Dodge Caliber Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Dodge Caliber model year from 2006 to 2012, benchmarked against each other with 2,919 federal complaints, 8 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2007. These years top the Caliber's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2010–2012 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Caliber's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Suspension tops the Dodge Caliber file with 497 complaints, concentrated in the 2007 model years, most often reported around 97,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Better year | 80 | 1 | Airbags | 8 |
| 2011 | Better year | 271 | 2 | Engine | 19 |
| 2010 | Better year | 246 | 2 | Electrical | 20 |
| 2009 | Typical | 355 | 1 | Transmission & drivetrain | 26 |
| 2008 | Below average | 570 | 0 | Suspension | 40 |
| 2007 | Avoid | 1,396 | 4 | Electrical | 100 |
| 2006 | Few reports | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 389 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Dodge Caliber. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Dodge Caliber TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Dodge Caliber years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2007 as the Dodge Caliber years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Dodge Caliber problem?
Suspension tops the Dodge Caliber file with 497 complaints, concentrated in the 2007 model years, most often reported around 97,000 miles.
What are the best Dodge Caliber years to buy used?
The quietest Dodge Caliber years in federal records are 2010–2012 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Dodge Caliber only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.