Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||
| 03/01/2013 | 62000 | ||
| Vehicle was parked under the carport, was not running, keys were not in the ignition. it had been parked approximately 2 1/2 hours when son in law happened to come over and saw the inside of the truck full of smoke. he opened the door and determined that the passenger seat was the source of the smoke and the inside of the seat was burning. the seat was fully destroyed, but the fire was able to be put out before any further damage occured. had this not been discovered when it was, the entire vehicle could have been destroyed, along with the carport and possibly the entire home. | |||
| 02/07/2013 | 75000 | 1 | |
| Drivers side heated seat caught on fire. *tr | |||
| 02/07/2013 | 75000 | ||
| Drivers side heated seat caught on fire | |||
| 01/22/2013 | 133200 | 1 | |
| Driver's side heater seat burnt hole in my seat, my blue jeans and my wallet, warped credit card. three months ago, a friend backed my truck out of his driveway and when i left his house, i noticed a hole in the back seat cover. i blamed him for burning a hole in my seat since he is a smoker. i have noticed that lately my seat had been getting awful hot but never though it might be burning. then, tues jan 22, i got out of my truck and noticed the hole burnt in the bottom cushion. i have spent the past week talking with the dealer and chrysler about it since it is a safety issue. chrysler is willing to help me out 50% cost. what i am finding out is that the dealer artificially inflates the costs so that in reality, it really won't cost chrysler a dime. obviously, this has been going on for some time. the problem with the nhtsa is that these issues are minor to them in the big picture of things percentage wise - so they ignore it. but to the consumer, it is major. if the nhtsa was smart or really on top of things - they would look at the overall numbers of the car company and they would find that the chrysler corp. has had trouble with their heated seats for over a decade. all their brands. recall on jeep gr cherokee 2001-2004 ; sebring; town & country; dodge/ram trucks. why does nhtsa not care about the individuals in these cases. there was a paralyzed man that had his seat accidentally turned on - he ended up with third degree burns on his thigh about the size of a quarter. i would say that the nhtsa needs to do some homework on chrysler and exercise a recall on all of these heated seat elements. how many people need to suffer? why is everything based on numbers?? does anyone in this world care about the individuals being harmed??in my opinion, you are failing terribly by not going after the chrysler corp. for their neglect. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr | |||
| 01/22/2013 | 133200 | ||
| Driver's side heater seat burnt hole in my seat, my blue jeans and my wallet, warped credit card. three months ago, a friend backed my truck out of his driveway and when i left his house, i noticed a hole in the back seat cover. i blamed him for burning a hole in my seat since he is a smoker. i have noticed that lately my seat had been getting awful hot but never though it might be burning. then, tue jan 22, i got out of my truck and noticed the hole burnt in the bottom cushion. i have spent the past week talking with the dealer and chrysler about it since it is a safety issue. chrysler is willing to help me out 50% cost. what i am finding out is that the dealer artificially inflates the costs so that in reality, it really won't cost chrysler a dime. obviously, this has been going on for some time. the problem with the nhtsa is that these issues are minor to them in the big picture of things percentage wise - so they ignore it. but to the consumer, it is major. if the nhtsa was smart or really on top of things - they would look at the overall numbers of the car company and they would find that the chrysler corp. has had trouble with their heated seats for over a decade. all their brands. recall on jeep gr cherokee 2001-2004 ; sebring; town & country; dodge/ram trucks. why does nhtsa not care about the individuals in these cases. there was a paralyzed man that had his seat accidentally turned on - he ended up with third degree burns on his thigh about the size of a quarter. i would say that the nhtsa needs to do some homework on chrysler and exercise a recall on all of these heated seat elements. how many people need to suffer? why is everything based on numbers?? does anyone in this world care about the individuals being harmed??in my opinion, you are failing terribly by not going after the chrysler corp. for their neglect. regards, jerry edgerle 616 481-0267 | |||
| 12/15/2012 | 32300 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge dakota. the contact stated that the seat warmer overheated and burned his leg through his pants. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they were unable to replace the seat and offered no assistance. the manufacturer was notified and recommended the contact take the vehicle back to the dealer to be diagnosed. the vehicle failure mileage was 32,300. | |||
| 12/15/2012 | 32300 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 dodge dakota. the contact stated that the seat warmer overheated and burned his leg through his pants. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they were unable to replace the seat and offered no assistance. the manufacturer was notified and recommended the contact take the vehicle back to the dealer to be diagnosed. the vehicle failure mileage was 32,300. mah | |||
| 12/15/2012 | 32300 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 dodge dakota. the contact stated the driver side seat was over heated and burn through his pants to his leg. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they cannot replace the seat and offered no other assistance. the manufacturer was notified who stated he should take the vehicle back to the dealer for a diagnostic test and possible repairs. the vehicle will be taken back to the dealer for a second look. the failure mileage was 32,300. mw | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 105000 | 1 | |
| I was using the heated seats and the driver's seat overheated and burned a hole in the seat. this occurred within the first 7-8 minutes of using it. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 105000 | ||
| I was using the heated seats and the driver's seat overheated and burned a hole in the seat. this occurred within the first 7-8 minutes of using it. | |||
| 12/06/2012 | 1 | ||
| Turned on drivers heated seat to (low),in just a few minutes i got a burning feeling in my right butt cheek ,at the top of my right leg. it got so hot that i had to turn the seat off right away !!!!! i drove to work and by the time i got there i forgot about the seat ,although i still had a burning sensation in my buttocks. when i came out of work today ,i noticed a burn hole in the drivers seat and the truck had the smell of something burning! i guess i should be happy the truck didn't burn to the ground but i'm at a loss on what to do, even more so ,now that i've seen so many complaints on the internet !!!!!! my butt will be fine ,i'm just wondering what my next move should be ????? *tr | |||
| 12/06/2012 | |||
| Turned on drivers heated seat to (low),in just a few minutes i got a burning feeling in my right butt cheek ,at the top of my right leg. it got so hot that i had to turn the seat off right away !!!!! i drove to work and by the time i got there i forgot about the seat ,although i still had a burning sensation in my buttocks. when i came out of work today ,i noticed a burn hole in the drivers seat and the truck had the smell of something burning! i guess i should be happy the truck didn't burn to the ground but i'm at a loss on what to do, even more so ,now that i've seen so many complaints on the internet !!!!!! my butt will be fine ,i'm jusyt wondering what my next move should be ????? | |||
| 12/12/2011 | 56000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2005 dodge dakota. the contact stated that the front driver side seat warmer over heated. as a result, the seat warmer burned through the seat and the driver's jeans. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the seat warmer malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 56,000. kmj | |||
| 12/12/2011 | 56000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2005 dodge dakota. the contact stated that the vehicle seat warmer over heated as a result it burnt the seat and the driver jeans. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that it malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 56,000. pm | |||
| 03/05/2011 | 80000 | ||
| In january 2009 i replaced the orginial transmission in my 2005 dodge dakota slt 4x4 truck. vin number 1d7hw42n75s176918. the replacement of the transmission cost me $3200.00, not to mention the hassle of breaking down when i was visiting out of state. in 2010, i had to replace the four wheel drive component that engages and disengages thefour wheel drive. costing me another $300.00 recently while using my heated seat option, it burned a hole through the seat and the seat cover. i am tired of fixing this truck,and if i could give it back i would, but since the heated seats isnt a wear and tear item, i want chrysler to absorb the cost of getting this checked at a dodge dealership. not only do i want you to cover the cost of fixing the issue, but i also want the hole in my seat fixed as well. | |||
| 02/04/2005 | 200 | 5 | 01/06/2005 |
| Consumer states the rear seat head rests obscure the view of the rear window. as a result, the driver's visibility is impaired. *ak the dealer and the consumer tried to remove the head rests but failed. *tc | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | |||
| 01/06/2009 | 99000 | 1 | 09/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge dakota. while the vehicle was idling for approximately fifteen minutes with the heated seats activated, the contact noticed smoke emanating from her vehicle. upon further inspection, she noticed that the front driver's side seat was on fire. the vehicle sustained moderate damage. the dealer stated that the heated seat mechanism was defective and caused the failure. the manufacturer sent an investigator to determine the cause of the failure and it was concluded that the component was not defective. in addition, because the vehicle exceeded the warranty, they would not assume responsibility for any repairs. the contact has pictures of the failed incident. the failure and current mileages were 99,000. updated 03/17/09. *lj updated 03/17/09. *jb | |||
| 10/28/2008 | 64000 | 1 | |
| Drivers side seat(power) heater burnt padding and scorched seat fabric. vehicle was left idling to warm up. i returned to find smoke coming from seat. i found wiring connector and unplugged heater. *tr | |||
| 01/25/2008 | 47000 | 1 | 09/01/2006 |
| Driver's side seat heater became too hot and burned holes in the seat and melted by coat. *tr | |||
| SEATS - MID/REAR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 02/05/2005 | 10 | 0 | 02/05/2005 |
| Incident-2005 dodge dakota, severe vibrations in rear of truck. so far dealer has changed 11 goodyear eagle ls & 8 wheels and vibration still there. dealer advises that cannot change brand if tires without dodge permission. awaiting permission. the vibration is a safety problem as the rear end of truck will hop around on rough or poorly maintained roads. i have driven 5 separate 2005 dakota's and the same problem occurred on all 5 trucks. dealer response is they all do it, so it is not a problem. also, second concern is the positioning of the 2 headrests in rear seating area as they reduce rearward vision by 25%. it would require a major dis-assembly of the inside back of truck to remove. they are not needed when the rear seats are removed. *nm | |||