2001 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HAVING THE VEHICLE SERVICED, THE DEALER NOTICED THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WERE WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE SWITCH AND CLEANED IT WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. UPDATED 11/30/2006 - THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY. THE DEALER DETERMINED THERE WAS A VACUUM LEAK. THE WHEEL CYLINDER LOCKED UP. *NM

1. NORMAL DRIVING CIRCUMSTANCES. FRONT END SUSPENSION STARTED MAKING CLUNKING/POPPING NOISES AND STEERING BECAME ERRATIC. TRUCK HAS 85,000 MILES. 2. COULD NOT SAFELY DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE STEERING WAS TOO RISKY. I ALSO NOTICED WHILE THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER WAS PULLING THE VEHICLE ONTO THE TRUCK THAT THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL WAS LEANING OVER AT ABOUT 30 DEGREE ANGLE. 3. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE UPPER BALL JOINTS HAS BASICALLY RUSTED AND DETERIORATED. LOWER JOINTS WERE ALSO ON THEIR WAY TO FAILURE. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE MODELS WERE RECALLED. WHY WEREN'T THE 2 WHEEL DRIVES. THIS PROBLEM MIRRORS THE ISSUE THAT THEY HAD. *NM

FRONT ROTORS BECOME HOT AND WARPED. IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND ROTORS WERE ROTATED AND PUT BACK ON. RECEIVED THE VEHICLE BACK AND IT STILL FELT LIKE ROTORS WERE STILL WARPED... A LOT OF SHAKING IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKE PEDAL. *NM

LOSS OF ENGINE COMPRESSION, WHICH RESULTED IN THE #3 CYLINDER MISFIRING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYING ON AND NOT ABLE TO RESET. VEHICLE WAS AT THE MECHANICS SHOP FOR 2 WEEKS. AFTER RECEIVING VEHICLE BACK, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. WHEN THE PROBLEM OF THE #3 CYLINDER MISFIRE WAS DETECTED, IT WAS CAUSED BY 2 VALVES BEING BENT, WHICH ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC WAS DUE TO A CARBON BUILD UP IN THE ENGINE. VEHICLE IS AND ALWAYS WAS WELL MAINTAINED AND NEVER HAD ANY SORT OF MECHANICAL PROBLEM. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND PURCHASED NEW IN 2001, ONLY HAD 63,000 MILES ON IT. ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP PARTS DEPARTMENT, THE 4.7L ENGINE IS KNOWN FOR A CARBON BUILD UP AROUND 50,000 MILES OR SO AND THE PROBLEM THAT I HAD WAS NOT AN UNCOMMON ONE. WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT WAS ONE OF THE KINKS THAT DODGE NEVER COULD CORRECT. GEE THANKS! I CORRECTED THE PROBLEM MYSELF, HOWEVER, I TRADED IT IN ON A 2006 TOYOTA TUNDRA. IT'S NO WONDER WHY THE AMERICAN AUTO INDUSTRY IS IN SUCH POOR SHAPE! *NM

2001 DODGE DAKOTA QUADCAB BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS AGO, FROM THIS DATE, 09/15/06. BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ON. AFTER CHARGING ME $500.00 + FOR A TUNE-UP, CLEANING THE INJECTORS, AND REPLACING AN OXYGEN SENSOR, THE DEALERSHIP STILL COULD NOT MAKE THE TRUCK RUN SMOOTHLY. THEY ENDED UP TELLING ME THAT IF I LEFT IT WITH THEM FOR A WEEK OR SO THAT THEY COULD POSSIBLY DETERMINE THE PROBLEM AND IT WAS PROBABLY GOING TO ENTAIL THEM REMOVING THE HEADS AND WOULD BE A MINIMUM OF $1,000.00. I WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT MY FRONT END NEEDED TO BE ALIGNED. I JUST PUT THE TIRES ON LAST SUMMER, HAD ALL THESE PROBLEMS CHECKED BY ANOTHER MECHANIC. FRONT END DID NOT NEED ALIGNING BUT THEY DID DETERMINE THE PROBLEM WITH RUNNING ROUGH. SEEMS THAT DUE TO A CARBON BUILD-UP INSIDE THE CYLINDER, SOME CARBON ACTUALLY GOT INTO THE #3 CYLINDER AND CAUSED THE VALVE TO BEND SLIGHTLY. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND IT ONLY HAS 63,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE NEVER RAN IT HOT, WITHOUT OIL AND ALWAYS MAKE SURE I MAINTAIN MY MAINTENANCE ON IT. LAST YEAR, MY FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS HAD TO BE REPLACED, AT $900.00 WHICH IN TURN RUINED THE FRONT BRAKE PADS. THE DEALERSHIP THEN TOLD ME THAT THE BOOTS IN THE CALIPERS WERE DRY ROTTED. I LIKE THE TRUCK BUT IT SEEMS AS IF SINCE I PAID IT OFF 3 YRS. AGO, I HAVE HAD SOME SORT OF MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH IT EVERY YEAR SINCE THEN. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS VEHICLE TO ANYONE, UNLESS THEY WERE A MECHANIC. MY MECHANIC SAYS THAT A LOT OF IT IS DUE TO POOR WORKMANSHIP. WHAT A SHAME, IT IS NO WONDER WHY THE U.S. AUTO INDUSTRY IS IN SUCH BAD SHAPE. *JB

THE SIDEWALLS ON THE FRONT TIRES SPLIT ON THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE . I FOUND THE DEFECT MYSELF. REPLACED THE TIRES. I STILL HAVE THE OLD ONES. THE TRUCK HAD ONLY A LITTLE OVER 12K MILES ON IT. THE DEALER BLEW ME OFF. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING, A WHISTLING NOISE WAS HEARD UNDER THE HOOD. UPON CHECKING, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE HOSE CONNECTED TO THE INTAKE PLENUM WAS BROKE AND HAD SPLIT AT THE END ALONG THE MOLD MARK AND WAS ABOUT TO FALL OFF. THERE WAS ENOUGH SLACK TO CUT BACK TO A GOOD SECTION OF THE HOSE AND IT WAS REATTACHED. A WEEK LATER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHO DETERMINED THAT A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOSE WAS ALSO SPLIT AT THE END. THE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP CUT THE HOSE BACK TO A GOOD SECTION AND REATTACHED THE HOSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED BUT THE CLAIM WAS DENIED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO RECALL. UPDATED 10/25/2006 - AS OF 9/15/06 THE HOSE THAT ATTACHES TO THE INTAKE PLENUM HAS STARTED TO CRACK AGAIN. *NM

2001 DODGE DAKOTA DRIVER SEAT STEEL BRACKET BROKE. *KB THE POWER SEAT ADJUSTER CRACKED IN HALF. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE DAMAGED OCCURRED WHEN THE RIVET WAS FASTENED TO THE BRACKET. THE LEFT FRONT POWER WINDOW REGULATOR WAS REPLACED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE BALL JOINTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC SHOP FOR REPAIR ON THE UPPER FRONT RIGHT BALL JOINTS. A RECALL LETTER WAS RECEIVED PERTAINING TO THE BALL JOINTS AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE UPPER FRONT LEFT BALL JOINTS UNDER THE RECALL AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO SEND THE MANUFACTURER COPIES OF THE PRIOR REPAIR WORK PERFORMED ON THE BALL JOINTS. AFTER SENDING THE MANUFACTURER A LETTER WITH INVOICE, A LETTER WAS RECEIVED FROM THE MANUFACTURER DENYING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE COSTS OF THE PREVIOUS REPAIRS.

RIGHT TIE ROD END FELL OUT. THE BALL JOINT FELL APART. I HAD JUST DRIVEN FROM WASHINGTON STATE TO NEW YORK. HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED JUST BEFORE LEAVING. IT HAPPENED AT LOW SPEED TURNING A CORNER. NO CRASH NO INJURY. *NM