2002 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

2002 DODGE DAKOTA, LESS THAN 60,000 MILES, CORRODED POWER STEERING FLUID TUBING, CAUSING FLUID LOSS AND LACK OF NORMAL STEERING CONTROL. REPAIR PART NOT AVAILABLE FOR MORE THAN 5 WEEKS. HAS THERE BEEN A LOT OF POWER STEERING SYSTEM FAILURES FOR THESE AND SIMILAR VEHICLES? I HAVE PARKED THE VEHICLE UNTIL REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED. I'VE OWNED 13 VEHICLES SINCE 1971 AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED. IS THERE AN UNANNOUNCED VOLUNTARY RECALL BY CHRYSLER FOR THIS? IT SEEMS ODD THAT THE REPLACEMENT PART IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE, LEADING ME TO BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM IS MORE WIDESPREAD THAN ACKNOWLEDGED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN WAS INOPERATIVE. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR THE DAMAGES BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THERE WERE NO RECALLS PERTAINING TO THE FAILURE. IN ADDITION, THE AIR BAG ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WAS NOT WORKING DUE TO THE HORN FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

BOUGHT TRUCK NEW IN 2002. SINCE THEN, THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT CALIPER HAS SEIZED UP AND LOCKED THAT BRAKE 4 TIMES. THE CALIPER SQUEEZES THE PAD AGAINST THE ROTOR CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO PULL HARD LEFT, THEN THE ROTOR OVERHEATS AND SMOKES. I PULL OVER BEFORE A FIRE STARTS. HAVE REPLACED CALIPERS, PADS, HOSES, BUT SYMPTOMS STILL PERSIST. I HAVE TO STOP AND WAIT UNTIL THE BRAKES COOL DOWN (ABOUT AN HOUR) BEFORE THEY FUNCTION NORMALLY. ONCE I GET TO A REPAIR SHOP, THE BRAKES FUNCTION NORMALLY AND THEY TELL ME EVERYTHING IS FINE. I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THIS IS HAPPENING TO. ON ONE SITE ALONE (HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/DODGE/DAKOTA/2002/BRAKES/BRAKE_CYLINDER_LOCK-UP.SHTML) THERE ARE 15 OTHERS WHO ARE DEALING WITH BRAKE FAILURE. *TR

ON MY 2002 DODGE DAKOTA THE HEADLIGHTS STOPPED WORKING AT NIGHT BY FLICKERING A LOT THEN JUST SHUTTING OFF ALL THE WAY. THE FOLLOWING DAYS RANDOM THINGS WOULD START GOING OFF LIKE WINDSHIELD WIPERS GOING OFF, HORN HONKING, AND SOMETIMES THE LIGHTS WOULD NOT SHUT OFF AT ALL. FURTHER INVESTIGATION LEAD ME TO THE CENTRAL TIMER MODULE (CTM) FAILING POSSIBLY DUE TO THE SAME DEFECT THAT LEAD TO A 2003 RECALL. WHY NOT 2002? I NOW CANNOT DRIVE AT NIGHT BECAUSE I HAD TO DISCONNECT IT RESULTING TO CERTAIN THINGS NOT BEING ABLE TO WORK RIGHT DUE TO THE ERRATIC BEHAVIOR. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE OTHER MODEL YEARS BEING INCLUDED IN THE RECALL CAUSE THIS PART IS WELL OVER $200 TO REPLACE. IT IS SUFFERING FROM THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS THAT THE RECALL FOR 2003 STATES. *TR

DRIVER SIDE POWER SEAT HAS ABOUT HALF AN INCH FREE TRAVEL FORWARD AND BACKWARD. THIS GIVES YOU THE FEELING WHEN YOU PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL THE SEAT MAY GO ALL THE WAY BACK AND PREVENT THE ABILITY TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND POSSIBLY CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO ANOTHER AUTOMOBILE AND POSSIBLY SEVERE BODILY INJURY TO ALL PEOPLE INVOLVED. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL OF CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY MANUFACTURER AT NO CHARGE. I PURCHASED THE TRUCK NEW AND IT NOW HAS A TOTAL OF 54,412 MILES ON IT. *TR

WENT TO THE STORE AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK IT DID NOT HOLD HAD TO APPLY PARKING BRAKE. GOT HOME AND TRUCK LOCKED IN PARK. THREE DAYS LATER THE TRUCK WOULD NOT LOCK IN PARK AND HAS NOT LOCKED IN PARK SINCE. CHECKED THE SHIFTING MECHANISMS AND THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH ANY PARTS. TRIED TO ADJUST SHIFT CABLE AND THERE WAS NO ROOM TO ADJUST. *TR

SINCE I'VE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE, ABOUT SIX MONTHS INTO DRIVING IT, I BEGAN EXPERIENCING FRONT END PROBLEMS WITH THE CONTROL ARMS & BALL JOINTS. I'VE HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALER(BIG VALLEY DODGE) AT LEAST 10 TIMES(@75.00 A VISIT) FOR THEM TO REPAIR/REPLACE THE BALL JOINTS/CONTROL ARM. NOW IT'S NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND WILL COST $1500.00-$2500.00 FROM DIFFERENT QUOTES I RECEIVED. I CAN NO LONGER ENJOYABLY DRIVE THE VEHICLE. AND I CAN'T EVEN DRIVE IT ON THE FREEWAY AS THE WHOLE FRONT-END SHAKES THE ENTIRE TRUCK ABOVE 50MPH. PLEASE HELP ME. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE TRUCK OTHERWISE. I JUST WANT DODGE TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND FIX THEIR PROBLEM. THEY MADE A RECALL FOR THE 4X4, WHY NOT THE 2X4 WITH A VERY SIMILAR ISSUE. PLEASE HELP! THIS IS NOT FAIR. OUT OF ALL THE NEW TRUCKS I COULD HAVE BOUGHT, I HAD TO BUY THE ONE WITH A PROBLEM THE MANUFACTURE REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE, EVERYONE I'VE TALKED TO WITH THE SAME TRUCK FROM SIMILAR YEARS (2000-2003) SAYS THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP! ALSO, FRONT TIRES BECOME EXCESSIVELY WORN ON THE OUTSIDE TO WHERE I HAVE TO REPLACE AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR WHEN I DRIVE 10000-12000 MILES A YEAR(RIDICULOUS). PLEASE HELP! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. THE VEHICLE HAS CENTERLINE WHEELS, MODEL TOMAHAWK SERIES-ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH AND PROCEEDING TO TURN LEFT, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL EXPLODED. THERE WAS MASSIVE AIR LOSS FROM THE WHEEL. THE CONTACT PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CHANGED THE WHEEL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND THE WHEELS WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECTIVE WHEELS AND PROVIDED REIMBURSEMENT. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 88,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON THE STREET WITH THE ENGINE TURNED OFF, THE GEAR SHIFTER AUTOMATICALLY MOVED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION INTO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE ROLLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS STATIONED BEHIND THE MOVING VEHICLE, BUT WAS ABLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. HE ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR TO CHANGE THE GEAR SHIFTER AND WAS STRUCK BY THE DOOR. THE VEHICLE ROLLED OVER HIS RIGHT LEG, STRUCK A CURB, AND CRASHED INTO THE TREES. THE POLICE AND AMBULANCE WERE NOT CALLED TO THE SCENE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED SEVERE INJURIES. THERE WERE NO DAMAGES TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

JUNE OF 2006, MY FIFTEEN YEAR OLD SON WAS SITTING IN MY 2002 DODGE DAKOTA LISTENING TO THE RADIO. MY WIFE HEARD A CRASH AND WHEN WE RAN OUT TO INVESTIGATE, THE TRUCK WAS DOWN AN EMBANKMENT. WHAT KEPT THE TRUCK FROM FLIPPING OVER WAS THAT IT SLAMMED INTO A TREE FROM THE REAR AND WAS PINNED. POLICE, EMS AND AN AMBLUANCE WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE TO RESCUE HIM THE TRUCK. MY SON WAS UNCONSCIOUS AND ONLY SLIGHTLY RESPONSIVE TO VOICE COMMANDS. HE WAS TAKEN TO WILLIAM BEAUMONT HOSPITAL IN ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN WHERE HE WAS ADMITTED FOR TESTS AND X-RAYS. HE HAS A CLOSED HEAD INJURY AND SUFFERS FROM HEADACHES AND HAS TO EXAMINED AND TREATED PERIODICALLY. I DID NOT THINK ANYTHING MORE ABOUT THE ACCIDENT UNTIL A TELEVISION NEWS REPORT CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR CHRYSLER (TRUCKS) JUMPING OUT OF GEAR. I WAS NOT GETTING ANY COOPERATIONFROM THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP OR FROM CHRYSLER. I HAVE THE CHRYSLER RECALL NUMBER OF G28 THAT I RETRIEVED FROM YOUR WEBSITE. I CALLED CHRYLSER TODAY AND THEY STILL DENY THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON THE "LEVER AND LINKAGE-COLUMN SHIFT FOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS".