Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Dodge Caliber owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was turning in my vehicle for a trade in and during the appraisal test drive the axel broke and it had to be towed. The gentlemen stated that is was due to rust build up. Over the years, I have complain about the power steering feeling off, the car not driving right, etc and it has been in three places where the maintenance folks said nothing was wrong. According to the bulletin, these same issues should have been caught somewhere to prevent this from happening. I May have been notified but I am active duty military and move every two years to include deployments where I easily could have not received the notice. My car value was 1500 dollars before it was wrecked, but I should be reimbursed for the previous maintenance totals and the lost days of not having my car the other times it should have been fixed. …
The front calipers will not engage when brake pedal is pressed. The brake pedal sinks to the floor and has no stopping power. The master cylinder was replaced and calipers are new replacements. After replacing these parts it now smell of burnt brake fluid but there is no leak and the problem seems to worsen. The first time I was doing 45-50 on a county rd when a another car pulled out 20 feet away and I was trying to slow down when I lost the front brakes as pished in on the pushed in on the brakes the pedal sank and they didn't engage. I then bought the new calipers and it was fine for about a month. The second time I was stuck in traffic on a busy city street when the ABS brakes failed resulting in me running a red light and almost getting hit. It has corroded and took hunks off aluminum from my front driver rim. …
I took my Caliber in for some warranty work. They found the left strut was bad. They ordered the part. I went back in the next week for the strut and alignment. While they were driving back from the alignment place, they had an accident in my car. They fixed it. I have since then brought it back to a roar in the car. They told me my tires were bad. I asked if it could be because of the alignment was out and they said no. I asked if it could be because of the accident, again no. Who in their right mind would align a car with bad tires. They have made no deal for me in this matter. The tires did not go bad in a matter of a week.
I was driving down the road every time I shifted gears the front end would just go like wobble wobble so I slow down from 45 to about 10 miles an hour if that I made it home with zagg got underneath there and the sub frame is literally busted the way it sits it looks like it does not have a motor in it anymore if I want to know what to do I would've wrecked if I do not get an answer soon I am going to channel 13 news I have pictures of what it looks like and I'm going to the better business bureau it's a 2008 there is no way that frame should've busted like it did no way I was on city roads
Owned the car for almost 4 years. Tie rods have been replaced 3 times. Recently had to replace, struts, ball joints, brakes on the front for the 5th time, back breaks are out and rotors as well had them replaced less than a year ago. Manifold had to be replaced. Barrings on the front and one on the right back. Went through a set a tires in less than 6 months. Has been to Dodge and other mechanics problems still persist.
I have a 2008 Dodge Caliber garage kept 49000 miles with a rusted busted frame. Didn't realize until knocking in front end. Always done repairs and recalls and this is dangerous. Called to request Chrysler to be accountable and they basically told me its my problem. Where do you go from here in liability.
This car has had nothing but problems had to replace all 4 control arms, ball joints bushings springs tie rods have spent more then $2000 between parts and labor and wore out tires do to control arms and other parts never a Dodge again got fixed back had be refixed 2 weeks later after control arm rebroke
2008 Dodge Caliber sxt: bought the car from dealer in morehead city, nc. After 24K miles had to replace tires because they were already worn. When tires were replaced out of my pocket the service dept failed to do an alignment. Now 19K miles later my tires Bridgestone turanza's p215/60r17 are already worn out again. Upon inspection by the dealership, they determined that it was air pressure problem that caused it to wear and also my inner tire rods were already worn. I told them I had seen complaints on the internet that the 2008 Caliber was having premature wearing of tire rods and they claimed they never heard of this. Of course now that my car is at 43K miles and out of warranty they don't want to take care of it, I have to. …
I was in georgetown ontario on the weekend and got in my car to drive back to windsor on Monday oct 8th. The tire pressure light came on but we had frost overnight and knew this was a normal change in tire pressures. I stopped at the gas station and put air in tires and made sure they were all the same pressure. The tire pressure warning light immediately went out. We drove for about an hour and the tire pressure light went on again. I stopped at the next service center on the 401 and checked the tires. I could see the right front valve stem was cracked. When I turned it, the air started to quickly exit the tire. I had my wife put her thumb on it while I got the jack out and installed the spare tire. I had to have the tpm sensor and valve stem replaced @ $150. Reading on the internet, this seems to be a common problem. …
On 09/19/2008, my very first state inspection on my brand new vehicle, I was denied a window sticker, and was told that it was because three of my tires had a slight bubble on the sidewall of each. These are the original tires that came with the vehicle that I purchased on 02/29/2008. So I called good year and they told me to take it to a service dealer for inspection of them. I did. The tire company told me that the tires are radial tires, and they normally do have that slight little bulge on them. My position is " what do I really know" I am being pushed back and forth between the two. Maybe the tire company do not want to give new tires, and maybe the inspection station wants to defraud me as he has so many other customers. How do I really know if the tires are defective. Take it to a independent tire company? If I could afford the cost I would because safety is more important. …
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Caliber years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2008 Dodge Caliber?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2008 Dodge Caliber, 7% of the model year's 377 complaints. The component named most often is pressure monitoring and regulating systems (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Dodge Caliber wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2008 Dodge Caliber. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Dodge Caliber wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 49,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.