1999 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, EVERYTHING SHUTS OFF; MOTOR, BRAKES, STEERING. ODOMETER READS "NO BUS" AND NON OF THE GAUGES IN THE CLUSTER WORK. AFTER RESETTING THE COMPUTER BY UNPLUGGIN THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL AND VEHICLE COOLS, IT STARTS UP. THIS IS A HUGE CONCERN AS I HAVE READ FOR MANY OWNERS OF SIMILAR MODELS AND YEARS. IT CONCERNS ME BECAUSE I DRIVE CONGESTED HIGHWAYS TO AND FROM WORK. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND ACCOUNTED FOR. *TR

PULLED OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND STARTED DOWN STREET COULD NOT CONTROL VEHICLE. THE 1999 DODGE DAKOTA R/T STARTED SCREECHING. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED THE BRAKE TO SEE WHAT WAS PROBLEM AND THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET BUT COULD NOT TURN THE VEHICLE'S WHEEL EXCEPT ON ONE SIDE. I GOT OUT OF VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL WAS TURNED TOWARDS THE RIGHT WHILE THE LEFT WHEEL WAS STRAIGHT. I LOOKED UNDERNEATH VEHICLE AND OBSERVED THE LOWER CONTROL ARM ON RIGHT SIDE OF VEHICLE WAS BROKE FROM THE FRAME OR WELD. THE CONTROL ARM WAS HANGING FROM THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE BROKEN AWAY FROM THE WELD. I ALSO HAVE PICS OF THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BREAK. *TR

FOUND U-JOINTS ON STEERING SHAFT FAILING. ABLE TO TURN STEERING WHEEL 1/8TH TURN WITH NO RESPONSE FROM VEHICLE. PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 1998 V6 DAKOTA AND A 1998 V8 DAKOTA WITH IDENTICAL PROBLEM. REPLACED THE STEERING SHAFT ON ALL THREE VEHICLES. I UNDERSTAND FORD CROWN VICTORIAS/ MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS/ LINCOLN TOWNCARS HAVE A RECALL FOR A SIMILAR CONDITION ON THEIR STEERING SHAFTS. *TR

I GOT THE '99 DAKOTA ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO AND LIKED IT DROVE PRETTY GOOD EVEN THROUGH THE WEEK WHEN IT WAS ALL SINGLE DIGITS NO PROBLEM. THEN ONCE IT STARTED TO WARM UP INTO THE MID TO HIGH TEENS AND UP TO THEN 60S AND 70 IT WOULD SHAKE AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. IT ALWAYS SEEMED TO START AT ABOUT 45 THEN ONCE THE ENGINE WARMED UP IT WOULD STOP. THAT STOPPED NOW THAT ITS IN THE 80S AND 90S. NOW I BARELY HAVE POWER STEERING AND LOOKING AT IT, IT SEEMS TO BE THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT WHICH LOOKING AT ALL THE COMPLAINTS I'M SURPRISED YOU HAVEN'T LOOKED INTO IT FOR IT TO BE RECALLED BY NOW ALONG WITH THE TIE RODS, BALL JOINTS, ETC. THESE THINGS SEEM TO BE FALLING APART AT THE FRONT. I JUST HOPE NOBODY DIES BEFORE THIS IS FIXED. *JS

I HAD BOUGHT THE TRUCK IN FEB OF 2013 FROM A PRIVATE SELLER AND I HAD NOTICED THE DRIVER SIDE WAS LEANING A BIT MORE THAN THE REST OF THE TRUCK, SO I CRAWLED UNDER AND LO AND BEHOLD I NOTICED THAT THE FRAME WAS RUSTED SO BAD THAT THE CAB MOUNTS WAS ALMOST GONE , AND I GOT TO LOOKING AND THE WHOLE ENTIRE FRAME FROM FRONT TO REAR WAS RUSTED REALLY REALLY BAD. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A FRAME RUST THAT BAD WITH 110000 MILES . *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HE WAS REPLACING THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE BRAKE PADS WHEN HE REMOVED THE CALIPER PIN AND NOTICED IT WAS STRIPPED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE PIN THREE DIFFERENT TIMES HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WAS RECURRING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS, WHO STATED THAT THE STEERING KNUCKLE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 185,000.

KEPT TRUCK INSIDE SINCE PURCHASE IN 2/25/99 UNTIL THE FALL OF 2009. PARKED TRUCK OUTSIDE UNTIL PRESENT TIME. TRUCK ONLY HAS 32,217 MILES ON IT. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT ALL THE CLEARCOAT IS COMING OFF OR PEELING ALL OVER THE TRUCK. HAVE USED MOTHER'S BRAND SOAP FOR CLEAR COAT FINISHES. HAVE 93 T-BIRD AND 32 FORD WHICH BOTH HAVE CLEARCOAT AND HAVE NO PROBLEM. HAVE SEEM 3 OTHER RED DODGES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I THINK DODGE SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT, SINCE THE BASECOAT AND CLEARCOAT WAS NOT APPLIED RIGHT. SINCE THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 32000 MILES ON IT. PLEASE REPLY. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 30 MPH, HE CRASHED INTO THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE CHEST AND LEFT SIDE OF THE BODY. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 01V153000 (AIR BAGS) FOR THE CLOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY, BUT THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 160,000.

IM NOT ALWAYS IN A GOOD PLACE TO STOP WHEN IT DIES ON ME,I ALMOST GOT HIT BY A CAR A FEW TIMES BECAUSE OF THIS, IT DIES AND WONT RESTART FOR AWHILE, I THINK ITS IN THE COMPUTER. *TR

I WAS COMING TO A STOP WHEN SUDDENLY THE BRAKE PEDAL SANK ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. A HOLE WAS LATER NOTICED IN THE HARD BRAKE LINE JUST BELOW THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. THE ENTIRE LINE IS COMPLETELY RUSTED AS ARE THE LINES LEADING TO THE OTHER BRAKES. LUCKILY, NOBODY WAS INJURED. *TR