NHTSA Complaint #10609112 — 2008 DODGE CALIBER

WE WERE NOTICING THE CAR BEING SLUGGISH AND NOT WANTING TO PICK UP SPEED SO WE MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET IT LOOKED AT. BEFORE THAT COULD HAPPEN THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT POPPED ON WHEN I WAS GOING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION, THE CAR WOULDN'T GO ABOVE 20MPH AND FELT LIKE IT WANTED TO STALL OUT. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS AND THE ETC LIGHT WENT OFF AFTER A FEW SECONDS. I WAS LUCKY IT WAS VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING AND THE INTERSECTION WAS EMPTY. I CONTINUED ON MY WAY TO WORK ABOUT 1/2 MILE AND THE ETC CAME BACK ON. I MANAGED TO GET IT TO WORK AND PARKED IT. I LOOKED UP WHAT THE LIGHT MEANS AND PROCEEDED TO GOOGLE WHAT IT WAS FOR MY CAR. I WAS SOCKED BY HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS EXACT PROBLEM FOR THE MAKE AND MODEL. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THIS ISSUE WAS NOT KNOWN OR RECALLED. CAR OWNERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BEFORE IT BECAME A HAZARD. I LEFT WORK AND PRAYED MY CAR WOULD MAKE IT THE 1/2 MILE TO MY HOME. UNFORTUNATELY , THE ETC LIGHT CAME BACK ON THEN STARTED FLASHING. AFTER READING OTHER CAR OWNERS POSTS I DECIDED NOT TO RISK STALING IT ON A BRIDGE SO I COASTED IT INTO A GAS STATION WERE IT CHUGGED OUT. I WALKED THE REST OF THE WAY HOME IN 85 DEGREE WEATHER. WE TOWED THE CAR TO OUR REPAIR PLACE, THEY HOOKED IT UP TO THE COMPUTER TO READ THE CODES, THEN THEY RESET THE CONTROLS HOPING IT WOULD BY PASS A GLITCH. IT DIDN'T. THEY THEN HAD US BRING THE CAR TO A DODGE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS FAMILIAR WITH HE PROBLEM "THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH THESE CARS." THEY COULDN'T GET TO IT UNTIL AFTER THE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND. THEY INSTALLED THE REPLACEMENT THROTTLE BODY $272.42 (PART 4891735AC) AT A COST OF 566.00 TOTAL. WE JUST GOT THE CAR BACK TODAY. IT IS RUNNING SMOOTHER BUT ONLY TIME WILL TELL IF THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. UPDATED 02/27/2015 *JS