2005 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKES THE TRUCK STARTED TO SHIMMY BADLY. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY HAD TO RESURFACE THE ROTORS. THIS TRUCK HAS 6,524 MILES ON IT. I ASKED THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE ROTORS AND DRUMS BECAUSE MY 2001 DODGE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AT 14,000 MILES, THE DEALERSHIP SAID, "THESE ARE NEW AND IMPROVED ROTORS AND DRUMS". THEY ONLY LASTED 6,500 MILES. THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING AND SHOULD BE LOOKED AT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT.*AK

DT: THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING AT 45 MPH WHEN A DEER RAN OUT IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. HE PRESSED ON THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE SHOOK AND JUMPED. THE BRAKES LOCKED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO OVER A HILL. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES. THE VEHICLE NEEDED THE FRAME REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY.*AK UPDATED 01/23/06. *JB

SINCE PURCHASING MY 2005 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB IN FEB. OF '05, I HAVE NOTICED SEVERAL TIMES THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTS UP INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE SYSTEM. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE DEALER CHECKED THE "CODES" AND FOUND NOTHING THAT INDICATED A CIRCUIT PROBLEM, SO THEY DONE NOTHING TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. TWO DAYS AFTER THE SERVICE, THE AIR BAG LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON. THE DEALER EVEN SAID THAT THE AIR BAG SYSTEM WOULD NOT OPERATE WHENEVER THE LIGHT IS ON. WHEN THE LIGHT COMES ON, IT SOMETIMES STAYS ON 15 MINUTES, AND TYPICALLY ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 15 MINUTES. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE SYSTEM WOULD FAIL IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, ENDANGERING MYSELF AND MY FAMILY. THIS IS THE PRIMARY FAMILY VEHICLE. *JB

MY 2005 DODGE DAKOTA HAS HAS A STEERING PROBLEM STARTING JULY 2005. THE VEHICLE MAKES A LOUD NOISE/SQUEALING SOUND WHEN STEERING IS TURNED EITHER RIGHT OR LEFT. THIS NOISE IS MADE WITH LITTLE MOVEMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL AND CONTINUES TO THE STOP. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED THREE TIMES REPLACING THE BELT AND TENSIONER TWICE, POWER STEERING PUMP, AND POWER STEERING RACK. VEHICLE STILL MAKES NOISE AND DEALERSHIP HAS NO IDEA WHAT PROBLEM IS. I CONTACTED CORPORATE AND ADVISED THEM OF THE PROBLEM AND HAVE BEEN GETTING THE RUN AROUND FROM THEM ALSO. THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, YET THEY TELL ME IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE! AS OF TODAY THEY CONTINUE TO TELL ME THAT ENGINEERING IS LOOKING INTO THE PROBLEM. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATES THERE IS NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN 05V460000 CONCERNING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THEIR LOCAL DEALERSHIP. HE SPOKE TO THEIR MANUFACTURER, WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.*AK

PURCHASED MY NEW DODGE QUAD-CAB DAKOTA IN AUG 2005. IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE TRUCK WOULD SHAKE WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED, ESPECIALLY AT ABOUT 50 MPH. SOME NEW VEHICLES CAN HAVE BRAKE ROTOR AND DRUM RUST AND I ASSUMED THAT THAT MAY HAVE BEEN THE PROBLEM. BUT AFTER 3000 MILES ON VEHICLE, I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL DODGE DEALER TO HAVE THEM DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I HAD WAITED TO TAKE IT TO THE SHOP SO THE OIL COULD BE CHANGED AT THE SAME TIME. I ALSO WANTED TO ALLOW AMPLE TIME TO WEAR-IN THE NEW SHOES AND ROTORS ETC. DEALER ORDERED NEW FRONT BRAKE ROTORS ON NOV 8 2005 AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED ON NOV 22 2005 WITH TRUCK SHOWING ABOUT 3600 MILES ON ODOMETER. DEALER INFORMED ME WHEN I PICKED UP THE TRUCK THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT YET FIXED AND THAT REAR BRAKE PARTS WERE BEING ORDERED. THE SHIMMY AND SHAKE WHEN BRAKING AT AROUND 50 MPH IS SERIOUS AND WOULD CAUSE SAFETY CONCERNS UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS SUCH AS SLICK OR ROUGH ROADS, AS APPLYING BRAKES CAUSES A BOUNCING SENSATION AS IF YOU WERE TRAVELING ON A WASHBOARD ROAD (SERIES OF SMALL HUMPS OR BUMPS). IT IS UPSETTING TO ME THAT THIS NEW VEHICLE IS SOLD WITH THE FACTORY BEING AWARE THAT THIS PROBLEMS EXISTS ON THESE VEHICLES. IT IS FRAUDULENT TO SELL A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE SUCH AS THIS AND KNOWING THE PROBLEM EXISTS. UNSAFE WHILE BRAKING AT MODERATE SPEEDS. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT VIBRATED. THE BRAKES LOCKED, AND THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE AXLE, THE BRAKING SYSTEM, AND THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE. THIS ONLY MADE THE PROBLEM WORSE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SPECIFICALLY DIAGNOSED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER SAID THEY WOULD AGAIN HAVE TO REPLACE THE AXLE, BRAKING SYSTEM, AND THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE IS GOING TO BE REPAIRED AS SOON AS THE PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. *AK UPDATED 01/11/06. *JB

PURCHASED 2005 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB WITH 3 MILES , NOTICED A VIBRATION,SHIMMY IN STEERING WHEEL AND FLOOR BOARD AT ALL SPEEDS AND ON ALL TYPES OF ROADS, IT INCREASES ON BUMPY OR CONSTRUCTION ROADS. HAVE BEEN TO DEALERSHIP 7 TIMES, THEY BALANCED THE TIRES THEY INSTALLED NEW TIRES THEN THEY INSTALLED REAR AXLES AND DRUMS BUT VIBRATION CONTINUES. THE LAST COUPLE OF TIMES THEY SAID NORMAL FOR THAT VEHICLE OR COULD NOT DUPLICATE BUT THE AIR PRESSURE IN TIRES IS ALWAYS CHANGED OR TIRES ROTATED,. I FILED A LEMON LAW COMPLAINT BUT OF COURSE THE VERDICT IS DRIVES NORMAL. I JUST WANT A VEHICLE THAT DOESN'T SHAKE WHEN I DRIVE, COULD BE HAZZARD.SAFTY CONCERN. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING A T HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON BUMPY ROADS THE VEHICLE HAD POOR STABILITY. HE FELT AS THOUGH HE COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. HE NOTED DAIMLER/CHRYSLER WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT AT THIS TIME THERE WAS NO SOLUTION. THE DEALER RESURFACED A ROTOR ON THE FRONT BRAKES WHICH DID RELIEVE SOME VIBRATION IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION. NO FURTHER REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE AT THIS TIME. *AK

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT WORKS SOME TIME IT DOESN'T. YOU CAN TURN THE SWITCH OFF AND BACK ON THE LIGHT MY GO OUT OR IT MAY NOT YOU NEVER KNOW WHETHER IT IS WORKING OR NOT. *NM