2011 Dodge Nitro Visibility Problems

Airbags: This vehicle has had a recall for a "Ram" emblem being placed over the airbag such that it becomes a projectile in an airbag depleyment. Dodge makes it very difficult to avail of getting it removed. I am not close to the dealership, I am very busy and somewhat disabled. Since the first notice arrived in the mail-- maybe three years ago-- I have returned the notices with a request for them to send a tech to my home and make the repair. I see there has been at least one death due to this obvious flaw, butthey have not cared enough to answer. Why should I take a day so that they can fix this deadly "extra feature" of shrapnel being placed over an explosive? Electrical: This is a serious safety issue that Dodge will not recognize or even discuss. Getting the window back up is a matter of finessing the "up" switch every which way, multiple attempts required (switch has now fallen out). Very distracting, after going through a toll booth after dark and 15 degrees. You can't stop and F with it, you have to do it on the move. It can take as long as five minutes to get it back up (Window now completely disabled). They will do anything to save seventeen cents per car, who cares if it makes it unsafe for the owner. Not Dodge! I wrote to Dodge (no reply), then the MI Attorney General about this, they responded "We have written to this manufacturer twice and have not received a response". Dodge takes no responsibility for their shoddy work. We pay, we die, they keep doing what they do. It disappoints that even the AG's "Consumer Protection Division" has no teeth. Visibility: It would be interesting to learn how many pedestrians have been hit with this particular model. With all the safety regs out there, it's amazing that a design that blocks visibility gets a pass. Unfortunately it is not the kind of thing you can discover in a test drive, but - crosswalks and four-way stops in particular are dangerous. You can hide a Ryder truck behind these A pillars.

NHTSA ID

11501240

Incident

Jan 28, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE NITRO. AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ERRONEOUSLY ACTIVATED. DURING THE FAILURE, THE TURN SIGNALS BECAME INOPERABLE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES WAS NOT DETERMINED. FREEDOM DODGE (815 EAST CAMP WISDOM RD, DUNCANVILLE, TX) AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

NHTSA ID

11265611

Incident

Sep 1, 2019

Mileage

90,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE NITRO. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE HORN INDEPENDENTLY ENGAGED. ALSO, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED TO DEACTIVATE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MAC HAIK DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM (11000 NORTH FREEWAY, HOUSTON, TX 77037, (281) 447-9500), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE PRESSURE PLATE IN THE AIR BAG AREA WAS CAUSING THE FAILURE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 230,000.

NHTSA ID

11118520

Incident

Dec 21, 2016

Mileage

230,000 mi

WIPERS STOPPED WORKING 12/20/16. DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS THE WIPER MOTOR AND IT WAS $300.00 TO REPAIR. WHEN THE WIPER MOTOR REPLACEMENT DIDN'T WORK WE WERE TOLD IT WAS THE TIPM AND NO RECALLS HOWEVER PREVIOUS YEARS PRIOR THERE WHERE RECALLS. THE TIPM IS GOING TO COST $936.00 PLUS THE REPAIR COST LOOKING AT ROUGH ESTIMATE OF $1,500. IT'S FORTUNATE I WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY AND NOT DRIVING IN A RAIN OR SNOW STORM. I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT A VEHICLE FOR A WEEK, A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE GETTING BACK AND FORTH TO WORK. NOT SURE HOW AN INVESTIGATION WAS CLOSED AND DENIED THAT THERE WERE ANY SAFETY ISSUES WITH THE TIPM ON THE 2011 MODEL. I HAVE READ MANY COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE TIPM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10937687

Incident

Dec 20, 2016

Mileage

63,000 mi

MY 2011 DODGE SEEMS TO HAVE AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. I AM UNABLE TO USE THE DEFROST, OR AIR. EACH TIME I TURN IT ON THE ENGINE BEGINS TO RUN HOT. ALSO MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS TURN ON WHEN I START MY ENGINE, BUT THEY WERE NOT ENGAGED. THIS HAPPENS WEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED ON AND STATIONARY AS WELL AS WHEN IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID

10936569

Incident

Dec 20, 2016

Mileage

63,000 mi

SINCE LAST WEEK, RANDOMLY WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION OR SITTING AT IDLE, IT WILL CHIME WITH A WARNING. ALL MY WARNING LIGHTS FLASH, ALL MY GAUGES STOP WORKING EXCEPT VEHICLE TEMP, MY ODOMETER READS "NO BUS". THE WIPERS BEGIN TO GO CRAZY ON THEIR OWN AND I LOSE OPERATION OF MY BLINKERS AND HIGH BEAMS AS WELL AS FOG LIGHTS AND CONTROL OF WIPERS. MAIN HEADLIGHTS JUST STAY ON. THE VEHICLE STILL RUNS AND DRIVES BUT THE GAUGES JUST SOUND LIKE EVERYTHING IS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO RESET. THIS LASTS ANYWHERE FROM A MINUTE TO 20 MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WILL GO BACK TO NORMAL AND THEN RANDOMLY IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I DROVE FROM CHARLESTON WV TO LA PLATA MD AND THIS INSTANCE OCCURRED 9 TIMES IN THAT 6 HOUR DRIVE. IT WAS COMPLETELY RANDOM AND LASTED RANDOM AMOUNTS OF TIME. NO BUMPS OR TURNS TRIGGERED IT. IT DIDN'T FAVOR HAPPENING GOING UP OR DOWN MOUNTAINS, JUST WHENEVER IT DECIDED TO GLITCH OUT. SO AT ANY GIVEN POINT DURING MY DRIVE, I'D LOSE CAPABILITIES TO USE MY BLINKERS AND HIGH BEAMS, LET ALONE KNOW HOW FAST I WAS GOING AND HOW MUCH FUEL I HAD LEFT....IT WAS VERY NERVE-WRACKING. FROM MY RESEARCH WITH THESE SYMPTOMS, IT POINTS TO THE TIPM. THIS CONCERNS ME AS MULTIPLE OTHER CHRYSLER, JEEP AND DODGE VEHICLES HAVE HAD RECALLS ON THE TIPM FOR THIS AND FUEL PUMP RELAY ISSUES. BUT MY VEHICLE WASN'T LISTED. I FEEL LOSS OF BLINKERS, SPEED AND FUEL GAUGES, AND PROPER USE OF MY HIGH BEAMS/FOG LIGHTS AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. IF I CAN BE PULLED OVER NOT USING A BLINKER BUT CANNOT USE IT DUE TO THIS ISSUE AT RANDOM TIMES...THAT SHOULD DRIVE A SAFETY RECALL.

NHTSA ID

10916425

Incident

Oct 14, 2016

Mileage

92,000 mi

THE WIND SHIELD WIPERS COME ON AND WONT TURN OFF AND NONE OF THE LIGHTING CONTROLS WORK , HIGH BEAM, ON /OFF, DASH CONTROLS... THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY.

NHTSA ID

10864576

Incident

May 12, 2016

Mileage

1 mi

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK ERRATIC. THEY WILL NOT SHUT OFF OR WILL NOT TURN ON AT TIMES. WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE WIPERS MAY JUST START WORKING WITHOUT BEING TURNED ON. ALSO WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND IT STARTS TO RAIN THE WIPERS MAY NOT TURN ON AT TIMES.

NHTSA ID

10838839

Incident

Feb 27, 2016

Mileage

40,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE NITRO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN PARK, THE AIR CONDITIONER AND HEATER WERE ACTIVATED BUT FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BLOWER MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000.

NHTSA ID

10786747

Incident

Oct 27, 2015

Mileage

12,000 mi

THE HORN SOUNDS UNEXPECTEDLY AND USUALLY WHEN PARKED OR MOVING SLOWLY THRU PARKING AREAS. NOT ONLY DOES THIS STARTLE THE DRIVER, PEDESTRIANS COULD ATTEMPT TO MOVE AWAY BUT INTO THE VEHICLES PATH. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN INCIDENTS OF THE FRONT DOOR WINDOWS ROLLING DOWN AND THE MOONROOF OPENING AFTER THE VEHILCE HAS BEEN PARKED AND SECURED. THIS PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD TO MY WIFE WHO COMMUTES TO WORK AND RELIES ON HER VEHICLE BEENING SECURE WHEN SHE LEAVES AFTER DARK. NOT TO MENTION THE RISK OF BAD WEATHER. THESE ISSUES HAVE OCCURED AT SEVERAL RANDOM INTERVALS AND INTERNET FORUMS DISCUSS THE SAME AND SIMILAR OCCURENCES. THE DATE REFERENCED IS THE MOST CURRENT HORN INCIDENCE HOWEVER MY WIFE CAN'T CHASE DOWN A HORN CIRCUIT TO DISABLE IT AND THE HORN IS A REQUIRED SAFETY DEVICE.

NHTSA ID

10762758

Incident

Sep 9, 2015

Mileage

68,370 mi

WE WERE ON VACATION IN ST AUGUSTINE FL IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION GETTING READY TO TURN AND THE ENGINE JUST COMPLETELY SHUT OFF FOR NO REASON AT ALL , THANK GOODNESS IT WAS AROUND 11:00 AT NIGHT AND THERE WASN'T MUCH TRAFFIC BECAUSE WE HAD A SEMI TRUCK COMING AT US , LUCKILY IT STARTED RIGHT BACK UP AND WE GOT OUT OF THE WAY BECAUSE IT COULD HAVE BEEN A HORRIFIC ACCIDENT ! THIS VEHICLE ALSO SPUTTERS FROM TIME TO TIME LIKE THE ENGINE IS GOING TO DIE AND ALSO THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON BY THEM SELVES FOR NO REASON ! UPDATED 09/15/15*LJ *CN

NHTSA ID

10745840

Incident

Jul 28, 2015

Mileage

88,000 mi

THE CAR START, WINDSHEILD WIPERS COME ON BY THEMSELF AND VEHICLE WILL NOT GO IN GEAR. HAVE TO REMOVE THE BATTERY CABLE FOR CAR TO GO INTO GEAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10682809

Incident

Dec 8, 2014

Mileage

50,255 mi