2002 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT WAS EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE STEERING COMPONENT ON HER VEHICLE. HE STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE WEARING QUICKLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE CV JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFUSED TO SERVICE THE CV JOINTS. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT COVER THE REPAIRS BECAUSE THE PREVIOUS OWNER ALREADY HAD IT REPAIRED ACCORDING TO THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 127,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SHIFT INTERLOCK WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO SHIFT INTO GEAR. THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE POWER TRAIN TRANSMISSION LINKAGE, WHICH HAS FAILED ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. WHEN THIS OCCURS, IT SOMETIMES TAKES MORE THAN THIRTY MINUTES TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE REPAIRED ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V555000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT). THE CONTACT TOOK HIS VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP FOR REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,300.

2002 DODGE DAKOTA FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS STICKING. LEFT, RIGHT OR BOTH CALIPERS WILL NOT FULLY RELEASE AFTER MULTIPLE BRAKE APPLICATIONS RESULTING IN HEAT BUILD UP IN ROTORS, PADS & CALIPERS. THIS CAN BE REDUCED BY USING THE BRAKES LESS OR EXPEDITED BY USING THEM MORE. THE FAILURE OCCURS CONSISTENTLY WITH MULTIPLE BRAKE APPLICATIONS. THE RESULT IS HOT BRAKES AND WHEELS WITH SPEEDS <40MPH OR VERY HOT, ONCE IGNIITED BRAKES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. PAD ROTORS, AND BRAKE FLUID HAVE BEEN CHANGED & SLIDERS GREASED, ZERO CHANGE. FIRST INCIDENT OCCURED AT APPROXIMATE INCIDENT DATE, THEN EXPONENTIALLY MORE FREQUENTLY AFTER. *TR

FRONT BRAKES LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING. OCCURRED ONCE, WAS ABLE TO PULL TO SIDE OF ROAD WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. HAD TO REPLACE FRONT L&R, ROTORS, CALIPERS, PADS, HOSES AND FLUID. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE FRONT BRAKES LOCK ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 3 TIMES. THE MOST RECENT TIME, I WAS DRIVING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY THEN I NOTICED A BURNING SMELL. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO PARK THE VEHICLE AND ALLOW THE BRAKES TO COOL DOWN. AT 60 DEGREES OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE, THIS TOOK ABOUT AN HOUR. *TR

BOUGHT A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA NEW. TOOK IT BACK 3 TIMES FOR COLUMN MOUNTED SHIFTER PROBLEMS WITHIN DAYS OF IT JAMMING, COULD NOT GET IT OUT OF PARK,THEN IT WOULDN'T STAY IN PARK, MAKING A CRUNCHING SOUND WHEN YOU TRY TO SHIFT THREW THE GEARS. EACH TIME I TOOK IT BACK, ANOTHER PROBLEM CAME UP CAUSED BUY THE DEALERS NEGLECT DAMAGING THE TRUCK, I COMPLAINED TO CHRYSLER CORP AND THEY BLEW ME OFF AND TOLD ME I WAS A TROUBLED CUSTOMER AND THEY NEVER WOULD RETURN MY CALLS. I PARKED THE TRUCK IN THE GARAGE AND NEVER TRUSTED IT FOR ANY LONG TRIPS AND SUCH. GOT STUCK 250 MILES FROM HOME WHEN THE SHIFTER WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK, AND THEN NOT STAY IN PARK. NOW I WAS SENT A RECALL NOTICE OF THIS ISSUE ( RECALL G28 IGNITION/PARK SHIFT INTERLOCK SYSTEM) I TOOK THIS TRUCK TO GLENN E THOMAS DODGE IN LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA FOR THE RECALL AND THEY ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THIS, I DID NOT EVEN GET OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY WHEN I NOTICED THE SHIFTER STILL DID NOT WORK CORRECT AND STILL WAS HAVING AN PROBLEM. I ASKED FOR THE SERVICE PERSONNEL TO LOOK AT THIS AND HE TOLD ME IT WAS NORMAL, IT CLEARLY WAS NOT ! THEY ATTEMPTED TO TAKE IT IN AGAIN, AND STILL IT DID THE SAME THING, THIS 3 TIME REPEAT REPAIR BEFORE I EVEN GOT OFF THE LOT. I GOT DISGUSTED AGAIN AND LEFT BUT WHEN I GOT DOWN THE STREET I NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS OFF CENTER AND NOT EVEN STRAIGHT ANYMORE. THIS TRUCK HAS ONLY 11,250 MILES ON IT AND IS LIKE MINT NEW CONDITION ( EXCEPT FOR THIS PROBLEM) NOT A SCRATCH, MARK OR DIRT ANYWHERE ON IT. I AM NOT TRUSTING THIS VEHICLE IT COULD GO INTO REVERSE AND KILL SOMEONE. THERE IS MORE I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS AND WOULD LIKE TO INFORM NHTSA OF THIS ISSUE BEFORE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS. ALSO WANT THIS FIXED OR FOR CHRYSLER TO TAKE IT BACK. *TR

LEFT FRONT BRAKE OVERHEATED, VEHICLE PULLS HARD TO THE LEFT AND VERY POOR BRAKING. NEARLY HAD A BAD ACCIDENT AT AN INTERSECTION. LOOKED ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE HAD SAME PROBLEM. WILL DO MY OWN MAINTENANCE WHEN I FOUND OUT THE TRUE FIX. *TR

LIGHTS BLINK ON AND OFF CONTROL MODULE BAD AND WAS RECALLED FOR 03 MODEL DAKOTAS BUT NOT 02 MODELS. DODGE DEALER SAYS 02 AND 03 ARE THE SAME. WHEN THE WHEN THE CENTRAL TIMING MODULE FAILS YOU HAVE NO LIGHTS OF ANY KIND. *TR

THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING PROBLEM SINCE APPROXIMATELY 8,000 MILES ON THE NEW VEHICLE. SINGLE OWNER/REPORTING COMPLAINT. HEATER BLOWER FAN HAS STOPPED WORKING NUMEROUS TIMES. THE FIRST TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE BLOWER FAN ITSELF. THE NEXT TIME THE BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR FAILED AND CONSUMER REPLACED PAYING OUT OF POCKET. A THIRD TIME THE BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR FAILED AND AGAIN THE CONSUMER REPLACED IT PAYING OUT OF POCKET. THE FAN NOW OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY AND IF YOU WIGGLE THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTING TO THE BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR THE FAN WILL COME ON AND OPERATE ON 3 OF THE 4 SPEEDS. CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE HARNESS CONNECTOR REVEALS THAT THE HARNESS CONNECTOR IS MELTED AS IS THE WIRING AT THE CONNECTOR. CONTACT WITH TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS REVEALS THAT THIS IS A KNOWN CONCERN AND THE MANUFACTURER HAS A REPAIR KIT AVAILABLE PART# 5017124AB. THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND SHOULD BE A SAFETY CONCERN GIVEN THAT THE HARNESS FAILURE CAN PREVENT THE HEATER FAN FROM FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND CAUSE IMMEDIATE VISIBILITY CONCERNS AS WELL AS POTENTIAL OVERHEATING OF THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT RESULTING IN A FIRE. DEALERS ADVISE THIS IS A FREQUENTLY SEEN CONCERN YET NO ASSISTANCE FROM MANUFACTURER IS AVAILABLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH IN RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS STRUCK HEAD-ON BY ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. THE CONTACT'S AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AND THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE POLICE AND AMBULANCE WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS FILED. TWO OCCUPANTS SUSTAINED SEVERE INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 100,000. UPDATED 03/04/09. *LJ UPDATED 03/06/09. *JB