Total Complaints
7 filings
DODGE NITRO 4X2 · model year
2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2
7 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2009DODGENITRO 4X2 carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2009 NITRO 4X2 is electrical system with 3 filings, followed by equipment:appliance:air conditioner (1) and latches/locks/linkages (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 20 investigation files overlapping the 2009 NITRO 4X2, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
7
Complaints
0
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20160316LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO USE THE KEY FOB TO UNLOCK THE DOORS, THE LOCKS FAILED. THE REAR DRIVER SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT LOCK FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE AS WELL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE DOOR LATCH NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,054.
Mileage: 115,054
20160316ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO USE THE KEY FOB TO UNLOCK THE DOORS, THE LOCKS FAILED. THE REAR DRIVER SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT LOCK FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE AS WELL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE DOOR LATCH NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,054.
Mileage: 115,054
20150925LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH REAR EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR POWER DOORS LOCKS FAILED TO UNLOCK OR LOCK. IN ADDITION, ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR POWER DOOR LOCKS FAILED TO LOCK OR UNLOCK. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SPORADICALLY. WHEN THE FAILURES OCCURRED, THE CONTACT WOULD MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOOR TO EXIT OR ENTER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.
Mileage: 110,000
20150925STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH REAR EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR POWER DOORS LOCKS FAILED TO UNLOCK OR LOCK. IN ADDITION, ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR POWER DOOR LOCKS FAILED TO LOCK OR UNLOCK. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SPORADICALLY. WHEN THE FAILURES OCCURRED, THE CONTACT WOULD MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOOR TO EXIT OR ENTER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.
Mileage: 110,000
20140330ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHEN LEAVING WORK ONE DAY I WENT TO UNLOCK MY TRUCK AND IT WENT CRAZY. LIGHTS SIRENS, THE WORKS. AFTER TAKING TO THE ALARM COMPANY TO TEST MY AFTERMARKET ALARM AND ALL THE SYSTEMS CHECKED OUT I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY SAID IT WAS THE TOTAL POWER MODULE / FUSE BOX UNDER THE HOOD. I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE A WEEK BEFORE THEY COULD GET THE PART. AFTER ALMOST 2 WEEKS I CALLED DODGE BECAUSE THEY STILL COULDN'T FIND THE PART, WITHIN 2 DAYS THE PART WAS THERE AND INSTALLED BUT IN THE MEAN TIME THEY TOOK MOST OF THE ALARM OUT OF MY CAR WITHOUT ASKING AND TOLD ME THAT THE ALARM WAS THE ISSUE. $700+ DOLLARS LATER NOW MY FACTORY KEYS WITH THE CHIP DON'T WORK BUT A CUT KEY WILL. I WAS TOLD MY KEYS WERE BAD AND NEEDED NEW ONES BUT THE KEY FOB LOCKS AND UNLOCKS REMOTELY JUST FINE. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS, THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH DODGE VEHICLES. WHEN I ASKED IF THIS WAS A RECALL ITEM DUE TO THE HIGH NUMBER OF FAILURES I WAS TOLD NO. BUT I FEEL THIS NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO. AN
Mileage: 77,000
20090707FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WE HAD JUST PULLED UP TO THE PARKING LOT GARAGE OF THE MOVIE THEATER. WE TURNED THE CAR OFF TOOK THE KEY OUT TO LEAVE BUT THE AC BLOWER STAYED RUNNING. I WENT TO TURN IT OFF AND THE ALARM WENT CRAZY. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT THAT WE HIT THE PANIC BUTTON SO WE WERE TYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO STOP IT. THEN, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WENT OFF AND THE WASHER FLUID STARTED SPRAYING. ALL THIS WHILE WE WERE IN OUR VEHICLE. NEXT THING YOU KNOW WE POP THE HOOD TO CHECK OUT THE PROBLEM BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO OPEN IT BECAUSE IT WAS NEW. I JUST HAD MY CAR FOR THREE WEEKS AND IT IS A 2009 DODGE NITRO. WE THEN SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD. I LOOKED AND I SAW FIRE AND YELLED FIRE TO MY HUSBAND, BROTHER AND NEPHEW. WE GOT MY NEPHEW OUT OF HIS CAR SEAT AND RAN FOR COVER AND IN A MINUTE OUR VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES ALL THIS INFRONT OF OUR EYES. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 6 EXPLOSIONS AND THE CAR IS TOAST. WE HAD NO PRIOR WARNING SIGNS. OUR LIVES WERE PUT IN DANGER AND OUR DEALERSHIP IS IGNORING OUR PHONE
20090707FireEQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
WE HAD JUST PULLED UP TO THE PARKING LOT GARAGE OF THE MOVIE THEATER. WE TURNED THE CAR OFF TOOK THE KEY OUT TO LEAVE BUT THE AC BLOWER STAYED RUNNING. I WENT TO TURN IT OFF AND THE ALARM WENT CRAZY. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT THAT WE HIT THE PANIC BUTTON SO WE WERE TYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO STOP IT. THEN, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WENT OFF AND THE WASHER FLUID STARTED SPRAYING. ALL THIS WHILE WE WERE IN OUR VEHICLE. NEXT THING YOU KNOW WE POP THE HOOD TO CHECK OUT THE PROBLEM BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO OPEN IT BECAUSE IT WAS NEW. I JUST HAD MY CAR FOR THREE WEEKS AND IT IS A 2009 DODGE NITRO. WE THEN SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD. I LOOKED AND I SAW FIRE AND YELLED FIRE TO MY HUSBAND, BROTHER AND NEPHEW. WE GOT MY NEPHEW OUT OF HIS CAR SEAT AND RAN FOR COVER AND IN A MINUTE OUR VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES ALL THIS INFRONT OF OUR EYES. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 6 EXPLOSIONS AND THE CAR IS TOAST. WE HAD NO PRIOR WARNING SIGNS. OUR LIVES WERE PUT IN DANGER AND OUR DEALERSHIP IS IGNORING OUR PHONE
Compare 2009DODGENITRO 4X2 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2 have?▼
The 2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2 has 7 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2?▼
The most-complained component for the 2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER and LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.
Is the 2009 DODGE NITRO 4X2 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.