Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 08/05/2008 | 125000 | 1 | |
| My husband was driving his 2001 dodge dakota home at night, on a country road, around august 5, 2008 and the headlights flickered on and off. when he got home, the windshield wipers went haywire, the horn continued to honk, the door locks began locking and unlocking, and the air bag light came on. we found out the central timer module (cmt) and clock spring had failed and was told the truck was unsafe to drive. we had both repaired for $530. i was told that recalls existed on several dodge vehicles but not one of them specified our truck. i contacted dodge and they just said it was not my truck so i was out of luck. i then did some research on this on-line and found several forums with this same problem on this year of truck, plus several others, and they could not find any help from dodge either. this is a really serious malfunction and could of cause a very bad accident. i just need dodge to own up to the problem and reimburse us for the repairs we had. also admit there is a problem on all dodge vehicles, before someone get seriously injured or killed. *tr | |||
| 03/15/2008 | 127500 | 25 | 09/08/2001 |
| All lights start turning on and off in a random pattern. must hold driver door open while driving to have a consistent headlight. every light is affected. dash lights, tail lights, head lights, 4 wheel drive transfer case lights, horn, windshield wipers, interior lights, brake lights, and several other lighting related issues. this issue is dangerous at night since there are no headlights unless the driver door is held open while traveling. i was informed about the prohibitive cost of correcting this problem by a dodge service garage. unable to locate source of problem due to the randomness of the various light systems turning on and off. also, it is necessary to remove the ground lead on the battery when vehicle is left unattended. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 71000 | 1 | 04/01/2001 |
| Problem started with horn intermittently beeping while driving, then over a few weeks progressed to horn beeping almost continuously, driving lights flashing, and door locks actuating. problem was the body control module or sometimes called the central timer module. it was replaced and all issues have ceased. *nm | |||
| 04/22/2005 | 31000 | 3 | 08/21/2001 |
| My truck has 31000 miles and has been having mysterious intermittent electrical problems since i bought it in aug 2001. originally it was limited to the door locks locking and unlocking by themselves at all times - when the vehicle is running, and when it is not. also had problems with the tail lights working erratically. i took the vehicle in at least two times, and both times the dealer said they could not duplicate the problem, and they could find nothing wrong. the problem continued intermittently over the next two years until this month the electrical system went completely haywire - the lights , locks, wipers, dash lights all quit working, and the 4wd service light came on and it would not go into 4wd (all of this conveniently after the warranty period expired 4 months ago). i took the truck in and they said the control module was bad and that it would cost $500 to fix. when i explained that this is just another in a series of electrical problems that have been occurring throughout the warranty period, and that i thought it should be covered under the warranty, i was told there was no way to determine if it was the same problem, and that i had to pay for the repair. my problems seem to be very similar to some of the probelms in defect investigation #s 10072859, 10018654, and 10106547. *ak | |||
| 05/13/2003 | 7566 | 0 | |
| Currently my dodge dakota is being serviced at town and country dodge for the 12th time for the blower motor going out since i purchased it in september 2000. i have had other possibly related issues-hvac control lights going out, headlight accessory panel going out, door alarm malfunctioning, and cigarette lighter inoperable. the truck has been in the shop for approximately 56 cumulative days for the above listed issues. cannot defrost / defog windows without blower motor. no heat in the winter. no air-conditioning in the summer - not even the fan works to circulate air. at times the problem is intermittent - leaving me stranded when its raining/snowing. vehicle is completely unpredictable even though the dealership has fixed it (for sure this time) 11 times prior to me dropping it off today. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 04/06/2004 | 1 | ||
| 40,000 miles transmission problems. would not shift correctly from first to second. 45,000 miles iginition problems. short in the ignition, car would do nothing. not start, no lights, nothing. 50,000 miles and the ball joints went out. i was told by two different mechanics at the dodge dealership that this was a problem with dakota's and durangos and that the ball joints used on those two cars were very weak and not strong enough to handle the vehicle.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 08/25/2006 | 33400 | 1 | 11/06/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while having the vehicle serviced, the dealer noticed the brake pads and rotors were worn and needed to be replaced. also, upon starting the vehicle, the key would not turn the ignition switch. the dealer determined the switch needed to be replaced. the contact removed the switch and cleaned it with no further problems. updated 11/30/2006 - the check engine light was illuminated constantly. the dealer determined there was a vacuum leak. the wheel cylinder locked up. *nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 08/17/2007 | 78000 | 3 | 05/13/2007 |
| I have a 2001 dodge dakota 4.7l quadcab and my horn, cruise and airbag all stopped working at the same time. i have seen a recall for this matter on 2000 vehicles, but not 2001. i am now operating without an airbag. *tr updated 02-01-08 *bf updated 02/01/08 *tr the consumer stated he is also without a horn and has not replaced it due to cost. updated 02/01/08 *tr | |||
| 07/10/2004 | 40687 | 5 | 06/01/2001 |
| I own a 2001 dodge dakota quad cab 4x4 sle that we purchased new. in the last 6 months, and with only 49000 miles on the truck currently, the following failures have occurred: (1) (from february 2004 to present) the factory-installed external wiring harness (for towing a trailer) melted from the inside out, shorting out the electrical system. (2) brakes would pulsate anytime brakes were applied. dealer attributed this to warping of rotors and replaced pads and turned the rotors. dealer noted a spring on driver-side caliper was missing and replaced it as well. (3) the heater/ac controls failed. (4) went for state inspection and inspector failed truck due to failure of upper ball joints and brakes. the same brakes i just had fixed in february. premature failure of ball joints attributed to typical problem for dakotas/durangos. well if it's typical, why isn't there a recall?? the dealer had no answers. failure was a result of calipers not releasing properly causing the rotors and brake pads to glaze. dealer opted to pick up the tab for the new rotors and the new pads, only at my request. the new calipers and brake lines still cost me $800. again i'm wondering why i'm paying for so much on a truck that is only 3 years old with only 49000 miles. (5) unknown problem at startup when engine is cold. pressing the accelerator causes the engine to sputter. problem exists until engine is warm then goes away. two dodge dealerships and neither can figure out the problem as there is no computer error code coming up. all items mentioned were paid for by me unless otherwise specified. had any of these issues been a result of negligence, or lots of mileage, or had the dodge dealership(s) opted to pay for items that were the obvious result of poor craftsmanship, i wouldn't complain. but, the failures relating to the brakes could quite possibly have resulted in an accident which risks my life and that of my wife, and dodge doesn't seem to care. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 05/08/2006 | 5000 | 2 | 02/20/2001 |
| For the 2nd time the fan motor for the a/c,heater has stopped working all together. the dealer had the truck for over a week the first and it really never seem to work right. the front head lights work when they want to. *jb | |||
| 06/02/2005 | 37500 | 3 | 09/09/2001 |
| Dt: the dashlights and headlights started flashing and headlights will not come on at all. also, the remote would not open doors, took vehicle to dealer, and havd to replace central timer module (ctm). dealer unhooked the module and conected it back, and itworked for about 30 minutes. *ak | |||
| 03/12/2004 | 42500 | 2 | 01/30/2001 |
| The vehicle is a 2001 dodge dakota quad cab equipped with a factory towing package. on march 12, i was driving the vehicle on i-215 pulling a trailer. i smelled something burning, then the cabin filled with smoke. the turn signals, brake light, and emergency flasher ceased operating. a combination flasher unit had failed and burned, with the plastic case partially melted. the heat had damaged the combination switch, which also failed, and the plug into the wiring harness was also partially melted. the dodge dealer changed the failed components, and they failed again, this time with no trailer attached. the dealer finally attributed the failures to a short circuit in the wiring installed by the factory which connected the factory installed trailer socket to the electrical system. i have advised dodge of the problem, and they maintain that their wiring was not defective because they believe that the short originated in the trailer wiring. they made this determination without examining the trailer. even if the short did in fact start in the trailer, the factory designed and installed wiring harness should have prevented the short from destroying these vital safety components. the freeway i was on when the fire occurred was packed with rush hour traffic, and it was extremely difficult making my way to safety pulling a trailer without the use of the signal lights. *jb | |||