KnownCarProblems2010 Dodge Nitro Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 78 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Dodge Nitro, most often about the electrical (33% of complaints, typically around 81,000 miles). It is 4th of 7 Nitro model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2010 Dodge Nitro problems
Electrical
26 complaints · 33%Half of these problems showed up before 81,000 miles. Parts named most often: horn, wiring.
Headlights come and go car dies and can not steer in rain wipers quit working the tpim module is going out chrysler has been in a class action suit for this and is claiming they are not responsible but the problem is so bad that the tpim module is on national back order 2 to 3 months to receive the new module plus…
Door locks failed to lock and unlock. Keyless entry sends signals succeccfully, lights and horn all flash, but doors wont open;even from the door panel in the car. Found faulty fuse (m38) in tipm (fuse box). Once changed the rear window wiper turned on and would not turn off. I paid an auto tech who took control over…
Fuel system
13 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 57,000 miles.
Bought this car 40 days ago from a big dealership. Supposedly they have this vigorous inspection of all their used vehicles...apparently not. We cannot fill our gas tank to the full level. Everyone we do it spits out a ton of gas, not just a little a lot!! Brought it back to dealer for our 90-day warranty & naturally…
When filling the vehicle with gasoline a large back flow of fuel will splash out of the fuel fill tube onto the exterior of the vehicle. This has occurred several times in the past several weeks causing a extremely unsafe condition.
Air bags
12 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 80,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Nitro. While driving approximately 15 MPH, the air bag indicator illuminated without warning. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 86,000.
While driving down the road, my headrest malfunctioned and unexpectedly deployed. The vehicle was not hit, nor has it ever been. The vehicle was in motion on a city street, slowing down to approach a stoplight.
Engine
11 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 77,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Nitro. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the horn was inoperable while needed. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with rear shocks and struts, air compressor, condenser, HVAC system, and…
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Nitro. While driving at an unknown speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic multiple times who diagnosed that the number two cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired…
Brakes
10 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 54,500 miles.
Esp. Anti lock brakes, and bas light came on dash, vehicle jerked to side, no anti lock brakes, or stability control. Had to shut truck off to reset.
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Nitro. While driving 65 MPH, the contact detected a burning rubber odor inside the vehicle. After releasing the brake pedal, the brakes failed to release from the rotors. The contact had to depress the accelerator pedal with extra force to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to tri-county…
Other or unspecified
8 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 77,500 miles.
The system warnings present light came on, and said check tpm system, which showed how much tire pressure I had. For the front drivers side it said 36,front passenger side,34, rear driver side 32, rear passenger 24. Then the 24 disappeared from the screen, and the warning light kept blinking, which made me think I had…
I walked out to my car and noticed it was leaking red fluid. I took it immediately to my local service center. The heating core was leaking and needed to be replaced. The same thing happened in june 2014. This time the vehicle over heated and I broke down on the side of the road. Vehicle was towed to same service…
Transmission
5 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: driveline.
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Nitro. The contact stated that an abnormal noise emitted from under the vehicle and burning fumes entered the cabin. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the heat shield fractured without warning and rubbed against the driveshaft causing damages. The vehicle was not…
Getting 12 miles to the gallon transmission was slipping, took to the Dodge shop and they said there was nothing wrong, notice slipping getting worse took to another Dodge shop and they said the transmission was low on fluid and part was broke inside, took three weeks to get vehicle back, good mileage after that for a…
Stability control
5 complaints · 6%Esp. Anti lock brakes, and bas light came on dash, vehicle jerked to side, no anti lock brakes, or stability control. Had to shut truck off to reset.
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Nitro. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking and vibrating, then the service electronic stability traction control warning light illuminated. The contact mentioned that when the failure was experienced the speed reduced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2010 Dodge Nitro recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: Projectiles as a result of driver air bag deployment in the event of a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag cover with a redesigned cover, free of charge. The recall began february 11, 2021. Owners may contact fca US llc customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is w09.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain 2008-2010 chrysler town and country and dodge grand caravan and 2007-2011 dodge nitro vehicles. These vehicles may have a loose or missing brand emblem in the center of the steering wheel. The loose emblem or the securing nuts for the emblem within the driver air bag module may become projectiles in the event of a driver air bag deployment.
Brakes: master cylinder
Risk: This could lead to loss of brake fluid and reduced braking performance increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake tubes free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during august 2010. Owners may contact chrysler toll-free at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2010 left hand drive jeep liberty, dodge nitro and ram 1500 truck; right and left hand drive jeep wrangler vehicles. These vehicles may have been built with an improperly formed master cylinder to hydraulic control unit (hcu) brake tube assembly end flare.
Brakes: service brakes, hydraulic
Risk: This could result in brake failure without warning which could cause a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will replace the brake booster input rod retaining clip free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during february 2010. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2010 chrysler sebring; dodge avenger and nitro; jeep liberty, commander and grand cherokee; and model year 2009-2010 dodge ram truck. These vehicles may have been built with an improperly formed or missing brake booster input rod retaining clip.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Active head rest inadvertent deployment
Summary
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 number of early warning reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat ahr inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.reported safety consequences resulting from the ahr deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of
Electrical overstress
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.â during the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (acu) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) electronic control unit (ecu) manufactured by zf-trw. â the ecu receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with m
Totally integrated power module failure
Summary
In a letter dated august 21, 2014, the center for auto safety (cas) petitioned the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged failures associated with the totally integrated power module (tipm) installed in chrysler SUV?s, trucks, and vans beginning in the 2007 model year. The petitioner alleges that tipm defects may result in engine stall, airbag non-deployment, failure of fuel pump shutoff resulting in unintended acceleration, fire, and other symptoms. On september 25, 2014, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened dp14-004 to evaluate the petition for a grant or deny decision. Odi analyzed complaint data provided by cas as
Questions about the 2010 Dodge Nitro
- What are the most common problems with the 2010 Dodge Nitro?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (26 complaints, typically around 81,000 miles); fuel system (13 complaints, typically around 57,000 miles); air bags (12 complaints, typically around 80,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2010 Dodge Nitro have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from July 7, 2020 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2010 a bad year for the Dodge Nitro?
- It is 4th of 7 Nitro model years by number of complaints, with 78 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.