The Used Car Index

2012 Dodge Caliber problems

NHTSA lists 49 complaints for the 2012 Dodge Caliber, 9 of them mention a crash and 3 mention a fire. 4 complaints mention an injury, with 6 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-07.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as DODGE CALIBER.

At a glance

Complaints
49
With crash
9
With fire
3
With injury (complaints)
4
Injuries
6
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
1,435,625
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
100

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS1734.7%
SEAT BELTS1326.5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL714.3%
STRUCTURE612.2%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM510.2%
ENGINE510.2%
POWER TRAIN510.2%
SUSPENSION510.2%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER510.2%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)36.1%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY5
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINEFUEL INJECTION SYSTEM1
STRUCTUREFRAME AND MEMBERS1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
restraint or airbag1742.5%0.90
electrical electronic512.5%0.84
loss of control410.0%0.95
mechanical failure410.0%0.83
structural or corrosion410.0%0.89
fire or overheating37.5%0.87
noise or comfort12.5%0.89
unclear12.5%0.97
visibility or lighting12.5%0.97
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate1537.5%0.83
low1332.5%0.72
high1025.0%0.87
critical25.0%0.81

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 40 tagged complaints of 49 complaints (81.6%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

1 recalls.

16V668000

Date: 2016-09-15. Systems: AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS.

Defect: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.

Consequence: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

1 investigations; 0 open.

PE19014

Opened: 2019-09-09. Closed: 2026-02-25.

Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small

Systems: SEATS.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

100 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT37
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM23
POWER TRAIN13
SEATS12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING10
STRUCTURE10
SUSPENSION10
VISIBILITY5

11034343

Date: 2026-06-18. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: ENGINE.

Emissions Recall U67 - Catalytic Converter Efficiency - Dealer Notification (Revision 11)

10244356

Date: 2023-09-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SUSPENSION.

LIFTER, Hydraulic Roller Deactivating Please do not replace MDS lifters because the disconnecting pin is not lined up, this is normal and not a defect.

10248517

Date: 2023-09-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

LIFTER, Hydraulic Roller Deactivating Please do not replace MDS lifters because the disconnecting pin is not lined up, this is normal and not a defect.

10244348

Date: 2023-09-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Connector kit Before ordering this connector repair kit 68018957A$, check it in the Mopar Connector Repair Kit Website to confirm part number and applicability. There is an error with the wiring diagrams in Service Library that is causing the incorrect repair kit part number to populate. Please use

10248509

Date: 2023-09-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Connector kit Before ordering this connector repair kit 68018957A$, check it in the Mopar Connector Repair Kit Website to confirm part number and applicability. There is an error with the wiring diagrams in Service Library that is causing the incorrect repair kit part number to populate. Please use

10242717

Date: 2023-07-27. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

Lubrication and Maintenance Fluids If MOPAR fluids and chemicals are not readily available, please review Service Library for specifications so a suitable alternative can be used

10236933

Date: 2023-04-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, EQUIPMENT.

wiTECH Small Leak Verification Test (SLVT) - P0456-EVAP SYSTEM SMALL LEAK

10231753

Date: 2023-01-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Emissions recal U67 Catalytic Converter Efficiency

10230438

Date: 2022-11-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Some of the above-involved vehicles may exceed NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen) emission level standards due to loss of catalytic converter efficiency

10229572

Date: 2022-08-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Approved Use of Weld Through Primers This bulletin documents the FCA US LLC position regarding the use of weld through primer when using Squeeze Type Resistance Spot Welding (STRSW) and Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) processes when welding steel body panels and structural components.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
CALIBER49

Same model, other years

All model years | All Dodge models

Other Dodge models, 2012

Sources

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