Just 5 minutes after starting the drive, the 'Limp Mode' warning light illuminated, and the accelerator pedal became completely unresponsive. The vehicle decelerated rapidly and came to a sudden stop in the middle of an intersection, putting me in a highly dangerous situation. Furthermore, I pressed the emergency SOS button, but it failed to function entirely.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11748931 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Tail light bar fractured spontaneously without any external physical impact due to structural over-tightening at the factory, creating a risk of water intrusion that can short out required FMVSS rear lighting. What the data shows is that this isn't a random occurrence — it's a known manufacturing and installation defect. If you look at the accounts from dozens of owners on places like Reddit and Hornet forums, they describe identical failures across the board. Here is the breakdown of why so many people are running into this exact problem: 1. The Real Cause: "Over-Torque" From the Factory The most eye-opening discovery from owners who have dealt with this multiple times is that the cracks are usually mechanical, not environmental. When the "racetrack" light bar is installed at the factory, the securing bolts are often tightened too far down. This leaves virtually zero gap between the plastic light assembly and the metal car body. As you drive, hit bumps, or slam the rear liftgate, the light bar literally smashes against the vehicle's body panels, causing the plastic to buckle and fracture under the stress. 2. Spontaneous Hairline Fractures Many owners report walking out to their driveway to find massive spiderweb cracks along the top edge of the light bar, despite swearing they never backed into anything. The tension on the plastic is so high that temperature changes (like going through a cold car wash on a hot day) are enough to spontaneously trigger the fracture. 3. The Secondary Nightmare: Water Traps Once the plastic casing gets that hairline crack along the top edge, rain and car wash water seep right into the lens. Because the assembly is sealed tightly, the water gets trapped inside, causing: Condensation that can short out the racetrack LED segments. Delamination, where the water forces the internal tint film to separate from the plastic, making the crack look much wider and worse over time.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11744798 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

The contact rented a 2024 Dodge Hornet from Avis Car Rental. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the message "URGENT SAFETY RECALL - Your vehicle has an urgent safety recall: NHTSA Recall Number 24V752000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), Collapsed Brake Pedal - Call Customer Care or the Dealer to Schedule Repair" was displayed. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was firm while depressed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact emailed Avis Car Rental about the recall and the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11746183 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

This involves a rental from AVIS at Orlando International Airport that I picked up on the 24th of March. I drove up to Palm Coast, as that journey progressed I began to notice that turning the steering wheel, either right or left the beginning of that motion had no effect on the direction of the car, which meant you had to turn the wheel further than you would normally that gave the driver a lack of confidence in the steering. This got progressively worse over the next couple of days, so I investigated to see what was wrong. It took me a little over one minute to find the pinch bolt in the knuckle joint, where the steering column joins to the steering rack, was completely missing. Realising how dangerous this was, I contacted AVIS, who asked me to drive the car some 30 miles to their nearest depot/office, which I declined to do, telling the vehicle was dangerous in it's current condition. They brought a replacement car on a recovery lorry and took the first car away. I told the driver that the car he was taking should not be put on rental until the issue was sorted.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11734020 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Anytime it is cold out, there is an issues with the doors not closing. Today it us 4 degrees out and I was able to get the doors closed. As I was driving down the road I live on the door popped open. I stopped, opened the door shut the door and locked it. I proceeded to drive a little more and it happened again. I again stopped and opened the door and shut and locked it again. I turned around to go back home and it did it a third time. I stopped and shut it, locked it and started to drive. This time I went around a ben and the door flew open. I am a member on a Facebook group of other Hornet owners and ther is an ongoing issue with the doors not closing when it's cold. Its a huge safety issue! I am scared to drive this car in winter, it's not safe.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11712015 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Have been, unsuccessfully, attempting to get my vehicle repaired under Safety Recall Notice 25V-246 for almost 1 year. Today was my fourth attempt. I do not believe the manufacturer is making a good faith attempt to rectify a built in defect with my car.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11726448 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov