Hello,

So my fiance and I were recently in the market to buy a new vehicle. We wanted to get something a bit bigger than the Kia we owned. My fiance fell in love with the Dodge Caliber. It wasn't quite in our budget to get a new vehicle...but we visited a local used dealer...who believe it or not had just bought an 07 Caliber! It had only 17k miles!

There is a joke about the ideal used car being the one that's owned by an old person that drives it only to the grocery store...well this was close! We were told by the dealer that he had bought it at an estate sale. The vehicle had been bought new from a local dealer, by a 77 year old man to go fishing with his grand-kids. Well in 3+ years he put only 17K miles on it! The vehicle had been checked out by 2 different mechanics and was in IMMACULATE condition.

The car had a 3 year 36 thousand mile warranty...but the dealer believed so much in the quality of the vehicle (as did we) that we opted not to extend the warranty. Our thinking in buying a near new used vehicle, is that there wouldn't be any catastrophic repairs to make, because Dodge makes a high quality product. When the dealer doesn't even push a warranty...you know you're getting a good vehicle! (or so we thought)

Well 6 months later the check engine light comes on, so we take it to the local dealership (Stew Hansen's Dodge in Des Moines Iowa) and they tell us the entire transmission is shot and needs to be replaced...and although it's basically a brand new car...sorry it's out or warranty!

So we appeal to their common sense, that this is obviously outside the otherwise high quality standards that Chrysler-Dodge represent, to which they half-heatedly agree...and offer a 'co-pay' or $1770...which I believe anybody with any understanding of vehicles would still believe is unacceptable for a near brand new vehicle with 25 thousand miles!

I have tried for days now to appeal to Dodge-Chrysler's common sense...that although this is slightly out of warranty, this does not (or should not) represent an otherwise quality vehicle. My very first car was a Dodge Status..my sister and her husband both currently drive Dodge's and my fiance's family has owned 3 Dodges in the past. I have never had an instance when I did not feel Chrysler-Dodge meet even basic quality standards...but I've been shut out, leaving me just plain confused that they won't step up, and in this day in age try and keep me as a loyal patron.

Perhaps I naively believed that Dodge was better than just their guarantee...but all I'm hearing from them now is "you know what...we just don't make great cars...and you shouldn't drive one outside of their warranty"

A warranty of course is about 'presumed risk'...and if my Caliber had been owned by some crazy moto-cross racing dude who took it off-roading, and towed his bikes, and had thrown on 80K miles...we wouldn't have bought it! Because the presumed risk is pretty high....but when you're shown documentation that the ONE previous owner was an elderly man, who unfortunately didn't get to enjoy the vehicle for as long as he should have...but put no extreme wear and tear on it...that risk is VERY low! There is no fathomable way we believed Dodge-Chrysler would make a product...that under these circumstances would need a transmission replaced at 25K.

Upon doing some research I learned the 07 Caliber's were some of the first to use the "Jatco" transmission. A technology bought from Japanese manufacturer Nissan, and implemented into Dodge-Chrysler products. Well there are wide-spread reports of their first generation not being of great quality, which is why the 2.0 version was implemented in the subsequent years. Funny thing is...Nissan offered an extension on the warranty of this transmission up to a 10 year 100,000 mile guarantee on all vehicles using it. Why is it that Nissan can step up and understand their may have been something faulty with the transmission...but Dodge-Chrysler just refuses to do the right thing?

I keep seeing all these new commercials for Dodge and Chrysler. They're flashy and have rapper Eminem, and try to persuade us that the company has turned over a new leaf...but I'm not sure I like this new 'hip' dodge-Chrysler...maybe I liked them better before when they actually took care of me as a customer

-Robert Dopf
Robert-Dopf@hotmail.com
515-991-1888

 

did u get a 2nd opinion about the trans being shot? does the car NOT drive normal to u? like trans growling, jerking, hesitation, car dies out, etc...?
it is very rare for the CVT trans to go out, not to mention this early.

Dodge had Lifetime engine and trans waranty for first owner the last few yr...

 

No I have not got a 2nd opinion...because again maybe I naively trusted Dodge-Chrysler. Perhaps I will do that...yeah this just simply should not be happening at 25 thousand miles...but yet Dodge-Chrysler just will not step up and do the right thing here...I had a corporate representative tell me he had the authority to fix it...and could just sign off...but he wasn't going to, because I should have had a warranty...so again apparently Dodge-Chrysler are only as good as their warranty

 

What exactly is supposed to be wrong with it? What codes are you getting? Our 09 has been trouble free, but it is the CVT2 and we have 21K on ours.

 

I can't recall the exact codes, but I know it has something to do with the torque converter.
Does anybody know much about the first version of the CVT transmission that's in this vehicle...keep hearing tons of awful things about it's reliability

 

I have some PDF files on my desktop that may have info on them, but I'm not near it right now. I will check tomorrow evening to see if they cover your model. I didn't even think that these had an actual torque converter, but not 100% sure on that. Nissan uses these transmissions too I believe. I haven't really heard much bad about them actually.

 

Are you sure they're being straight with you about the origin of this car? Steak is rght. The original owner WOULD have had lifetime powertrain. Drop me the last 8 of your VIN. You can PM me if you want. I'll be honest, we just don't see that many issues with Calibers. Hardly ever early failure with a CVT. That is unless someone down the line used the wrong fluid or the car was flooded.

 

The first version of CVT is only used on Nissan. And Nissan decides to mate it with 260horse power V6 motors. (good idea, eh?)
The CVT2 is used in Chrysler, Toyota, Minicooper, newer Nissan, and many more.
does the car not run right? and some dealership willing to give 2nd opinion or pull ur Code for free, why don't u take it in.
we r trying to help, but we need the codes you got from the dealership. Just pick up the phone and call them what was the code.

 

Lifetime warranties were only valid from about mid-July that year - and then only for the ORIGINAL owner. It wasn't eligible to be transferred.

 

Well it took almost 3 weeks of fighting, but got it fixed for a reasonable price, still much more than I should have paid.

We pulled a carfax...yes the 'origin' of this car, and it's first owner was even better than I imagined. This dude BABIED the car. It had an average of 3500 miles driven on it...A YEAR!

He had the fluids checked repeatedly, oil changes every 3 months, even when it wasn't needed. This car was in immaculate shape. If anybody screwed up it was the dealership when he took it there all the time.

I still just don't think I can ever fathom recommending Dodge-Chrysler to anybody again...which is sad cause I used to love their cars. This was just a nightmare beyond nightmares.

The August JD Power and associates had Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep rounding out the very bottom on quality...I'd have to agree.