Report: Factory problems limit Dodge Caliber production

Automotive News | 2:59 pm, July 25, 2006

Problems with body assembly robots are slowing production of the Dodge Caliber car at a time when dealers say demand is outstripping supply, according to a report in The Detroit News.

The robots at the Chrysler group's Belvidere, Ill., assembly plant are bumping into each other, according to the newspaper. When that happens, production at the plant is stopped. The length of the stoppages ranges from a few minutes to an hour or more, the paper said.

The plant uses about 780 robots made by ABB Ltd.

Chrysler spent $419 million to overhaul the plant last year, converting it from building the now discontinued Dodge Neon car. In addition to the Caliber, the plant has started building the Jeep Compass and this year will add production of the Jeep Patriot.

The plant is building about 800 vehicles a day, about 250 vehicles short of its goal. It is in the middle of adding a third production shift.

 

Yeah my estimated build date was pushed back AGAIN! It was supposed to be built July 28th (this friday), and now they tell me it estimated build date is August 2nd (next Wednesday). Maybe they need to get some specialist out to Belvidere and stop the assembly plant for a weekend and find out what the hell is going on with those god damn robots! I'd rather see the plant stopped for 2 days and figure out the problem instead of everyday the assembly plant shuts down for and hour or 8 hours, sending home the workers.

In a recent article, the same night they put on the third shift, they worked 2 whole hours and then they had to send the 3rd shift home because the robots broke down. Its a bunch of **** IMO, and if I was working there, I'd be very frustrated! Chrysler is just lucky a major news source hasn't covered this yet or else Caliber sales will be hitting the crapper and people will be canceling their orders and going elsewhere. It will happen eventually if this keeps up. Just wait, one day it will be on the Network World News (ie. CBS/NBC/ABC World News) or something someday and millions will see it giving tons of bad PR to Chrysler.

I know I keep telling people here and in the other forum to be patient, but mine are starting to run thin. My NYS inspection runs out on July 31st and I'm going to make my dealer pay for it to be inspected. Its the least they can do for making me wait for my Caliber since May 1st!

 

Whats an NYS inspection?[sm=confused06.gif]

 

NYS Inspection=New York State Vehicle Inspection.

Its a safety and emissions inspection. EVERY vehicle in New York State has to have it done every year whether its brand new on the lot or used. For example my Caliber when it comes will have to pass a NYS Safety and Emissions test, which it will off the truck. They check over things like cracks in the windshield, if the parking brake works (it has to work on manual transmissions), brake lights work, turning signals, headlights, fog lights (if equipped), suspension components, brakes, engine emissions, etc. If your vehicle is older than a 1994 then it has to be hooked up to this computer and pass a NYS emissions test and the results are sent directly to Albany (NY's Capital) where they record that your car has passed the emissions test. That is so inspectors can't cheat on the inspection. It costs around $10-$24 depending on where you take it. If it fails then you gotta fix what made it fail, pay the $10-$24 and then have them re-inspect the vehicle and pay another $10-$24. When it passes you get a sticker that has to be put in the lower left of the windshield and passing stickers are certain colors so the New York State Police/County Sheriff can easily tell whether or not your car is beyond the due date to get your car inspected. I don't know the fine if you don't get it inspected by the end of its year.

Very few states do this. I can only think of California and New York as the only states that do this.

Its just one of the stupid things NYS does to get more of your money. NYS does lots of little stupid things like this to get your money. And they wonder why more and more people are leaving NYS??? Hmmm........

 

Probably New York State Inspection. LOL, ok well you beat me to it. LOL

As far as building goes, Chrysler needs to just cut back on the Compass, and just crank out Calibers, thats the problem, the robots are being bogged down due to building Calibers and Compasses, if one robot is making a Caliber and the next is building a Compass, and due to differences in parts, if they touch or get too close, the shop shuts down.

 

We have a similar system here to the New York State Vehicle Inspection however, ours is carried out yearly once the car is over 3 years old and costs is $78 each time [:@] It's state sponsored robbery if you ask me!!

 

Honestly, I wish they had a yearly inspection here in Indiana. You would not believe some of the oil burning, cancer covered, pieces of junk I have to dodge (pun intended) around here.

srs

 

In Ontario we just have to pay $76 a year to renew out plates, which gets us a sticker that goes on the plate itself. Every 2 years we have to get emissions tested and have a valid pass certificate in order to renew our plates. As of now we only have to saftey check the vehicle in order to register it. I know that has been talks about a more regular safety check. What we also see around my area are Police doing safety checks during long weekends. They sit along the highway and pull over people with physical safety violations (having your hood/trunk held on with a bungee cord and things like that).

 

Been driving my new Civic for a week now. I gotta say...I used to spend an hour a day on this and other caliber forums just worrying myself to death about quality and of course, how long it would take for my RT to show up. I finally pulled the plug, got my money back and now I check in here 2 minutes a week to see what I'm missing. I discovered all I'm missing is a bunch of frustration. Life is good driving a Civic. Car of the year, awesome gas mileage, impeccable reliability, and it wont depreciate 6,000 bucks in one year. The grass is greener over here boys. Get your Caliber in a few years when they will be cheap like borscht and have all the problems worked out.

 

Least you bought something made here in Ohio........