BRAKE PARTS Complaints

UPON INVESTIGATION OF BRAKE NOISE REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THAT ALL FOUR BRAKE ROTORS WHERE CORRODED TO THE POINT OF BREAKAGE. VEHICLE HAS 41,000 MILES. *LA

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY, SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT REALLY BOTHERS ME. I WENT WITH A FRIEND OF MINE TO BUY PARTS TO REPAIR THE BRAKES ON HIS 1990 JEEP WRANGLER. HE NEEDED NEW BRAKE ROTORS, PADS, ETC.. WE WENT TO THE LOCAL KRAGEN'S STORE IN JACKSON, CALIFORNIA. THEY HAD ALL THE PARTS IN STOCK, BUT AFTER MY FRIEND LOOKED AT THE NEW BRAKE ROTORS TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE THE CORRECT ONES THAT HE NEEDED, HE SPOTTED A CHIPPED SPOT ON THE INSIDE OF THE MACHINED SURFACE. THERE WAS A CHIP OUT OF THE MACHINED SURFACE AND A SMALL CRACK RUNNING TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE ROTOR. HE CALLED IT TO THE SALESPERSON'S ATTENTION (JOSE), WHO SAID IT WASN'T REALLY A PROBLEM, AND THAT HE COULD JUST TURN THE ROTOR AND REMOVE THE DEFECT. HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CRACK AT ALL, DISMISSING IT AS JUST A COSMETIC DEFECT. MY FRIEND ASKED FOR AND GOT ANOTHER UNIT, UPON WHICH JOSE SAID HE WOULD JUST TURN THE ROTOR IN QUESTION AND RETURN IT TO STOCK. THIS SATISFIED MY FRIEND, FOR HIS NEEDS, OF COURSE. BUT IT REALLY BOTHERED ME. THIS WAS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, AND WITH POTENTIAL DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES IF THE ROTOR WERE TO DISINTEGRATE DUE TO THE CRACK. CRACKS LIKE THIS BRING DOWN AIRPLANES, E.G., THE UNITED AIRLINES PLANE THAT LOST ITS ENGINE OVER NEBRASKA BECAUSE OF A CRACK IN THE ROTOR OF A JET ENGINE. IT SEEMS TO BE THAT JOSE WAS PARTICULARLY CAVALIER IN HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD THE DEFECT. CLEARLY, THE PIECE SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE MANUFACTURER (RAYBESTOS) AS A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AND SHOULD NEVER BE PLACED IN USE. EVEN IF IT WERE PERFECTLY SAFE, AS JOSE CONTENDED, THE TURNING OF THE ROTOR WOULD HAVE DECREASED ITS USEFUL LIFE TO ITS NEW OWNER; I'M SURE KRAGEN'S ISN'T GOING TO TELL THE ULTIMATE PURCHASER THAT THE ROTOR WAS FOUND TO HAVE A DEFECT AND MATERIAL REMOVED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. KRAGEN'S SHOULD NEVER QUESTION AN ITEM OF THIS NATURE THAT HAS A DEFECT IN IT. I THINK THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARD THIS IS ENTIRELY NEGLIGENT. *LA

WE PURCHASED OUR 2001 DODGE DURANGO IN DEC. 2000. IN MARCH 2001, MY HUSBAND RETURNED TO THE FULLERTON DEALERSHIP IN CA TO HAVE THE VEHICLE LOOKED AT DUE TO PROB. WITH THE STEERING WHEEL ON THE FREEWAY, WHEN HE HIT BUMPS. THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM WTIH THE VEHICLE, ADVISED HIM THAT IT WAS JUST DUE TO THE LOS ANGELES FREEWAYS. WE HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS DUE TO IT FEELING WOBLY AND UNSTABLE, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD TIME AND TIME THAT WE NEED WHEEL ALINGMENTS. ALSO, WE WERE EXPERIENCING A PROB. WITH THE BRAKES REVERBRATING, ONLY TO BE INFORMED THAT IT WAS PART OF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM. YESTERDAY, I WAS DRIVING HOME AND NEARLY HIT A PEDESTRIAN AND SEVERAL VEHICHLES BECAUSE I LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS "OFF-CENTER" AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTROL IT. WHEN I MADE A TURN, SPECIFICALLY, LEFT THE STEERING WHEEL FELT LIKE IT WAS SKIDDING OR HYDROPLANNING. I RECENTLY HAD TIRES PUT ONT HE VEHICLE AND A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. IT FEELS LIKE MY WHEEL ON THE LEFT (DRIVER'S) SIDE IS GOING TO FALL OFF. I AM HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER TODAY. *AK

UPON TAKING MY 2003 G35 SEDAN TO INFINITI OF NASHVILLE TO HAVE MY OIL CHANGED AND THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH REPLACED BASED ON A NATIONAL RECALL, THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED CAUSING MY BRAKES TO BE LOCKED. I WAS ALLOWED TO DRIVE OFF THE LOT WITH MY VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION CAUSING WEAR ON MY BRAKES AS IT APPEARED THAT NO ONE TEST DROVE MY CAR PRIOR TO THE MAINTENANCE TO ENSURE EVERYTHING WAS OPERATING EFFECTIVELY. IN ADDITION, MY TRANSMISSION APPEARS TO BE SLIPPING BASED ON THE INCIDENT. *LA

WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR A MONTH LATER I CHANGED THE ROTOR, 2 MONTHS LATER AND EVERY 3 MONTHS I'M CHANGING BRAKE PADS. DRIVERS WINDOW WON'T GO DOWN CHANGED MOTOR TWICE. TURN SIGNALS WORK WHEN THEY WANT TO WORK. WHEN IT DOES WORK IT BLINKS VERY FAST. TOOK IT TO OLDSMOBILE MECHANIC COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY ITS DOING THAT.

2002 FORD FOCUS HAS FAILURE OF FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS, NEEDS REPLACING OF ROTORS, PADS AND CALIPERS UNDER WARRANTY BUT DEALER REFUSES TO AGREE TO THIS ESTIMATE BY MASTER BRAKE. DEALER SAYS I ONLY NEED PADS AND ROTORS MACHINED. CAR ONLY HAS 14,692 MILES ON IT.*AK

REPEATED REPLACEMENT OF FRONT BRAKE ROTORS DUE TO WARPING. DEALERS KEPT SAYING NEVER HEARD OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH DODGE DAKOTA BRAKE PROBLEMS.*AK

ON 8/30/01 AT 7,968 AT MILES FRONT BRAKE ROTORS AND PADS WERE REPLACED. SAME CONDITION OCCURRED AND ON 8/9/02 AT 14,133 MILES, CALIPER KITS AND FRONT ROTORS WERE REPLACED. AGAIN ON 7/16/03 AT 21,839 MILES FRONT ROTORS WERE REPLACED AND BRAKE PADS WERE CLEANED UP.*AK

I HAVE A 2000 DAKOTA -- ROTORS WARPED @11,000 DEALER REPLACED -- ROTORS WARPED AGAIN 8 MOUNTHS LATER @24,000 DEALER WOULDNT REPLACE, OVER 12K SINCE THEY INSTALLED THEM,SO I TURNED AND NEW PADS -- @38,000 WARPED AGAIN REPLACED ROTERS AND PADS --@53,000 WARPED AGAIN TURNED AND NEW PADS --WARRPED AGAIN @71,000 BUT HAVENT REPLCED ROTORS TILL THIS WEEKEND @76,000 . *AK

I HAVE HAD THE BRAKE ROTORS REPALCED OR RESURFACED 4 TIMES NOW. VEHICLE HAS RECURRING PROBLEM OF BRAKE PULSATION DUE TO WARPED ROTORS. ORIGINALLY I WAS TOLD THE ROTORS WERE DEFECTIVE AND KIA WAS REPLACING ALL ROTORS. NOW AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR I AM TOLD THIS IS NOT A DEFECT BUT "NORMAL WEAR". I BELIEVE THE FRONT BRAKING SYSTEM IS SUB-STANDARD AND IS PRONE TO OVERHEATING WHICH CAUSES WARPING.*AK