2009 Dodge Caliber

Typical pattern

4.3% of complaints about the 2009 Dodge Caliber came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2009 vehicle — around the middle of the 212 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 7.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is power train (63 complaints), typically at 6.6 yr or about 68,000 miles.

Complaints: 352
Median age at failure: 7.3 yr
Median mileage: 83,000 n=280
Crash / fire / tow: 8.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Power train

63 reports · 68,000 mi

6.6 yr

11.1%

Suspension

63 reports · 86,501 mi

7.9 yr

4.8%

Structure

49 reports · 93,325 mi

7.8 yr

4.1%

Other

25 reports · 117,075 mi

10.3 yr

Electrical system

23 reports · 63,814 mi

5.8 yr

4.3%

Engine

22 reports · 119,000 mi

7.1 yr

4.5%

Steering

16 reports · 91,000 mi

7.7 yr

6.2%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

08V528000 2008-10-09

Power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

CHRYSLER IS RECALLING 712 MY 2009 SEBRING, DODGE CALIBER, AVENGER, JOURNEY, JEEP PATRIOT, AND COMPASS VEHICLES. A NEW ADHESIVE USED IN THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) MANUFACTURING PROCESS CAN CAUSE THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD TO BREAK.

THIS CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL AND CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

In owners’ own words

Structure 800 mi 9 mo in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE CALIBER. WHEN THE CONTACT ACTIVATES THE AIR CONDITIONING OR HEATER, HIS HAND WILL TOUCH AND ACTIVATE THE FOUR WAY FLASHER. HE STATED THAT THE FLASHER WAS IN A BAD LOCATION. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY RECEIVED OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE POOR DESIGN OF THE FLASHER AND AIR CONDITIONER KNOBS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 800. UPDATED 08/20/09.*JB

Structure 16,922 mi 1.1 yr in service

2009 DODGE CALIBER SXT- A GUST OF WIND HIT MY DOOR AS I PROCEEDED TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. THE DOOR HINGES EXPLODED, SENDING A SPRING INTO MY FACE, AND HYPER-EXTENDING THE DOOR RANGE. THE DEALER APPRAISED THE DAMAGE AT $600 DOLLARS FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE HINGES AND COSMETIC REPAIR. IT WILL BE FILED AS A WARRANTY CLAIM BUT IT WILL "MOST LIKELY BE KICKED BACK". *TR

Structure 70,000 mi 3.4 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE CALIBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S DOOR FAILED AND WOULD NOT CLOSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPRING IN THE DOOR WAS DEFECTIVE AND SEPARATED FROM THE DOOR HINGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DENIED ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 70,000.

Other 800 mi 9 mo in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE CALIBER. WHEN THE CONTACT ACTIVATES THE AIR CONDITIONING OR HEATER, HIS HAND WILL TOUCH AND ACTIVATE THE FOUR WAY FLASHER. HE STATED THAT THE FLASHER WAS IN A BAD LOCATION. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY RECEIVED OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE POOR DESIGN OF THE FLASHER AND AIR CONDITIONER KNOBS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 800. UPDATED 08/20/09.*JB

Other Caliber model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.