Bought my truck in Central Illinois in October 2000, with 19,477 miles on it. No problem except it went through front brake pads pretty quick. Garage parked. Saw a small dash top crack at the defroster vent passenger side in March 2004 with 59761 miles on truck. Moved to North Carolina, truck sat out until May 2009, and more cracks appeared. Moved to Sebring, Fl February 2010 and dash top went wild. I was sitting at a stop light and heard a loud pop. My dog in the back seat jumped! Dang thing split from the windsheild to the middle of the gauge cluster right to the black bezel. Bought a carpet cover, came today, going on tomorrow.
From what I have seen today Dodge has one hell of a problem they are blowing off. Sold a 1994 Explorer before we left NC, 148,000 miles, it sat out as long as my Dodge, and the dash top was perfect. The only vehicles I see consistantly with this mess are Dodge/Chrysler products of the last 15 years. Otherwise great, powerful comfortable, although gas hungry, tow vehicle.
Dash is cracked in two places from the instrument panel to the windshield. A friend of mine with a 1999 model has the same issue with his. I never had a vehicle with this problem before.
its not right you spend all that money on something and it just falls apart going down the road the dash is a defect you can watch it break up going down the road i have naver had trubble with any other truck breaking up like this i take care of my trucks and to just have it fall apart for no reason .dodge should have to replace it not me no wander thay arent selling and have to get help to stay in bussiness i know if thay dont fix it i will naver buy anotherone from dodge a truck or a car
Wow, wish I had known of this site earlier. So, like everyone else here, about a year ago I noticed a small crack had started to develop on the passenger side of the dashboard. Now, a lot of people here talked about garaging there truck, but I didn't. Since I live in South Texas, it gets hot here and there's lots of sun, so put it down to that, although I did keep the interior fairly well maintained and would often clean the dash and allegedly moisturize it I guess with generally acceptable trim treatments(not always the same kind), but Armorall, etc. It wasn't shortly thereafter that I started noticing that this small crack was now cracking the dash all over the place, spiderwebbing is the best to describe, and now, pieces are falling in. I never even thought about the fact that there's potential for the dash to become shrapnel in a crash and having the airbag deploy on some poor unlucky passenger ! That thought scares the beejebus out of me now!!
I agree with everyone here. This is a manufacturing problem and not do to lack of diligence or improper treatment or abuse (some like to punch the dash when upset...). Im appalled to think that such an issue is not important to Chrysler. I'm going to warn everyone I know, and myself nor my family (immediate and extended) will never, ever buy another product from Chrysler. Chrysler, get a clue you're cutting your nose to spite your face. How many cash carrying, credit worthy (or not) buyers do you think it's worth to lose before you chose to address this problem like a responsible corporate partner should? What a niave dult I've been.
my dash board is in about 10 peaces with some very sharp point on them and of good size. all i could do for now is to put a cover over it and hope no one gets hurt if i happen to put the breaks on hard for a quick stop.
- Terry A.,
Stockton, CA, US
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I think that Dodge should recall this item because my dash is not only cracked at the middle but its also cracked at the passenger side air badg as well which is a danger and I have to turn off my passenger side air bag in fear that it may falsely deploy. Please someone help make Dodge company recall this and fix this problem. If I have an accident and one of my family members especially my children get hurt there will be major problems!!!
I bought my first new car in 1998 (1998 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie SLT). I was very happy until about one year ago when I noticed a crack. Since then, the crack has continued is several places. This is very surprising being that it has been garaged most of its life. This brings another problem......the paint. The paint on the hood and roof is begining to fade. Again, this is a surprize being its been garaged most of its life. Anyone know if Dodge is doing anything about the cracked dash?
I bought my Ram1500 new from Dodge in Aug 1998, my truck is garage kept and under the shade at work with a sun shade since it was new. A couple of weeks ago I was cleaning the interior when I first noticed one crack, then another, then another, I had heard of these problems, but thought I was immune since the only time my dash is exposed to the sun is when I'm driving, I was online pricing dashboards when I ran into this site.This is definitely a design flaw and should be addressed by Dodge, but I don't think it ever will, they want you to throw the whole truck away and buy a new one. My heater core is bad too, so I'm going to kill two birds with one stone.So far everything has gone wrong from the power steering pump to the A/c to the rear end.
Update from Oct 21, 2009: Ok, so I decided to call dodge and give it a try, they were very nice,answered phone promptly personnel tried to be very helpful. I spore with Jill one of the senior resolution specialist and she told me I needed to take the truck to a local dealer to have it checked out, I was given the option of any dealer, she new the millage, the year and the fact that I was the original owner when our conversation took place, she also told me that the $110.00 inspection was my responsibility, I asked what she thinks they could cover, she was very sorry, but until I took it in they couldn't do anything. Took it in, they were nice enough to not charge me for just taking a glance into my truck to see that the dash was cracked and the service manager complimented me on the great condition of my truck. While there talking to a parts guy I found out that this is also a major problem in the PT Cruiser and some other Dodge vehicles.
Next day ai called and spoke with Jill, she had talked to the service manager and came to the conclusion that my truck had too many miles and is out of warrantee so they would not be able to assist me. I told her thank you for your help and be assured that neither I or any of my family wi ever purchase another Chrysler product ever again and that I would make sure that everyone I know or talk to knows my story. Another reason why american auto makers should not have been bailed out. They could care less, once it's off their lot it's your problem and good luck, look at consumer reports and american vehicles, my next truck will be a Toyota Tundra, everyone that I know is very happy with theirs and they ride a heck of a lot better.Found an oem dash at this site http://wermopar.com/?gclid=COigh-PazJ0CFRaenAodEmXJrQ This was the part # for mine 5GK45LAZAC dark gray (Agate) 292.00 +32.00 for shipping then you'll have to install itPart number 5GK45RC8AC is for interior trim code C3 - "Cirrus" (?) colorPart number 5GK45VK9AB is for interior trim code K9 - "Suede" (tan) color. Good luck.
Bought from 2nd owner of vehicle that I know of and dash top section in perfect shape, but lower section had broken glove box hinges and cup holder. Thought nothing of it because I thought I'd be able to fix my self later little by little.. I was wrong. In mid 2006 I was replacing my driver side window track and when I reach across my cab to get my tools, I saw a couple cracks around the passenger air bag. Then I looked the dash over and saw that the driver side was almost ready to fall off at the corner where the actual trucks VIN number is stamped on the dash. Later that year I started to take the entire dash apart and when I thought I had the entire dash unscrewed, I still couldn't get it free. I looked high and low and all edges were free. I even tried it again a year later when I had more time to play around with it and ended in defeat. This time I bought the dealer repair manual. I hope soon I will be able to figure it out.
Ever since the dash cover broke I have been having problems with the electric system. The two front speakers stop working, the speedometer stop working and the dash lights go "bazzerk" every once in a while. I believe this is a safety concern since this unit could ignite a fire or something worse. Chrysler should take notice and better yet the NHTSA should check upon this.
I have a 98 Dodge Ram 1500 that only has 68,000 miles (which is pretty low for an 11 year old truck), and the dash is cracked pretty bad! I also had a 97 Ram 1500 that had about 90,000 miles, and that dash had huge holes in it where things would fall in to be lost forever! The 97's dash was so bad the glove box fell out!!!!
Just like everybody else, started with a single crack and then there was gaping holes. You would be driving down road and you can hear dash crack again & again. I would not buy a dodge product again, if dodge doesn't step up to the plate and take care of defective dash board. I am worried if I get in a wreck and the air bag deploys that passenger will get sprayed in the face with shrapnel from the dash. A very dangerous situation, in my opinion.
My truck is a work truck, is 10 years old with 54,000 miles and garage kept. The number of dash problems reported indicates it is a manufacturing issue. If American auto makers want loyalty, they need to earn it. It's a business decision. If they make too many bad decisions, they can expect to continue to need bail outs, until they drive the company into the ground.
Bought this truck used so i don't know how it was cleaned or maintained before i had it. It had one small crack in it and within two weeks it broke completely apart. There is only about twelve inches of dash remaining in front of the driver. I've had three other dodge trucks that this did not happen while i had them. The plastic they used is just crap. Every other truck I see in town that is this model is the same way. Oh well, maybe my next truck will be a Tundra!
the dash had a small crack then it started cracking all over.now i have big holes all over it.dodge should be held accountable for all the dashes that are falling apart.the dealer said it was the heat in Florida that started this.i have not seen a truck in the range of 1998 to 2000 that does not have a crack in it.as many complaints that their is i don't see why this cant be fixed.
Have read others with the same problem and agree that this is a manufacturers defect and that Dodge should replace and/or pay the owner to have repairs made.
Chrysler needs to fix these cracked dashes un der warranty because i am looking at purchasing a new truck and keeping my old truck but the way it looks right know it want be a dodge unless the repair the dash problems if not i will probably be driving a Chevrolet next year.
Based on other complaints mine didn't start cracking til this year, so it lasted alot longer than most. I do think that Dodge should cover this as I often put a good dash cleaner/softener on it in hopes I wouldn't have this problem. I do and think it should be replaced at Chrysler's cost. I would like to purchase a Dodge Ram 2500 but would opt to purchase a Toyota or Nissan if this is not resolved ASAP.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Bought my truck in Central Illinois in October 2000, with 19,477 miles on it. No problem except it went through front brake pads pretty quick. Garage parked. Saw a small dash top crack at the defroster vent passenger side in March 2004 with 59761 miles on truck. Moved to North Carolina, truck sat out until May 2009, and more cracks appeared. Moved to Sebring, Fl February 2010 and dash top went wild. I was sitting at a stop light and heard a loud pop. My dog in the back seat jumped! Dang thing split from the windsheild to the middle of the gauge cluster right to the black bezel. Bought a carpet cover, came today, going on tomorrow.
From what I have seen today Dodge has one hell of a problem they are blowing off. Sold a 1994 Explorer before we left NC, 148,000 miles, it sat out as long as my Dodge, and the dash top was perfect. The only vehicles I see consistantly with this mess are Dodge/Chrysler products of the last 15 years. Otherwise great, powerful comfortable, although gas hungry, tow vehicle.
- fdc360fl, Sebring, FL, US