Front Suspension Control Arm problems of the 2007 Dodge Caliber - part 1

I was changing the oil of my wife 2007 Dodge Caliber when I looked over and saw that the lower control arm was completely almost completely cracked through the middle portion of it. A day prior my wife mentioned that the car was driving a little weird. This could have been extremely dangerous for my wife and other motorist if it failed on the public roads.

Tl- the contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated while driving in a parking lot, the front driver side wheel fell off the vehicle and the vehicle crashed into a light pole. The air bags did deploy. Their was no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was told to the dealer: canandaigua Chrysler Dodge Jeep 2591 rochester rd, canandaigua, NY 14424 who diagnosis the vehicle as a failed control arm. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the vehicle can not be repaired do to the accident and the contact would be responsible for cost of repair. The failure mileage was 130,000. Hk.

Control arm broke and axle snapped. The car was inspected in September. Alignment. New tires. I was unable to steer or stop. Seems the frame cannot support the weight of the car. The manufacturer is aware of this problem. This happened very unexpectedly. I had been on highway all day. Broke at home depot parking lot less than 1 hr. After exiting expressway.

Control arm broke wheel disconnected car moving in parking lot unable to steer. Car hit pole 15 mph. Control arm broke from crossmember. Fca aware of rust fca recommended diagnostic from dealership. Service manager said technical issue. Would not repair unsafe vehicle because of accident. Fca cannot offer any help. Car has had suspension problem from the beginning. $2000. In repairs 2 prior months. Rear can no longer be aligned due to rust. Rear crossmember not replaced 2 month tire ware. No toe adjustment. Steel belts show inner rear tires. Blow out unexpectedly. Totally unsafe. Well maintained.

I was driving my vehicle on our county road, and lost control because the car quickly and sharply veered off to the right towards the ditch. The cause is the sub frame assembly was badly corroded and the control arm assembly broke free from of the frame. We had the vehicle inspected on a recall two years ago to be checked for a corroded crossmember. We were not informed of any problem down then with the sub frame. It was very frightening, and had I been going faster I don't know if I'd be here today. It's in the repair shop now. This occurred today, August 22, 2017.

Turn signals start to fail, even with the faulty bulb replaced newly replaced bulb does not work. Brought the car to the dealership and diagnosed the tipm (totally integrated power module) is faulty. Checked the internet and forums for similar issues other owners have worse issues such as headlights randomly going out, stalling at highway speeds, windshield wipers failing. . . That they are encountering due to a faulty tipm which can be a safety issue. The clockspring failure causes the airbag warning light to come on which signifies that the airbag will not work when it needs to. The cruise control system intermittently works which is also affected by the clock spring. Both lower control arms bushings (left and right) have been replaced twice due to wear. Seems excessive wear between 58k and 80k miles with mostly highway driving on smooth roads.

Crossmember detached from vehicle while driving causing loss of steering due to front drivers wheel and axle becoming detached. Took out control arm,cv joints , transmission cooling lines. It left skid marks in pavement where the tire dug in. Actually ripped the tread on new tire. Come to find out this is an extended warranty through Dodge. However if your not the original owner of the vehicle you may not be notified because it is not a recall.

2007 Caliber. 30,068 miles on car and lower control arms are bad and need to be replaced. Noise in front end. Mechanic said borderline failure.

Bought vehicle used at 95000 miles. 2 years later at about 120000miles both control arms were replaced. New tires installed and alignment performed. Less than two years after replacement, at about 145000miles, control arms and ball joints are bad once again and need to be replaced. Tires as well do not last more than a year and a half on this vehicle.

Sub frame was so rusted it affected the steering, motor mount collapsed into the sub frame, lower control arm was almost separated from the frame. I was traveling at about 65 mph on the n. Y. Thruway when I started having problems with the steering . When I arrived home I investigated and found the car was so unsafe I couldn't drive it again until sub frame was replaced. I saved the frame that was removed from the vehicle if needed.

The cross member on the underside is badly corroded and should be replaced but is a little expensive. I have had to already replace both control arms, both ball joints and one had already been replaced by after market ball joint. The struts have had to be replaced as well. A car with these miles should not need all this front end work. I have seen this to be not just my situation. My cruise control worked when we bought this vehicle with 85,000 now does not work.

My partner and I were at firestone to have a oil change for our car done. One of the repair guys came out to tell us our tie rods on our car were lose and would need to be replaced soon. Our car has only a little over 61,000 miles on it. Tie rods on a car are usually replaced at 120,000 to 170,000 miles. We bought this car used at a Toyota dealership with only one previous owner. The carfax were provided and the previous owner babied the car. There were no previous car wrecks and we have had no car wrecks either. We are at a disbelief, as this serious of an issue on a car should not have to be replaced until it is expected. We take very good care of our car. We change the oil before it is due and regularly schedule check ups to make sure there are no major issues. Now we are taking our car in this weekend to get the tie rods done and to see if also control arms and ball joints need to be replaced. For tie rods to go out while driving is a serious issue. We could lose control of the car and hurt ourselves or someone else. This is a serious safety issue and Dodge has a responsibility to replace malfunctioning parts of the cars this is happening to. A tie rod should not go out on a car at 61,000 miles when the car is taken care of. I do not understand why a recall has not been in place and why Dodge has not come forward to be accountable for the issues. The tie rods will be costing us $400 dollars alone to replace and if ball joints and control arms need to be replaced well over $1,000 dollars for parts that are wearing out prematurely. If our mechanic had not caught the faulty parts my new wife and I might be lying in a hospital somewhere hurt or worse. As responsible owners we are having the parts replaced as soon as possible. If Dodge would have taken responsibility to have the parts replaced we wouldn't have to worry about our safety and others safety.

At 50,00 miles I was told by the mechanic during an oil change that the vehicles ball joints could fail without warning. I had the ball joints replaced at 50,000 miles and then again at 75,000 miles. At 80,000 miles I also have to replace inner and outer tie rods, control arm bearings, and suspension tie bar links, and struts. Dodge customer service has stated there is a "unresolved" issue. The suspension issues could result in an accident when traveling at highway speeds if the suspension fails.

While turning left, I started to notice an occasional clunk which seemed to be coming from the front driver's side. Within a day, it turned into a constant clunking as I was driving, even while going straight. It was obviously not safe and we took it to the shop. As others have discovered, my entire under carriage is rusting away. I also had to replace ball joints and lower control arms at around 50,000 miles. They say this needs to be done again. The fuel pump had to be replaced a couple months ago. The tires need more frequent replacement as well due to the control arm issues. Serious problems with this vehicle and there should be more recalls than just the recent one. Specifically, with the control arms, the mechanic said he's seen them fail at under 25,000 miles. Absolutely ridiculous!.

I have owned this care for nearly 7 years and I am currently replacing the lower control arms for the third time. I have known multiple people with this same vehicle that have had the same issue. The first time it happened it was just out of warranty by 3000 miles, not it has happened less than 30000 miles each of the two other times. Please have Dodge recall these vehicles as research shows this is a very common issue and something needs done to fix it so you can get normal wear.

At 47,000 miles had a 800. 00 repair to the lower control arm both sides. Also replaced the outer tie rods and new tires, front end alignment. Just under 2 years since this was done another unsuspecting incident with the suspension, wheels shimming at 40mph. Called chrylser, and they stated no recall on my vehicle, however the mechanic that checked the tires said his wife had her vehicle recalled for similar breakdowns. My point all of this started at 47,000 miles. If my tire rods break or some other incident with the suspension I could have a major or fatal accident if I lose control on the freeway. -suspension on these vehicles is very unsafe as is the Chrysler neon. Need verification also if there was a silent recall on this, meaning they only paid when asked. They admitted the problem on the first incident and paid 400. 00 as a good will gesture. The vehicle's suspension is just plain sloppy any way you look at it.

I was slowing down to stop at an intersection and heard a thump on the bottom of the car. As I started to pull forward the steering was very difficult and the I heard a whining sound from the right front tire. I was about a mile from my repair shop so I had my brother follow me with his emergency flashers and drove slowly to the shop where I found out that the subframe was completely rotted through. In the last year, I have had to replace upper and lower control arms and the alternator.

I have owned this Dodge Caliber for 6 years now and the lower control arms on this vehicle are a very poor design. In the 6 years that I have owned this car I have replaced the lower control arms 3 times. Both control arms were replaced each time because the bushings were bad, cracked and split. Now for the fourth time I will be replacing these control arms because of this same issue.

My 2007 Dodge Caliber, which only has 56,000 miles driven, had to have its left front tie rod end replaced at 25,000, and now the lower control arms, right tie rod end and left strut need to be replaced. After some research, I found that many 2007 Dodge Caliber owners are experiencing the same problems. I think that the suspension on these vehicles, specifically the lower control arms, which contain the ball joints, are defective and need to be recalled, before someone gets killed, when their tires fall off the car.

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for routine maintenance when the technician detected that the front brake rotors exhibited severe rust and corrosion. The shims, front brakes and rotors were replaced. In addition, the inner tie rods loosened from the steering rack and the front control arm bushing separated. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The failure mileage was 23,167. Updated 06/05/lj the consumer stated that Chrysler has since repaired the vehicle. Updated 06/06/12.

Noticed that the front tires on the vehicle were worn down to the steel radial only on the inside edge, all the way to the steel radial, even though the tires were only a year old. Took it to the shop and found out the ball joint and front control arms needed to be replaced. Auto shop said we were fortunate that we noticed the problem, and suggested not driving any further until it was fixed. Also told us they had two other Calibers this year with same problem. We took the car to the dealership and they confirmed the problem and want to charge $1400 to fix and replace our relatively new tires. Upon researching many owners have had this same problem. Just grateful that we found the problem while parked and before the tires blew on the highway or suspension became even looser.

These cars are dangerous for people to be driving on the highlway. Dodge knows the control arms are defective and they should be made to do a recall on these cars. Luckily, I have not had a wreck in this. Vehicle. If the control arms break while driving,it will be very bad. There are so many complaints on-line about these cars, I am shocked nobody has made Dodge do something about this problem.

My 2007 Dodge Caliber recently started making a clunking noise on the front when going over speed bumps and things like that. I took it to a shop and am being told the ball joints are bad and I have to replace control arms along with ball joints because they are attached to eachother. I only have 45000 miles on the car this is outrageous. I hope my extended warranty will cover the repair. I am just glad that my wife was not in the car with our baby when the ball joints failed and got them into a serious wreck. It is too bad that things like that have to happen hundreds or thousands of times before a recall is done. This requires a recall! manufacturer defect!.

Both outer tire rods failed at 46,000 miles, car sounded like to front end was going to fall off. Replaced and took for alignment. Repair clinic could not do alignment because both lower control arm assemblies with ball joint were unrepairable. Factory defect, joints sealed so unable to lubricate, forces owner to replace at $800. 00 for both or possibly lose control and have a fatal accident.

May 2011 heard a clunking noise. 48000 miles on 2007 Dodge Caliber. Had it checked out and ball joint and control arm needed replaced and 4 new tires that were worn from the vehicle alignment caused from these issues. Now March 2012, we had issues with squeaking noise on left side and had it checked out. Hot burning smell noticed and had broken coil spring and strut that we're causing wear on tire. We will never by a Dodge again!.

In August 2009 with only about 48,000 miles on the car, I had to replace driverside front lower control arm as a bushing that kept falling out. Not covered by warranty nor any recalls. Noticed the part was redesigned so Chrysler was aware of a problem. Now, the passenger side appears to be having the same problem and a mechanic stated the passenger side ball joint is bad with only 77,000 miles on it and the ball joint on the newer control arm is also starting to show wear . I found a significant number of similar complaints of with a simple internet search . The ball joint cannot be serviced or replaced without replacing the whole control arm at a cost of about $250 just for the part. All other cars I have owned had ball joints last well over 150,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. While driving at approximately 30 mph, the contact noticed a squeaking noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. Also, when the vehicle would go over a road bump, the steering wheel would feel loose and jerk whenever making a turn. The vehicle was taken to both an independent mechanic and the dealer for diagnostics where the technicians all diagnosed the failure as the driver and passenger side lower control arms and ball joints. The vehicle was repaired by the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a report was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 47,000. Updated 07/28/lj updated 07/28/11.

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact was driving 30 mph when the vehicle began to abnormally veer to the left. The contact proceeded to apply the brakes and was barely able to maneuver the vehicle to avoid a crash. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer who diagnosed the failure as the control arm assembly, bushing and rods needing replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 70,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact heard a grinding noise at the front end of the vehicle while driving various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure. The dealer performed a diagnostic and test drove the vehicle. The failure was located at the front ball joint, the tie rod end and the lower control arm. The dealer replaced the front ball joint, tie rod end, lower control arm and the front tires. The manufacturer assisted with the tire replacement cost. The failure mileage was 27,000 and the current mileage was 28,000.

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an unrelated repair and it was discovered that the entire subframe was severely rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic recommended the vehicle be driven only short distances due to a potential safety risk. In addition, the front passenger and driver side control arms were replaced on a separate occassion. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

I had to have the whole front end of the vehicle replaced at about 36,000 miles, tie rod ends, ball joints, and lower control arms. Now only 1. 5 years later (at 53,000 miles) one of the control arms is bad again. I'm not sure why all of these parts have such a high failure rate but from doing research on the internet and talking to other Caliber owners this seems to be a very widespread problem that is happening at very low mileage. Eventually somebody is going to get hurt driving one of these things when the steering goes out. I have talked to Chrysler people about the problem but they of course don't want to admit any fault and instead imply that you may have caused the problem yourself due to your driving habits.

3 year old 2007 Dodge Caliber. Flat tire on highway, when new tires were purchased following morning tire tech. Showed me why my tire had a huge hole worn on the side. Right and left lower control arms so badly damaged they suggested I did not drive the vehicle until it was fixed. Until flat tire not one issue with car. No vibration, pulling or anything to lead me to believe there was a major issue with my suspension. What a huge safety concern. Dealer estimate repairs at over $1032. 00 mostly highway miles driven, what a shame this has not been recalled. Research online lead me to find 15 other similar complaints with same Dodge vehicle.

Had tie rod ends replaced by the dealer 4 months ago. Now, 4 months later, the dealer is telling me that I need to have the steering gear, and lower control arms on both sides replaced. The car only has 65,000 miles. There should be no reason for the lower control arms or steering gear to be replaced at such low mileage. Dealer said the car is unsafe to drive. Same thing they said 4 months ago when the tie rods were replaced. Why wasn't the control arm issue noticed when I had the tie rods replaced? I have seen numerous complaints that have to deal with the lower control arms. This is not some freak accident. It is an ongoing problem with no help from Dodge/Chrysler. If there are so many complaints, why is this issue not being looked into a little more carefully? if they want to stay in business much longer they should be dealing with this issue promptly.

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds over a road bump, the vehicle would exhibit a loud grinding noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised him that the front lower control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

2007 Dodge Caliber purchased used a year ago. Vehicle now has 38,000 miles and needs both right and left lower control arms. Also have many brake problems with my 2008 Dodge grand caravan (13,500 mi. ) I try to support american companies but shame on me. . Never a Dodge again!.