I bought this truck new and maintained it well over the years. Yeah, I may have 185,000 miles on this truck which have been pretty trouble free, except for this brake issue. At first I thought it was normal wear, then I wondered why rotors were warping faster than disk pads would wear out. I honestly don't remember how many times but probably around 5-6 times. The last time instead of doing the work myself I had the dealer fix it and they did that by turning the rotors. Eleven months and 13,000 miles later the problem is back. This problem is returning faster and faster with each brake job.

I just returned from the dealer and was told to bring the truck back when I can leave it for a day and they can fully diagnose the problem. That's when I thought I would use the web to see what I can find. It appears this is a known issue.

Sure would be nice for Dodge to step up and fix the design issue.

I have the pulsating problem after fixing it 3 times and have no answer to the fix because the problem is in the design. At least on a 2 w/d. It was fixed twice under warranty and came right back because the real problem was never addressed. The spindles are where the problem lies. There is an extension or rail that the brake pads slide on built into the spindle. The face of this rail is machined so the pads slide in and out as the brakes are pressed and released. This machined surface wears a pocket in the machined area which allows the pads to move back and forth with the rotor. Add to this the anti lock pulsating and you get a very annoying, dangerous front brake vibration. Checked the salvage yards for good ones and found they all have this same wear spot. Don't know if 4 w/d has this type of break system, but it may be worth a look.

Phil P.

Maricopa Az.

I began feeling a light pulsating in the front brakes the summer of 2005 after returning from a 12 month deployment to Iraq so I had driven my truck for about 2 years. My 2002 Dodge Dakota 4 x 4 Quad Cab SLT has a 4.7 V6 and at the time, it had approximately 40,000 miles. The Pulsating was noticeable when going down hill or when they became hot. Because the pulsation was minimal during regular driving, my busy schedule, and only driving back and forth to work, I did not change the brakes and rotors until I had about 55,000 miles.

At 55,000 miles, I had the rotors turned and I put on ceramic pads because a Chrysler mechanic had stated that the Dakota’s brakes were designed too small and were probably overheating. It was not two weeks later that I began feeling the pulsating and it gradually became worse than before.

This time I had slotted rotors and new semi metallic pads put on. Four weeks later I am feeling the pulsation again.