NHTSA Complaint #10381702 — 2008 DODGE NITRO

MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2008 DODGE NITRO SLT ON 9/22/07. LESS THAN SIX MONTHS LATER, THE NITRO BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCKS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. ON 3/8/08, THE MASTER POWER WINDOW SWITCH WAS REPLACED BY A DODGE DEALERSHIP AND SEEMED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. ON 11/18/09, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DIFFERENT DODGE DEALERSHIP AS ONE WHERE IT WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED HAD CLOSED. AT THIS VISIT, THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED AS IT WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE SOURCE OF ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS THAT HAD BEEN OCCURRING WITH THE CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS - HORN HONKING ON ITS OWN, WINDOW WIPERS (FRONT AND BACK) WORKING ON THEIR OWN (WITH SPRAY), DOOR LOCKS GOING UP AND DOWN BY THEMSELVES AND ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON, PLUS THE A/C HEATER UNIT STOPPED WORKING. THE CAR HAD BEEN TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THIS REPAIR AS IT WAS NOT DRIVABLE IN THE CONDITION IT WAS IN AT THE TIME. ON 9/2/10, THE CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SECOND DEALERSHIP THAT HAD WORKED ON IT PRIOR FOR THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS: WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKING BY THEMSELVES (WITH SPRAY), TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHTS INDICATING LOW TIRE PRESSURE WHEN PRESSURE WAS NORMAL, BOTH TURN SIGNALS FLASHING AT THE SAME TIME WHILE CAR WAS EITHER AT A STANDSTILL OR IN MOTION, FOR NO REASON. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT, BECAUSE NO CODES SHOWED AND THE VEHICLE PASSED ALL THEIR TESTS, NOT DUPLICATING THE PROBLEMS I HAD TOLD THEM ABOUT, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I NEEDED A WARNING LIGHT TO APPEAR ON MY SUV OR SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP INDICATE TO THEM WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. NOW THE NITRO IS IN THE SAME SHOP YET AGAIN AS, ON 2/9/11, AS I HAD JUST STARTED UP THE VEHICLE, THE HORN BEGAN RANDOMLY CHIRPING, THE DASH LIGHTS ALL WERE FAINTLY BLINKING AND THE WIPERS WORKED BY THEMSELVES AGAIN. I DROVE OUT OF MY PARKING DECK AND ONTO A STREET WHEN THE ENTIRE DASH LIT UP, THE CAR COMPLETELY DIED AND BEGAN ROLLING DOWNHILL BACKWARDS. NEITHER THE GAS NOR THE BRAKES WOULD WORK. HORN STAYED BLARING. *TR