NHTSA Complaint #10667521 — 2007 DODGE CALIBER

WHEN RETURNING HOME FROM THE STORE IT WAS NEAR DUSK. WE TURNED ON THE HEADLIGHTS AND HEADED HOME. ALONG THE WAY CARS WERE FLASHING THEIR LIGHTS AT US. I CHECKED TO CONFIRM THE HEADLIGHTS WERE SWITCHED ON, WHICH THEY WERE. ONCE WE GOT HOME, WE NOTICED BOTH HEADLIGHTS WERE OUT EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE SWITCHED ON. LUCKILY WE ONLY HAD A MILE FROM TO TRAVEL TO GET HOME OR THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE ENDED IN A CRASH. LATER I REMOVED THE HEADLIGHT BULBS TO SEE IF THEY HAD BURNED OUT. (NOT LIKELY SINCE THEY BOTH WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME.) BOTH BULBS APPEARED FINE AND I REINSTALLED THEM. I TURNED ON THE HEADLIGHTS AND THEY BOTH ILLUMINATED. A COUPLE HOURS LATER, I WENT TO LEAVE AGAIN BUT AFTER TURNING ON THE HEADLIGHTS NEITHER OF THEM ILLUMINATED. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT IT'S THE TIPM FAILING IN THE VEHICLE. I'VE ALSO READ THAT CHRYSLER INSTALLED THE FUSE BOX UNDER THE HOOD WHERE IT'S EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS AND THIS IS POSSIBLY WHY SO MANY CALIBER OWNERS ARE SEEING THIS ISSUE. I LOOKED THROUGH THE LAST 50 COMPLAINTS ON NHTSA AND 20 OF THEM ARE FOR THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM. IF 40% OF THE COMPLAINTS ON A VEHICLE ARE FOR THE SAME ISSUE, SHOULDN'T CHRYSLER DO THE RIGHT THING AND OFFER FREE REPLACEMENT? WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL PEOPLE DIE IN A CAR CRASH BEFORE CHRYSLER DOES SOMETHING. THIS CREATES A VERY HAZARDOUS SITUATION IF THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE DOESN'T REALIZE THE LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING AND THEY'RE DRIVING IN RAIN OR FOG. OTHERS DRIVERS CANNOT SEE THEM AS WELL AND IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. *TR