2007 Dodge Caliber SXT Probelms

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2007 Dodge Caliber SXT Probelms

by Julian
(Brampton, Ontario Canada)

07 Dodge Caliber image from car show

I bought this 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT brand new February 28th 2007 for $ 30,184.00-it had 55 km on it when I picked it up. Most of these things were done under warranty however now the AC is broken Chrysler and the dealership have washed there hands of it. I am taking them to court, this is a list I have prepared for court.

Repairs to my 2007 Caliber SXT.

April 4th 2007 6, 500 km

Replaced drivers side ?bump strip? (coming loose)
Applied plastic cross tube and electrical tape to passenger seat (rattle)

April 28th 2008 29, 301 km

1. Installed new throttle pedal (accelerates when foot off pedal)
Placed foam strips at all mounting screws by sub-woofer (rattle)
Adjusted shifter cable (rattle)
Installed new weatherstrip at the bottom of the tailgate glass (lifting up)
Installed new outer window belt moldings (2) (large gap)
Refinished left rear quarter panel (because of dirt in paint)
Lubricated strut towers (squeaking when going over bumps)
Installed new passenger fog lamp assembly (water in lamp- blown bulb)
Re finished all four rims (pitted and discolored)
Installed left left side door hinge (rusting squeaking)

August 25th 2008 36,350 km

1. Re-finished all four rims (had razor sharp edges on them)

October 24th 2008 43, 450 km

Installed two bolts inside driver?s side door panel. Both were missing. (Rattles)
Replaced both front lower control arms, lubricated stabilizer bushings.
(squeaking noise when going over bumps)
lubricated parking cable pivots- were dry (rattle noise)

July 10th 2009 59,824 km

1. Replaced both roof rail moldings (warped)
Replaced sunroof glass (seal warped)
Replaced both left front and right front outer tie rod ends. (creaking, squeaking noise going over bumps)
Applied foam tape to both parking brake cables and under car?s molding. (rattling sound while driving)
Replaced blackout tape on drivers side rear door/front door. (peeling off)
Replaced passenger side wiper arm (rusting/bubbling)
Replaced electronic key (would not open the car doors)

September 10th 2009 65,298 km

Replaced drivers side front door window regulator (rattling noise)

Re-lubed rear brake assembly (rattle noise from parking brake)

October 20th 2009 66,395 km

Replaced sunroof glass (seal loose)
Tightened window regulator retaining screw ?secured? plastic trim drivers side front door (rattling sound when opening /closing door)
Installed two new front strut towers and bearing assemblies. (Squeaking noise turning wheel left or right.)
Replaced screw and cover on drivers side front door (was missing)

November 9th 2009 71, 698 km

Replaced drivers side front wiper arm. (rusted and bubbling)

December 29th 2009 76,254 km

?re-flashed? TIPM module (rear wiper intermittently working)

March 5th 2010 80, 223 km

New TIPM module suggested $1,000. (rear wiper stopped working completely)
Dash lights working intermittently (flickered on and off-eventually stopped completely)
Diagnosed and adjusted sunroof glass (would not close - would bounce back from the seal)

April 6th 2010 83,245 km

Replaced right front hub bearing (humming noise in front end at speed)
Replaced right and left sway bar links (Squeaking noise turning wheel left or right.) Cost: $ 599.07

May 10th 2010 86,260 km

Replaced both upper strut mounts and bearings (Squeaking noise turning wheel left or right.)
Replaced right lower control arm ( clicking noise when reversing)

November 23rd 2010 99, 867 km

1. Replaced transmission assembly (whining sound coming from the car at any speed)
2. Replaced left front axle shaft assembly (was scuffed)

December 14th 2010 103,999 km

Replaced right front axle shaft (rear end noise)

February 14th 2011 106,259 km
Recommended alternator replacement because of ?faulty? alternator( whining noise when speeding up or slowing down) cost: $ 94.93

February 14th 2011 106,289 km
Replaced alternator ( whining noise when speeding up or slowing down)
Cost ( labor only) $ 225.89

May 31st 2011 113,025 km

Freon leak at the front evaporator coil-recommend replacement over $1,100.00 to replace (air conditioning not working) Cost to diagnose $45.20.

June 15th 2011
1. Grinding noise upon starting the car-after two days were unable to diagnose. James Vicente heard the noise and thought it could be the ac compressor.

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2007 Dodge Caliber SXT Probelms

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Feb 28, 2012
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More about the Video
by: Mickey

Um messed that up. You have to watch it on the page I sent you to. If you click the today show logo you go to the video homepage (it's not there). If you sit through the ad (it's more like 45 seconds) you will see the "bait vehicle" is a 2007 Jeep that is out of warranty just like your Caliper. The last dealer in the story misdiagnosed the simple AC problem and was totally busted by the hidden Camera!

Feb 28, 2012
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About the video
by: Mickey

Julian: The ad plays for 30 seconds and then the real video starts (worth watching if you have Chrysler ac problems). The video is originally from the today show website. You can click on the Today show logo before you press play to go directly to that page on their site but the 30 second ad still plays first.

Feb 28, 2012
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Thanks
by: Julian

Thank you Mickey....I could not get this video when I went to the site -it was advertising ..could you suggest another way to access it?
Thank you Mark for the code...may I use it for more than 1 car? I would like to get the TSB's for mine as well as the intrepid...And if you could suggest the best year of the intrepid for the evap leak that would be great- it seems like there were more than one year where they had problems. It also looks like the 300 had a/c leaks as well...Chrysler...wish I knew this 5 years ago!

I have a document by Chrysler's VP of quality control who admits that the 2007 year was "below average" quality ....

Phil Edmonston said something funny in Lemon Aid 2011-12 he said Chrysler partnering up with Fiat is "...Like two drunks trying to prop each other up..." Thanks for your help guys! Julian

Feb 28, 2012
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Thanks to both of you
by: Julian

I could not find that video as there was an ad there instead. Much apperciate you help regardless !
Mark, what would be the best make and year to get the TSB
on? Referring to the evap leak? Thanks alot for the code! I really would like to get the TSB's for my car too ... Can I use the same code for two different cars? Many thanks for your help and advice! Julian

Feb 28, 2012
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AC Rip Off
by: Mickey

Hey Julian: Check out the video on this page about AC rip-offs.

http://www.youfixcars.com/rip-off-car-AC-repairs.html

It's a hidden camera expose` that aired on the today show that targeted Jeep and Chrysler dealers.

Feb 28, 2012
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Dodge Problems
by: Ex dealer mechanic

Julian: I no longer have Access to the all-data system or the TSB you are requesting. I know you don't want to spend another dollar on this problem but you can go to alldatadiy.com and enter code 1MOTR2587 to get access for 1 month for 13 bucks and print out all the related factory bulletins yourself. Note: to make sure no affiliates are compensated for your purchase close out your browser (clear cookies) and type the alldata URL directly into the address bar in a fresh browser window.

Feb 27, 2012
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TSB's
by: Julian

Hi its Julian again I have a settlement conference with Chrysler and the dealership on march 29th 2012....would you be able to post the entire TSB you have on the intrepid evap leak? I believe its for multiple years. If you had access to the 300 tsb's I think they had the issue too. If you could do this I would really appreciate it!

Dec 19, 2011
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Thank you again for your support and advice
by: Julian Toy

I am filling my claim this week in small claims court. I've done a lot of work to prepare for this but it's worth getting them to spend $75 to defend themselves. We will see what happens. I'll keep you posted! Have a great night! Julian.

Aug 02, 2011
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Worst car ever
by: Mark hensley

My ac has died now twice in in one month. This is on top of the engine repair I had to do 6 months ago for $1200. This is the biggest POS I've ever owned. And also the last American made car I will ever buy. It only has 65k miles on it.

Jul 07, 2011
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Starting website
by: Anonymous

Hi there thanks for all you comments and advice. I've decided to start a website detailing my issues with this car in hope of putting pressure on Chrysler and the dealership to settle with me.

I just got a parts estimate for SOME of what they replaced under warranty. The bill is $ 8,655.34 parts only. I know the labor will be at least 5,000 on top of that! I'll put the link in shortly! Have a great day!

Jul 02, 2011
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about your work
by: Anonymous

Will they be able to give me something in writing with their contact info on it? I just don't want to pay for the information then not be able to use it. Thanks for getting back again. I can tell you are passionate about your work.

Jul 02, 2011
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reasonably durable
by: Ex Dealer Mechanic

" reasonably durable " Wow in who's opinion. What a terrible thing to have to prove in court. Let me ask you this? How many 20 + year old cars are in the junkyard with the original factory installed evaporator coil. I would suspect most. If your looking for an expert witness can I suggest talking to a current Dodge/Chrysler factory technician on Justanswer.com

Jul 02, 2011
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Thanks for the fast reply
by: Julian

I do not have the $ for an examination of the part. Your opinion is valuable to me because in court I just have to prove it is not " reasonably durable " compared to the norm. Would I be able to get a number where I could call you? If you would rather you could just send it to

Jul 02, 2011
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Dodge Caliber AC
by: Ex Dealer Mechanic

To answer "how many problems in your experience would have to occur with a part before they would issue a tsb? And how common is it for the front evaporator coil to leak in 4 years" These are good questions but I do not know how many complaints it takes. The Manufacturer probably has a formula of some kind.

As far as the evaporator coil leak, it is in my personal opinion un common for this part to fail in 4 years. A forensic examination of the failed part could possibly explain why it failed. An example of a tsb on an evaporator coil that comes to mind. Back in the early 90's when the Dodge Intrepid came out they had an evaporator problem on vehicles just a few years old.

A design flaw allowed water to be trapped around the evaporator as it did not drain well. The evaporators rotted out along the bottom after a few years of sitting in a pool of water. All the evaporators had the same exact failure causing the factory to issue a bulletin. This is why it becomes important to know what has failed on the parts involved.

Jul 02, 2011
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Thank you!
by: Julian

Thank you for your good wishes . I have the compressor tsb and used it in the letter to the dealership and Reid Bigland. Two questions how many problems in your experience would have to occur with a part before they would issue a tsb? And how common is it for the front condenser to leak in four years?

Jul 02, 2011
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Problems with 2007 dodge caliber
by: Ex Dealer Mechanic

Julian: I looked through the published technical service bulletins for the 2007 Dodge Caliber and could not find anything related to the evaporator coil. In the AC category there is 1 bulletin about ac compressor problems and one about the the blower motor. This does not mean it is not a common problem, it just means it has not been documented yet.

As more reports of the problem are submitted to the manufacturer then the greater chance a bulletin will be issued. The factory is more willing to assist outside the warranty period ( but not obligated ) if they know the problem is not an isolated incident and present on many of the same model cars.

As an ex dealership mechanic my heart goes out to you. I have seen many troublesome cars that seem to have spent more time in the service department then on the road. We use to call them Friday cars as the build date on the door jam sometimes indicated the car was built on a Friday.

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2007 Dodge Caliber SXT Probelms

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2007 Dodge Caliber SXT Probelms