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.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. While driving approximately 30 mph, the contact applied pressure to the brake pedal while approaching a stop sign. The brakes seized and the vehicle skidded and swerved. The contact was able to control the vehicle as the brakes returned to normal and the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure recurred intermittently when driving at different speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics but the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the front rotors and brakes overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous times for the failure. Where the dealer replaced the front brake pads, rotors, hoses and the brake lines, but the failure was not corrected. The vehicle continued to overheat and the vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 45,000. Updated 11/16/11 updated 03/08/12
Truck has been driving like something was grinding against my front right wheel for a week or so, I didn't think anything of it, it had just become an annoyance. Id look under the wheel and everything looked okay and in shape, no damage was being done. The other day I drove a short distance and heard a pop, like something had popped near the wheel, I pulled over and could see no damage. I continued to drive and noticed that the grinding had stopped and my wheel seemed to be functioning correctly. I arrived to my destination with no problem. When I left the destination to return home, I started feeling heavy pull to the right on my steering wheel, if I let go of the steering wheel I would have gone into a ditch or the woods or another car. I then started noticed smoke coming from my right wheel, I was a few blocks away from home and figured I could make it, I started noticing my brakes were not working too well, and anytime id push on the brakes more smoke would arise, I went the 3 stop signs to my house and pulled in, ran around and saw that behind my wheel had caught on fire, took about 5 minutes to put the fire out with water and some cat litter we had lying around. It was so hot that it wouldn't cool down for about 45 mins to an hour. We would throw water on it and it would sizzle. I quickly removed the tire to prevent any damage to it. I noticed it had started to melt the plastic boot cover on the suspension. When you looked at the wheel you could see it had snapped off on the bottom half, causing the whole wheel to tilt inward which then caused a full on grind of the wheel and the brakepads and whatever else is down there causing such friction that it caught on fire. I then did research online and found that their had been a recall for this exact issue... :(
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact was driving 35 mph when the contact applied the brakes, but the brakes seized. Later, the contact discovered that the hub of the brake had burned and was an abnormal color. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted in regards to the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000. Updated 09/21/11 the consumer stated he replaced the caliper, brakes, hoses, brake pads and turned the rotors. Updated 10/05/11
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, he noticed that the brakes were getting hot and seizing. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic, but the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. The brake pads, shoes, and calipers were repaired. The failure continued. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
- Pound, VA, USA
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The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that a knocking sound could be heard coming from the brakes whenever they were applied. The vehicle would also jerk during the failures and smoke would be seen coming from the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The manufacturer was notified, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 117,000. Updated 08/31/11 the caliper guide was rubbing causing the brakes to sound like metal on metal. The brakes smoked and became hot three to four times in a period of a year. Updated 09/01/11
Brought 2002 Dodge Dakota into dealership a total of 6 times since May 2010 because of problems with the front brakes. The first time the brakes were shuddering so bad when braking on a hill, it was difficult to hold the steering wheel straight. The dealership recommended replacement of the rotors and pads to resolve the problem in light of the fact that they supposedly visually passed inspection, and had plenty of pad surface remaining. The day following replacement, I took the vehicle out and noticed a distinct clicking below the brake pedal when braking. I took it back to the dealer, where they kept it for a day, told me they thought they fixed it, and returned it to me. As soon as I drove into my driveway, the passenger front was seizing and smoking. I called the dealership and they came to pick it up. It remained at the dealership for a few days until they disassembled the slide on the caliper, cleaned and regreased it, and resurfaced the new rotor. The problem reoccurred again within two weeks, when I had to return it again. This time I brought it in while the brake was pouring out smoke. They kept it for a week, and then decided the brake line required a replacement. Less than 3500 miles later, I was out of state visiting family. As soon as I arrived in that town, I could smell the brake burning again. Took it to the Dodge dealership there where they said it was apparent that both front calipers had been sticking for some time and required replacement and well as the rotors resurfacing due to the heat. There is obviously some problem with the brake system or materials Dodge uses now for their vehicles... too many failures amongst too many people. While brakes seizing is preferable to them not working at all, this is just not acceptable. These are brakes, not brain surgery...
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the front passenger side brake caliper needed to be replaced. The caliper was replaced once in the past because it would fail to release completely after the brakes were engaged, allowing the brakes to overheat. The caliper would not release until the vehicle was allowed to cool off. The vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer after the second occurence where it was not repaired because the failure was no longer covered under warranty. The failure mileage was 17,000 and the current mileage was 32,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the front brakes intermittently locked while driving various speeds. The brakes would lock unexpectedly, until the vehicle was stopped and remained off for an undetermined amount of time. Occasionally when the failure occurred the brakes would smoke during the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 22,000 and the current mileage was 27,000. Updated 07/28/11 updated 08/01/11
Rear brake line failed (leaked) due to rust and corrosion. The rusted part of line runs between fuel tank and inside frame. Luckily the line failed in my driveway. My wife and daughter were in the vehicle earlier and it could have been disastrous! I have been reading online of case after case of similar experiences by other Dodge owners. The line should be stainless steel or change the routing so that it can't have a chance to corrode as quickly. There should also be switch/stop valve in-line to avoid total loss of braking (control). Should definitely be a recall item.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. While driving approximately between 40-50 mph, the brakes began to lock without warning when pressure was applied. The contact drove onto the emergency lane for a few minutes and was able to continue driving in spite of the brake malfunction. The failure occurred on three occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic twice. The front brakes, brake pads and brake hose were replaced at different times. The failure persisted after the vehicle was repaired. The recent vehicle failure was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 84,200.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds in hot weather, he noticed that the brakes would smoke when they were not applied. The contact had to coast to the side of the road and wait for the brakes to cool down in order for the smoke to go disappear. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor had it been repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and advised them that they had not heard of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was approximately 72,000. Updated 07/21/11 updated 08/05/11
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the front driver side brake abnormally locked while driving 50 mph. The vehicle began to smoke and was left parked for several hours. The vehicle was neither inspected nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The current and failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the driver side front brake locked up and began smoking. The vehicle pulled over until it cooled off and then it released itself. He was able to continue driving. He changed the front brake pads and rotors himself. The failure continued intermittently. At 50,000 miles, he changed the front brake pads, rotors and calipers. The failure occurred again so he changed the front brake pads, rotors and calipers again. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified. The current mileage was approximately 60,000. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
Front brakes lock up. Truck currently has 23000 miles because I do not want to drive a truck that the brakes lock up to the point that I am pulled into the opposing lanes or onto the median. Has been happening since 2002 and happens about once every 5 or 6 times I use the truck. There doesn't seem to be any time or reason for this and it is very unpredictable.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota quad cab. The contact stated that the front brakes continued to lock, grab when trying to stop and the brake lights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times for diagnostic testing but the dealer informed him that there were no failures. The vehicle was also taken to a midas mechanic center where the brake rotors, calipers, and brake pads were replaced a couple of times and still the problems exist. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 122,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the front calipers locked up when the brakes were applied; as a result, the calipers began to smoke and the brake pad cracked. There were no warning lights prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop several times where brake pads, calipers and rotors were replaced three times. On October 11, 2010, while in reverse driving less than 50 mph, the brake pedal extended to the floorboard when depressed and the contact had to engage the brakes several times in order to stop the vehicle. The contact called the manufacturer (details of what was discussed was unavailable). The failure mileage was 300 and the current mileage was approximately 111,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Dakota quadcab. While driving at approximately 10 mph, the front brakes locked and the vehicle would only accelerate at a very low speed. The contact stated there was an extremely strong burning rubber smell. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis and was not repaired. The failure occurred once before and was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The failure and current mileages were 73,000. Updated 11/19/10 the consumer stated the front brakes locked up. Updated 11/23/10. Updated evoq 12/22/10 the consumer stated the brakes locked up again on July 18,2011. The consumer also stated while under the 30 day warranty, the vehicle caught on fire under the hood. Updated 08/31/11 updated 10/20/11, .
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- New Fairfield, CT, USA