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.
On January 8, 2000, I was a passenger in a 1999 Dodge Ram pickup westbound on interstate 44 near milemarker 274 in Missouri. A fenton fire department pumper truck cut from the center lane across the passing lane (which we were in) and tried to get onto the shoulder. This maneuver was done without any emergency lights, sirens, turn signals, etc. We had approx. 2 seconds to react and the driver only had time to slam on the brakes. We hit the right rear corner of the fire truck where it protruded into the passing lane at approx 50 mph. The Dodge pickup we were in was totalled per safeco insurace company. Seatbelts saved our lives, but we were injured much worse than we would have been if the airbags had gone off. Neither airbag deployed during the accident. The airbags remained undeployed up until the vehicle was last seen on 1-13-2000. Dodge clearly made a defective product if a crash of this magnitude did not set off either airbag. I have pictures of the Dodge, and can E-mailthem if requested. The ambulance report also documents the non-deployment. This needs looked into. The odds of even one airbag not going off in a crash this hard must be astronomical, but for both to not go off, something was seriously wrong.
When driving and applying the brakes vehicle pulls to the left. At high speed it will jerk the steering wheel out of consumer's hand. Contacted dealer, and he was aware of the problem. It has been to the dealer four times.
When traveling at about 60mph on the highway went to apply brakes vehicle pulled to the left. Also, steering wheel began to jerk out of driver's hands. Contacted dealer who was aware of the problem.
While driving on highway and applying brakes, vehicle pulls to the left. At high speed it will jerk the steering wheel out of hand. Contacted dealer, and he was aware of the problem. It has been in to the dealer four times. Now, it will pull to the right. After a total of 30 days for repairs dealership says vehicle is within specifictions.
While driving vehicle at 65 mph, consumer had to make a sudden / emergency stop. The brakes failed to grab. Stopping distance was extended. Took vehicle to dealer & the mechanic had the rear shoes/ rotors and pads replaced. The pads were glazed over. Brakes had faded out at 35 mph. The vehicle would drift from left to right. Had steering gear box replaced & wheels realigned. The computer systems failed to register correct gas mileage per gallon. Brakes still do not function properly.
While driving vehicle & would apply the brakes, they would start to flutter. Would make squealing noise when the brakes were applied. Been to the dealer & was informed the rear brakes & drums were gone. The drums were not able to be turned. Needed new brake systems.
During a normal stopping procedure the steering wheel will lock up, get hard, and driver cannot turn. Dealer claims this is a characteristic of vehicle.
While driving at a speed of 35 mph and applying the brakes vehicle dives off the left, barely missing other vehicles.the higher the speed the worst this problem gets.
The right brake cylinder was sticking causing excessive wear on right brake (two right pads in 50K miles). Also, in rain or snow it causes near loss of vehicle control. Another issue is the design of rear wheel only anti-lock brakes is bad. If you press hard to get the ABS brake to work, the front wheels skid. If you let off the pedal to stop the skiding more than once, the brakes fail and you may not stop. At the very minimum, it takes about twice the normal distance. This nearly caused two crashes. In the owner's manual, it says we have to manuall adjust the brakes every time you get an oil change. You can not get the auto adjusters to work. This brake design is a mess and Dodge will not even warrenty the bad parts (sticking caliper nor pads) that were reported before the warrentee expired. They all act like it's your problem. They won't even admit to a problem even though my friends with the same type of truck has the same problems.
When the brakes are applied the truck pulls to the right. The dealer has tried to repair the vehicle several times unsuccessfully. Manufacturer is buying the vehicle back from consumer.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Saint Peters, MO, USA