2000 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

ELECTRICAL LOCKING SYSTEM HAS FAILED. IF YOU USE THE ELECTRICAL LOCK SYSTEM, THE DOORS DO NOT ELECTRONICALLY OPEN, YOU MUST MANUALLY PUSH THE LOCKS UP TO OPEN AND EXIT THE VEHICLE. YOU CANNOT MANUALLY PUSH THE LOCKS UP TO EXIT THE VEHICLE UNLESS YOU HIT THE ELECTRIC DOOR BUTTON UP AND THEN AND ONLY THEN CAN YOU PUSH THE BUTTON UP AND THEN OPEN THE DOOR. IF YOU DO NOT HIT THE ELECTRONIC BUTTON, WHICH DOES NOT ELECTRONICALLY UNLOCK THE DOORS BECAUSE IT HAS FAILED, THEN YOU CANNOT EVEN EXIT THE VEHICLE. YOU ARE LOCKED IN, CANNOT ESCAPE. MANUALLY AS WELL AS ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKING SYSTEM HAS FAILED. IF AN ACCIDENT CAUSES THE DRIVER TO BE PINNED IN THE VEHICLE, OR UNCONSCIOUS OR THE VEHICLE MANGLED IN SUCH A MANNER THAT YOU COULD NOT PUSH THE ELECTRIC BUTTON UP, MY CHILDREN (8 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND 11 YEAR OLD SON) WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. WHAT IF THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE AND THEY COULDN'T GET OUT, IF WE WERE UNABLE TO PUSH THAT BUTTON OR THEY WERE UNABLE TO PUSH THAT ELECTRIC BUTTON UP, THE BUTTON MUST BE PUSHED BY THE DRIVER'S SIDE IN ORDER FOR IT TO ALLOW YOU TO UNLOCK THE VEHICLE, IT WOULD RESULT IN POSSIBLE DEATH. WE TOLD DEALER, THEY WILL NOT FIX, THEY WANT TO CHARGE US $100.00 PER DOOR, I BARELY MAKE ENDS MEET, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I HAVE TO DRIVE TO GET TO WORK, THE DEALER COULD CARE LESS.....WE SPOKE WITH CHRYSLER, THEY COULD CARE LESS AND THEY SAY THEY HAVE NOT HAD A FATALITY SO UNTIL THEY DO, THEY WILL NOT COVER THIS SAFETY ISSUE. SOMEONE HAS TO BE INJURED OR DIE IN ORDER FOR THEM TO FIX VERY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. YOU CANNOT GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE, BY MANUALLY TRYING TO UNLOCK THE DOORS, IF THE ELECTRONIC OPENER IS NOT PUSHED FIRST, THEN YOU CANNOT MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOORS, THE DRIVERS ELECTRIC DOOR BUTTON MUST BE PUSHED UP, EVEN THOUGH IT DOES NOT MAKE THE DOORS ELECTRONICALLY UNLOCK, IF IT IS NOT AT LEAST PUSHED, YOU ARE LOCKED IN AND CANNOT UNLOCK THE DOORS BECAUSE THE LOCK WILL NOT GO UP....YOU ARE TRAPPED. *NLM

SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE WARPED BRAKE ROTORS ON NEWER DODGE DAKOTA'S. EVERYONE I TALK TO HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. IF YOU REPLACE THEM, THEY GO BACK TO BEING WARPED AFTER A FEW THOUSAND MILES. *NLM

BRAKE ROTORS WARP ON 2000 DODGE DAKOTA. I HAD TO HAVE THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS TURNED TWICE, FOLLOWED BY REPLACEMENT OF THE ROTORS, ALL BEFORE 50,000 MILES. THE NEW ROTORS HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO WARP, LESS THAN 2 MONTHS AFTER INSTALLATION. NOTE: BRAKE PADS SHOW NO UNUSUAL WEAR AND HAVEN'T BEEN REPLACED; THE PADS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE SACRIFICIAL PART, NOT THE ROTORS!!! ALL WORK HAS BEEN PERFORMED BY CLEAR LAKE DODGE AND ALLEN SAMUELS CHRYSLER, BOTH IN HOUSTON; AT NO TIME HAS EITHER PLACE MENTIONED ANY SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH DAKOTA BRAKE ROTORS. *AK

THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *JB

THE POWER SEAT ADJUSTMENTS ON THE DRIVER SIDE STOPPED WORKING IN 04/2003. THE SEAT WAS ALSO UNSTABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE SERIAL NUMBER FOR THE PART IS 5012532-AA. *NLM

I BEGAN TO SMELL HORRIBLE ANTIFREEZE/MUSTY SMELL (TRUCK HAD ALWAYS HAD MUSTY SMELL, BUT THIS WAS MUCH WORSE). IT WAS SO BAD THAT I HAD TO TURN THE HEAT OFF AND ROLL THE WINDOWS ALL THE WAY DOWN AND KEEP THEM THAT WAY THROUGH THE DEAD OF WINTER BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT IN, I WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. THE SECOND TIME I TOOK IT IN, I SPECIFICALLY ASKED THEM TO LOOK FOR AN ANTIFREEZE LEAK. SEEING AS HOW THEY ARE MECHANICS, THEY SHOULD KNOW THIS WAS A HEATER CORE PROBLEM. I OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T KNOW AT THE TIME. THEY TOLD ME NOTHING WAS WRONG. THE THIRD TIME I TOOK IT IN (BY THIS TIME IT HAD GOTTEN TO WHERE HEAVY MIST WOULD COME OUT OF VENTS AND FOG UP THE ENTIRE CAB), THEY TOLD ME IT WAS MILDEW AND CHARGED ME TO CLEAN AND DEODERIZE. WHAT A RIPOFF SINCE THAT WAS NOT THE PROBLEM, MY VEHICLE IS UNDER WARRANTY, AND IT STILL STINKS! I NOW HAVE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH A DIFFERENT (HOPEFULLY BETTER) DEALER SINCE MY WARRANTY EXPIRES IN THREE WEEKS AND CHRYSLER "CUSTOMER SERVICE" TOLD ME I HAVE TO GET IT FIXED BEFORE WARRANTY EXPIRES OR I WILL HAVE TO PAY...EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 10 MONTHS AND IT IS CHRYSLERS FAULT IT IS NOT ALREADY FIXED. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH NEW DAKOTA'S. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SEARCH HEATER CORE DAKOTA ON THE INTERNET AND YOU'LL COME UP WITH MANY COMPLAINTS, MOST OF WHICH SAY THAT IF CHRYSLER FINALLY ADMITS THERE IS A PROBLEM, THEN THE PERSON IS STILL OUT OF A VEHICLE FOR WEEKS AT A TIME. HONORING WARRANTY ALSO SEEMS TO BE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH CHRYSLER. I'LL NEVER BUY ANOTHER UNLESS THEY CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDE. *NLM

THE BRAKE SYSTEM OVERHEATED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT WHILE BRAKING. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKES DID NOT RELEASE WHILE DRIVING. *NLM

WHEN THE CONSUMER MADE A STOP, THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE LEFT. WHEN THE CONSUMER GOT OUT OF VEHICLE, SHE SAW THE WHEELS WERE HOT, BECAUSE THE BRAKES FAILED TO RELEASE. *JB

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. THE DEALER STATED THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB

CARRIED 2000 DODGE DAKOTA SLT BACK TO DEALER @11503 MILESFOR FRONT END SHIMMIE UNDER NORMAL BRAKING CONDTIONS.