2012 Dodge Caliber

Typical pattern

1.2% of complaints about the 2012 Dodge Caliber came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2012 vehicle — around the middle of the 201 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.2 yr in service. The most-reported system is air bags (17 complaints), typically at 5.0 yr or about 72,000 miles.

Complaints: 80
Median age at failure: 5.2 yr
Median mileage: 68,000 n=41
Crash / fire / tow: 22.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

16V668000 2016-09-15

Seat belts:pretensioner

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.

If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.

In owners’ own words

Air bags 5,000 mi 1.0 yr in service crash / fire / tow

A CAR HIT US IN THE PASSENGER DOOR WE ROLLED AND SLID AND NONE OF THE SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS WENT OFF. *TR

Air bags 30,000 mi 2.6 yr in service crash / fire / tow

I WAS IN A ACCCIDENT WHERE THERE WAS A CAR THAT STOPPED ON HIS BRAKES QUICKLY, AND I HIT THE BACK OF HIM AND MY CAR FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN. THE AIRBAG DIDNT SUPRESS DURING THE ACCIDENT CAUSING ME AND MY FIANCEE TO GET SERIOUSLY HURT. *JS

Air bags 72,000 mi 3.0 yr in service crash / fire / tow

I WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT ON THURSDAY WHERE I HIT A GUARD RAIL PRETTY HARD AND DEAD ON. AT THE TIME I WAS GOING 35 MPH IN THE POURING RAIN. MY AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. THIS IS VERY BOTHERSOME AS I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THIS CAR BEFORE NOT STARTING ALL THE TIME WHEN I FIRST PURCHASED THE CAR. I HAD BUMPER DAMAGE, THE RIGHT HEAD LIGHT WAS DAMAGED AND MY NECK WAS SLICED BY THE SEATBELT! *TR

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.

2012 Dodge Caliber

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Caliber model years

How to read this