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.
Front brake grinding when hot and continual rear brake drum warpage. Dealer has turned the drums once and I have had it done independantly twice. Warpage continues within 5-7000 miles.
Complained to woods Dodge in brevard nc about noise in front and slight bump in brakes at 12000 miles. Dealer said it was normal due to the type of brakes pads used and said to drive it. We drove it unitl it had 24000 miles at which time the bumping became a shake during braking. I suspected warped rotors and the dealer confirmed same. The dealer tried to charge me for the repair and also stated that the pads were bad due to the bad roror. I disagreed with the dealer and the mechanic said that it was a design flaw and Dodge used substandard rotors that heated easily. If water was splashed on the rotors they would warp. This would be especially present in vechicles driven in the mountains. I continued to argue with the service manager but he still charged me for the repair but did reduce the charge some. Now at 37000 miles I am experiencing the same problem. The mechanic did recommend that I buy an aftermarkey roter since the Dodge rotor was no good! wow what a comment from a Dodge dealership. Anyway this is a dangerious situation since the warped rotors could heat up and crack causing a wheel lock up. The warpage can also cause reduced stopping ability. I think if you look into this further that you will find other info where the rotors have to be turned frequently but dealers who are lining their pockets due to a manufacture defect and substandard parts. If these rotors are so thin or of material that warp this easily then their should be a recall and better rotors installed onto these vehicles.
Main concern is brakes. The front calipers are sticking and the rotors are warping which is causing the truck to pull one way or the other when stopping. On slick roads the truck will turn sideways on a fast stop and now they have to be pushed almost to the floor board to get them to work. I told them something was wrong the day I bought it after about 20 miles of ownership it took many phone calls and 8 months to get them to fix it and the day I picked it up we drove it and still was not right so they kept it 2 more days and late it is not working again. Windshield wiper on right side at very end does not touch window on all of the Dakota trucks which when in use it skips across the window. It makes a loud noise when using and can not see out that side of front window because of the skipping. There are many other things wrong with this truck but the brakes, wiper and drivetrain ( more so on the brakes ) is a lot of peoples problems. With the brakes like they are it makes for a very unsafe truck. I could get rid of it but could not live with myself knowing how unsafe the brakes are on this truck. I think I got a lemon and wish they would just take this truck back. If I knew how to do it I would. I am disable and can't trust this truck. I can show you on the web where many people are having brake and other problems. The fix they came up with is quality aftermarket brake parts. I did not buy a 20K truck to fix myself. It should at least last a year. I have another Dodge truck with none of this kind of problem and its a 1994 with over 100000. Also the back brakes don't even feel like they are working. I have anti lock on the back but not the front and when they tried to fix the front I was told they put anti lock pads on it and that's not what I have.
The left front disc brake was either locked or the caliper was compressed enough that it was holding the pad on the disc. The vehicle pulled to the left slightly. I started to notice an odd odor. After several miles, I saw smoke coming from the left front wheel well. I pulled off and noticed the left front wheel was smoking a lot. The wheel was very hot. I had the vehicle towed to fair oaks Dodge. They inspected the vehicle and test drove it but, they did not find anything wrong. They also stated that they did not see any signs of over heating on the brake (no discoloration of the rotor or cracking on the pad). I am relatively certain that the brake caliper was locked up and not retracting from the disc properly.
I feel that the problem with the front brakes has to do with the new all wheel drive system. The transmission problem is very scary because sometimes it takes a few seconds to down shift and that may lead me into haveing an accident. The seat is a big comfort issue seeing that is where you sit to drive. The engine idle makes me feel like the truck is going to stall out and I will have to restart it not good if you are sitting in a line of moveing cars
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Frederick, CO, USA