2003 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH DODGE CHRYSLER DAIMLER TO RESOLVE A PROBLEM WITH OUR CRUISE CONTROL. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT YOU ARE NEVER SURE HOW THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL RESPOND. SOMETIMES YOU NOTICE CARS AND TRUCK WHIZZING BY AND YOU'RE HOLDING UP THE TRAFFIC. BASED THE DEALERS REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX THE PROBLEM AND THE MANUFACTURER'S BULLETIN ON HOW TO TRY TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM BY "RE TRAINING THE COMPUTER", I BELIEVE THE REAL FIX GOES BACK TO THE COMPUTER PROGRAM AND SENSORS USED IN THE SYSTEM. CAN YOU PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS ISSUE FOR ME AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR ADVISE IS? COPY OF PART OF THE CORRESPONDENCE TO DEALER FOLLOWS: DODGE COUNTRY OF APPLETON 4400 WEST COLLEGE AVENUE AS YOU CAN CONFIRM WE HAVE HAD OUR 2003 DODGE DAKOTA IN THREE OR MORE TIMES NOW TO TRY AND FIX THE CRUISE CONTROL. [XXX] THERE ARE BASICALLY TWO MAIN SYMPTOMS: 1) UNEXPECTED SHIFT INTO HIGH GEAR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS ON CRUISE CONTROL - THESE EVENTS DO NOT SEEM TO COINCIDE WITH ANY SPECIFIC ROAD CONDITION. 2) NON - RESPONSIVE CRUISE CONTROL - THE VEHICLE SPEED DRIFTS DOWN 10 MPH OR MORE OFF OF SET POINT ON A VERY GRADUAL INCLINE WITH NO RESPONSE AT ALL BY THE CRUISE CONTROL. ONCE YOU REACH LEVEL ROAD THE SPEED WILL VERY SLOWLY CREEP UP OVER WHAT SEEMS LIKE SEVERAL MILES. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN CONSISTENTLY OR REPEAT UNDER ANY SPECIFIC ROAD CONDITION. SOMETIMES AT 60 - 70 MPH ON BOTH GENTLE AND STEEP INCLINES THE CRUISE WORKS FINE. SPEED MAY ONLY DROP OF ONE OR TWO MPH AND THE ENGINE DOESN'T EVEN SHIFT INTO A HIGHER GEAR. YET UNDER IDENTICAL CONDITIONS, SOMETIMES AT THE SAME SPEEDS OF 60 - 70 MPH THE CRUISE WILL RESPOND BY KICKING INTO THE NEXT HIGHER GEAR AND OTHER TIMES THE CRUISE WILL NOT RESPOND AT ALL LET THE SPEED DROP DOWN 10MPH. TOO SLOW A SPEED IS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS TOO FAST A SPEED. ANOTHER PERSON I ASKED WITH AN IDENTICAL VEHICLE INDICATED SIMILAR PROBLEMS. UPDATED 07/26/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DODGE MANUFACTURED MY VEHICLE WITH A 20 GALLON TANK, THOUGH IT WAS BUILT FOR THE SPEC OF A 22 GALLON TANK AND AND ALL THE ELECTRONICS WERE SET TO A 22 GALLON TANK. WHEN I NOTICED THE ERRONEOUS OUTPUT FROM THE COMPUTER I ASKED MY DEALER TO INVESTIGATE. THIS IS WHEN THEY DISCOVERED THAT I HAD A 20 GALLON TANK AND THAT MY MODEL WOULD NOT ACCEPT A 22 GALLON TANK. THEY ALSO MENTIONED THAT THEY HAD OTHERS ON THEIR LOT AT THE TIME WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WHICH DODGE HAS PRINTED NEW WINDOW STICKERS FOR SINCE THEN. THE ONLY THING THEY COULD DO IS ADJUST THE COMPUTER TO BE CORRECT. MY COMPLAINT REVOLVES AROUND THE TRUCKS THAT WERE SOLD WITH THIS CONDITION, I BELIEVE A TSB SHOULD BE ISSUED TO CORRECT THE COMPUTERS TO 20 GALLON TANKS AND TO NOTIFY THE OWNERS OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM. SINCE BRINGING THIS ISSUE TO DODGES ATTENTION, THEY HAVE BEEN VERY EVASIVE IN THEIR RESPONSE WHEN I ASKED WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO FOR ALL THE OWNERS AFFECTED BY THIS. I BELIEVE IT POSES A POTENTIAL SAFETY PROBLEM IN THAT IF AN OWNER RELIES ON THE COMPUTER, THEY COULD RUN OUT OF GAS AT AN INOPPURTUNE TIME. LIKE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREEWAY.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH CONSUMER HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ON MD RT 468 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:10 AM ON JANUARY 9, 2004, THE DRIVER OF MY TRUCK HIT A SMALL PATCH OF ICE AT WHICH TIME THE TRUCK WENT INTO A 360 DEGREE SPIN. AT SOME POINT DURING THE SPIN THE FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF AT WHICH TIME THE DRIVER LOST COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND IT RAN OFF OF THE ROAD AND HIT THREE TREES. AN INSPECTION OF THE WHEEL, TIRE ROD AND BALL JOINT REVEALED THAT THE BALL JOINT WAS RUSTED AND SNAPPED OFF. *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD METAL BANGING COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP SERVICED THE VEHICLE, BUT COULD NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE FRONT UPPER BALL JOINTS WERE PREMATURELY WORN OUT AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. DODGE SUGGESTED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. *SC

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE DRIVER TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE CAUSE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.

THERE HAS BEEN A STARTLING NUMBER OF BALL JOINT FAILURES IN THE 1998-2003 DODGE DAKOTA AND DODGE DURANGO VEHICLES. I OWN A 2003 DAKOTA, AND HAD AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC INSPECT MINE. BECAUSE MY VEHICLE ONLY HAD 8500 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME, THE BALL JOINTS CHECKED OUT OK. IT WAS HIS ESTIMATION THAT BECAUSE OF THE GREASELESS FITTING, HOWEVER, I COULD EXPECT THE SAME PROBLEM SO MANY OTHER DAKOTA OWNERS HAVE HAD IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THESE PARTS SHOULD LAST 100,000 MILES, BUT THE ONES ON THESE DODGE VEHICLES FAIL AT ABOUT 25,000 TO 30,000. I HAVE VOICED MY CONCERNS TO DODGE. THE PERSON I TALKED TO AT THEIR RECALL CENTER ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM AND THAT THEIR WAS AN INVESTIGATION ONGOING AT THIS TIME, AND TOLD ME TO LISTEN FOR "CLUNKING" NOISES IN THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. OF THE REPORTS I'VE SEEN OF FAILURE OF THE JOINT, FEW SAY THERE WAS ANY WARNING OF THIS TYPE, HOWEVER.*AK

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS LIFTED OFF THE WINDSHIELD WHEN TRAVELING OVER 60 MPH. *PH THE WIPERS COULD NOT BE ADJUSTED TO KEEP THE BLADES FROM HITTING THE WINDSHIELD FRAME. THE DEFROSTER AIR FLOW DOES NOT KEEP THE WINDSHIELD CLEAR OF FROZEN ICE OR SNOW. THE CONSUMER HAS SEVEN DODGE DAKOTA'S RANGING FROM 1994-2003 AND THEY ALL HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *NM

TOWING PACKAGE 7 PIN TO 4 PIN ADAPTOR FOR TRAILER LIGHTS FREQUENTLY SHORT OR FAIL TO MAKE CONTACT WHICH CAUSES A EXTREME SAFETY SITUATION WHEN PULLING A TRAILER. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WHICH HAS KEPT ME FROM PULLING MY BOAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. *JB

I OWN A 2003 DODGE DAKOTA TRUCK. I HAVE 15,500 MILES ON IT AND ON 03/03/04 THE LEFT UPPER BALL JOINT HAD TO BE REPLACED. IN 2001 I OWNED A 2001 DAKOTA AND HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH IT. ( IT WAS TRADED AT 17,000) MILES. FROM 1987 UNTIL 2001 I OWNED A 1987 DAKOTA, AT THE TIME OF TRADE IT HAD 187,000 MILES WITH NO BALL JOINT PROBLEMS, AND IT IS STILL USED ON THE ROAD EVERY DAY.