2008 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKED INTO THE BOOT AND CAUSED IT TO RUPTURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

I HAD PURCHASE THIS VEHICLE IN FEB 2011, AND EVER SINCE I HAVE REPORTED TO MY DEALER THAT I BEEN FEELING VIBRATION WHEN I APPLY MY BRAKES AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, STEERING WHEEL STARTS TO SHAKE AND BRAKES SHAKE WHEN APPLIED. THEY HAD TEST DROVE IT AN THEY CAME BACK AN TOLD ME IT WAS JUST THE ROAD, THEY INFORMED TO CHANGE THE BREAKS AND ROTORS, AND I SHOULD B FINE, SO I DID. NOW IM HAVING TROUBLE WITH ROAD VIBRATION FROM NEW TIRES, ALSO HAD A ALIGNMENT FOR ALL FOUR TIRES, AND THEY NOT ABLE TO KEEP PROPER BALANCE AND NOW AGAIN WITH MY ROTORS AND BRAKES SHAKES WHEN I APPLY AND I FEEL IT IN THE STEERING WHEEL. I JUST MAY NEED TO TAKE IT IN HAVE THEM LOOK EVERYTHING OVERAGAIN, BUT BY ANOTHER MECHANIC.. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE INSPECTING THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE PRESSURE THE VALVE STEM FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC. THE VALVE STEM AND TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR WERE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

ON 9 JULY 2012, I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO T J TIRE AND SERVICE IN RICHLANDS, NC. I WAS THERE TO HAVE TIRES INSTALLED ONTO MY TRUCK. THE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A VERY BAD SITUATION WITH MY VALVE STEMS AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM THE INSTALL WITH THE CURRENT VALVE STEMS. THE PROBLEM WITH THE VALVE STEM IS THAT THEY WERE SEVERELY CORRODED AND WERE BREAKING AND FRAGMENTING APART. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED CHRYSLER CORPORATION TO SEE IF THERE WAS A TSB OR A RECALL. THEY RESPONDED THAT THERE WAS NOT ONE IN EFFECT OR PENDING. UPON INSPECTION OF THE VALVE STEM IT WAS FOUND TO BE COMPOSED OF AN ALUMINUM STEM, BRASS VALVE CORE AND A CAP OF UNKNOWN METAL/ALLOY. THIS COMBINATION OF DISSIMILAR METALS ON A COMPONENT EXPOSED TO WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS IS NOT ADVISABLE. THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN THE DISSIMILAR METALS AND INCREASED RATE OF CORROSION. THIS COMPONENT IS SUBJECT TO FAILURE AND WOULD POSE A SIGNIFICANT RISK AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. *TR

I NEVER KNOW WHETHER THE WIPERS WILL WORK WHEN IT IS RAINING OR NOT. USUALLY, IF THEY START WORKING WHEN TURNED ON, THEY WILL CONTINUE. ALTHOUGH, THEY MAY WIPE CONTINUOUSLY WHEN SET IN THE INTERMITTENT RANGE; ALTERNATIVELY, THEY MAY WORK ON INTERMITTENT EVEN WHEN SET TO CONTINUOUS. I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO SET THE WIPERS TO "HIGH", THE FASTEST THEY WILL GO IS CONTINUOUS, NORMAL SPEED. INFREQUENTLY, THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS WILL NOT SELF CANCEL, OR THEY WILL SPONTANEOUSLY BEING TO FLASH IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE SETTING. VERY STRANGE. *TR

BRAKES LOCKED AND SMOKED WHEN GOING OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR ON THE HIGHWAY ON MY DAKOTA. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO STOP. THE BRAKES SMELLED LIKE THEY WERE BURNING. I WAITED FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND PROCEEDED TO TRY TO GET TO THE NEXT EXIT. HOWEVER, THE SHAKING CONTINUED. I PULLED OVER ONCE AGAIN AND WAITED FOR ANOTHER 30 MINUTES. AT THIS POINT, I GOT BACK IN THE CAR AND IT DIDN'T DO IT ANYMORE. WHEN I WENT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THIS CHECKED, I WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE CALIPERS, PADS AND ROTORS. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION ON THE WEB, I'M FINDING THIS IS HAPPENING TO SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS NAME BRAND: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/DODGE/DAKOTA/2002/BRAKES/BRAKES_LOCK_UP.SHTML. BASED ON THE COMPLAINT AND EVEN IF THE BRAKES GETS FIXED, IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT USING THE CAR TO GO ANYWHERE FAR SINCE I FEEL IT IS VERY DANGEROUS. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN IT FIXED YET AS I'M NOT SURE IT'S EVEN WORTH IT. THIS HAPPENED TO ANOTHER 2005 DODGE DAKOTA TRUCK I HAD BUT SINCE I WAS STILL UNDER THE WARRANTY, IT WAS FIXED ALTHOUGH THEY GAVE ME A HARD TIME ACCUSING ME OF TAKING THE CAR ELSEWHERE FOR MAINTENANCE. I THOUGHT THE ISSUE WITH DAKOTAS WAS A ONE-TIME INCIDENT. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR INVESTIGATING THIS ISSUE FURTHER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN ENGAGING THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL, THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL WOULD ACTIVATE AND IF HE ENGAGED THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL, THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WOULD ACTIVATE. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO REPLACE THE TURN SWITCH. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51,437 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,692.

TURN SIGNALS AND WIPERS INTERMITTENT. PUSH LEVER DOWN AND RIGHT SIGNAL MAY BLINK, OR NO SIGNAL, OR LEFT SIGNAL. PUSH LEVER UP AND RIGHT SIGNAL MAY BLINK OR NOTHING AT ALL. IF SIGNALS DO WORK PROPERLY AS THEY SWITCH OFF (EITHER MANUALLY OR WHEN THE TURN IS COMPLETED) OPPOSITE SIGNAL MAY BLINK 1-3 TIMES. WHILE SWITCHING FROM HIGH BEAM TO LOW BEAM AND VICE VERSA WINDSHIELD WASHER AND WIPERS WILL TURN ON FOR 3-4 SWIPES. *KB

OUR 2008 DODGE DAKOTA HAD TWO TIE RODS FAIL IN TWO MONTHS. THE TRUCK WAS FRESH OUT OF WARRANTY WITH APPROX 63,000 MILES. FIRST ONE TIE ROD BROKE, THEN WITHIN TWO MONTHS, THE OTHER. NO WARNING, WHEN FIRST TIE ROD END WAS REPLACED, OTHER TIE ROD WAS CHECKED,LOOKED OK. NEW TIE ROD ENDS WERE INSTALLED. BOTH PRESENTED DRAMATIC SAFETY ISSUES. THE TIE ROD BROKE AND FELL SO THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OF THE FRONT WHEELS. BY SHEER LUCK, WE WERE NOT DRIVING 65 MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY, BUT IN A RURAL TOWN SETTING, SO WE DID NOT CRASH THE TRUCK. THE MECHANICS ON THE SECOND BREAKDOWN OF THE TIE ROD END TOLD US SOMETHING HAD TO BE WRONG WITH THE SECOND ONE GOING. THIS DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN TWICE ON ONE TRUCK. CHRYSLER "CUSTOMER SERVICE" OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE PARTS. CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE DID NOT UNDERSTAND ENGLISH AND WE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE REPRESENTATIVE, WHO SPOKE WITH A HEAVY ACCENT, MAKING IT DIFFICULT, NO, IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND THE REPRESENTATIVE. FROM THE RESPONSES WE GOT FROM OUR MECHANICS AND CHRYSLER, IT IS OBVIOUS TO US THAT THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TRUCK THAT CAME IN WITH THE VERY SAME PROBLEM. THE TIE ROD ENDS FAILING IS NOT THE SAME AS THE HEATER OR AIR CONDITIONER QUITTING. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, AND WE GOT NO SATISFACTION AND WERE TREATED AS THOUGH IT WAS SOME IRRITATION THAT THEY WERE BOTHERED WITH. WE BELIEVE THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AND THEIR (CUSTOMER SERVICE) KNOW ABOUT IT AND ONLY WANTED TO GET US OFF THEIR BACK BY GIVING US THE LOWEST POSSIBLE QUALITY OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. LIKE MOST GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES, THEY WOULD NOT COMMIT ANY OF THEIR COMMENTS TO WRITING, BUT, I AM SURE, RECORDED EVERYTHING, WHERE IT MAY OR MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE. *TR

THE STEERING LINKAGE BALL JOINT BROKE ON MY 2008 DODGE DAKOTA WITH ONLY 23,153 MILES. *KB