There are 5 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2010 Dodge Nitroin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Nitro. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate from being stationary, the rear driveshaft suddenly detached from the rear of the vehicle and dragged on the ground. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 160,000. The VIN was not available.
TL* 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 INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V121000 (AIR BAGS, POWER TRAIN, STRUCTURE). THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO INSPECT AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED NO REMEDY. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
MOMENT BEFORE MY DRIVE SHAFT BROKE, I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. IF MY DRIVESHAFT WOULD HAVE BROKE LIKE THE WAY IT DID, I COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY BEEN INJURED OR CAUSED A DEATH. I EXCITED THE HIGHWAY, AND GOT OFF WAS STOPPED AT A REDLIGHT AND PRESSED THE GAS WITH NO RESULTS. MY VEHICLE STARTED TO BACK UP, AND I HAD TO PRESS THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THANK YOU *TR
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 WEEK, AND NOW TRANSMISSION IS LEAKING AGAIN, TOOK BACK TO THE DODGE SHOP, ASKED WHY THERE IS NO TRANSMISSION DIP STICK TO CHECK MY SELF SO WE DON'T BURN OUT THE TRANSMISSION, THEY SAID DODGE DOES NOT MAKE ONE FOR THAT VEHICLE? TRANSMISSION IS A BIG ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. *TR
OUTSIDE TEMP WAS APPROX 30-35 F, ENGINE WAS RUNNING APROX 10 MINS,WHILE ACCELERATING FROM 30MPH TO 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE GAS PEDAL STAYED TO THE FLOOR AFTER I TOOK MY FOOT OFF, CAUSING VEHICLE TO CONTINUE ACCELERATING TO A HIGHER MPH. I PUT TRANSMISSION SELECTOR INTO NEUTRAL, ENGINE RACED TO A HIGHER RPM, USED BRAKES TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN AND EXITED HIGHWAY. WHEN I STOPPED THE VEHICLE, I SHUT OFF IGNITION AND HEARD THE GAS PEDAL POP BACK INTO POSITION. AFTER APPROX 2 MINS, I RESTARTED ENGINE AND EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL. HAS NOT RECURRED AS OF YET. CALLED MAJOR CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO INQUIRE IF THEY'VE HAD THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT, THEY SAID NO. THEY CHECKED IF VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, NO IT WAS NOT. THEY OFFERED DIAGNOSTIC CHECK BUT I SCANNED THE ALDL FOR COMPUTER CODES, NONE. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026