IllustrationGOT IT FROM THE DEALERSHIP ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON RIGHT AFTER I DROVE OFF AND IT'S GOING TO BE 100 DOLLARS TO HAVE THEM EVEN LOOK AT IT THE PARTS
2010 Dodge Caliber
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2010 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
140–25K
1325–50K
2650–75K
2675–100K
29100–150K
7150K+
115 reports with mileage · 42 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
12 crash reports3 fire reports9 injury reports
Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints
6 reportsWHEN I START MY CAR, IT STARTS JUST FINE AND THEN ABOUT 1-2 MINUTES LATER THE ENGINE CHECK SIGN WILL COME ON FOLLOWED BY A RED LIGHTING BOLD ON THE DASHBOARD. ONCE THE RED LIGHTNING BOLT COMES ON EITHER PARKED OR DRIVING IN A CITY STREET OR HIGHWAY, THE CAR IMMEDIATELY STARTS MAKING LOUD NOISES, SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY AND SPEED R…
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WHEN I START MY CAR, IT STARTS JUST FINE AND THEN ABOUT 1-2 MINUTES LATER THE ENGINE CHECK SIGN WILL COME ON FOLLOWED BY A RED LIGHTING BOLD ON THE DASHBOARD. ONCE THE RED LIGHTNING BOLT COMES ON EITHER PARKED OR DRIVING IN A CITY STREET OR HIGHWAY, THE CAR IMMEDIATELY STARTS MAKING LOUD NOISES, SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY AND SPEED REDUCES, SOMETIMES TO THE POINT WHERE IT SHUTS OFF WHILE I'M STILL DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OR CITY STREET. IT SORT OF STARTS FORCING ITSELF TO MOVE WHILE IN MOTION. WHILE THE LIGHT IS STILL ON, IF I STOP AT A RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN AND IT'S TIME FOR ME TO GO OR THE LIGHT IS GREEN, WHEN I PUSH THE GAS PADDLE THE CAR SORT OF TRIES TO MOVE WITH PUSHES, JUST AS THOUGH SOMEONE WAS PUSHING IT WHILE PARKED AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MOVES WITH SPEED. TO RESOLVE IT, I HAVE TO STOP ON THE SIDE AND TURN THE CAR OFF OCCASIONALLY , WAIT ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND THEN START IT FOR THE CAR TO DRIVE NORMALLY ONCE AGAIN UNTIL THE RED LIGHTNING BOLT COMES ON AGAIN. THE LIGHT COMES ON WHETHER PARKED OR IN MOTION. AT TIMES I'D STILL BE DRIVING THE CAR AND WHEN THE LIGHTNING SIGN COMES ON, THE CAR SHUTS OFF WHILE STILL ON DRIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. I'VE TAKEN IT TO DODGE AND OTHER MECHANICS BUT NOBODY IS ABLE TO FIX IT. IT'S REALLY UNSAFE ON THE ROAD WITH THE SUDDEN STOPS, PUSHES AND SHUTTING OFF.
"TAKATA RECALL"MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A VEHICLE AND WE THOUGHT WE GOT A GOOD DEAL UNTIL THE CAR QUICKLY BECAME A DEATH TRAP THAT WAS SO UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE STEERING WOULD PULL TOO THE LEFT AND WHEN WE WENT AROUND A BRIDGE ON THE FREEWAY OR ANY TURNING OF THE WHEEL. WE HAD TO STABILIZE THE CAR BECAUSE IT WOULD ALMOST HOP TO TH…
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"TAKATA RECALL"MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A VEHICLE AND WE THOUGHT WE GOT A GOOD DEAL UNTIL THE CAR QUICKLY BECAME A DEATH TRAP THAT WAS SO UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE STEERING WOULD PULL TOO THE LEFT AND WHEN WE WENT AROUND A BRIDGE ON THE FREEWAY OR ANY TURNING OF THE WHEEL. WE HAD TO STABILIZE THE CAR BECAUSE IT WOULD ALMOST HOP TO THE LEFT AND THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF TRAFFIC REGARDLESS ON FREEWAY OR STREETS. WE TOLD THEM THERE WAS A LAPSE IN THE SPEED AND THIS HAS JUST BEEN A NIGHTMARE. WE ALREADY PAID ALMOST ALL THE CAR AND WE STILL HAVE OUR WARRANTY BUT THEY WANT US TO PAY 400 DOLLARS, WHAT WE PAY AS A CAR PYMT EVERY MONTH. OR THEY SAID THEY'D FINANCE THE WORK THEY DO ON THE CAR THROUGH CAR FINANCE DEPARTMENT. MY WIFE SAID ABSOLUTELY NOT. WE HAVE KIDS AND INSTEAD OF ENJOYING TIME IN THE CAR, WE'VE SPENT STRESSED PAYING FOR IT SINCE THE FIRST WEEK. WE'VE BEEN TO THE POINT OF SO MUCH FEAR TO FEELING AS THOUGH IT'S AN ICY DAY AND THE ROADS ARE WET AND SO SLIPPERY BUT THE PROBLEM IS... IT WASN'T EVEN RAINING OR SNOWING.. FEAR OF CRASHING OR SOMETHING BREAKING. MY WIFE READ A LOT ABOUT THE SAME THING HAPPENING WITH OUR VEHICLE. SHE SAW TOO MANY PEOPLE, IUST LIKE US AND IT SAID RECALLED, BUT IT SAID THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED BUT HASN'T BEEN AT THAT TIME. I'M REPORTING THIS BECAUSE WE AREN'T GOING TO PAY TO DIE IN A CAR THE MECHANIC DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO DRIVE FAR BECAUSE IT WASN'T SAFE!! THE MECHANIC FROM THE SAME DEALERSHIP WE PURCHASED THE CARFROM
WE PURCHASED VECHICLE 2012. HAVE HAD NUMBEROUS FUSES BLOWN; FRONT BLINKERS AND LIGHTS REAR BLINKERS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ALSO THE PLUG IN WHERE CIGGERATE LIGHTER. ANOTHER ISSUE IS WITH CAR RANDOMLY NOT STARTING. TURNING OVER FOR 5-10 SECS. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ALTANATOR TWICE, NEWER BATTERY AND STARTER. AT ONE POINT IT DID WORK. TH…
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WE PURCHASED VECHICLE 2012. HAVE HAD NUMBEROUS FUSES BLOWN; FRONT BLINKERS AND LIGHTS REAR BLINKERS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ALSO THE PLUG IN WHERE CIGGERATE LIGHTER. ANOTHER ISSUE IS WITH CAR RANDOMLY NOT STARTING. TURNING OVER FOR 5-10 SECS. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ALTANATOR TWICE, NEWER BATTERY AND STARTER. AT ONE POINT IT DID WORK. THE CD PLAYER AND CONTROLS PANEL GOES BLACK WHEN INSERTING CD IT FLICKERS AND GOES BLACK.. TEMPERATURE GAGE ABOVE STEERING WHEEL LIGHTS CONSTANTLY FLICKERS..LAST ISSUE IS WITH DOOR LOCKS NOT UNLOCKING ITS A MENACE..NEEDLESS TO SAY ITS BEEN NOTHING BUT A HEADACHE.. RECENTLY RECIEVED RECALL NOTICE IN MAIL
2 MONTHS AGO I WAS DROPPING MY SON OFF AT SCHOOL AND I WENT TO TURN ON THE MAIN ROAD WHEN MY CAR STARTED BUCKING AND THEN I NOTICED A LIGHT WITH A LIGHTING BOLT FLASH AND I TURNED BACK AROUND AND WENT HOME AND READ MY MANUAL AND IT TOLD ME IF THE LIGHT DOESN'T STAY ON IT'S DRIVABLE LATELY IT'S BEEN BUCKING MORE THEN EVER AND SO…
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2 MONTHS AGO I WAS DROPPING MY SON OFF AT SCHOOL AND I WENT TO TURN ON THE MAIN ROAD WHEN MY CAR STARTED BUCKING AND THEN I NOTICED A LIGHT WITH A LIGHTING BOLT FLASH AND I TURNED BACK AROUND AND WENT HOME AND READ MY MANUAL AND IT TOLD ME IF THE LIGHT DOESN'T STAY ON IT'S DRIVABLE LATELY IT'S BEEN BUCKING MORE THEN EVER AND SO I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CALIBER OWNERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM AND MY CAR HAS LESS THEN 60,000 MILES ON IT. IT SHOULDN'T BE HAVING PROBLEMS LIKE THIS ALREADY. I STILL DRIVE THE CAR BUT IT IS NOT A SAFE FEELING WITH KIDS IN THE BACK SEAT. *TR
THE CAR WOULD FAIL TO START USING REMOTE STARTER ON OCCASION THEN PROGRESSED TO STARTING W/REMOTE START BUT WHEN THE KEY INSERTED THE CAR WOULD SHUT DOWN. PROGRESSED WITH EXTRA PROBLEMS SUCH AS NOT HAVING POWER WHEN IT DID STAY RUNNING. WOULD ONLY GO 10 MPH, SPUTTERING, WITH ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL COMING ON. I TURNED CA…
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THE CAR WOULD FAIL TO START USING REMOTE STARTER ON OCCASION THEN PROGRESSED TO STARTING W/REMOTE START BUT WHEN THE KEY INSERTED THE CAR WOULD SHUT DOWN. PROGRESSED WITH EXTRA PROBLEMS SUCH AS NOT HAVING POWER WHEN IT DID STAY RUNNING. WOULD ONLY GO 10 MPH, SPUTTERING, WITH ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL COMING ON. I TURNED CAR OFF AND TRIED AGAIN AND RAN FOR AWHILE AND REGAINED SPEED AND W/OUT MISSING/SPUTTERING. APPEAR RANDOM AND CONTINUED TO WORK AND IN HEAVY TRAFFIC CAR BEGINS TO RAPID DECENT IN SPEED (50 MPH TO QUICK DROP TO 10 MPH) WITH ETC LIGHT ON. WITH DROP DOWN IN SPEED/MOMENTUM AND NOT BECAUSE OF BREAKING THE REASON THAT LEFT NO INDICATION TO THE PERSON(S) BEHIND ME TO HAVE A WARNING. I PUT EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON AND GOT TO A SAFER PLACE. TURNED CAR OFF/ON, REPEATED SOMETIMES W/REMOTE WAS THE ONLY WAY TO START CAR BUT MANY TIMES PLACING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION ACTUALLY SHUT THE CAR DOWN. IMPROVED AT TIMES BUT WITH NO WARNING THE CAR WOULD GO INTO TO RAPID DECREASE IN SPEED AND EVEN TRY TO STALL AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY IF IT WAS COMBINED WITH BRAKING AT STOP SIGNS/SIGNALS/TRAFFIC. THE DEALERSHIP ONLY FOCUSED ON THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL AND SAID IT WAS COMPLETELY OUT. THE ACTUAL DAY I LEFT IT AT DEALERSHIP IT WAS RUNNING FINE THAT PARTICULAR MORNING. I HAVE HAD IT BACK 1 DAY BUT I AM VERY CONCERNED WITH A REPEAT HISTORY OF THIS DUE TO NO REAL WARNING BECAUSE THE LIGHT APPEARS AS YOU ARE ALREADY SHUTTING DOWN/SLOWING DOWN. BY THE TIME THE LIGHT COMES ON SOMEONE BEHIND ME COULD ALREADY HAVE HIT ME AND I USUALLY TRAVEL INTERSTATE AND THIS IS SCARY. THE CAR ALSO WANTED INCREASE ON A COUPLE OF MOMENTS BUT THIS WAS NOT AS MUCH AS THE REVERSE. CAR IS JUST OVER A COUPLE OF YEARS OLD & I HAVE ALSO JUST REPLACED THE DRIVER DOOR MECHANISM FOR THE WINDOW OPERATION (DROPPED WHEN IT BROKE). VENT SYSTEM REPAIRED. *TR
Official recalls
216V668000 · Air Bags; Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE ; Seat Belts:pretensioner
Sep 15, 2016
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Seat Belts:pretensioner
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Consequence: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Consequence: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
Air Bags
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Consequence: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
10V197000 · Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
May 11, 2010
CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 DODGE CALIBER VEHICLES. SOME VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH AN INCORRECT DOOR LOCK ROD IN THE RIGHT FRONT DOOR.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: AN UNLATCHED DOOR COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF AN UNBELTED FRONT SEAT PASSENGER BEING EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE FRONT RIGHT DOOR LOCK ROD AS REQUIRED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JUNE 2010. 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
1PE19014 · Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
Opened Sep 9, 2019 · Closed Feb 25, 2026
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seats; Seats:front Assembly:head Restraint
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Seats
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Seats:front Assembly:head Restraint
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.