2004 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

ON FEB.15, 2012 WAS DRIVING AND WENT TO MAKE A TURN AND THE AFTER A QUARTER OF THE WAY INTO THE CURVE THE STEERING LOCKED UP AND BECAME VERY HARD TO TURN, CAUSING ME TO ALMOST HIT THE CAR SETTING AT THE LIGHT. AND SINCE THAT TIME THE STEERING IS HARDEST TO TURN WHEN COLD AND EASIER WHEN WARM. THE STEERING WHEN IT IS COLD IS STIFF WHEN YOU ARE A QUARTER THE WAY INTO THE CURVE AND THEN RELEASES THEN HARD AGAIN ALL IN THE SAME TURN, MAKING IT VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT MAKES YOUR VEHICLE SWERVE AND BECOME RECKLESS. DODGE NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THE DEFECTIVE STEERING PARTS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT BECAUSE OF POOR DESIGN AND LACK OF LUBRICATION POINTS CAUSING THE FAILURE. PLEASE MANDATE THAT THEY ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. *TR

AROUND OCTOBER STARTED HAVING TROUBLE WITH STEERING WOULD BE TIGHT THEN LOOSEN UP IF IT WAS WARM. WHEN IT GOT COLDER IT GOT VERY HARD TO STEER. CHANGED THE RACK THEN EVERY TIME YOU WOULD TURN IT WOULD PULL TIGHT AND LET LOOSE AND MAKE TRUCK SWERVE. FIGURED MOST HAVE GOTTEN A DEFECTIVE PART CHANGED STEERING RACK AGAIN. SAME PROBLEM DECIDED TO CHANGE STEERING PUMP THIS TIME. SO MUCH FOR THAT IT DIDN'T HELP EITHER NOW I HAVE A WHINING NOISE ON TOP OF THE TIGHT STEERING. I HAVE ALREADY PUT ALOT OF MONEY INTO IT AND NOTHING SEEMS TO BE WORKING!!!!!!!!! *TR

BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE HEAVY, DIFFICULT STEERING, ESPECIALLY WHEN COLD, AND METALLIC CLUNKING OR GRINDING NOISES WHEN TURNING TIGHTLY AT LOW SPEEDS ACCOMPANIED BY POWER STEERING PUMP WHINE ON A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA 4.7L V8 4X4 QUAD CAB. STEERING HAS ALSO BECOME ABNORMALLY HEAVY AT NORMAL DRIVING SPEEDS WITH DIFFICULTY CENTERING STEERING WHEEL AND REDUCED POWER STEERING ASSIST. INSPECTION OF STEERING COMPONENTS REVEALED SEVERE RUST ON STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT UPPER U JOINT CAUSED BY ROAD SALT AND MOISTURE, WHICH RESULTED IN STEERING DIFFICULTY AND STRAIN ON POWER STEERING SYSTEM. THIS CONDITION IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DUE TO THE EXTRA EFFORT REQUIRED TO STEER THE VEHICLE. LUBRICATING THE JOINT WITH GREASE TEMPORARILY ALLEVIATES THE ISSUE, BUT PROBLEM RETURNS AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME AND WILL REQUIRE EVENTUAL REPLACEMENT OF UPPER/LOWER INTERMEDIATE SHAFT(S) AT A PARTS COST OF APPROXIMATELY $226, PLUS LABOR. INTERNET RESEARCH REVEALS THIS IS A WIDELY OCCURRING ISSUE ON THIS GENERATION OF DAKOTA PICKUP CAUSED BY POOR DESIGN (LACK OF LUBRICATION, NO PROTECTION FROM THE ELEMENTS, AND INADEQUATE RUST PROOFING) OF A CRITICAL STEERING COMPONENT, WHERE FAILURE CAN RESULT IN A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BY MAKING THE VEHICLE MORE DIFFICULT TO STEER, AND THUS CHRYSLER GROUP LLC SHOULD BE HELD LIABLE FOR REPAIR COSTS OF THIS COMPONENT. *TT

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED AN BEEN REPLACED...NOW IM GOING WITHOUT A HEATER BECAUSE THE BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR STARTED SPARKING AN THE SMELL OF BURNING RUBBER AN MELTED PLASTIC FILLED THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE SO I QUICKLY PULLED OVER TO AVOID A ACCIDENT AN I REACHED UNDER TO THE TO WHARE THE RESISTOR IS LOCATED AN IT WAS SCORTCHING HOT TO THE TOUCH. IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAD STARTED TO CATCH FIRE. ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE DIES OR GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED FOR THERE TO BE A RECALL ON THIS...THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFTEY ISSUE WITH ATLEAST 298 PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND THATS JUST ONE WEBSITE, I HAVE CONCRETE INFORMATION TO BACK THIS MESSAGE SO PLEASE DONT JUST IGNORE THIS. *TT

NO POWER STEERING ASSIST IN COLD TEMPERATURES. WITH FIRST START UP THE TRUCK TURNS VERY HARD. EVEN AFTER DRIVIG FOR SEVERAL MILES TRUCK IS STILL HARD TO STEER AND YOU CONSTANTLY HAVE TO CORRECT IT. *TR

POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND TOOK IT IN TO FLUSH THE FLUID. DIDN'T DO ANYTHING BUT WAS TO GIVE IT A FEW HUNDRED MILES. I WAITED TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND AFTER 1 MONTH AND NOTHING CHANGING I REPLACED THE FLUID AGAIN WITH SOME CORRECTION FLUID. DIDN'T WORK, THEN ANOTHER MONTH LATER THE STEERING RELEASED BACK TO NORMAL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TURN. TWO WEEKS LATER THE POWER STEERING BECAME INTERMITTENT AND SOMETIMES IN THE SAME TURN. AT THIS POINT I SEARCHED DEEPER ON THE INTRANET AND FOUND MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT DODGE DAKOTA STEERING AND MANY THAT WERE SPECIFIC TO A 2004 DAKOTA AND MORE THAN A HANDFUL THAT HAD ABOUT 70K MILES LIKE MINE. AFTER SPRAYING PENETRATING OIL ON THE U-JOINT WITH A SHORT TERM CORRECTION, I'M CONVINCED THAT I NOW HAVE ONE OF THESE FAULTY STEERING SHAFTS. *TR

TRUCK HAS BECOME VERY HARD TO STEER. LIKE THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED. WHEN GOING INTO A TURN IS VERY HARD TO TURN AND WHEN COMING BACK IT STICKS AND HAVE TO TURN HARD ON THE WHEEL. THIS COMES AND GOES, SEEMS TO WORK FINE WHEN THE WEATHER IS HOT OUT AND SEEMS TO FAIL WHEN THE WEATHER IS COOL OR COLD. *TR

STEERING BECAME INCONSISTENT. VEHICLE WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN , BUT WOULD BECOME OCCASIONALLY EASIER MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO CONTROL GOING INTO AND OUT OF TURNS. DEALER REPLACED INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT AT A COST OF $420. THIS FIXED PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE MAKING A TURN THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED IN THE DIRECTION THE VEHICLE WAS TURNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THE THE WIRE CONNECTED TO THE HEATER BLOWER MELTED AND THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE POTENTIAL OF A FIRE. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE FAILURE NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FIALURE BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF ANOTHER REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 59,000.