NHTSA Complaint #10448390 — 2009 DODGE CALIBER

I BOUGHT MY 2009 DODGE CALIBER BRAND NEW IN JULY 2009. I MADE MY DECISION BASED ON THE 5-YR POWERTRAIN WARRANTY, ASSUMING THE CAR MUST BE MECHANICALLY DEPENDABLE. WELL NEEDLESS TO SAY, I WAS WRONG FOR MAKING THAT ASSUMPTION. I BEGAN TO HAVE SERIOUS MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITHIN THE FIRST 2 YEARS OF OWNING THE CAR. I REPLACED THE BATTERY 3 TIMES, HAD A TUNE-UP AT 65,000 MILES AND REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR TWICE AFTER THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT MY WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER ANY REPAIRS SINCE THE CAR HAD OVER 36,000 MILES ON THE ENGINE AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $100.00 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK TO SEE IF THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY WOULD COVER A REPAIR FOR MY CAR TO RUN. SINCE THIS CAR WAS MY ONLY TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM WORK AND LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO ATTEMPT REPAIRS WITH THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR REPLACEMENTS JUST TO MAKE IT TO WORK AND BE ABLE TO PAY MY MORTGAGE AND CAR NOTE. THOSE REPAIRS SEEM TO WORK AT FIRST UNTIL 2 WEEKS AFTER THE SECOND ALTERNATOR REPLACEMENT, WHEN I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND I MANAGED TO MAKE MY WAY TO THE SHOULDER. IT WAS TURNING DARK AND MY HAZARD LIGHTS WERE NO LONGER VISIBLE DUE TO THE BATTERY BEING DRAINED. I WAS ON SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE IN DARK FREEZING WEATHER FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR BEFORE A CO-WORKER COULD FIND ME TO HELP ME TO SAFETY. I RETURNED THE CAR TO THE FINANCE COMPANY. *TR