Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Dodge Caliber owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
New parts , problems still exist. New battery being drained and/shorting out. Negative terminal is getting hot. Has burned up 2 new altinators! Battery light comes on shortly after new battery installed. New alternators and batteries are being ruined. Prior to all this car would stall in traffic. This car is unsafe! Also can smell something burning under the hood Even when ignition is off. I have disconnected the battery in fear of this car catching fire. Faulty ticm? I'm at wits end! Money pit! Should have a recall. All ground connections are good and both battery terminals have been replaced. Nothing I have done has solved the problem.
On multiple occasions vehicle completely shuts down and locks up when slowing down and turning. Almost rear-ended and then t-boned in middle of intersection. Takes several minutes to restart and unlock steering wheel then drives fine.
** From Dealer - diagnosis says - Primary Line B: D1 C/S Multiple warning lights came on in dash (like a X-mas tree) and vehicle will not want to drive after that. C/S has to turn off and turn back on to get to move. C/A TIPM - Total integrated power module - verified customer concern found vehicle with loss of comm dts with tipm no vin mis match dtc present and more than one module aginst tipm recommend replacement of tipm and retesting at this time. The TIPM module controls most if not all of the body functions of the car or truck. Everything from wipers and headlights, starting system and so on. It accepts signals from many diff switches and modules in the car and translates them to the connected systems. $2128.00 is total cost of repair at Dodge Lithia - this should be a recall. There are only about 63,000 miles on her vehicle. …
Driving home from work around 8:15 pm. On Wednesday, February 12th, 2014. I was making a left hand turn onto one of the streets the leads me to my home as I always do. As I am making the left turn I felt my steering wheel losing control as I am turning and the car shifting to the left of the road onto on coming traffic. In order to prevent the car from going into the on coming traffic I tried to turn the steering wheel of the car to my right and I can see on my dash board of the car that my skid light was blinking on and off trying to stabilize the car but no success at this time I am not getting much cooperation from my steering wheel and to avoid the parked cars on my right as I am pressing the break the car or right wheel of the car made a hard impact with the curb of the side walk. …
1. Ignition switch slips and shuts car off when turning or with slightest touch such as momentum made when turning by attached keys or light knee tap. Occurs on any highway design that with a maneuver causes force on switch. Loss of control on highways occurs when car then shuts off. Has happened since purchase. For example: with a lanyard and additional keys, when taking an exit off a highway with a loop the- car shuts off suddenly and slows without control of steering and full brake power. (45 MPH on highway-30 MPH off-ramp loop) second example: bumped the attached keys with knee (while going over speed bump) and car shut off. (25 MPH- 15 MPH) [speed bump and knee causes] worst occurrence of this issue occurred at 55 MPH with a slight knee tap to keys on a high way. Being a stick shift model-could restart in motion without having to come to a complete stop. …
Intermittent recurring electrical outage while driving. All chimes will sound and all dash lights will come on. The power is lost, a dash lights flash and turn off and we loose the instruments (speedometer, RPM, etc....). Experience lose of power can barely get it pulled over safely. Air bag light comes on and seat belt does not lock. Dealership can not repair even with having it for 42 days time before last. Have only been able to drive 334 miles since dealership delivered car to me when they drove 170 miles and could not get it to reoccur in August 2015. I'm afraid to even drive it to dealership. Total miles put on car since purchase June 2013 is 11394. Current mileage 38234
I was driving on the highway between 50-60 MPH and my car suddenly lost power. 2 warning lights came on the dash and I pressed the gas pedal to the floor and still my car would not accelerate. The air conditioning stopped working and again I could not increase my speed. I pulled over and put on my emergency flashers. Reviewed my manual and was able to read about the warning signs. I turned off my car and started it back up and I was able to make it home safely. Very scary drive! I had my 2 grandchildren in the car too. I have now read about many instances of this happening. I May try my dealer but I don't know if I will keep this car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power while driving approximately 15 MPH. The check engine and throttle body control warning indicators illuminated. The contact pulled over and manually restarted the vehicle. The failure recurred after 3 1/2 hours while driving approximately 55 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic where the failure could not replicate the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 60,200. The VIN was not provided.
Car shuts off while driving check engine light comes on car will bot drive ofer 20 MPH. It is very dangerous to just shut down. Seen many issues with the dame thing and it is being said it is TIPM. They dealer has said they go bad repeatedly due to corrosion because of a bad design. It is crazy having to pay 2000+ dollars to replace the same part multiple times to be just shut down in the middle of a road or interstate while driving. Has happened 5 times so dat.
Headlights have been an issue with this vehicle. Example: low beam goes out ( thought to be normal conditions). Replaced properly and worked for a while, but not long after harness melts. Harness is then repaired and works for a while again before developing issues high beams. Harness repair does not solve the problem. TIPM May be faulty in design and causing issues with what will work in the case of headlights which is a safety concern.
Electrical complaints in other Caliber years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2011 Dodge Caliber?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the electrical system of the 2011 Dodge Caliber, 15% of the model year's 165 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Dodge Caliber electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2011 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 2011 Dodge Caliber electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 39,000 miles, and 41% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to electrical system 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.