2003 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

IN LATE FEBRUARY 2009 I HAD A SLIPPED BELT ON ONE OF MY GOODYEAR WRANGLER RT/S TIRES ON MY 2003 DODGE DAKOTA. THIS WAS PARTICULARLY ANNOYING ESPECIALLY SINCE THE TIRES ONLY HAD 33K MILES ON THEM. THE SPARE HAD NEVER BEEN USED SO WE PUT THE SPARE TIRE ON. THAT WAS FIND FOR A FEW WEEKS BUT THEN THE OTHER TIRES STARTED SLIPPING BELTS. AFTER THE INITIAL TIRE I CONTACTED GOODYEAR TO INFORM THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THEIR GOODYEAR WRANGLER RT/S TIRE AND THEY INDICATED THAT SULLIVAN TIRE IN STRATHAM NEW HAMPSIRE COULD REVIEW THE SITUATION FOR THEM SINCE THEY WERE A TRUSTED DEALERSHIP. TODAY I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO SULLIVAN TIRE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE BELTS ON THE OTHER TIRES HAD SLIPPED AND WERE ACTUALLY DANGEROUS AND I SHOULD BE CAREFUL ABOUT DRIVING ON THEM. AS A RESULT I HAD THEM REPLACE THE TIRES AND WAS SO MAD ABOUT THIS THAT I HAD THEM PUT DUNLOP TIRES INSTEAD OF GOODYEAR ON THEM. I REALIZE THAT THESE WERE THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON MY 2003 TRUCK ( SULLIVAN TIRE INDICATED THAT THE SERIAL NUMBERS INDICATED THIS) BUT THE TIRES HAD IN EXCESS OF 50% TREADWARE ON THEM. SULLIVAN TIRE TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE THE TIRES WERE ABOUT 7 YEARS OLD THAT GOODYEAR WOULD NO DO ANYTHING. AFTER LEAVING I CHECKED THE TIRE WARRANTY DOCUMENT THAT CAME WITH THE CAR AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THERE WAS ANY TIME LIMIT ON THE WARRANTY - ONLY TREADWEAR. I AM OUT $587 AND SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN. I FEEL THAT THESE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE AND SOMETHING SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE BECAUSE OF THIS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SORT OF THING. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN TO ME. I AM 62 AND HAVE BEEN DRIVING SINCE I WAS 16 AND AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH CARS SINCE MY DAD WAS A MECHANIC. *TR

UPPER BALL JOINT FAILURE PASSENGER SIDE OF VEHICLE, I CONTACTED CHRYSLER AND THEY SAY THAT MY VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL #04V216000, WHICH COVERED 600,000 VEHICLES FOR THIS VERY TYPE OF FAILURE. I WAS NEVER OFFERED OR INFORMED OF A EXTENDED WARRANTY GIVEN BY CHRYSLER TO COVER THIS VERY PROBLEM. IF I WAS MADE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS PROBLEM OCCURRING WITH MY VEHICLE, I WOULD OF MADE SURE THAT MY VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED ON A TIMELY MANNER IN THIS AREA. I DID RETURN MY VEHICLE FOR A RECALL FOR MY WINDSHIELD WASHER ASSY IN DECEMBER OF 2004 AND ALSO FOR MY BALLJOINTS DUE THE FACT I WAS SENT A RECALL NOTICE. IF THE WEATHER WAS WORSE OR I DID DRIVE MY VEHICLE OFF ROAD I DO BELIEVE MY BALL JOINT WOULD HAVE DETERIORATED AS A ACCELERATED RATE. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT IF I EXPERIENCED THIS FAILURE IN MY VEHICLE,WHICH WAS NOT RECALLED, THERE ARE MANY MORE DODGE DAKOTA PICK UP TRUCKS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE THIS TYPE OF FAILURE. CHRYSLER SAYS THE NUMBERS DON'T WARRANT A RECALL,BUT THIS FAILURE IN THEIR VEHICLE COMPARED TO GM OR FORD PRODUCTS OF THE SAME TYPE VEHICLE ARE ABOUT 300% TO 1% COMPARING THE NUMBERS. I FEEL CHRYSLER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY AND ALL EXPENSE THAT I HAVE INCURRED TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE AND MORE VEHICLES SHOULD BE PUT INTO A RECALL STATUS FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RADIATOR IN THE VEHICLE FAILED. HE WENT TO THOMPSON CHRYSLER AND DODGE AND HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED; HOWEVER, HE WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE REPAIRS. THE RADIATOR STILL LEAKS FLUID AND THE CONTACT WOULD JUST LIKE HIS VEHICLE REPAIRED PROPERLY. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 88,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB. WHENEVER THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, THE BRAKES WOULD PULSATE, OVERHEAT, AND LOCK UP. THE STOPPING DISTANCE WOULD ALSO INCREASE. THE DEALER STATED THAT WET CONDITIONS AND HIGH SPEED BRAKING CAUSED THE ROTORS TO WARP. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE IDLES HIGH AND ROUGHLY WHEN APPROACHING A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP OR MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE WOULD IDLE ROUGHLY. THERE WAS NO THROTTLE RESPONSE FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 20 SECONDS, BUT THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO A DEALER APPROXIMATELY FIVE TIMES FOR THESE ISSUES, BUT THE FAILURES STILL PERSIST. ALL THE SENSORS WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE IS BECOMING WORSE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE FRONT ROTORS THREE TIMES AND THE CONTACT REPLACED THEM FOUR TIMES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 132,655 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000. UPDATED 11/06/08. *LJ THE ROTORS AND BRAKES WERE REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE VEHICLE HAD A FAULTY MASTER CYLINDER THAT WAS NOT LETTING THE REAR BRAKES EVER WORK. THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS BUILT TO DRAIN INTO THE FRONT PASSENGER FLOOR. THE COMPUTER IN THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCEPT UPDATES. THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WAS REPLACED. THE WIPER MOTOR WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 11/06/08. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB. ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008, THE PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE LIGHT BULB WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT REVIEWED THE WIRING DIAGRAM FOR THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO POWER COMING OUT OF THE CENTRAL TIMER MODULE. THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH, THE CONTACT REALIZED THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING THE SAME FAILURE AS NOTED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 02V322000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH). THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 86,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000. UPDATED 10/16/08. *LJ UPDATED 10/20/08. *JB

I WAS DRIVING MY TRUCK OVER A SPEED HUMP GOING APPROX. TEN MPH WHEN SOMETHING SOUNDED LIKE IT DROPPED, I PUT THE TRUCK INTO PARK AND GOT OUT TO FIND MY RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE LAYING HORIZONTAL, BUT STILL ATTACHED TO THE TRUCK. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AND I WAS INFORMED THAT MY UPPER BALL JOINT HAD BROKE ALONG WITH THE HALF SHAFT/CV JOINT. I CALLED DODGE BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE BALL JOINTS AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T HELP ME BECAUSE MY TRUCK IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. I DON'T THINK I SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS REPAIR. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 56,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

WINDOW REGULATOR FAILS WHEN SHUTTING DOOR, DROPPING WINDOW DOWN IN DOOR CHANNEL. WINDOW REGULATOR MUST BE REPLACED. HAS JUST HAPPENED FOR THE 3RD TIME IN PAST 1 YEAR. EACH TIME A DIFFERENT WINDOW OF THIS DAKOTA QUAD CAB PICKUP I PURCHASED NEW FROM DEALER. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN NO ACCIDENTS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE UPPER BALL JOINT FAILED. THE FRONT TIRE BECAME DISCONNECTED AND DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS CONFIRMED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V596000 (SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT). THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 104,000. UPDATED 09/10/08 *BF UPDATED 09/15/08 *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE FAILED INSPECTION BECAUSE THE BRAKE HOSE WAS ABNORMALLY POKING THROUGH THE MASTER CYLINDER TO THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE BRAKE SYSTEM TO BECOME INOPERATIVE. HE IS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 46,000.

2003 DAKOTA LIGHTS QUIT WORKING, I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. ALSO DOORS WOULDN'T LOCK OR UNLOCK ELECTRICALLY. WIFE TOOK TRUCK TO LOCAL DEALER WHO SAID THEY COULDN'T TOUCH IT FOR TWO WEEKS. I COULD NOT DRIVE THE TRUCK WITHOUT LIGHTS. I CHECKED ALL FUSES AND SEARCHED INTERNET AND DEDUCED THE CENTRAL TIMER MODULE (CTM) (56047092AI WITH DATE CODE 12/22/2002) WAS THE PROBLEM AND THERE WAS A RECALL #02V322000. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER WHO SAID THE RECALL DIDN'T APPLY TO MY TRUCK VIN #. I CALLED ANOTHER DEALER WHO WANTED $400+ TO FIX IT. I FOUND ANOTHER DEALER WILLING TO SELL ME THE PART). THEY SOLD ME A NEWER VERSION AND I INSTALLED IT IN THEIR PARKING LOT IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES. ALL THE LIGHTS AND ELECTRIC DOOR LOCKS WORKED AGAIN EXCEPT THE FOR THE KEY FOBS WHICH HAD TO BE REPROGRAMMED. TOTAL REPAIR WAS $260.21. THEN I CONTACTED CHRYSLER TO GET MY TRUCK INCLUDED WITHIN THE RECALL AND ASKED FOR A REFUND OF THE REPAIR COST. THEY ASKED FOR ALL ORIGINAL RECEIPTS AND A FORM FILLED OUT. ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER CHRYSLERS CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICE IN INDIA CALLED AND THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE KEPT TELLING ME THE RECALL DIDN'T APPLY TO MY TRUCK AND THEY WERE NOT GOING TO REFUND THE MONEY. THEY WOULD NOT GIVE ME ANY OTHER CONTACT PEOPLE OR PHONE NUMBERS. TO MY TRUCK. BUT THE $260.21 I PAID TO HAVE THE CTM #56047092AL INSTALLED REPLACING THE ORIGINAL ONE THAT FAILED WITH A DATE CODE OF 12/22/2002 FIXED THE PROBLEM AND WAS ONE DAY PRIOR TO THE RECALL STARTING. PLEASE REFUND THE $260.21. *TR