Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Dodge Caliber owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine unexpectedly shut off. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The engine oil warning light as intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no cause of failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V373000 (Electrical System, Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
My headlight went out on my car, I got a replacement bulb, put it in and nothing. I got another bulb thinking maybe it's a malfunctioning bulb. Still didn't work, tested the light socket and no power to it, looked up on google for headlight malfunctioning on 2010 Dodge calibers and there are multiple complaints and videos regarding this issue going back to 2007 Dodge calibers. This is an electrical problem and Dodge is aware of this issue but states its not a "safety issue" however you can get a ticket for a headlight being out and your car will not pass inspection without a headlight. So how can this not be a safety issue? This needs to be a recall on this vehicle, just for the diagnostic of this issue will cost me $114/hour to have the shop diagnose the electrical problem, not fix it, just tell me what it is and then labor and parts to fix it. …
Electrical throttle control light has popped up several times and I've noticed it's when it has rained. When this happens, the car slows down and causes forcefully pull over and shut the car off. It doesn't start after the first few tries and eventually does. The car began to overheat after driving it over 60mph for about 20mins. The car has given me the engine coolant temperature warning symbol when this happens, making an ugly almost screeching sound,slows down the car until I can't push the gas any longer causing me to pull over to turn off the car until it restarts again. The car is beginning to over heat after driving it for a long period of time over 20 mins this will began to happen. I've put coolant recently and not sure if there's a hole in the reservoir but I've done what I could to get this fixed. The car jolts after 3rd gear especially going up hill.
Dodge put the relay box right behind the driver side wheel well and this causes the snow, water, ice and elements to get into the relay box and corrode the relays and the actual relay box, this is a problem with a lot of the calibers going back to 2007 that I know of. This will cause your car not to start out of the blue, and the wires get corroded going from the fuse box to the relay box as well. Not sure why they would put this type of electrical equipment in front of the wheel well where the elements can get inside and do damage to electrical equipment that can be very pricy. This happened to my car with no warning, no acting up or issues, just died and would not start, my battery is brand new, it's not the starter it's the corroded relays and relay box.
We purchased vechicle 2012. Have had numberous fuses blown; front blinkers and lights rear blinkers and brake lights also the plug in where ciggerate lighter. Another issue is with car randomly not starting. Turning over for 5-10 secs. I have had to replace altanator twice, newer battery and starter. At one point it did work. The cd player and controls panel goes black when inserting cd it flickers and goes black.. Temperature gage above steering wheel lights constantly flickers..last issue is with door locks not unlocking its a menace..needless to say its been nothing but a headache.. Recently recieved recall notice in mail
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that the instrument panel failed to illuminate while driving at various speeds. Also, the radio, heater, and air conditioner failed to function. The radio would shut off and made a popping noise. The contact stated that the failures occurred after replacing the air bag module recall. The vehicle was taken back to ed martin Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (2109 e 53rd st, anderson, in 46013, phone: [phone]), but was not diagnosed or repaired due to the diagnostic and repair fees. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
While driving my car my transaxle overheating light will illiminate. My car will slow down and not keep the speed up. I have to pull over until the light goes out then I can continue my driving but it will do it all again 10 miles down the road. This happens about an hour after driving it on the highway at 70 MPH I was just on a trip 2 hours from home. In a 30 minute time frame I had to pull over 6 times because of this. I have not taken it to the dealership and it has not been fixed. I have noticed many people are having the same problem why has this not been recalled yet?
While driving vehicle during winter, heat shut off. After turning heat back on (moving knob to off position and then back on) there was an electrical smoke smell in the cabin. Once the vehicle was parked, a large amount of smoke appeared to be coming from the air conditioner blower control knob and the area above the knob was hot to the touch almost to the point where I was concerned that I May need to call the fire department to have them check for fire. When car was turned on again, the blower motor would not start.
Smoke was coming out of the off and on knob for heat/air.. I also had a cd in my cd player as I was traveling on a royal road, a strange smell was also coming from the smoke. I pulled over lifted the hood and seen no fire. I turned the knob off, removed the cd and waited a few minutes and started my car. I am wary to put a cd back in the player... I think that is what caused it but it May have been my temperature knob,, had the blower on for cool air vent.... Not ac or heat, just vent air on high.
While I was driving on the turnpike (70 MPH) my etc light began flashing and my car began to shake and drop down in speed. Luckily, I was able to move off to the side of the road quick enough before I was in a serious accident. My car ultimately ended having to be towed because the etc light would not turn off and I could not get the car to drive more than 2-5 MPH. I am getting rid of this car. It was a very scary experience and I no longer feel safe in it since I take the turn pike every day.
Electrical complaints in other Caliber years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2010 Dodge Caliber?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the electrical system of the 2010 Dodge Caliber, 20% of the model year's 157 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Dodge Caliber electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2010 Dodge Caliber, though it has 2 recalls for other components. 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 2010 Dodge Caliber electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
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.