Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||
| PE07027 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 05/29/2007 | 08/02/2007 | ENGINE STALLING & ELECTRIC POWER LOSS | 07V291000 | |
| On july 3, 2007, daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) submitted a defect information report to nhtsa describing a defect that could result in engine stall while driving in approximately 80,894 model year (my) 2007 jeep wrangler and dodge nitro vehicles manufactured between january 30, 2006 and january 22, 2007 (nhtsa recall 07v-291, dcc recall g25).according to dcc, the totally integrated power module (tipm) in these vehicles was programmed with software that may allow the engine to stall under certain conditions.dcc will reprogram the tipm in the recalled vehicles with revised software. odi opened pe07-027 on may 29, 2007, based on 53 complaints alleging engine stall and/or loss of electrical power in my 2007 jeep wrangler vehicles.odi was also monitoring similar complaints in my 2007 dodge nitro vehicles.dcc's analysis of complaints to dcc and nhtsa found that many described events with a momentary loss of electrical power inside the vehicle and a corresponding loss of engine power.many of the reports also indicated that the instrument cluster telltale lamps momentarily illuminated during the event. dcc's engineering analysis determined that the tipm could initiate an internal reset cycle lasting approximately 75 ms in response to error messages on the communication bus.the key on signal from the tipm to the powertrain control module (pcm) is lost during a tipm reset.if the pcm loses the key on signal for longer than 40 ms, it interprets it as the vehicle ignition being turned off and begins a power down routine.after the tipm reset, the key on signal is restored and the pcm powers back up.if the rotating components of the engine contain sufficient inertia, the vehicle may restart with no input from the operator as reported in some of the complaints.if the engine does not restart in this manner, it can be restarted by the operator.a revision to the tipm software on january 22, 2007 changed the tipm reset time to 17 ms, removing the potential for pcm power down and engine stall. odi has received 178 complaints potentially related to the alleged defect in my 2007 jeep wrangler vehicles and 52 complaints involving my 2007 dodge nitro vehicles.two of the nitro complaints allege that a crash resulted from an engine stall incident, one of which caused minor injuries to a passenger.as of june 1, 2007, dcc identified 151 wrangler complaints and 128 nitro complaints. this investigation has been closed with dcc's recall. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 04/16/2012 | 125000 | ||
| Drivers door master automatic locks switch caught fire, there were no injuries to people. burned the door well, removed the switch afterwards and it still arcs when placed into the vehicle again. dodge notified and tech checked vehicle and filed a report on or about 4/19/2012. now having issues with dodge issuing a check to repair the damage to the vehicle. | |||
| 02/09/2012 | 63000 | ||
| The air conditioning system has stopped working. the compressor does not even come on. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 60000 | ||
| I am having multiple issues. the gas tank overflows every time i get gas, the air conditioner only cools while driving and sometimes produces heat instead, the locks do not work 4 out of 7 days a week, the tpm signal comes on every few days even though the tires are fine, and the windows do not work on occasion. although this appears to me there is an electrical and gas tank issue, there are not any recalls issued at this time. i have called the dealer several times and have been told that i will need to bring it by when things are not working in order for them to do any type of diagnostic testing. i consider both electrical and gas to be a safety issue and would like for someone to address this concern. in addition, but i am not sure if it is directly related to the electrical issue, both brake lights stopped working. | |||
| 02/14/2011 | |||
| I own a dodge nitro r/t 4x4 and since february 2011, the vehicle stalls and cuts off with no warning at all. this has happened many times, including on 09/16/11, when the vehicle cut off in the middle of the highway. this problem has become a nuisance and is beginning to be a grave danger. | |||
| 08/30/2011 | |||
| I own a 2007 dodge nitro for about two years. i park it in my driveway and for about two weeks every night, the alarm has been going off until i disarm it manually from my key fob. what is the problem? has there been a recall on this vehicle? | |||
| 12/15/2010 | |||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 dodge nitro 4x4. while stopped at a traffic light he engaged the accelerator and the vehicle stalled. he stated everything on the vehicle shut down. the failure had happen a total of four times to him and another driver of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they were unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was purchased used in november 2010. he called the manufacture and referenced recall 07v291000, electrical system and they were not aware of this recall. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 67,000. vwb | |||
| 12/03/2010 | |||
| Last friday evening i left downtown columbus headed north to the subarbs and i had been driving for appx 1 hr with temperatures around 35 degrees that evening. i parked my 2007 dodge nitro 4x4 in the residential driveway, locked it with the remote doorlock, and went inside. appx. 1 hr and 35 minutes later i went back outside to bring in several items from my truck and suddenly see the shocking situation unfolding before my eyes. in total disbelief, i realize that the entire inside of my truck is violently burning. the day before it caught on fire, strange things began to happen with the dash controls. warning lights started to come on and then go off, it got stuck in 4wd and would not go back to 2wd and overnite while it was sitting in the garage it turned on the brake lights by itself and they stayed on all nite until draining the battery. all of these strange occurrences are one thing but for the truck to be just parked in the driveway and spontaneously catch itself on fire is truely shocking. if it had been parked in the garage that evening it would have burned the house down as well. the truck was totally destroyed and all of it's contents. after the fire trucks put out the fire, the fire investigator explained to me how they determine the fires origin and the report states that the origin of the fire was in the steering column and dashboard area as a result of defective and/or malfunctioning vehicle wiring. i reported the fire to dodge and they asked that the vehicle not be moved and someone would respond in 2 days. it's a week since the fire now and no one has contacted me at all. i called dodge again and they said this time someone would respond in 2 - 5 days. it looks like a good attorney will be next weeks objective. | |||
| 02/08/2010 | 1 | ||
| Dear sir: since the past year 2009 i been back and forth with my nitro 2007, to the dealer because they failed to fix the gascap light and the check engine light on the dash. i have taken the car for three time and now it came up with the same thing again. its been just two months from the last time. this time would be the fourth ride to the dealer. i am wasting my time!! please check this out. i live in puerto rico and the dealer is the 65th inf. chrysler group in rio piedras pr. please help me. now my car just ran out of warranty. appreciate your business. *tr | |||
| 02/22/2009 | 26888 | 1 | |
| Loss of electrical while driving on highway. vehicle turned off then all instrument light turned on, and red lines through some. turned back on within after complete shut down. this has happen twice, since first initial time. brought into dealer and could not find any error codes. so problem was not fixed and still continues. *tr | |||
| 01/23/2009 | 25128 | 1 | |
| On four separate occasions my vehicle has shut off while driving at 55 or 65 miles per hour on a highway. all the lights in the dash come on and go out and the car coasts for a period of time and then the car kicks back on without warning. in one instance i was almost in an accident because i was going down a hill and could not stop because the vehicle shut down. i contacted the dealership and they could not duplicate the issue however they indicated that there was a recall on the brake system and they updated the computer. they indicated that this should stop the problem, but it did not. the problem still exist, in fact on friday, january 23, 2009 it happened again and my 2 year old was in the car and it was an experience i will not forget. the car completely shutdown while coming thru an intersection because the light was changing and i could not stop because there was no power fortunately the light was quick and the car's power came back on. i immediate contacted the dealership, since that time the car has been with the dealership because i refused to drive it because it is unsafe. meanwhile chrsyler's customer service has been rude and not willing to address the problem, the dealership cannot duplicate the problem and chrsyler cannot offer any response. *tr | |||
| 04/03/2008 | 2500 | 1 | |
| 2-3 times a week my car's electrical just shuts down while driving. a/c everything. it started with just the tpm gauge going off saying it was a flat but has now escalated to all the electrical in the car. i purchased this car in april 2008 even though it is an 2007 model , i have taken it about 3 times to the dealership, no one has been able to find the problem. i have had witnesses in the car when this has occurred. i am worried this could be a safety issue as it is a distraction and also i feel this could lead to the whole car shutting off. please help *tr | |||
| 03/15/2008 | 15303 | 2 | 10/13/2007 |
| My 2007 dodge nitro has had several electrical problems. the door locks are often inoperable, the windows go up and down when driving, the radio is often on when entering the vehicle, and the back gate periodically will not open. lastly, when driving at speeds up to 55 mph the engine cuts off creating a stall while in addition all electronic devices (hazards, locks, etc.) do not function at all. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2007 | 9400 | 2 | |
| While driving at 35mph headlights, dash, radio all died for 1 or 2 seconds. everything came back on and dash when through its start up cycle like when you 1st start up and all the dash lights come on. after that everything was normal. it was 11:45pm 29 deg outside and i had just went through a carwash. this is the 2nd time this happened, the 1st time was about 3 months ago and i thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. *cn | |||
| 12/05/2007 | 1 | 07/05/2007 | |
| Half dozen times the radio in my 2007 dodge nitro has been on well after the car has been off...after you open the door it stops...12/4/07 i was driving at 55mph and had the radio on, it shuts off and the dash lights all come on and i have to power to the vehicle...seconds....everything comes immediately back on. i called the dealership bcp of smyrna in smyrna de and told them about what had happened. you can tell that they were not believing me. i made an appointment for them to check it and also repair the recall for the abs system. i called the next day and said they were trying to recreate the events! what? they said nothing was happening to the vehicle and no codes showed up. they told me the next time it happens do not restart the nitro ( i told them i didn't restart it, it came back under power without me) so they said when it does occur again pull over and call them....well if i am doing 65mph on the highway and get re ended i give them a call from the hospital. since then i looked up on the internet that the nitro has had a recall about the electrical system...the car dealer said that only one recall has taken place for the 07 nitro. how do i find out if my model is affected with the recall...it seems very coincidental that i had a similar mishap. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 6700 | 4 | 03/15/2007 |
| I have had a continuous problems with stalling, transmission, and braking with my new vehicle! the dealer did the recalls the reprogramming for all compontents and even replaced a kinked fuel line and they did not document that they replaced it, they told me that it wasn't available from dodge so they said they pulled it off one on the lot! the transmission slips, chugs, chatters, shudders,everything that a transmission is not susposto do! so they replaced the torque converter,i got it back and after about 20 minutes of driving the same problems started again just not as bad, each time i drive it it gets worst just not as frequent,now with the brakes, the esp/bas light comes on, when its on the brakes are real touchy like sudden stopping ,and lunging you forward, the dealer cut the rotors for a pulsation but did nothing about the light coming on! i guess if the computer doesn't say there is something wrong then nothing is, a computer is only as smart as who programmed it! there are many other problems, its been in the dealer 3 times for a total of ten days so far mainly the same three components well i have to take it back again because there is still something wrong with it, and now the engine has a loud tick, and a hissing sound along with the same concerns as before. *tr | |||
| 07/25/2007 | 32050 | 3 | 05/01/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 dodge nitro 4x4. when accelerating or decelerating at 20 mph or less, the lights on the dashboard flashed on and off and the vehicle stalled in the middle of the intersection. the contact and another driver pushed the vehicle off the road. the dealer stated that he would need to pay a deductible and use the warranty because his vehicle was not included in a recall. however, the vehicle is experiencing the same failure as noted in recall number 07v291000 (electrical system). the current mileage was 32,092 and failure mileage was 32,050. | |||
| 03/14/2007 | 1801 | 5 | 01/24/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 dodge nitro 4x4. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have the electronic stability program (esp) light repaired. while driving 55 mph in dry conditions, all of the warning lights on the instrument panel illuminated, blinked, and then the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealer on march 14, 2007 and they replaced the pdc sensor. approximately a week later, the vehicle stalled again. the vehicle returned to the dealer on april 6, 2007 and they cleared all of the error codes. on may 4, 2007, the vehicle stalled again while driving 55 mph in normal conditions. the instrument panel lights illuminated before the vehicle stalled. the failure occurred two more times under the same conditions. the current mileage was 8,700 and failure mileage was 1,801. | |||
| 07/11/2007 | 10000 | 8 | 11/20/2006 |
| I bought the 2007 dodge nitro in november 2006. i had several problems with this car. brakes made a horrible squeaking noise, passenger window rolled down, but not up intermittently, very cheap interior, these were all small problems . but, 8 times now have been driving at various speeds between 30 and 70 mph and the vehicle had shut off with no warning. the vehicle coasted some where between 10 and 30 seconds and then came back on. while the vehicle was off electrical system shut off, including the power steering. the first time i took to dealer, they said there was a recall just that day so they apparently performed the recall repairs and gave the car back. a few days later this happened again, and they wouldn't even give the car back to us because they considered it unsafe to drive. this happened probably three times. the beginning of july when it happened again they miraculously that morning received another recall on the vehicle. i guess the first one didn't work so they kept the car for a week supposedly fixed it and 5 days later it happened again. my husband drove it to the dealer ,and the service representative knew of us by first name at this point. saw him driving in and ran to the vehicle telling my husband that there was now a recall on the last recall!!! i have two children, the youngest being 16 months. and the oldest twelve. i didn't feel safe driving this car alone let alone with my children. the service manager told my husband today that we should contact chrysler to begin the buy back procedure. i did contact them ,and they could take all information over the phone and start the review process. i would encourage everyone experiencing the same problems to contact chrysler and make them accountable. don't let you or your children lives become endangered. if this problem continued someone will end losing his life. *ak | |||
| 06/30/2007 | 5950 | 2 | |
| Vehicle stalled, all dash lights come on and all power shuts down for a short time. *ak | |||
| 02/20/2007 | 1500 | 2 | 12/23/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 dodge nitro 4x4. while driving 50 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. the vehicle lost all power. the vehicle coasted for a few seconds and then restarted automatically. the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. the current mileage is 5,300 and failure mileage was 1,500. | |||
| 06/16/2007 | 5500 | 2 | 02/09/2007 |
| While driving esp/bas lights come on and stayed on. after 3-4 key cycles it may go out. dealer replaced sensor once before, but continued to come on, it did not store any codes. this part was replaced on 3/15/07. dealer stated that not was found. *ak | |||
| 06/16/2007 | 5500 | 2 | 02/09/2007 |
| Car dies while driving, all lights on dash board came on, lost all power, and the within about 10 seconds it starts back on its own. . dealer said they could not duplicate the stalling issue, this was a serious problem, when kids were e in an automobile that you don't know when it was going to lose power, it is an accident waiting to happen. twice it stalled, and luckily my kids weren't with me. please advise. something needs to be done. before someone get seriously hurt. *ak | |||
| 05/22/2007 | 5000 | 2 | 01/01/2007 |
| Complaint concerns engine stalls. dodge nitro (07) purchased in january 1. 2007. under 5000 miles on car: in march while driving a t 65 mph vehicle stalled. dash lights turned on, car coasted, then restarted on its own after 2-3 seconds. scared the daylights out of me. driving conditions, wet, mid-40s, night. notified dealer, but unable to schedule due to upcoming 3-week vacation. second instance may 21, driving 65, felt a 'clung' car stalled, coasted to count of 3-4 seconds, then car re-started. dealer notified immediately, also that car was shifting rough and clunky. may 24, dealer checked for tech bulletins, wiped out transmission module programming and re-programmed. don't know if this is fixed...sometimes still shifts hard, and there was some time between first two engine failures. have had other little glitches like one car door lock does not work with key fob. i am weary of this happening again and me being in an accident because of it...god help everyone at that point. chrysler needs to take the initiative and get this done immediately. or recall car. *ak | |||
| 06/12/2007 | 2 | ||
| 2007 dodge nitro slt. while driving the vehicle on two separate occasions the second incident just yesterday, it momentarily stalled, but almost immediately started back up. all dash lights and radio shut off, then came back on when vehicle started back up. many people were experiencing this problem, and given the right conditions, could have deadly consequences. i haven't had any close calls) when this happened, i didn't to wait around to find out what could happen. dodge/chrysler needed do something about this before someone died. *ak | |||
| 05/13/2007 | 6080 | 2 | 12/21/2006 |
| Car stalls all electrical shuts off then restarts after 1 min.has done this 2 times so far | |||
| 05/23/2007 | 9800 | 2 | 11/06/2006 |
| I have had my new 07 dodge nitro completely die on me twice now for no reason at all. once while in a parking lot and once while traveling on the interstate. all lights and power ceased and all gauges went to 0. this is a major concern for me. i travel with my child and his and my safety seem to be in serious danger with this vehicle. i have spoken with 3 dodge dealers and went in to have my car checked over already and no one seems to know what the problem is? i fell there is something wrong with me making a $450 a month payment for a vehicle that i cant depend on. | |||
| 01/16/2007 | 70 | 5 | 01/15/2007 |
| 2007 dodge nitro sxt 4x4. purchased in january 7, 2007 first week of purchasing the vehicle it was in the shop 3 times, check engine light would come on and stay on. cpu had to be replaced and updated with new soft ware. april 8 2007, driving at the speed of 75 mph, at night, car lights, engine all quit, came back on seconds later panel lights stayed on for 2 minutes after, 2 lights stay on after that for a couple of more minutes. may 13 2007, driving 15 mph car spatters then shuts off, powered it self back up and panel lights stay ed on 1 minute go off but 2 again are still lit goes off after 1-2 minutes. *ak | |||
| 05/08/2007 | 5100 | 1 | 12/27/2006 |
| While driving at 30 mph the 2007 dodge nitro 4x4 stalled as i was entering a right hand curve. the electrical system and power to the vehicle turned off without any warning and i could not turn the steering wheel to avoid an embankment. the vehicle came to rest on its left side as it rolled off the embankment. this resulted in substantial cosmetic and undercarriage damage. both ceiling/ curtain airbags deployed. police and ambulance arrived on scene , and the vehicle was towed to the nearest shop. the nitro stalled a couple of instances before this crash and was brought to the attention and serviced by the local dealer that it was purchased from.*ak | |||
| 04/08/2007 | 11500 | 3 | 11/23/2006 |
| Over the last month i have experienced several problems with my dodge nitro slt. the most serious was it shutting off while driving down the interstate. two less serious issues was the driver's window often stalling and a tsm alert sounds. i have had it in the dealership twice and i still have problems with the same issues.*ak | |||
| 04/05/2007 | 4 | ||
| Well i bought my 2007 dodge nitro in jan.07 and after 1 month i encountered stalling problems, all of a sudden you will be driving at speeds of 60 mph or less and the engine would stale out and all lights come on then the car might continue on or you have to restart it. the problem is i almost got t-boned in an intersection which could of killed me something needs to be done. *jb | |||
| 01/24/2007 | 2400 | 2 | 11/28/2006 |
| Driving at 65 mph on major highway, car stalled, all dash lights came on, car restarted. yesterday this happened again, this time tractor-trailer bearing down on my husband, he tried for the shoulder, hit some debris there, broke the front fascia, car restarted. many occurrences listed on www.nitroforumz.com from many dodge nitro owners around country and in canada. please investigate this potentially dangerous, life-threatening flaw in the 2007 dodge nitro. *jb | |||
| 02/22/2007 | 1950 | 1 | 12/15/2006 |
| I own a 07 dodge nitro build date 11/06. i was going down the road and the engine and electronics shut down for 1-2 sec. and then started back up again. *nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 6700 | 4 | 03/15/2007 |
| I have had a continuous problems with stalling, transmission, and braking with my new vehicle! the dealer did the recalls the reprogramming for all compontents and even replaced a kinked fuel line and they did not document that they replaced it, they told me that it wasn't available from dodge so they said they pulled it off one on the lot! the transmission slips, chugs, chatters, shudders,everything that a transmission is not susposto do! so they replaced the torque converter,i got it back and after about 20 minutes of driving the same problems started again just not as bad, each time i drive it it gets worst just not as frequent,now with the brakes, the esp/bas light comes on, when its on the brakes are real touchy like sudden stopping ,and lunging you forward, the dealer cut the rotors for a pulsation but did nothing about the light coming on! i guess if the computer doesn't say there is something wrong then nothing is, a computer is only as smart as who programmed it! there are many other problems, its been in the dealer 3 times for a total of ten days so far mainly the same three components well i have to take it back again because there is still something wrong with it, and now the engine has a loud tick, and a hissing sound along with the same concerns as before. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 07/26/2007 | 113 | 8 | 06/14/2007 |
| For 4 months since purchase of this vehicle 2007 dodge nitro it has been in the shop 8 times for issues such as; gas tank loose, stalling, lack of power, esp/bas lights malfunctioning, transmission mis-shifting, air bag malfunctioning. the dealer keep saying they are running updates but the problem still occurs. i am fearful of what could happen to me and my children while driving this vehicle and it malfunctions again. *tr | |||