Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 08/27/2011 | 98000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 dodge dakota quad cab. while driving 35 mph, smoke emitted inside of the vehicle. the contact drove to the side of the road, while inspecting the vehicle he noticed smoke coming from the front driver side wheel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the failure was related to defective calipers. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 98,000. kmj | |||
| 08/27/2011 | 98000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 dodge dakota quad cab (na). while driving 35 mph or less, smoke emitted inside of the vehicle. the contact drove to the side of the road, while inspecting the vehicle he noticed smoke coming from the front driver's side wheel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated the failure was related to defective calipers. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 98,000. js | |||
| 08/03/2011 | 195000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 dodge dakota quad cab. the contact stated that the brake lines ruptured behind the fuel tank due to corrosion. the contact also stated that a lot of salt was not used on the roadways, but the vehicle was purchased in maryland. prior to the failure, the contact stated that the brake pedal felt soft. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 195,000. sm. | |||
| 08/03/2011 | 195000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 dodge dakota quad cab. the contact stated the brake lines on the vehicle ruptured behind the gas tank. the contact stated the failure was caused by corrosion. the contact stated there is not a lot of salt used where they live, but the vehicle was purchased in maryland. the contact stated the brake pedal was getting soft prior to the failure. the vehicle has been repaired. the failure mileage was 195,000.rl | |||
| 04/24/2003 | 5000 | 2 | 03/31/2003 |
| 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 | |||
| 08/18/2003 | 5 | 08/13/2003 | |
| Dodge dakota quad cab pickup 2003, brake failed to work properly. *bf the consumer hit a parked vehicle on 2 separate occasions. the consumer stated when he attempted to apply the brake, the pedal simply collapsed to the floorboard. the dealer checked out the brakes and stated there were no problems, however on the third occasion the brakes failed again without incident. the consumer has continued to experience brake problems. the consumer took the vehicle to midas who told the consumer there was internal failure within the brake system and it was a warranty issue that should be handled by the dealer. *jb | |||
| 06/01/2004 | 100 | 7 | 10/25/2003 |
| Vehicle will either go into neutral when put in reverse or while reversing pop out of reverse into neutral. this mostly occurred when the vehicle was in 4-wheel drive. the dealership serviced the vehicle several times for this issue, but since they were unable to duplicate or resolve the problem. *ak the consumer had two transmission problems. the transmission module shorted out on four separate occasions. this problem caused the consumer to be nearly rear ended three times. the transmission shift indicator showed that the vehicle was in reverse but acted as if it were in neutral. the vehicle pulled to the left, the brakes would squeak and the vehicle had poor gas mileage. *sc the battery was replaced because the vehicle did not start at times. *jb | |||
| 11/12/2003 | 0 | 2 | 07/17/2003 |
| Purchased a 2003 dakota quad cab in july 2003. when i test drove the truck i noticed a howl in the rear brakes when backing up. the dealership admitted that it was an issue but that dodge was working on a solution and that they would add me to their list. my truck was worked on per tsb 0050603. a couple of weeks later the noise returned. i took my truck into the dealership and i was informed that dodge has told them to not work on the trucks that they are working on a solution but do not know why the problem persists. *la | |||
| 8654 | 1 | 04/19/2003 | |
| When depressing the brake pedal, a squeaking noise can be heard. the dealer says this is normal. please provide further details. *ph | |||
| 05/14/2003 | 20 | 05/14/2003 | |
| The day i brought my 2003 dodge dakota quad cab home, i noticed a howling noise coming from the rear brakes when in reverse. took it back to dealer to find out what was the cause and for it to be repaired. service manager said that the breaks needed to be broken in and then the noise would stop. took truck back for oil change after 3000 miles and informed service manager that the truck was still making howling noise. told me there was a service bulletin on this problem and that as soon as the parts came in he would call . i'm still waiting. also i am having transmission problems. when i am climbing a grade the transmission seems to get stuck in second gear. i have to let off the gas for it to shift. sometimes the shift is very harsh and at other times it misses a gear altogether. truck has a hard time maintaining set speed when cruise control is set. seems to wait too long to shift to bring the truck up to speed | |||
| 07/10/2003 | 2624 | 2 | |
| Brakes squeal and engine idle problem.*ak | |||
| 05/27/2003 | 2459 | 1 | 04/21/2003 |
| Brakes squeal and howl, engine idels rough with a/c off in drive (wants to stall).*ak | |||
| 05/05/2003 | 2459 | 1 | 04/21/2003 |
| Brakes squeal and howling sound.*ak | |||
| 11/10/2002 | 0 | 3 | 11/01/2002 |
| Purchased a 2003 dodge dakota quad 4x4. day of delivery the salesman noticed the rear makes a loud squeeking noise when put into reverse and backing. took it in for inspection and they adjusted the rear brakes. we have had it back to the dealer three additional times. the most recent they replaced pads along with some additional adjustements. we drove the vehicle home pulled into the driveway and it did it this time going forward. now it does it in either drive or reverse. we have been told by the dealer it is a design problem but the manufacture states is not a potential saftey hazard but something the consumer will have to tolerate. the vehicle was purchased in nov of 02 and has aproximately 3,000 miles on it.*jb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 03/25/2005 | 7000 | 3 | 08/30/2003 |
| Brake warning light abs light parking brake light' no fuse read in mileage indacator box flashing all at the same time. *ak | |||
| 07/30/2004 | 43000 | 1 | |
| While driving on semi wet pavement brakes locked. as result, consumer's vehicle rear ended another vehicle. upon impact, dual air bags did not deploy. no injuries reported. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||
| 03/04/2007 | 1 | ||
| To whom it may concern, i own a 2003 dodge dakota quad cab slt. and i have run into a lot of problems with this truck that people i know say they had very similar problems with the same make of vehicle. to start with my truck only has about 62,184 miles on it, for a 2003 model truck, that is considered low mileage. the problems i have run into is as follows: both front wheel hub bearing sets have prematurely failed, in particular, the right front hub tried to lock up on me and almost caused me to loose control of the truck, i have since replaced that hub but still need to replace the left front before it locks up:second is that the steering and suspension system has no provisions for preventative maintenance, i.e. no grease zircs for the ball joints, tie rods,upper and lower control arm bushings, wheel bearings, etc...causing rapid wear and failure:third big issue, i have already replaced all four brake rotors due to warpage. the brake calipers were built with some type of composite plastic pistons that distort due to excessive heat build up in the brakes. which in turn causes uneven pad contact, that then causes excessive heat, accelerated pad wear, brake fade, rotor warpage, and an awful squeal when the brakes are applied. i have noticed that my brand new brake pads are actually cracked now because of a combination of the calipers and the hubs going bad: fourth issue is that the transmission causes the engine to over rev in the highway passing gear especially with the over drive and cruise control on. when you're driving down the highway and you give it a little more gas to get around somebody, the engine rpm's shouldn't go up to sometimes around 7000, that in turn could cause premature engine or transmission failure. i have been in contact with daimler-chrysler about these concerns but they just keep giving me the run around and not answering my questions. i still have the old parts also. | |||
| 12/06/2004 | 30000 | 2 | 03/21/2003 |
| My 2003 dodge dakota quad cab has had the brake rotors warped at less than 20,000 miles with no severe use. and also the ball joints are worn out at 35,000 miles. these parts should last a lot longer on a ligh use vehicle.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS | |||
| 01/01/2004 | 1 | 11/16/2003 | |
| I purchased a new 2003 dodge dakota truck in november, 2003. the brakes started squeaking loudly in january, 2004. it seems that i really have to push hard for the brakes to work. i informed the dealership in january, march, and may 2003 and again in june, 2004. they insist that it is common for the brakes to make a noise like this. they have attempted to put some type of filler on the pads which only stop it from making a noise for one week. in june, 2004, they said they replaced the pads with a cheap new pad. the brakes are still squeaking loudly. i am sending this to you because i called chrysler and they said there was nothing they can do. i am just afraid that one day my breaks will not work and i will cause an accident. what do you recommend i do? thank you. ingrid getka *la | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 12/27/2004 | 15000 | 3 | 11/02/2003 |
| I purchased a new 2003 dodge dakota 4.7l v-8 quad cub. at approximately 6,000 miles, i noticed a shudder in the truck when the brakes were applied. it became worse with mileage, and at 15,000 miles, the vehicle felt unsafe when stopping due to horrible shaking and shuddering. it also felt i had less stopping power and distance. i took it to the dealership, and they advised i had warped brake rotors. they replaced the rotors at my expense. approximately 3,000 miles later, the vehicle showed the same symptoms again. i took it back, same diagnosis. i asked the service representative why this continued to happen. she told me dodge is using junk parts. i asked why they didn't put better parts on if they knew this and she said that was up to chrysler, not the service dealer. approximately 3,000 miles later i had to take my truck back again, for the same problem. again, when i asked why this continued to happen, i was advised junk parts. i contacted dodge via their website explaining my problem and they advised me to use a different service dealership. even with the new rotors, my truck feels it has inadequate stopping power. after reviewing dodge dakota owners website, i saw that there are many other owners experiencing the same problem. please help dodge owners with this problem. dodge is clearly using inadequate brakes for their trucks, sacrificing on stopping ability and quality. dodge does not seem to care about the owners safety. please help dodge take accountability for their inadequate equipment. i would be happy to provide any other information or documentation to assist with resolving this issue.*ak | |||
| 06/15/2004 | 1 | 06/15/2003 | |
| I've had problems for about 6 months with my brakes. i don't think that they work as well as they should. and then about 6 months ago i assumed that something was wrong with my rotors because when i applied the brakes there was a shimming in the front end. i took the truck to the dodge dealer where i bought it and was told that it was okay because it was a new truck. i took it back again with the same problem with the rotors and this time the dealer told me that he knew what was wrong with it before they even checked the rotors. this time they turned the rotors and this fixed the problem but now it is doing the same shimming again. the truck now has a little over 15,000 miles on it and i feel that there sould not be any problems with the braking system this soon. *jb | |||
| 12/13/2004 | 25000 | 2 | 11/18/2003 |
| Repeatedly and frequently warping brake rotors, which cause poor stopping.*ak | |||
| 11/22/2004 | 1 | 11/27/2002 | |
| No events leading to failure just regular driving.unusual rotor warpping on my 2003 dodge dakota so far has cost me over $800 dollars in repairs my complaint is on the poor engineering of the brake system.worst vehicle i ever owned should of stayed with toyota!*ak | |||
| 09/10/2004 | 20000 | 2 | 08/30/2002 |
| My truck has less than 25000 miles and the front brake rotors have warped and cause terrible vibration of the steering wheel when applying the brakes. *nm | |||
| 06/14/2003 | 2 | ||
| After 10,000 miles on my 2003 dakota, i had to have the rotors (all 4) turned because they were warped. dealer did it for free. at 20,000 miles they are warped and needed turning again. dealer not paying i have to pay them. i am not the only one with rotor problems, it appears the brakes aren't made for a truck this size but for a smaller version of it. this needs to be fixed by dodge | |||
| 09/08/2004 | 6000 | 1 | 10/12/2003 |
| Brake rotors warped after 6000 miles, brake pads squeal after less than 100 miles. waited until 22,000 miles to have inspected, and told the warranty on product is only 12,000 miles 12 months. refused to replace warped rotors with less than 25,000 miles on vehicle, and pads still in good condition despite squeaking.*ak | |||
| 05/15/2004 | 2500 | 1 | 02/15/2003 |
| Bought 2003 dodge dakota with 4-wheel disc brakes. vehicle had only 3 miles on it at time of purchase. disc brake warpage starting at only 3000 miles. it slowly became worse and finally all four rotors were turned at 13000 miles. now at 15000 the brakes are beginning to pulse again.*ak | |||
| 06/04/2003 | 6000 | 2 | 03/23/2003 |
| After 6,000 miles on my 2003 dakota, i had to have the rotors (all 4) turned because they were warped. now dealer did it for free. again 13,000 miles they are warped need turned again. dealer not paying i have to pay them. it is close to another 6000 miles and they are starting to behave in the way they did with pedal pulsating and vibrating and the truck rear end feeling like it is bouncing up and down and i know the same problem is there, and this time it is going to be replace all 4. i am not the only one with rotor problems, it appears the brakes aren't made for a truck this size but for a smaller version of it. this needs to be fixed my dodge. *cb | |||
| 11/04/2003 | 18000 | 2 | 12/23/2001 |
| Front rotors on my 2002 dodge cc 4x4 dakota warped at 18,000 miles. had them turned and the rear brakes adjusted. warping again after 8000 miles. dodge dealer (sam leman dodge in morton illinois)will not acknowledge a problem. they offered to cut rotor at my expense.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DRUM | |||
| 06/30/2004 | 50000 | 1 | |
| When braking consumer heard a loud squeaking noise coming from the rear brakes. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 04/23/2003 | 70 | 1 | 04/21/2003 |
| Rear brakes make a howling sound when in reverse. *ak | |||