2008 Dodge Nitro

AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN I-459, THERE WAS A LARGE PIECE OF A 18 WHEELER TIRE GOING ACROSS THE INTERSTATE. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME IN THE OTHER LANE SWERVED TO MISS THE TIRE WHICH KNOCKED IT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GO OVER IT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER I ROLLED OVER IT MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT. I STOPPED MY CAR AND HAD TO CALL A TOW SERVICE TO COME AND PICK MY VEHICLE UP TO BE SERVICED. I HAD A BUSTED RADIATOR, CONDENSOR, AND RADIATOR BRACKET.

ON AUGUST 20TH, 2014, I NOTICED THAT MY POWER DOOR LOCKS AND FRONT WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP HAD BOTH STOPPED WORKING. LOOKING THIS UP ONLINE, I SAW THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS WITH THE TIPM SYSTEM FOR MY NITRO AS WELL AS OTHER CHRYSLER MODELS. SINCE THE REPAIR COSTS WERE ESTIMATED AT MORE THAN $1000, I DECIDED TO GO WITHOUT GETTING THIS REPAIRED FOR THE TIME BEING. TODAY, WHILE HEADING INTO A LOCAL SUPERMARKET, I NOTICED A HORN BEEPING, AND TURNED AROUND TO FIND THAT IT WAS MY NITRO! THE HORN WAS GOING NON-STOP, THE WIPERS WERE MOVING AND THE WASHER FLUID WAS SPRAYING OUT CONTINUOUSLY. I RAN TO THE CAR, EMBARRASSED I MOVED IT TO THE BACK OF THE LOT, WHERE TWO MEN HELPED ME TRY AND PULL FUSES OUT OF THE TIPM UNIT, IN AN EFFORT TO GET THE HORN TO STOP. WE FINALLY FOUND THE RIGHT ONES, BUT THE WIPER PUMP HAD TO BE UNPLUGGED AS IT WOULDN'T SHUT OFF. WHAT A COINCIDENCE THAT THIS HAPPENED TO ME, AFTER READING NUMEROUS STORIES OF THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENING TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO OWN DODGE NITRO'S. IF CHRYSLER DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECT, NOT ONLY WILL I NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN, I WILL TELL EVERYONE I CAN TO NEVER WASTE THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY ON A CHRYSLER PRODUCT; THAT'S BOUND TO HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON THEIR SALES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE NITRO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEAD LIGHTS FAILED TO OPERATE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE LIGHTS WOULD FLASH THREE TIMES BEFORE SHUTTING OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIPM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE NITRO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH ON A DOWNHILL ROAD, THE HORN AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS ACTIVATED INDEPENDENTLY AND THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT MERGED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF BY REMOVING THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION, BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUE RUNNING. THE BATTERY CABLES HAD TO BE DISCONNECTED IN ORDER TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. THE PROBLEM RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN ON HEADLIGHTS, THEY FLASH 2 OR 3 TIMES AND GO OFF. THEY WILL NOT STAY ON. IT'S LIKE THE COMPUTER OR A RELAY IS ATTEMPTING SEVERAL TIMES AND THEN GIVES UP. I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY FOR 30 MINUTES AND THE PROBLEM CLEARED FOR A FEW HOURS. IT CAME BACK EXACTLY LIKE BEFORE. ANOTHER DISCONNECT WOULD NOT CLEAR THE PROBLEM AGAIN. ALSO, THE HORN WILL NOW SOUND WHEN UNLOCKING THE DOORS. THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL YEARS. PRESS THE REMOTE UNLOCK AND THE ALARM HORN SOUNDS. PREVIOUSLY IT WAS ABOUT ONCE EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS BUT NOW IS SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY. SOMETIMES IT DOES IT EVEN WHEN UNLOCKING THE DOOR MANUALLY RATHER THAN WITH THE REMOTE. THE FOG LIGHTS ARE FINE BUT HIGH AND LOW BEAMS ARE UNUSABLE, NOW. BASED ON INTERNET RESEARCH, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AMONG VARIOUS DODGE VEHICLES AND OFTEN REQUIRES REPLACING THE TIPM FOR AROUND $1000. *TR

I WAS UNLOADING GROCERIES FROM MY 2008 NITRO WITH THE ENGINE OFF AND THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON AT FULL SPEED WITH WASHER FLUID SQUIRTING OUT LIKE A FOUNTAIN AND THE HORN BLARING CONTINUOUSLY AT THE SAME TIME. I TRIED THE KEY FOB TO TURN IT OFF. DIDN'T WORK. MY HUSBAND FINALLY TRIED TURNING THE IGNITION ON AND IT STOPPED. HE TRIED TURNING ON THE IGNITION SEVERAL MORE TIMES WITH NO PROBLEMS. TWO DAYS LATER I WENT ON A SHORT ERRAND AND WHEN I GOT BACK HOME IT DID THE SAME THING. IT SAT THERE UNTIL WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE BOUGHT IT. THE SERVICE PERSON SAID HE NEVER HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING BEFORE. TOO MANY REPORTS ON THIS SITE FOR ME TO BELIEVE THAT. NITRO WILL BE GOING ELSEWHERE TO BE LOOKED AT. I WAS LUCKY NOT TO BE OUT ON THE ROAD WHEN THIS HAPPENED. VERY SCARY THOUGHT. CHRYSLER SHOULD HAVE RECALLED THIS VEHICLE YEARS AGO. *TR

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 STATED THAT WHILE IN PARK WITH THE KEYS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION, THE DOORS UNLOCKED AUTOMATICALLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.