NHTSA Complaint #10500186 — 2007 DODGE CALIBER

CAR PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN 2007 WITH LIFETIME POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. DRIVEN 99% ON INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH. ALL MANUFACTURER'S MAINTENANCE RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED. WHILE DRIVING APPROX 72 MPH IN FLOW OF TRAFFIC, CAR SUDDENLY DECELERATED TO UNDER 35 MPH AND LIGHTNING BOLT (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL INDICATOR) BEGAN FLASHING. I WAS NEARLY HIT BY A TRACTOR TRAILER BARRELING DOWN ON MY CAR. I MOVED TO THE SHOULDER, GRABBED THE MANUAL AND READ ABOUT THE LIGHT. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND TURNED IT BACK ON AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND THE CAR SEEMED FINE AND I WAS ABLE TO GET HOME. THE NEXT MORNING, THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I TRIED SEVERAL HOURS LATER AND IT STARTED JUST FINE. ABOUT 1 MILE DOWN THE ROAD IN 3RD GEAR, THE CAR LOST SPEED AGAIN DROPPING FROM APPROX 40 MPH TO 10 MPH. THE LIGHTNING BOLT WAS NOT ON THIS TIME, BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I PULLED INTO THE NEARBY CAR PARTS STORE AND THEY READ THE ENGINE CODES (P2110 AND P2118). I TOOK MY CAR TO MY MECHANIC AT UNDER 10 MPH ON A 55 MPH ROAD. THE MECHANIC GOT THE SAME CODES AND INDICATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY PROBABLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I THEN CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP, INDICATED WHAT WAS WRONG AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD NEED ME TO PAY $95 TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE BEFORE THEY COULD TELL ME WHETHER OR NOT THE PARTS WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I TOLD HER WHAT PART WAS IN QUESTION AND WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY, DESPITE ITS DRASTIC EFFECT ON THE ENGINE. BECAUSE IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY OR RECALL, MY MECHANIC WORKED ON IT. HE CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH IT. HE THEN REPLACED THE CAM SHAFT POSITION SENSORS, WHICH FIXED THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUED THAT WILL GET SOMEONE KILLED, IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT IT HAS HAPPENED AND HASN'T BEEN REPORTED BECAUSE A DEAD PERSON CAN TELL THEIR VERSION OF EVENTS. *TR