Four problems related to turn signal have been reported for the 2008 Dodge Nitro. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The headlights randomly turn on and off even when the car is not running. This is draining the battery frequently. Replacing the battery has not helped with this issue. The turn signals will randomly begin blinking while I'm driving. The horn has begun sporadically beeping while driving and also when the car is off and parked in my driveway. The heat has completely stopped working - it only blows ice cold air which is the last thing I need when it is below zero here in the mornings when I am leaving for work. There is clearly an electrical problem which seems to escalate over time - and it seems other years of this vehicle have been recalled for these same problems. I am not understanding why the 2008 has not been recalled. I am terrified of what this problem will escalate to - I have a young child that I must transport daily to daycare.
The windshield wipers ran as fast as they could without us being able to shut them off. We had no turn signals or headlights. This was diagnosed as a faulty tipm. We paid $1100 to have it replaced and reprogrammed.
The headlights stopped working. At first they would flash on and off. After 4 or 5 times of turning on the lights, they wouldn't even flash. We tried changing the fuses, but nothing worked. The lights remained inoperative until it rained. Once it rained, all of a sudden the lights started operating normally. This pattern has continued for over a year. Sometimes the lights work and sometimes they don't. The dealer says it is a tipm problem. Apparently, this is a common problem with Dodge Nitros. We did have a mechanic replace the lights/turn signal lever in the car. The lights worked without issue for about 3 months. Now, they are not working again. And now we are having other issues such as the horn going off and the windshield wipers and washer fluid going off randomly and nothing I do will stop it. After about 5 minutes, everything stopped on its own. Thankfully, we were in a parking lot at the time. I can only imagine the danger if this happened while driving in heavy traffic or at a high rate of speed. This is a huge safety issue. Chrysler should recall this and repair the vehicles affected.
The windshield wipers either won't come on at all or will continually move all over the windshield as you drive. The wiper malfunction is extremely worse if you have the headlights on and use the turn signal. This causes them to quickly fully extend to the very edge of the windshields drivers side. This causes extreme visibility problems. The Dodge dealership has not been able to fix the problem after several visits and multiple attempts of replacing parts including the turn signal wand and the entire wiper assembly. The mechanic said Dodge recommended replacing the tipm, which the manufacturer was aware of a huge problem with this part on Nitros. After doing some research I could not believe all the complaints with no action being taken by Chrysler or the government for my model year. Recalls were issued for older years, so why not the 2008 with the same problems? I can't safely drive my car with my vision constantly comprimised and I can't even sell it with all the horrible reviews. Now it just sits in my driveway because I am too nervous to drive it with these problems.