The Dodge Nitro has 11 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 2007–2012. On average a defect was admitted 4.24 years after the car was built, the slowest took 13 years. The most recalled system is Service Brakes, Hydraulic (4 campaigns). Owners also filed 1,206 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the Dodge Nitro
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 4 Read
What's wrong. 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
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
What's wrong. 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
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
What's wrong. On certain vehicles, the antilock brake system (ABS) control module software may cause the rear brakes to lock up during certain braking conditions
Risk. This could result in a loss of vehicle control and cause a crash without warning
Fix. Dealers will reprogram the ABS electronic control unit. The recall began on february 19, 2007. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403
Electrical System 2 Read
What's wrong. Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Sebring and 200 vehicles manufactured June 28, 2011, through December 13, 2012; model year 2011-2013 Dodge Avenger vehicles manufactured June 25, 2011, through January 14, 2013; model year 2011-2012 Dodge Nitro vehicles manufactured June 17, 2011, through December 15, 2011; and model year 2011-2012 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured June 17, 2011, through August 15, 2012. Electrical over-stress of a resistor in the occupant restraint control module may lead to the non-deployment of the active head restraints during a rear impact collision
Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the active head restraints , their non-deployment could increase the risk of injury
Fix. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will flash the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) or replace the occupant restraint control module, as needed, free of charge. The recall began on November 19, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N38
What's wrong. Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Sebring and 200 vehicles manufactured June 28, 2011, through December 13, 2012; model year 2011-2013 Dodge Avenger vehicles manufactured June 25, 2011, through January 14, 2013; model year 2011-2012 Dodge Nitro vehicles manufactured June 17, 2011, through December 15, 2011; and model year 2011-2012 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured June 17, 2011, through August 15, 2012. Electrical over-stress of a resistor in the occupant restraint control module may lead to the non-deployment of the active head restraints during a rear impact collision
Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the active head restraints , their non-deployment could increase the risk of injury
Fix. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will flash the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) or replace the occupant restraint control module, as needed, free of charge. The recall began on November 19, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N38
What's wrong. On certain vehicles, the totally integrated power module (tipm) was programmed with software that may allow the engine to stall under certain operating conditions
Risk. This could cause a crash without warning
Fix. Dealers will reprogram the tipm. The recall began on july 5, 2007. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403
Air Bags 1 Read
What's wrong. 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
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
What's wrong. 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
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
What's wrong. 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
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
Steering 1 Read
What's wrong. Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011dodge journey, jeep wrangler, chrysler 200, chrysler 200 convertible, dodge avenger, dodge nitro, jeep liberty, dodge caliber, jeep compass, jeep patriot, dodge grand caravan and chrysler town & country vehicles. Some of these vehicles may have been built with a missing or incorrectly installed steering column pivot rivet
Risk. A missing or incorrectly installed rivet could compromise the ability of the steering column to support the occupant loads in the event of a frontal crash, decreasing the effectiveness of the frontal impact safety system. As a result, the condition may increase the potential for injury in a frontal crash
Fix. Dealers will inspect for rivet presence and alignment and repair the steering column pivot as required, free of charge. The safety recall began on july 4, 2011. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403
Power Train 1 Read
What's wrong. Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Dodge Nitro 4X2 vehicles manufactured March 21, 2006, through March 1, 2008; and 2008 Jeep Liberty 4X2 vehicles manufactured February 15, 2007, through March 1, 2008. The transfer case heat shield may drop down and rub on the drive shaft, weakening it and potentially causing the drive shaft to break
Risk. If the drive shaft breaks, a section of it can strike the transfer case tunnel with enough force that the airbag computer will believe the vehicle is in a crash and thus deploy the airbags. Additionally, the drive shaft failure will result in a loss of motive power. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash
Fix. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will add a bracket to support the rear of the heat shield, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on May 29, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N10
What's wrong. Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Dodge Nitro 4X2 vehicles manufactured March 21, 2006, through March 1, 2008; and 2008 Jeep Liberty 4X2 vehicles manufactured February 15, 2007, through March 1, 2008. The transfer case heat shield may drop down and rub on the drive shaft, weakening it and potentially causing the drive shaft to break
Risk. If the drive shaft breaks, a section of it can strike the transfer case tunnel with enough force that the airbag computer will believe the vehicle is in a crash and thus deploy the airbags. Additionally, the drive shaft failure will result in a loss of motive power. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash
Fix. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will add a bracket to support the rear of the heat shield, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on May 29, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N10
Parking Brake 1 Read
What's wrong. Chrysler is recalling 3,663 my 2007-2008 dodge nitro and my 2008 jeep liberty vehicles equipped with manual transmissions. The park brake lever clutch drum may distort and reduce the effectiveness of the park brake system
Risk. This could allow the vehicle to move inadvertently and cause a crash without warning
Fix. Dealers will replace the park brake lever assembly free of charge. The recall began on october 27, 2008. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403
What's wrong. Chrysler is recalling 3,663 my 2007-2008 dodge nitro and my 2008 jeep liberty vehicles equipped with manual transmissions. The park brake lever clutch drum may distort and reduce the effectiveness of the park brake system
Risk. This could allow the vehicle to move inadvertently and cause a crash without warning
Fix. Dealers will replace the park brake lever assembly free of charge. The recall began on october 27, 2008. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403
Visibility 1 Read
What's wrong. Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2007 dodge nitro passenger vehicles. The windshield wiper system may experience a condition over time where high usage of the variable pause wiper function ("delay" mode) may eventually affect primary wiper function, rendering the wiper system inoperable
Risk. Inoperative wipers under inclement weather conditions could cause impaired visibility increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will inspect and add external relays and update the totally integrated power module software to control the wiper functions. The safety recall is expected to begin during february 2010. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-835-1403
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 4.24 years |
| Slowest campaign | 13 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 41.2% |
| Campaigns on record | 11 |
Which Nitro years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Electrical System | |
| 2011 | Steering | |
| 2010 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | |
| 2008 | Parking Brake | |
| 2007 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Go deeper
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the Dodge Nitro have?
11 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 2007–2012. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my Nitro still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 4.24 years, and the slowest campaign came 13 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.