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Car Just Died.

TehFalcon

TehFalcon

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 6, 2011
1,150
1,117
United States
I own a 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT (2.0L i4), just tonight after moving it, the car no longer starts, cranks but no turning over.

Headlight on the Driver side has been out for almost a year, even after replacing the bulb, and the car always bucks when driving it.


After some research, looks like a bad throttle body, and outdated software.

>.>

I'll give updates I guess, really bummed out.
 
WAM2 said:
I own a 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT (2.0L i4), just tonight after moving it, the car no longer starts, cranks but no turning over.

Headlight on the Driver side has been out for almost a year, even after replacing the bulb, and the car always bucks when driving it.


After some research, looks like a bad throttle body, and outdated software.

>.>

I'll give updates I guess, really bummed out.
Click to expand...

A 2007 car? That's pathetic. I drive a 2001 MB C-Class and that thing is still going strong. I know, I know every model/make can have lemons, but still....
 
HitchHykr said:
A 2007 car? That's pathetic. I drive a 2001 MB C-Class and that thing is still going strong. I know, I know every model/make can have lemons, but still....
Click to expand...

Daimler raped Chrysler.....

It's a shame, but I won't touch a Chrysler product right now for multiple reasons. We have had a few products and parts liked breaking. Plus, with a lot of their products still based off the Daimler days( the Grand Cherokee shares a lot of parts with the ML) it will be expensive to maintain due parts sharing with the Mercedes counterpart....
 
Did you take it into a mechanic or are you just calling it hosed for good?

quagmire said:
daimler raped chrysler.....

It's a shame, but i won't touch a chrysler product right now for multiple reasons. We have had a few products and parts liked breaking. Plus, with a lot of their products still based off the daimler days( the grand cherokee shares a lot of parts with the ml) it will be expensive to maintain due parts sharing with the mercedes counterpart....
Click to expand...

ml?
 
GoCubsGo said:
ml?
Click to expand...

The Mercedes ML350....

2010-Mercedes-Benz-M-Class-ML350-3.jpg
 
WAM2 said:
I own a 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT (2.0L i4), just tonight after moving it, the car no longer starts, cranks but no turning over.

Headlight on the Driver side has been out for almost a year, even after replacing the bulb, and the car always bucks when driving it.


After some research, looks like a bad throttle body, and outdated software.

>.>

I'll give updates I guess, really bummed out.
Click to expand...

So, let me get this straight...

You have been driving a car around for a year that you know has issues.

Why not take it to get looked at as soon as you could have when it started developing these issues?

You do regular maintenance on a car for a reason and don't wait until the last minute or things could get way worse. I drive around a 98 Chevy S10. It is going strong and I have not done a whole lot to it to keep it running. Being an older vehicle it does have its issues, don't get me wrong. Case in point, i noticed my coolant becoming cloudy. Turned out there was a head gasket leak. It was not a cheap fix but the point was I did not continue to drive the vehicle around for a year before having the work done that needed to be done.
 
That is pretty bad for a 2007 car, but have you had it looked at? It's most likely a pretty easy fix. The headlight could just be some wiring, or a fuse.

Chrysler deserved everything it got after the Daimler merger/split. Daimler product quality went down 100% and didn't recover until after the split. It's the lesson that American car companies learned the hard way in 2007-2008 - if you make a crappy product people are going to stop buying it.
 
That's too bad to hear.

I agree about taking the car into the workshop when problems develop ASAP. For example, our starter was dying and we were warned about it but ignored it.
Well it died one day and we had to pay $50 (flat rate) to get it towed half a mile.
 
filmbuff said:
That is pretty bad for a 2007 car, but have you had it looked at? It's most likely a pretty easy fix. The headlight could just be some wiring, or a fuse.

Chrysler deserved everything it got after the Daimler merger/split. Daimler product quality went down 100% and didn't recover until after the split. It's the lesson that American car companies learned the hard way in 2007-2008 - if you make a crappy product people are going to stop buying it.
Click to expand...

It is quite the opposite actually. Mercedes when this "merger" happened was struggling. Chrysler was doing quite well at the time. Daimler wanted funds to help fix Mercedes. Daimler approached Chrysler.... It was called a merger, but it was Daimler just trying get to Chrysler's money. The German engineers refused to work with the American engineers when Chrysler got old Mercedes platforms( Crossfire and 300). Then Daimler didn't give Chrysler money hence why we got crap like the Caliber.

It was a one way street. Hence why I said earlier, Daimler raped Chrysler. They got what they wanted( money to fix Mercedes) and let Chrysler rot on the vine.
 
How does it crank but not turn over?

It cranks but does not fire?

The starter tries to engage but engine is seized? (let's hope not)

Starter spins, but engine is not turning with it? (starter solenoid / drive)

Headlights halogen, or HID? If it's halogen - it won't take much to resolve it. Find a mechanically / electrically inclined individual and offer them 6-12 beers, and you will get a working headlamp.

Have you browsed any Chrysler / Caliber forums - they might know something super simple and cheap that will fix things up.

Edit: What do you mean by moving it? Was it stored for a while, or towed? Does it have any type of immobilizer system that got triggered? I've seen a defective / sensitive fuel cut-off switch (supposed to shut off the fuel pump in the event of a car accident) - get triggered by someone slamming the passenger door. Car would not start, just cranked. Got it in my head to check the kick panel - and there it was. Pressed "reset" and that was that. Anyone / anything violent with the body of your vehicle recently?
 
Big-TDI-Guy said:
How does it crank but not turn over?

It cranks but does not fire?

The starter tries to engage but engine is seized? (let's hope not)

Starter spins, but engine is not turning with it? (starter solenoid / drive)

Headlights halogen, or HID? If it's halogen - it won't take much to resolve it. Find a mechanically / electrically inclined individual and offer them 6-12 beers, and you will get a working headlamp.

Have you browsed any Chrysler / Caliber forums - they might know something super simple and cheap that will fix things up.

Edit: What do you mean by moving it? Was it stored for a while, or towed? Does it have any type of immobilizer system that got triggered? I've seen a defective / sensitive fuel cut-off switch (supposed to shut off the fuel pump in the event of a car accident) - get triggered by someone slamming the passenger door. Car would not start, just cranked. Got it in my head to check the kick panel - and there it was. Pressed "reset" and that was that. Anyone / anything violent with the body of your vehicle recently?
Click to expand...

Yeah the starter spins, but the engine is not turning with it.

Headlights are HID. Looked everywhere online, all point to the same thing.

I actually got it to start today, but its really buggy. You can't turn the key fast and start it, you have to slow down, and the car runs still for about 5 seconds after the key is out. Car locks do not work but to unlock, no lock.
 
The multitude of your problems - but all seem electrical. You could have a bad HID ballast / igniter, and a bad ignition switch, and a bad starter solenoid, and a bad convenience / door lock controller...

But you could also have a really FUBAR power distribution block feed line, or intermittent / poor ground somewhere - and it could also cause several problems - seemingly unrelated.

And it's "dieseling" after you take the key out of the ignition? Or just running?

This car is really a 2007? Has it ever been under water / on fire / stolen or in a major accident? Not doubting you - but that's an insane level of fail for an 07. :eek:
 
people keep bagging on chrysler but its obvious the owner doesnt give a crap and has neglected it.
 
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