NHTSA Complaint #10561715 — 2008 DODGE CALIBER

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND GETTING ONTO A FREEWAY ENTRANCE, WHEN RIGHT WHEN I WAS MERGING, MY CAR COMPLETELY LOST THROTTLE CONTROL AND BOGGED DOWN. IT WAS VERY FOGGY OUTSIDE AND A SEMI TRUCK ALMOST RAN INTO THE BACK OF MY CAR. I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY AND HOME WITH MY CAR IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS LIMP MODE. THERE WAS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, ONLY A RED LIGHTNING BOLT LIGHT, AND MY ESP (TRACTION CONTROL) WAS ON ALSO. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY GOES OUT IN THESE CARS QUITE A BIT. NO BODY IN MY CITY HAD ONE AND LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO SOURCE ONE FROM ANOTHER STATE. EVERYONE THAT WAS OUT SAID THEY WERE ON BACK ORDER. THIS FURTHER CONFIRMED MY THOUGHTS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ALONG WITH READING ABOUT 10 OTHER CASES AND A CAR FORUM WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY MEMBER THERE ALSO. I UNDERSTAND THINGS WEAR DOWN AND BREAK AND NEED TO BE REPLACED, BUT WITH MY CAR ONLY HAVING 70,000 MILES ON IT I FIND IT A LITTLE RIDICULOUS, AND ON THAT FORUM THERE ARE SOME WHERE THEIR THROTTLE BODIES HAVE GONE OUT AT 30,000 MILES. I'M JUST SURPRISED THAT NO BODY HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED IN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. ONE PARTICULAR MEMBER ON THE FORUM I READ HE STATED THAT THE CAR HAD COMPLETELY DIED ON HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION. I HAVE A 4 YEAR OLD SON AND IT JUST BUGS ME TO THINK THAT WHAT IF I HAD HIM IN THE CAR AND THAT SEMI WASN'T ABLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY IN TIME? ALL I'M ASKING IS THAT DODGE EITHER MAKES A BETTER QUALITY THROTTLE BODY AND PUTS OUT A RECALL OR AT LEAST REPLACES THE THROTTLE BODY UNDER THE RECALL FOR FREE. I HAVE WROTE TO DODGES CUSTOMER COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT, BUT HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING BACK SO I FIGURED MAYBE I WOULD TRY HERE AND SEE IF ANYTHING CAN BE DONE. *TR