2001 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

REAR BRAKE LINE BELOW DRIVERS SIDE BLEW OUT. LOST BRAKES HAD TO DOWN SHIFT TO SLOW DOWN AND HAD TO GET TOWED HOME. *TR

WHILE DRIVING I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND NOW IT COMES ON EVERY TIME I TURN THE WHEEL, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT DIRECTION. THERE SEEMS TO BE A RECALL FOR THE 2000 MODEL YEAR, BUT NOT MY YEAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH UP A HILL, HE ATTEMPTED TO DOWN SHIFT FROM FIFTH TO FOURTH GEAR, BUT THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY SHIFTED INTO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REBUILT AND THE TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS NO LOCK OUT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM SHIFTING INTO REVERE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100.

APPLIED SERVICE BRAKE TO AVOID ANIMAL ON HIGHWAY AND REAR BRAKE LINE FAILED. AFTER AN INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM, IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT ALL OF THE HYDRAULIC LINE IN THE BRAKE SYSTEM SHOULD BE REPLACED DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION. VEHICLE HAS HAD THE BRAKE FLUID REPLACED EVERY 2 YEARS FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS. THE CORROSION IS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BRAKE LINES AND IS EXTREMELY EXCESSIVE FOR THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND THE CURRENT STATE OF THE SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM IS THAT OF A 20 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. THE CERTIFICATE OF COMPLACENCY FOR THE MATERIAL USED TO FABRICATE THE LINES SHOULD BE PRESENTED TO THE NHTSA. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 3 MPH WHEN ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT THEN NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE DASHBOARD AREA WHICH THEN IGNITED INTO A FIRE. THE DRIVER WAS NOT INJURED AND WAS ABEL TO EXIT THE VEHICLE SAFELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE SENSOR TIMER MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE FAILURE WAS PENDING AN INVESTIGATION. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 104,300.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WITH THE HEATER IN ACTIVATION AND SUDDENLY THE HEATER FAILED TO OPERATE. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS A STRONG BURNING ODOR AND SMOKE EMITTING INTO OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT THE HEATER BLOWER RELAY WIRES MELTED. THE FAILURE CAUSED PERMANENT DAMAGE TO THE HEATER BLOWER RELAY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 187,000.

I STARTED NOTICING A "LURCH OR LATERAL SHIFT" OF THE FRONT END DURING TIGHT LEFT AND RIGHT TURNS AT LOW SPEED (35 MPH OR LESS). DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON STRAIGHT ROADS DID NOT INDICATE ANY PROBLEMS. RECENTLY, DURING A BRAKE SYSTEM INSPECTION, SIGNIFICANT "SLOP / FREE MOVEMENT" AT THE UPPER BALL JOINT & WHEEL KNUCKLE ASSEMBLY CONNECTION WAS NOTED (> 0.5"). I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND DISCOVERED THE NHTSA ISSUED RECALL FOR "UPPER BALL JOINT FAILURES ON 2000-2003 DODGE DAKOTAS" AS WELL AS THE DODGE ISSUED TSB FOR THE SAME DEFECT. I TOOK MY 2001 DAKOTA IN TO A DODGE DEALER FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DODGE DEALER AND CHRYSLER BOTH CONVENIENTLY TOOK THE POSITION THAT MY VIN WAS NOT PART OF THIS RECALL, THEREFORE THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THE REPAIR. MY VEHICLE HAS THE SAME FAILURE MODE DESCRIBED IN THE NHTSA RECALL AND THE DODGE ISSUED TSB. THE NHTSA SHOULD FORCE DODGE TO EXPAND THE SCOPE OF VIN'S COVERED BY THE RECALL TO INCLUDE ALL 2000-2003 DAKOTAS THAT EXPERIENCE PREMATURE BALL JOINT FAILURES. A SAFETY RELATED SUSPENSION COMPONENT SHOULD NOT FAIL AT 50,000 MILES. TO ARBITRARILY EXCLUDE SOME VEHICLE VIN'S FROM THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE THE SAME DEFECTS IS DISHONEST AND NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE TRAVELING PUBLIC. I URGE THE NHTSA TO FORCE DODGE/CHRYSLER TO REPAIR THIS DEFECT ON ALL 2000-2003 DAKOTAS. *TR

DRIVING WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF FORT COLLINS COLORADO AND STOPPING FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT THE FRONT BRAKES ON MY 2001 DODGE DAKOTA PICKUP TRUCK LOCKED UP AND WOULD NOT RELEASE UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS ALLOWED TO SIT FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A REPAIR FACILITY, WHERE I WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL BEARING, BOTH ROTORS AND PADS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT AND WEAR. AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES WHEN THE BRAKES AGAIN LOCKED UP AFTER COMING TO A STOP AT A STOP SIGN AND BEGAN TO SMOKE FROM EXCESSIVE HEAT BUILD UP ON THE LEFT FRONT ROTOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE REPAIR FACILITY WHERE LEFT FRONT CALIPER WAS REPLACED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TEST DRIVEN, AT WHICH TIME THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE LOCKED UP IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE LEFT FRONT HAD. THE REPAIR FACILITY RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM FURTHER AND DISCOVERED VIA IDENTAFIX.COM THAT THE HYDRAULIC LINES AND CALIPERS ON BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT FRONT BRAKES HAD TO BE REPLACED IN ORDER TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS WAS NOT THE ONLY OCCURRENCE OF THIS PROBLEM AND IT APPEARS TO BE HAPPENING AT AROUND 70 TO 80,000 MILES. HAD THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED WHILE I WAS TOWING MY TRAVEL TRAILER, WHICH I HAD JUST DONE, AND WHEN GOING DOWN A LONG OR STEEP GRADE AT THE VERY MINIMUM IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE. THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT THAT CHRYSLER CORP. NEEDS TO ADDRESS UNDER RECALL FOR THE AFFECTED MODELS. *TR

2001 DODGE DAKOTA HAS HAD FRONT BRAKES DRAG/LOCK UP. HAS HAPPENED TWICE, BOTH TIMES THE CALIPERS/ROTORS GOT EXTREMELY HOT AND SMOKED. AFTER FIRST TIME, TRUCK WAS TAKEN TO DEALER, THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG BUT COULD SEE THAT ROTORS HAD GOTTEN EXTREMELY HOT. AFTER ALLOWING CAR TO SIT FOR SEVERAL HOURS, THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO GO AWAY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING LOT, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIE ROD BROKE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED HOME, WHERE THE TIE ROD AND LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 169,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 170,000.