWEEN 3 & 4, NORMAL DRIVING, WHEN STOPPING CAR JUMPS AHEAD IF I HIT A BUMP. BREAKS SQUEAK AFTER REPLACING BRAND NEW, NOW ENGINE OVERHEAT LIGHT, ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT & MALFUNCTION INDICATION LIGHT ON. HAD TRANSMISSION FILTER AND FLUID REPLACED. LASTED 2 WEEKS. WORSE NOW..
I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW. THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO AT ABOUT 10000 MILES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 16,000. A MECHANIC SAID THE CODE INDICATED LOW VOLTAGE TO THE ABS MOTOR. THE BATTERY VOLTAGE WAS GOOD. THE DEALER AND ANOTHER MECHANIC SAID THE REPAIR WOULD BE AROUND $600 SO I DID NOT REPAIR IT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE CALIBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE TIPM WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO WORK AND WAS UNABLE TO BE RESET. THE …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE CALIBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE TIPM WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO WORK AND WAS UNABLE TO BE RESET. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000.
Official recalls
108V528000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Oct 9, 2008
CHRYSLER IS RECALLING 712 MY 2009 SEBRING, DODGE CALIBER, AVENGER, JOURNEY, JEEP PATRIOT, AND COMPASS VEHICLES. A NEW ADHESIVE USED IN THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) MANUFACTURING PROCESS CAN CAUSE THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD TO BREAK.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL AND CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PCM FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 10, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.