2009 Dodge Caliber Problems, Recalls & Reliability
355 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2009 Dodge Caliber, alongside 1 recall campaign and 0 defect investigations. It scores 26/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 68,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2009 sits among all Caliber years
What owners report
“After 60 minutes driving at highway speeds the engine revs rise but speed falls. Transmission overheating warning comes on although the temperature has not risen very much. Car has to be stopped and needs to wait 20 minutes for temperature to return to "normal". Dodge dealer cannot diagnose the…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Caliber
“I was driving down to road and the the k member (subframe) rusted all the way through”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Caliber
“Attempted to get a wheel alignment on 12/19/2016 and was informed that the frame/subframe is extremely rusted/corroded and needs repair.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Caliber
“The car will stall and not take off after being stopped at a light for too long . Will shut off as well along with throttling as if it wants to shut off”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Caliber
“My car will not shift. It’s saying that the part that was fixed under the recall is bad. What do I do now?”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Caliber
“I go my 09 loved it but now i have no dash lights, my turn signals in the rear don't work, my driverside head lamp don't work. I've read everything there is on these types of problems. An most of them are in whom ever the designerror was of the computer board in the dash. And the tipm for the…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Caliber
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 273 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 83,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 48,000 and 119,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (1)
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.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PCM FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 10, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Technical service bulletins
35 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and body & structure — are on file for the 2009 Dodge Caliber. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2009 Caliber TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2009 Dodge Caliber reliable?
The 2009 Dodge Caliber drew 355 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 26/100, scored against the model's worst year (2007).
What are the most common 2009 Dodge Caliber problems?
The top reported problems for the 2009 Dodge Caliber are transmission & drivetrain (64 complaints), suspension (63), and body & structure (49).
At what mileage do 2009 Dodge Caliber problems show up?
Owners most often report 2009 Dodge Caliber problems around 83,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 48,000 and 119,000 miles.
Does the 2009 Dodge Caliber have recalls?
1 recall campaign applies to the 2009 Dodge Caliber. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.