On Saturday, 5/30/09, while driving Dodge Caliber 2007 back home, all instrument gauges needles suddenly and erratically swing up and down. I started smelling a rotten-egg sulfur odor and experienced mild throat and lung irritation. As soon as I arrived home, with engine still running, I started investigating the cause of gauges needles erratic motion and source of sulfur odor. First, I checked the recently replaced manufacturer original alternator, which has recently catastrophically failed. Please see recently filed 5/16/09, NHTSA safety complaint, ODI #10268931. After I verified that the new alternator was working correctly, I started sniffing and tracing the source of sulfur odor. First, I thought odor was coming from computer module; then, I thought it was coming from fuse box next to computer module. As I sniffed closer to fuse box, under plastic engine air intake manifold, I noticed battery squirting boiling-steaming sulfuric acid. I found the source of rotten-egg sulfur odor. I removed the air intake manifold to fully expose the battery and take photos. Luckily, I only suffered mild irritation to my throat and lungs, but I could have been fatally exposed to sulfuric acid gas poisoning, or battery could have exploded with fatal outcome. Photos and battery are available for your review. I don not know if unsafe catastrophic failure of original manufacturer alternator caused this unsafe catastrophic failure of manufacturer original battery or vice-versa.

- Benicia, CA, USA

March 13, 2009, I purchased a used Dodge Caliber 2007. Few weeks later, I starter hearing noise which kept increasing in intensity as the days went by. I thought it was probably a loose or bad serpentine belt tensioner or idler. On May 17, while driving the car back home, the ABS, air bag, battery, and check engine lights turn on. At home in the driveway, with engine running, when I opened the hood, I noticed sparks around the alternator area. I thought it was the serpentine belt touching a loose metal that was creating the sparks. Today, May 16, I removed the alternator and noticed the alternator windings arced and melted the copper wire windings and the aluminum housing. I have the alternator and pictures readily available for your evaluation. I did a google search and discovered that other Dodge cavalier owners have experience the same premature catastrophic failure of the alternator. This catastrophic failure is very unsafe and could have resulted in fire, explosion, accident, and fatalities. There are no known recalls related to this dangerous alternator failure.

- Benicia, CA, USA

2007 Dodge Caliber have had this car since June 2006. In the 14 months I have had it on average it seems at least once a month I have to take time out of my schedule/work to go to the dealership drop it off and explain the same repeat problems. This not only takes time but I also have to make other arrangements for transportaion. The car has had a grinding type noise upon ignition since I bought it along with the engine constantly wanting to stall upon slow down or complete stops and then trying to accelorate again. This has caused me to nearly be rearended and or hit numerous times. Each time I have had it in the service center I am told the grinding noise can not be detected. I pick the car up and no sooner than I get home and leave again it happens. As for the stalling I was told it was the power controll module and it was replaced and they considered it repaired. This was in January, it is September and still this is happening more and more often. I have had it back numerous times. There are many other problems with this vehicle that the service center has told me was'nt a problem or they have corrected and it continues.

- New Smyrna Beach, FL, USA

I just recently purchased a 2007 Dodge Caliber. It has been less than 30 days since I have had the car. The car was a nice vehicle, until one day coming home from heidelberg, germany. I was on autobahn 656 between heidelberg and mannheim. I was in the left lane driving about 70 K/hr. I went to turn on my headlights and as I did the entire dashboard panel went blank. All meters (odometer, tacometer, and speedometer) dropped to zero, but they quickly came back on. When they returned to normal, the transmission had shifted into neutral, causing me to nearly get rear-ended by a car traveling behind me. I was unable to shift back into drive. I changed lanes and got to the shoulder and shut off the car. When I shut it off and let it sit for about 5 minutes, I restarted the car and was able to put it back into drive. But when I had started the car, the malfunction light had turned on and would not extinguish. I was able to drive the car back to my apartment and let it be parked. When I returned to the house, I tried to restart it and the malfunction light had went out. My wife then drove the car back to the car lot on Tuesday morning. I had talked to customer service, a one lawson@militarycars.com, I explained to him that I felt the car is an unsafe car. Yes, I understand that you deserve the chance to fix the problem. But who is to say that the problem will be fixed correctly and that it won't happen again. What if my wife and myself don't find out that it wasn't perfectly fixed until it's too late. If I'm driving and I have an accident, do you want to be the one to explain to my family why you would not take my car on a return because it's unsafe? I have always purchased Dodge vehicles. I don't like driving anything but a Dodge. I don't blame anyone at miliatary car sales or even Dodge. But I do not want this unsafe vehicle. Our lives hang in your hands make us keep an unsafe car or let us return it today 13 Oct 2007 at 1743.

- Apo, AE, USA

The first week I heard a hard & solid click noise coming from the rear of the vehicle 6-15-06. On 6-18-06 while in stand-still traffic the vehicles oil light lit up & chimed prior to the engine stalling & in neutral with the clutch to the floor. On 6-19-06 I took it in to the shop. John and I returned to the dealership 6-22-06 spoke with bob corlette about the multiple mechanical failures. We were told by bob that there is nothing that they can do. We spoke with david tindale (who provided the owners manual) & who reassured both of us that the problems would either be fixed or if they couldn't be fixed that they would be able to enact the lemon law & replace this car with a new one. I dropped the vehicle off the following week 6-26-06, len thomas said the stalling problem could not be duplicated. Since picking up my vehicle, over the last 2 weeks the vehicle has still stalled at least 8-10 times. I received a call from lori at the dealership on a follow up to my service where she stated she too heard the clicking noise since she drove the vehicle. She also stated that the vehicle stalled on her while at a red light, but wrote it off to possibly her error and so this was not documented to service. On 7-12-06 w/ len thomas & david tindale to please call me back in reference to what lori stated about the stalling problem. I called and sp/ w david tindale & len thomas about these mechanical issues 7-13-06. I also followed up w/ a Chrysler customer assistance request 7-13-06 file number 15156132. Len thomas called after speaking with Chrysler about the problems and found that there were 4 other 2007 Dodge Calibers in the us that have been exhibiting the same stalling problems. Furthermore, while sitting idle in traffic my speedometer display races up to 20 mph and back to 0 and races to 40 mph and back to 0. this has now occurred approx. 6 times in the past few weeks. I reported this new mechanical failure to len thomas 7-20-06.

- Gainesville, FL, USA

At 200 miles, my car's engine started to rattle and my power lock had a short. I called and called the dealership until 1000 miles later they checked the problem. They gave me an excuse for the motor rattling was that there was such thing as winter and summer fuel and that I should change gasoline stations and brands to see if that would correct the problem. I followed their instructions and went practically all over town gashing up. I just had it checked again at 1527 miles, the noise got worst. The motor rattles when I accelerate and when it also reaches the regular temperature. In the morning when my engine is still cold it doesn't rattle but as soon as it reaches the regular temperature it starts rattling. My motor rattles a lot worst. Yesterday at 1430 miles as I was waiting for the light to turn green, my car was going to stall. My RPM gauge went down and then went back up. I got the same excuse once again that it was the type of fuel and that there existed no repair for this problem. The service manager said "the car is working the way it was designed" and "it is all through computers now, Dodge fixes the problems and sends us the software and we hook up to your car. In the mean time, there is no repair available and it will eventually get repaired". the only thing they did was add a mopar fuel additive but I still hear the noise. I have used regular, mid-grade, and premium and used different stations and fuel companies and the problem still exists. The rattling is so bad that not even with the ac full blast can you tune it out. As far as the power lock is concerned it was repaired, they said it had a short. The bad thing is that there are no other power locks but the only one on the driver side. As far as safety is concerned, you are unable to open the rear passenger doors or the rear door, as they have no power locks you have to do this manually. I had to teach my child to pull on the lock in order to open the door in the mean time this got fixed.

- Laredo, TX, USA