This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Engine stalls while driving at highway speeds. Dealer cannot determine the cause of the problem. Later the consumer was told the battery was bad, the transmission was blown out due to flat bearing also, the check light engine kept flashing. The consumer made several attempts to find an adequate dealership to fix problems. The vehicle wobbled back and forth, the consumer later discovered the wheels were flawed. The gas tank level was not operational.
The consumer received a letter in 1999 stating there was a recall on the exhaust outer manifold studs, and at that time there was nothing wrong with the manifold, however the vehicle had experienced a problem with the manifold studs.
While driving, noticed oil indication light flashed on, consumer pulled vehicle over to check oil and to add more oil. Soon after, vehicle shutdown. Consumer added more oil. As a result of this, the engine needed to be replaced. Dealer and manufacturer have been contacted. Consumer found that oil pump failed to send oil to engine.
Consumer experienced engine failure due to inadequate oiling because of sludge in the bottom of the oil pan, consumer was informed by mechanic that part of the reason for the sludge accumulating in the oil pan was due to a poor oil pan design, the way the drain plug is situated it does not allow for complete drainage of the oil during an oil change, which ultimately clogged the oil pump and caused the engine to fail.
I have a 1996 Dodge Dakota pickuup truck that experienced engine failure at less than 60,000 miles. The cause for this engine failure was inadequate oiling because of sludge in the bottom of the oil pan. I bought the vehicle used from a car dealer with approximately 33,000 miles on it and have maintined it properly since that time. I and the mechanic I took it to believe that part of the reason for sludge accumulation in the oil pan is poor oil pan design. The way the drain plub is situated it doesn't allow for complete drainage of the oil during an oil change. This problem is probably aggravated by the fact that this vehicle is 4-wheel drive and the sludge gets resuspended with off-road use on steep terrain or rough roads. On conferring with an attorney, she suggested about the only legal recourse is if it occurred in a number of situations so I am looking for records of related incidents. My mechanic indicated he had one other similar case. Although this did not cause a catastrophic failure, it could have if I hadn't caught the problem in time.
- Mcfarland, WI, USA
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Timing chain has stretched 3 times. I first changed the timing chain on 24 March 2000, on the advice of 2 different Dodge dealers. Chain stretched again and was changed on 20 Sept. 2000. And has stretched and needs replacing again. Dodge did not tell the owners about tsb 09-07-97 stating that a tensioner for the timing chain needs to be installed the date of the tsb is 27 June 1997. If the timing chain brakes while you are driving the engine will stall and could cause internal damage to the engine. When I contacted Chrysler they told mr if I needed the work done aaai had to pay for the cost of repairs. This is wrong because they knowingly build defective engines and failed to notify the owners and they knew that ther were parts missing that would cause this problem.
A timing chain broke while driving, causing vehicle to be inoperative; believed this condition was due to manufacturer's defect. Vehicle only has 69,000 miles of wear and should be fixed at manufacturer's expense, not consumer's. asking NHTSA to look into this matter.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Joplin, MO, USA