The lightening bolt sign next to the brake sign comes on and I don't have a manual for my 2007 Dodge Caliber. I bought it used. Last night it would not start, but today it did. I have not seen the sign today. What does it mean? Is there a manual I might download on line?

DODGE CALIBER 2007 2009 SERVICE REPAIR MANUAL
I suggest you get one of those manuals people get nowadays to do it yourself.. My nephew use it to repair my car and it's totally repaired now. Here's the website he bought it from.

That sounds like a defective brake light switch, located
by the brake pedal. If you normally would have to depress the
brake pedal to shift out of park, the problem lies in the vicinity
of the brake light/pedal switch.

low coolant

test ignition switch

Have a repair shop check for codes every time
any light comes on your dash

Then you know if any systems have a fault & if you
should continue to use it prior to repairs

YEP 2007 DODGE CALIBER HAS A JATCO CVT2 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.

Sounds like a possible brake switch problem. To verify this turn your key to the ACC position, put your car in neutral then try and start it. Not saying this is 100% the problem but it is a good place to start. Good luck!

I had the same problem on my 2007 dodge caliber. If you look in the manual there are some directions for this, but simply, next to your gearshift on the passenger side there is a circle in the dash. Pry this out and there is a lever to release the shifter. You will need to probably replace a switch that attaches to the upper part of your brake.(It is a cheaply made part with plastic) I can't think of the name of it right now. It cost me about $17 at the dodge dealership for the part. It only takes about 10 minutes to repair, but you should get a mechanic to do it because it has to be adjusted correctly or the part is worthless. I hope that this helps! (you may have already figured it out since it's been 10 days since you posted)

according to the service manual there are two bolts hold the caliber to tthe adapter plate and the caliper should roll up and out. the only problem i could imagine is if the pads are hanging in the adapter

They're telling you the truth, if they inspected your brakes and didn't find anything wrong, it is normal. I've seen this before...it's annoying, but normal--nature of the beast, brakes=friction=noise. Make sure you get a copy of the service invoice from your dealership that denotes that you brought it in and they inspected the brakes and didn't find anything wrong...it may be beneficial for you to keep these records. The warranty on your brakes is 12 months/12,000 miles -- NOT 36/36 like the rest of your factory warranty.