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 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the windshield wipers failed to perform as designed intermittently. The vehicle was taken to courtesy Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram tampa (9207 E. adamo dr, tampa, fl 33619, (813) 694-8784) however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 09E009000 (visibility) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.
The windshield wipers started acting up by going slow, then fast, then slow, then intermittant while the vehicle is in motion...now they do not work all the time when they are on and the vehicle is in motion. The wipers will just stop out of the blue and I have to manually twist them off and then back on again. I have to keep turning the wipers off and then back on for the duration of the trip, and part of the time the wipers will not engage at all. It was pouring down rain and I was on the freeway. It continues to do this and while there is a recall for models of this year, I was told this particular truck does not have a recall for a new wiper module.
Last spring, April 2015, I noticed that my defroster was not operating properly. The air blows out of the a.C. vents, but not the top dashboard vents. I went online to see: 1. how widespread the problem was (very common in older vehicles; I bought my truck new in 2004 from a dealer that is now out of business) 2. what the reaction from Dodge was ( $1.500.00 to repair, even though they must do an airbag recall repair in the same area) 3. how expensive it would be to have a professional repair job done ( est. $1,200 - $1,500) 4. how expensive/difficult it would be to attempt to repair myself (uniformly inexpensive parts are available in metal for around $50, not the cheap Dodge plastic) ( do - it - yourself instructions are complex, counter-intuitive, time consuming...8 hours or more, and require special tools as well as physical dexterity) I am stuck having to find $1,500 for a repair, or drive in the fog this winter with no defrost. All because of a $1.500.00 repair bill for a $50 part.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the front windshield was fogged. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the blend doors failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unavailable.
Upon starting the vehicle, I turned the climate control to the defrost setting. After 5 minutes, no air was blowing to the windshield, only from the dash vents. No floor air, no defroster air, only dash vent air. Temperature adjusted from warm to cold just fine, however. I called the dealership that I purchased the vehicle from, was told to bring the truck in for a diagnosis at a fee to provide an estimate. I called a second dealership, was told by the service manager that by my description, the "recirc" door and "mode 1" door needed replacement. The "mode 2" door might also need replacement, but that my "blend" door is working. The estimated cost to repair would be around $1300 to get my defroster functioning again. I asked if this was a common issue, he said it was very common. I asked if there was a recall on this issue, he replied that there were no recalls for comfort features, that he was aware of. I would think that the defroster was a safety issue for visibility while driving.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Brandon, FL, USA