Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
06E024000K&N ENGINEERING, INC. E (Equipment)4438604/20/2006MFRCHRYSLER GROUP LLC03/15/200603/17/2006
Defect SummaryCertain replacement k&n fuel performance kits, p/nos. 57-1509, 57-1511, 57-1511-1, 57-1517, 57-1517-1, 57-1527, and 57-1530. also, a small percentage of these kits were sold under the mopar performance parts brand name (p/nos. p5007069 and p5007070). all kits were manufactured from april 20, 1999, through september 23, 2004. these assemblies were manufactured as replacement equipment for certain dodge pickup trucks and suvs. a small piece of material from the tube wall could be sucked into the engine throttle body, which could cause the throttle to become jammed in the open position.
Consequence SummaryA jammed open throttle could cause unintended acceleration of the vehicle, possibly resulting in a crash or increased stoping distances when braking.
Corrective SummaryK&n will provide owners with a free repair kit along with repair instructions. the recall began on april 20, 2006.
NotesThis recall only pertains to replacement k&n fuel performance kits and has no relation to any original equipment installed on dodge vehicles manufactured by daimlerchrysler.customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
10/01/200470000
 Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge ram 1500. the stated that he had to replace the water pump due to leakage. three years later the shaft bearing in the water pump failed, which caused the serpentine belts to break. engine failure while driving increases the risk of vehicle crash. he speculates that the water pump housing has been sand glassed. he then added that the water pump material was aluminum, which eventually degrades and causes the failure. he replaced the water pump again but the repair was insufficient. the failure mileage 70,000. the current mileage is 147,000.
07/01/200959800
 Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge ram 1500. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle finally restarted after several attempts. prior to the failure, the oxygen sensors and temperature gauge were replaced. the contact called the dealer again and they attempted to schedule an appointment for a diagnostic. the failure and current mileages were 59,800.
05/18/200698000104/05/2003
 I own a 1999 dodge ram regular truck with short bed and it accelerated while i was driving on a highway. at first i thought i hit the cruise control by mistake, but i checked and cruise the light was off. it engine kept ramming and hitting high speeds and i could not stop the vehicle and i almost crashed into other cars. i managed to pull off at an exit and put on the brakes as hard as i could, but it did not stop the truck. eventually, i had to put the car in park while driving. eventually the car stopped and i immediately turned off the engine. my mother (who was visiting me and haven't seen in 5 years) was frightened. and so was i. i checked the coolant and it had ran out. it was just checked a few weeks ago. i had it rechecked and it had no leaks. anyway, i eventually walked to a gas station and bought more coolant (figuring this had to be the problem). it did not help the situation immediately. i waited for 30 minutes and tried starting the car once more and it was okay and i drove off. i called the dodge dealership and they told me to bring it in. will it cost me if the problem is under recall? *jb
06/21/2003870000506/21/2003
 1).we were driving along when the truck, we just got suddenly died. the gas gauge showed 1/4 of a tank. it is a single tank truck, but it was out of gas. when more was added it started up and ran. 2). a heavy rain fell , my sons carseat (latched in the back seat of the quad cab) was so wet the next day i had to wash and dry the padding before it could be used. the windows were shut, locked tight and parked all night. 3). my husband was coming from work a drunk driver suddenly pulled in front of him. trying everything to stop my husbands truck hit his. the air bags (none of them) went off! they were on at the time of impact. my husband was going around 45 miles per hour.4). as my husband started to work the truck suddenly over revved and died. it was said the transmission went out. it was later found it was a sensor went out. new sensor fixed it for about a day and a half. 5). truck shifted funny, lost all oil pressure, and died the motor failed. when it was opened up the cylinder walls were not assembled right at the factory it is a surprise it even made it to 87 thousand miles in the first place. the xxx wall pattern was highly visible and never worn smooth as it should have if it were running properly from the start. some of the pieces are missing also in this motor others are improperly aligned. when he called the dealership it was out of business and the dodge company says you bought it you got it . not even 90 thousand miles on it . now we are stuck with the financial burden of paying for my car payment( as to shuffle the kids around), his replacement car (as to get to work 30+ miles away), and this pile of mistakes in a shell that is suppose to be his truck . this does not even mention the burden of the cost we are suffering from to re build this thing to working order again . to make matters worse; this is just the stuff he has told me about so far, more is being found wrong every time he checks in on it. *jb
07/21/200488000106/15/2003
 Engine failure, 1999 dodge 5.2 liter v8. purchased used vehicle with 75,000 original miles in 2003. truck in very nice condition, and well maintained. last week on a daily drive it seems a coonecting rod snapped and blew through the oil pan. the engine is now garbage. i previously owned a 1987 dodge ram pick-up and regretfully sold it with a mere 175,000 mile on it. that truck would run rings around the new ram tough junker sitting in my driveway. i would request dodge to give me a more dependable engine, like the one in my 1987. i don't need the sweet glitz associated with their new technology. *ak
08/28/20023
 Purchased vehicle with 49,000 miles on it august 2002 since it has been back to the dealer a minumum of 7 times brakes wore out and in to the drums, check engine light on engine not running properly and 5 times for transmission problems not one time has the vehicle been repaired other than for brakes which i had to threaten with a complaint to the state police because of having a new inspection sticker on the vehicle iam still having problems with transmission was told needed a new unit now since out of warranty even though i have documentation it was having problems be fore warranty ran out; now i was told that the performance and runnibility and oil consumption problem is due to a intake gasket failure. a real piece of quality junk dodge is putting out. maybe thats why they went away from their 7/70000 mile warranty on these models. *la
05/28/20033
 The intake manifold cracked and coolant went inside the engine. dealer has repaired three times and still recurring the problem. *tt
11/21/200235982105/22/2000
 Steering seemed loose. dealer replaced trac bar, inner and lower tie rod ends, and an additional bar. just after warranty expired, mileage 35,982 on november 21, 2002. as of march 5, 2003 front end and steering is worse than when it went in. very loose feeling, frequent steering wheel correction needed. very dangerous situation especially on snow covered roads. very unsafe feeling. dealer was asked to check work that was performed on november 0f 2002, on january 30, 2003. they did not look into the situation. also would like to complain about the radiator needing to be replaced along with crank shaft seal, lower pan gasket, and front seal. this was with mileage of 38,105. these items should not fail with this low mileage and age!!!! obviously a defect in manufacturing, and chrysler will not admit to any fault of their product. i have records and proof of damaged items if needed. i aksed chrysler to pay for parts only, but they refused to do so. they also refused to investigate the serious and dangerous front end issue.*jb
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM
07/10/200358000309/02/1998
 Poor workmanship at 58,000 miles my personal (not used for hauling) use 1999 dodge ram pickup had the water pump, radiator, front brake rotors, evaporator fail. cost over $3000.00. *jb
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
09/27/200123458105/22/2000
 1999 dodge ram 1500 experience engine noise defective manifold gasket set. *bf the consumer vehicle had several mechanical problems. the consumer complained of noise in the engine compartment. initially the serpentine belt was replaced but when the noise resurfaced the dealer replaced the intake gasket. over time the consumer had to also replace the catalytic converter, crankshaft seal and radiator. the vehicle continued to perform poorly. the dealer determined that he gasket needed to be replaced again. the consumer decided to do the repairs himself. while performing the gasket repairs the cons noticed that the old gasket was bent . he determined that the dealer had installed the incorrect gasket for the vehicle. *nm
06/28/200421312/28/1998
 I bought a 1999 dodge ram 1500 pickup with a 5.2 liter engine from swift dodge in davis, ca in december of 1998. the first day, i noticed that it had a spark knock or ping when accelerating up the slightest grade. with the air conditioner on or when pulling a small trailer, the knock was worse. i complained about it everytime i took my truck in for service at the dealership. *ak the manifold gasket was replaced twice by the deaer, and i was told that would fix it. it didn't. i've had the truck in for service at swift dodge approximately 13 times over the past 4+ years, each time complaining of the spark knock. sometimes they have said they can't hear it, sometimes they just put me off, and sometimes they changed the manifold gasket. now, i'm told - at 129,000 miles - that the gasket has failed again and that the cylinder heads need to be replaced as well, all for the price of $2,000+. i've called chrysler to no avail. i have one complaint on record with them from april 2001. there are 2 technical service bulletins out on this very problem. apparently the fix is only temporary, and when the truck is past its warranty, the consumer pays. it's not fair that a chronic design problem isn't definitively remedied by the manufacturer under warranty. if all companies included design flaws in every product that the consumer would eventually be charged for, companies could enjoy a steady stream of after-warranty income. that's what's happened here. by the way, the web is full of customer complaints and threats of class-action suits for this very problem with 1999 dodge pickups and durangos. i don't know if there is any legal recourse, but i'm lodging my legitimate complaint anyway. yours truly, dennis parker
210001
 Engine head gasket failed due to problem stated in tsb 60107.*ak
07/29/2002
 Engine was idling and running rough. dealer determined that head needs to be replaced. please provide additional information.*ak
08/18/20001
 The intake pan gasket failed causing leakage. *mjs
12/03/19991
 There is a clattering noise in engine due to crankshaft failure. yh
09/09/19991
 Engine spark knocks badly due to upper intake gasket and intake manifold pan gasket failure. yh
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE
12/15/200295000
 I have owned two 1999 dodge ram 1500 pickups. one had a 5.9l and one had a 5.2l. both vehicles experienced a failure of the ventilation servo (switches cold-warm-hot air mix) and both experience cracked heads. all occurrences happened between 90,000 miles and 100,000 miles. as for the cracked heads neither vehicle had ever overheated, and had always actually run fairly cool.
07/25/2002
 Oil is should be changed every 3000 miles, consumer needed oil before the 3000 miles. oil gauge was reading oil 2 quarts low. consumer felt oil was going up into intake manifold. please provide any further information.*ak
01/12/200207/01/1999
 Sludge in engine faulty plenum gasket. *ak
04/19/2000103/01/2000
 While driving at about 40 to 50 mph consumer could feel a surging effect or choking sound, like vehicle was out of gas, took to dealer, and they did not remedy the problem because of a recall about to come out on these trucks for that problem with engine.*ak
07/01/1999
 Engine knocks on regular gas. dealer cannot fix. failure to warranty? *ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM
06/01/20061
 While hauling approx. 4000lbs horse trailer, the vehicle lost power and i was barely able to keep the truck traveling at 20mph. i took it in for service and it was determined that the catalytic converter had failed, resulting in a blockage of the exhaust system. apparently, chrysler had recalled 1.9 million of these catalytic converters because of the exact problem, but after i contacted chrysler, they said my vin was not part of the recall. i spent over $800 to replace miscellaneous exhaust components as a result of this failure. *tr
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
04/12/200683000109/01/1999
 Dt*: the contact stated while driving 65mph, the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle operated at a reduced speed. the vehicle was seen by an independent repair shop for inspection. the mechanic determined the catalytic converter had failed additionally, blowing the head gasket. the mechanic suggested replacing both the catalytic converter and head gasket to correct the problem.
04/01/2005101/30/2002
 1999 dodge ram experiencing problems with the brakes and the catalytic converter.*mr 1 year old and not on repository. when the brakes were applied a light on the dash illuminated. the dealer stated there was no problem with the brakes. the consumer took the vehicle to another mechanic, who stated he was sold a vehicle with no brakes. the mechanic stated the vehicle needed to front brakes with shims, front rotors, two front calipers, bearings, two rear shoes, two rear hardware, two drums and two rear wheel cylinders. the vehicle jerked when the consumer placed the gear into reverse. the front wheel on the drivers side would shake when the consumer hit a pothole. the windows would fog with a greasy film, the heating coil was replaced. the check engine light illuminated and the 02 sensor was replaced. the pcv valve hose was replaced, the left brake light bulb was replaced, 4 injectors were replaced. *jb
47000
 Vehicle catalytic converter has a failure that causes the engine to run ruff and exhaust not to work properly.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
04/12/200683000109/01/1999
 Dt*: the contact stated while driving 65mph, the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle operated at a reduced speed. the vehicle was seen by an independent repair shop for inspection. the mechanic determined the catalytic converter had failed additionally, blowing the head gasket. the mechanic suggested replacing both the catalytic converter and head gasket to correct the problem.
03/02/20047880001
 While driving the oil pressure gauge dropped to zero. consumer pulled off the highway to check the oil level. the dip stick was dry, there was no oil in the engine. vehicle was towed to the dealership. intake manifold plenum gasket failed. which resulted in the engine oil leaking and going through the exhaust system. dealership replaced the gasket. *ak
06/04/20031
 While driving vehicle overheated due to cracked intake manifold dealer notified.*ak
02/13/20033500009/15/2002
 Manifold gasket sucked in.. causing spark knocking. headlight not working properly due to bad ground. chrysler fixed headlight at no charge, however, told me there was a tsb on manifold gasket and still charged me for repairs.. they stated that they did not have to fix because they remodeled the engine. female subject at chrysler headquarters hung up on me.