Skip to content
Electrical systemPart report

2012 Dodge Caliber Electrical system Problems

Complaints
5about this part
Share
10%of 49 total for the year
Median mileage
61,074miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the electrical system of the 2012 Dodge Caliber, 10% of the 49 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 61,074 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The left tail light fixture has accumulated approximately 7.25 inches of water/moisture in side of it. The right tail light fixture has accumulated approximately 2.75 inches of water/moisture in side of it. The left running, brake and turning signal lights are still functioning properly, but the reverse light (the only one completely covered with water/moisture) does not. The right running, brake, reverse and turning signal lights are still functioning properly (none are covered by water.”

NHTSA complaint #10731519, filed 2015-07, 30,147 miles

“I recently only had my 2012 dodge caliber for a year now and out of that year it’s been giving me problems since I had it! The car had completely shut down on me for weeks while I was in the process of burying my father in law who gave me Covid after he passed. Weeks later we ended up figuring out what the issue was which was the tipm. I remember having to tap the battery with a wire for it to start and it didn’t matter what the weather looked like. …”

NHTSA complaint #11490374, filed 2022-10

“I recently brought a used vehicle, when I took it for a test drive everything ran smoothly and things were working just fine, no problems. I drove the car home and when I got out the vehicle and tried to use the keypad to lock the doors, it didn't work and actually started the car than the alarm went off. I had to start the engine and shut it back off and manually go and lock all doors because I also noticed the lock door button on the door did not work but the window buttons does. I immediately called them and informed them of the issue that I was experiencing. …”

NHTSA complaint #11324810, filed 2020-05

“There is currently a recall on the vehicle potential loss of air bag and seat belt pretensioners deployment during a crash due to a shorting condition. It has been since september 2016 since we received this recall notice and there is still no resolution. There are other issues as well regarding our electrical system in our vehicle. The wiring system for our lights has gone bad and have been recommended to replace the wiring. This vehicle has issues that need resolving and I believe over 6 months of waiting on a fix to the air bag/seat belt recall has been way too long. …”

NHTSA complaint #11001332, filed 2017-06

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2012510%
20112415%
20103220%
20092310%
20085816%
200719722%

Other parts of the 2012 Dodge Caliber

Air bags
17 complaintsSeat belts
13 complaintsVehicle speed control
7 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsEngine
5 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsSuspension
5 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
5 complaintsElectronic stability control
3 complaintsExterior lighting
2 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsSteering
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2012 Dodge Caliber

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology