21st Dec 2009, 17:13
Stay away... far away!
Bought our 2007 SXT in July of 2006. From the very start we had problems. The car would just die when you stopped. Dealer said it was because I didn't know how to drive a standard transmission. I drive 18 wheelers for a living... give me a break!
After fighting with the dealer, they finally admitted there was a problem and re-flashed the TCM. I started cruising the forums and found a ton of TSB's for this car. It creaks, the brakes squeal, air conditioning is weak, rear washer comes on by itself and doesn't turn off until you shut the car off, Fuel filler pipe is loose, speakers rattle, and now with only 46,000 KMs (28,000 miles for those south of the border) the front end is shot and needs new struts, which there is a TSB for but the dealer still won't replace them under warranty.
I'm tired of fighting with the dealer, Dodge, and the Caliber. We took the hit and traded it off. Too bad, it's a sharp looking car, but mechanically a piece of garbage. Do not buy at any price!
14th Jul 2010, 16:13
My Caliber is only three yrs old and I have had nothing but problems with this car! I am upside down in my loan and now have a 20,000.00 car with no working transmission.
21st Jul 2010, 18:30
This SHOULD be covered by Chrysler's warranty, however my past experience has been that they usually refuse to HONOR their warranty (which is why I now drive only Ford and GM). I almost bought a Caliber in 2006, based on a quarter million miles of totally trouble-free driving in a previous Dodge. I was very concerned about the CVT, as it was new and I was afraid of problems. I'm sorry to hear that many Caliber owners are having problems. The cars are very sharp, very useful, and seemed to be a great value for the money. I'm glad now, however, that I went with my instincts and bought a Ford. It has proven to be 100% flawless in every respect.
22nd Jul 2010, 14:03
Well, number one, if you really paid $20K for a Caliber, it better have been the R/T. I know my fully loaded Caliber R/T with all wheel drive came to roughly $20K after all was said and done, so if it's just a base model, you got screwed.
Number two, if you STILL owe that much after 3 years, you REALLY got screwed. But that's really not here nor there, just thought I'd share that.
My Caliber is an 08 and is close to 100K miles right now. Zero problems outside regular maintenance. I know 2 other Caliber owners (sister/good friend) that really like them, and as far as I know, haven't had any issues.
I'm thinking you are lucky enough to have gotten a lemon. I honestly feel your pain. I got my Caliber because my Chevy Malibu was by far, the biggest pile ever made, EVER. Sorry you had a bad experience :(
2nd Aug 2009, 19:24
Interestingly, this place seems to be crawling with people who have a bias for Chrysler/Dodge (and other US companies) or against them, and for Honda, Toyota, etc. Are these people employees of these companies?
I agree with the above sentiments: American cars are no longer American - a lot of the car is made elsewhere (this will be happening more and more in the future). If you have an honest unbiased opinion based on fact, please share it. Otherwise, you do everyone a disservice.
My honest experience thus far is than the American cars I've owned or driven have not had the build quality or reliability of Japanese cars. That's the truth. NO amount of BS will change that. I sincerely hope the US car makers get it together!