NHTSA Complaint #11482593 — 2011 DODGE CALIBER

Upon bringing our Caliber into a service shop to install shocks because we thought the severe vibration was from worn shocks, we were told the entire rear suspension subframe was rotted and rusted to the point of the driver-side rear was almost split in half. Had it been driven much farther, the left rear wheel would have been separated from the subframe. The shop did not want the car driven any further because of the safety risk to ourselves and others on the road and we had to fix this issue immediately. This is a grave issue of safety being this is a major frame component, that was clearly faulty and known about by Dodge, which could lead to a serious or fatal incident. The car has 139,000 miles on it and has been a good car mechanically thus far, prompting us to remedy the problem. Upon researching this issue, it seems as if this is a known issue by Dodge and many other Calibers are also affected. Had we known about the bulletin, we would have addressed this issue earlier.The shop costs were around $2000, which included us purchasing parts to save more money on labor.