NHTSA Complaint #10565510 — 2007 DODGE CALIBER AWD

UPON DRIVING A LOUD METAL TO METAL CLUNK BEGAN. OWNER LOOKED UNDER VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO SEE ANY PROBLEM. NOISE WAS SO DISTINCT THAT VEHICLE WAS CAREFULLY DRIVEN TO OUR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. HE STARTED TO GO OUT ON A ROAD TEST TO TRY TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM AND IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO HIS GARAGE. HE FOUND ONE SWAY BAR LINK WAS UNATTACHED AT LOWER END. HE THEN USED A MIRROR TO VIEW THE TOP SIDE OF THE SUB FRAME AND FOUND IT WAS ROTTED OUT. UPON REMOVAL OF THE SUBFRAME A FIST SIZED HOLE WAS FOUND IN THE TOP OF THE SUBFRAME AND THERE WERE ALSO CRACKS RADIATING BACK THROUGH MORE OF THE FRAME. LOOKING AT THE REMOVED ITEM, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE DEGRADATION WAS SO SEVERE THAT HITTING A BAD ENOUGH BUMP OR HOLE COULD VERY POSSIBLY CAUSE LOSS OF INTEGRITY IN THE SUSPENSION, STEERING OR ENGINE MOUNTING. ALL IN ALL, THIS SITUATION LOOKED EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. AND CONSIDERING THAT A VISUAL INSPECTION FROM UNDERNEATH, AS DURING AN OIL CHANGE, ONE OF WHICH HAD BEEN PERFORMED RECENTLY, DID NOT SHOW THE DAMAGE, I WOULD SAY THIS IS A VERY BAD SITUATION. IN RESEARCHING THIS CONDITION ONLINE, IT SOUNDS POSSIBLE THAT THE AIR CONDITION DRIPPING COULD BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF CASES TO BE SEEN. I FEEL THAT WE ARE VERY LUCKY THERE WAS NO MAJOR INCIDENT DUE TO THIS CONDITION. THIS VEHICLE, WHILE A 2007 HAS AN IN SERVICE DATE OF FEBRUARY 2008. I HOPE YOU WILL FIND THIS SITUATION SERIOUS ENOUGH TO REVIEW, AND I HAVE TAKEN A SERIES OF PICTURES WHICH WILL HELP TO DOCUMENT THE PROBLEM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN REVIEWING THIS FOR US. *TR