Dodge Dakota Problems. Please help!

tdarrow53 · March 2002

I am in the process of shopping for a small pickup to tow behind my Motor Home. A recent article in an RV magazine listed all of the makes that were suited for towing.

My first inclination was a Toyota Tacoma but that is not recommended. Frontier and Dakota were recommended but, after reading the comments of a number of very, very dissatisfied Dodge owners, I would never have anything to do with Chrysler products again.

So it is the Frontier for me. Thanks to all of you out there who made your feelings known. It helped me with my decision.

iowabigguy · March 2002

Good choice, Nissan always looks better being towed!
Maybe you can help me with my decision.

I was looking for a good motorhome to tow behind my Dakota, any suggestions???

bookitty · March 2002

Thomas, before you make a final decision (if you have not committed) do yourself a big favor and try towing with the Nissan. I too looked at a Nissan Frontier, but found three things that did not suit me. One was the lack of space between the
brake and clutch pedals. My large feet kept getting tangled. Another, was a much smaller seating arrangement especially in the rear seat, and as I was considering a four door truck, this also impacted my decision. The third, was a lack of power. I brought my HD utility trailer along, and the sales person agreed to allowing me to tow it around the area. Nice truck, but quite anemic. The same trailer towed behind the Dakota acts as if it weren't even there. That was before the turbo version. My neighbor purchased a turbocharged Nissan crew cab and asked to borrow my trailer. When he returned, he advised me to check the brakes on the trailer as he felt that they were dragging. Important news: There are no brakes on my trailer and when I showed him how my Dakota tugged that baby with absolutely no effort,
he was truly amazed and somewhat chagrined. Yes, I am sure that there are problems with the Dakota such as there are with all cars and trucks. Our posters are a bit more involved within the Owners Club and as such may be more vocal. Buy what you want of course, but do give it a try at all that you need to do. Whatever your decision, good luck with your purchase.

Bookitty

danodw · March 2002

I'm one that has had many problems out of my Q/C and had very little luck getting it fixed right. I also have driven Nissan's for many years with no problems. I grant you one thing, the V8 Dakota will pull heavy loads a bit easyier but not enough difference in the super charge Nissan and the Dakota. Maybe if you are going to be pulling a lot of heavy loads then a full size truck would be better. Nissan over all is a much better truck. It sounds as if tdarrow53 just wants to pull something behine his motor home so when he gets there he will have something to drive besides the motor home. It doesn't sound like he wants to do a lot of pulling with it. He made the better choice going with the Nissan. Thats if he doesn't want to worrie about fixing it all the time if you can get Dodge to fix it without going through a lot of B.S. I have a 17' fish and ski boat. A friend of mine has the Nissan super charger 4 door and he pulls my boat all the time. We have never had a problem nor was we concerned about power. It does just fine. I guess if I raced my Dakota and his Nissan pulling the samething, I might win, but who wants to do that. Besides with all the brake problems I have had with the Dakota, I wouldn't want to go too fast, might not be able to stop are
I would have to fix the rotors agian. My truck has the heavey H/D package. No matter what Dodge does with my truck, fix it, buy it back or what ever, I will never trust them agian. It took them too long to do anything about my problems and now I have a deal going with them on taking care of my truck. They made an offer and I added some things to the offer. I'm waiting to here and it sould be a done deal soon. I will let all of you know what was said and done when its all over. Like I said it took too long and too much trouble. My friend gives me hell on my Dakota, which he is right, so I don't say much about a little difference in pulling power in his Nissan. I wonder, 100K to 200K miles from now who's truck will be in better shape, My Dakota or his Nissan. Do the math and read the reviews. Nissan also has a much better resale value. Just check it out for yourself.

jebsdaddy · March 2002

I helped my parents spec out and purchase a new 2002 Nissan Altima. Right off the bat, the electrically operated sunroof would not open all of the way or close like it should. They took it to the dealer the next day to find that the sunroof motor was "out of phase 180 degrees" from the factory. No manufacturer is perfect even with the Japanese nameplate. The Nissan truck looks like it should come with a space suit and ray gun to me with the fenders and such. Just thought I'd stick up for my Dakota which is a good truck so far. (1 year)

debandpaul · March 2002

I have a 4.7 2001 Dakota w/ 25k miles on it. I've have following problems:
1. Hearing noise in left front end when I make hard left turns
2. It's lurching sporadically after I've been stopped for a couple of seconds. Ex: I'll slow normally to stop at a light, sit a few seconds, then feels like I've been hit in the rear because it throws the whole truck foward.
3. Front end vibrating while driving - not while braking
Two different shops agreed there's something going on in the left front end. First shop said they thought it was the left rack mount bushing, left upper control bushings, torsion bar, sway bar. Second shop said go to DODGE.
It's been at DODGE 2 days - they don't see a problem w/ the left front end! They can't replicate the problem #2 & said the diagnostic test showed no errors on the transmission. They said prob #3 is due to warped rotors. Warped rotors on truck w/ 25,000 miles & normal breaking??? Most of my trucks I've had over 100k on them & turned the rotors only 1 time!
Can anyone offer any suggestions/help. I'm going into the shop on monday to get under the rack w/ the guys - any guidance/direction/suggestions would be more than appreciated.

ford_bii · March 2002

A person at work just got a new Nissan Maxima. It died the day they got it due to a bad oxygen sensor. The thing wouldn't even keep running. I thought that a bad O2 sensor would just throw the check engine light on, and the engine would just put out more emissions. Am I right? How would the Dakota respond if the O2 sensor went?

Debandpaul: I bet any money that the "hit in the rear end" feeling is due to the fuel in the tank sloshing around after you've stopped. It usually happens to me when I got a full tank of gas, and goes away as the tank empties. See if you get the feeling on a full tank vs a less than half full tank. This is a common thing on the Dakota, and is no cause for alarm.

mopar67 · March 2002

looks like you just got initiated into the junk brake club, courtesy of the beancounters at DC.

I am laughing, not at you but hopefully with you....here goes.....I have had my rotors replaced FOUR times! yup, with 26K on the clock, 4 sets of rotors....I consider you very fortunate to go the same distance on the original set of rotors!
THe clunk in the front end MAY be due to the pads shifting in the caliper.....sigh.....again courtesy of cost cutting and bad design...I found my caliper mounting bolt holes were stripped somehow and they were drilled out and replaced with heli coil inserts.
I am not surprised your neighborhood dealer could not "find" the source of noise. Hell, It took numerous trips to the dealer for a guy called ahasher to get his idle fixed and several trips for me to get them to admit the 45RFE DID shift poorly and thus they flashed the TCM.

The solution to your braking issue is to go aftermarket Benxix, powerslots, or Raybestos USA made products and stay the hell away from the NAFTA sourced rotors and drums (yes, you will soon experience drum warpage too!)

Good luck!

hairydog · March 2002

Ever since Mopar 67 inducted me into the Dodge Junk Brake Club I have to admit he was on target.
Backing out of my driveway each morning the brakes noises sounds like the groans and creaks from an old Vincent Price movie.
My Five Star dealer called to let me know my last response to D/C regarding warranty work (sheared studs) resulted in the service department getting a bad report card.
I guess I was supposed to say I was happy despite the fact the service department endangered my life as a result of their shoddy workmanship. It wasn't the Truck's design that caused my studs to shear off but a careless Dodge Dealer mechanic.
This same mechanic we caught recently resolving water build up in the Fog lights by drilling a weep hole in the unit so as to drain the water. His response was that D/C said it was okay and a little moisture was okay. Well I have the third set of Fog light's at D/C expense.
We had three trucks come in with burned out bulbs in less than a week. All because of water seeping in the unit. Same mechanic ranting and raving that he can't get the Dealership to stock a single bulb. Each time customer had to come back another day just for a bulb. Great service department.

hasel · March 2002

If MOPAR 67 warped four sets of rotors in 26000 miles he needs to take a look at his driving style, have 2001 Q Cab in 15000miles had one problem nothing big have the 4.7 with auto tranny and 3.55 rear am averaging 17.21 MPG, this is my second Dakota and find it to be a great truck, look at the other makes you will find brake problems also due to the wt reduction in the parts, Hasel

mopar67 · March 2002

Yeah, I looked at my driving style. Darn these hills in W PA. And those pesky red lights just seem to come up out of nowhere. Shame on me for using the brakes to stop. I tried the Fred Flintstone method but wore thru my shoes so fast, I was having to buy a pair every week. I wonder if there is the Kansas version of a Dakota and a W PA version; you know, a truck with brakes that actually perform and hold up?

Driving style huh? Care to explain how I can operate two Intrepids as company cars one had 96K when I turned it in and the other had 34K and neither one had any braking issues. Keep in mind, I would typically run 5-6,000 per month on these cars from the appilachians to the Rockies and everywhere in between. Even the Taurus which did almost 45K in the rockies had no brake issues.

Or how about two K cars one a Reliant (used of course) and a Spirit. Pretty small cars don't you think (with small rotors too!). No brake problems on either one of those.

Since you must be an expert on driving styles I invite you to my homestead to give me lessons on how to drive so as not to be warp my rotors.

Finally, think I am the only one here with this issue? Go to dodgedakotas.com and take a look there. I have 20 bucks that says you'll find at least 50 or more posts on this issue. I can't imagine over 50 different people drive exactly the same way. Or feel free to contact the service manager at my dealer. He'll tell you about the daks, rams, and Jeep Grand Cherokees that make regular visits to his serice center for rotors.

ford_bii · March 2002

No offense, but I've been to dodgedakotas.com, and it is full of motorhead racers. The kind that if the foot isn't on the gas pedal with it to the floor, it's on the brake pedal doing the same.

The major problem with comparing brake life via mileage is that it is very subjective. Mopar67 says that he had 96k on an Intrepid and the brakes were fine. If a person drives all highway miles and is a sensible driver (doesn't tailgate, etc), theoretically their brakes would last much longer than the guy who drives through the city every day (when comparing mileage). What if somebody tows a trailer regularly vs somebody who drives around an unloaded truck?

Nobody can really say except for mopar67 that the bad rotors are a result of harsh driving or truly a manufacturer defect.

My point to all this is that if mopar67 has such brakes issues, then he needs better brakes, period. If he drives too hard or tows too much, then he should expect to have to replace these items more often or with better products. If he does none of these, then he is truly the victim of bad luck.

There are many of us who do not have any brake problems. I am at 12.5k miles and generally use my truck unloaded and do not tow much at all. Perhaps I am the target profile that dodge was thinking about when they designed the truck. Is it right for Dodge to ignore the folks who tow a lot and will have problems with their brakes? I don't know. Probably not. All I'm saying is you can't blame the manufacturer if you use your vehicle in a manner outside of the norm that it was designed for. If you fall outside of the norm, then I guess it is up to you to fix your vehicle so that it can perform satisfactorally under the conditions that you subject it to. Unfortunately, for a Dakota, these conditions may not be very adverse.

mullins87 · March 2002

It should be designed to work like a truck. Maybe not as hard as a full-size truck, but certainly harder than any compact. Ford_bii, I understand exactly what you are saying, if I had a Dakota and worked it like a full-size, then I should expect to do a lot of maintenance in short order. My brother-in-law has a QC. I can attest to the fact that he uses it as a car. He has nearly 40k on it now. The rotors were turned at 20k and they are needing it now. I think DC saved a dollar or two by making the rotors too thin, resulting in the heat sink not being sufficient to do the job.

iowabigguy · March 2002

Maybe the rotors are being warped by overtorqing the lug nuts. We have already seen one case where wheel studs busted due to overtorqing. Maybe mopar67s brake problems are due to inept mechanics in conjunction with lower quality parts. Rick (15,000 miles and no brake problems)

hairydog · March 2002

mopar67 · March 2002

this is a friggin truck after all.
No, it has not been abused, not hauled any weight in the bed, nor has it had to tow anything.

THis is my gripe..I drive the thing 20 miles round trip to work five days a week then to the grocery on Sat and buddy that is ALL.
Sometimes to a local bar for wings and beer but otherwise not a lot of driving and certainly no abuse.
And DC wants me to belive this is "normal". SOrry DC, go try that on someone else.

But alas, I know the cure, Bendix rotors for 58.80 at Advance auto this saturday. Then I will resign from the junk brake club and move on to other things..
However, my original opinion of Dak brakes still stands.....they are five star pieces of sh*t! Period! And the beancounters and engineers involved in this fiasco deserve to be tarred and feathered.

blakdak · March 2002

To all you folks that complain of bad brakes, I would suggest that proper tire/wheel maintenance is a must. I have a 2000 Dak CC with 82,000 miles, I drive 120 miles a day in the Washington D.C. area. The dealer replaced my opriginal rotors with ~8K miles of wear (warped rotors). The second set had ~52K miles before replacement (warped), probably could have gone further with better maintenance. I replaced the Dodge rotors with Powerslot rotors and have ~20K miles on them. The powerslots need to be turned (warped). After the last tire rotation I forgot to doublecheck the torque on the lug nuts until I noticed the pulsations. There was 30 lbs difference between some of the adjacent nuts. As you can see improper torque can be as much of a rotor killer as poor quality materials and proper maintenance can offset some manufacturing defects. I even managed to get 60K miles out of the original Goodyear tires.

rassom1 · March 2002

I have a 2001 Dakota QC, with 4.7, auto, lsd, SLT Plus. Have 12,800 on it and it has been flawless.
I have had no brake problems and I commute 44 miles a day on rural roads.

I also had a 98 Dakota CC, with 3.9, Manual, SLT, that I leased and turned in for the QC. It had 32,000 miles when I turned it in and it was also flawless.

My experience with Dakotas has been excellent. I have never had any brake problems, so far, whatsoever.

Just my .02.

mad42 · March 2002

3 months old, 1200 miles. The steering has a stiff spot around center, very light elsewhere causing oversteer around corners. At 2300 RPM the engine falls flat then takes off causing lurching. If starting from a stop and turning a corner it compounds the oversteer from body roll. Need to short shift to get around that. Trans failed at 230 miles because the factory forgot the oil even though both the factory and dealer "checked all fluid levels". A lot of backlash in the drivetrain, forget slow driving. Clutch pedal feels like a wet sponge - no feel and hard to match RPM to the shift. Engine RPM takes a long time to drop on shifts, sometimes grinds the syncros if shifted too fast (accelerate, wait 3 seconds, shift). On test drive the dealer rammed it into first at 25 MPH to prove it could be done. Engine will not maintain speed in fifth when empty on a slight grade unlike my 17 year old 2.6l Mitsu with a motorcycle in back. Has "handling package" but feels like they forgot the oil in the shocks as well. No room in the front suspension for real shocks. All problems are "the way it is made" according to dealer. First american vehicle in 35 years of driving. The last. Piece of crap. The CD works though.

bookitty · March 2002

Actually, what Rick mentioned may have some merit.
When I worked for one particular manufacturer of all wheel drive rough terrain loaders, it was very common to find failures due to: Too much torque, Too little torque, and the wrong grade of fasteners. Every guy on the line who pulled a wrench thought that he could accurately gauge torque while tightening nuts and bolts. The truth is however, until we used torque limiting impact wrenches (1-1.5 inch drives) we constantly had failures from stretched and/or improperly tightened hardware causing premature failures. The other problem arose when grade 8 bolts were called for but the bin was empty. Then grade 5 was used with a guaranteed failure on axle housing members. That is correct. Most failures were caused by errors on the factory floor. Therefore, Rick may be on to something, or the problems may be from other sources. I believe that mopar67 is a savvy guy, and knows his way around mechanical equipment. Still, if his dealer
overtightened lug nuts, he would have no way of knowing unless they broke or if he applied a torque wrench to check it out. I for one, am a big believer in torque wrenches and use mine constantly. I use it also to roughly set my air impact tools as well. I certainly don't think that mopar67 is a poor driver or abuses his truck in any fashion. Having spent time in Western PA, I know that the terrain is quite hilly, but that would not be enough to create the level of brake problems experienced in this case. I hope that a solution is realized, because it must be very agonizing to constantly incur these failures.

Bookitty

mopar67 · March 2002

I am going to home depot this weekend and getting a torque wrench once and for all. (the ones at lowes seem kinda cheap) Plus a socket and and edtension for the lugs...right now all I have is a Kobalt 3/8 drive setup...no half inchers.
Perhaps you are on to something here...I have been driving too many different vehicles for too many years to write this off to driving habits. Hell, if anything, I am far easier on a vehicle now then in my teen years.
I can refer to the BOB for torque specs.
I guess one thing I otta try would be to see if I can break the lugs with the factory supplied tool.
ha ha ha that oughta be loads of fun.

Going forward, (assuming wrong torque is the culprit) how do we trust our vehicles to the gorillas with those over zealous impact guns to NOT over do it when tightening the lugs?

It is unfortuanate but nontheless symtomatic of what ails Detroit these days. Too much cost cutting in too many critical areas. This inevitably results in pissed off owners who drive the thing until its paid off or trade for a competitor (read Japanese) make and never looks back. Then the marketing whizzes sit down and wonder why market share falls and/or sales decrease. Then they dream up zero percent financing and massive rebates (both of which kill profit faster than the extra five bucks per brake rotor)to "move the iron". Profits fall further, sales decrease which leaves fewer $$$ for more R&D to keep up with competition which leads to further sales declines and even bigger fits of cost cutting on the next re design of the vehicle. Demand falls off, cars and trucks pile up on dealer lots and layoffs ensue and Detroit scrambles to line up emergency financing or floats more stock to raise capital to compete. CEOs come and go, massive restructurings result, morale declines, and all the while, the competition sits like vultures, picking up the pieces and steadily gaining market share. Innovative vehicles are delayed and the only thing you can do is offer more of the same. Stagnation sets in combined with a paralysis of fear to do anything to make the needed changes.

Multiply my situation by oh lets say three million vehicles and you have Daimler Chrysler today.

bookitty · March 2002

Ben, I just purchased a new torque wrench (clicker with micro adjustment) from Harbor freight. http://www.harborfreight.com that was on sale from $45.99 to $22.99 that is rated .02%+/- in accuracy. It is 1/2 " drive (I use a 1/2"-3/8" reducer to accommodate 3/8" sockets. The settings can be locked, and it comes with a fitted poly case. They also offered their $19.99 micro adjustment wrench for $9.99 and I ordered that as well. These are easier to use than the beam type, and much less money and more rugged than the dial indicator type. You may have to talk to the person answering the telephone to get the sale price, as it is governed by the numbers subsequent to the catalog number. The toll free number is (800) 423-2567. If you are not on their mailing list, request a catalog. No bathroom is complete without one.

Bookitty

mopar67 · March 2002

never ordered anything so I got taken off the list.
This weekend I have to reasess the finances and money permitting, I am going over to advance auto and picking up two rotors for $59.69 each + tax Bendix brand. Yes indeed, I am getting the shaking back again and its been about 8K since the last rotor change so I am right on track for new ones! I'll just pick them up and wait until it gets a little warmer and head over to a buddys garage and change them out. Plus, by then, I'll have that wrench so I know the wheels will be put back on properly.
I just realized there is a Sears store here so I can look there too for a wrench.

BTW>>>>>>>what are the sizes of the lug nuts?

bookitty · March 2002

Ben, I sometimes just hand fit the socket to the cap screw, and don't always look at the size (especially if I don't have my reading glasses) and that's why I like the clicker release torque wrench. Once set, that's it. Usually lug nuts are 3/4", 13/16", and a metric size that I cannot recall. I did find the invoice from Harbor Freight for the $22.99 (1/2 price) wrench, and the item number is 43707. If you care to Email me, I can give you the order number and they can look it up. I also used a free freight plus $5.00 discount coupon for orders in excess of $29.99. That took care of the $5.95 handling fee except for the $.95. Sears is pretty pricey, but Pep Boys had a click release torque wrench for $19.99 in one of their stores. It looks to be the very same one that Harbor Freight sells for $19.99 that was on a 50% off sale last catalog. I can give you the item number which is 00239. It is 1/2" drive and comes with a case. I haven't received that order yet, so I am only going by the picture and specifications (+/- 4% accuracy). Most everything that I have purchased from them has been well worth the money. You won't get level of quality offered by Mac and Snap-On, but you won't pay anywhere near the price. If I can help and/or answer any questions, please feel free to ask.

Bookitty

hairydog · March 2002

Mopar67 Outstanding summary, great piece on the Detroit fiasco. I wish it was wrong, but you obviously are as a right as rain.

I don't know why, other than I resented the post regarding your driving habits. I went ahead and counted the number of times I braked this week.

I drive 58 miles one way and I averaged 12 touches to the break per one way trip. 2/3 of trip is on the interstate. Bad driving habits?

Anyway I enjoy driving my truck despite the setbacks. I may be joining the after market crowd and replace the junk brakes. If not I may just go to the Japanese and give them my money. I sure hate to have to go that direction.

mopar67 · March 2002

While I have been more than vocal about "things gone wrong", I do acknowledge the strengths of the dakota, not the least of which is the 4.7 v-8, a world class engine if there ever was one. Areas where CU has consistently dinged Mopars, body hardware and integrity, have not been an issue here. Styling is right on, payload, performance and easy to use controls make a good package.
For all the love showered by CU on both the Camry and the Corolla, did you know that to get full air flow to the floor, one must manually close the outboard vents? I've have driven both and another little tidbit is that the side window demisters don't work in floor, mix, or bilevel mode. So in order to keep the side windows clear, ya gotta run it in windshield mode.

ANyway, CHrysler got a lot of things right here on the Dak. Unfortunately, they chose to cut costs in areas that never should have seen the accountants eye. Adding insult to injury, cost cutting in those corners is obviously apparent each time I use the brakes. What's a person to do? Never mind the defective AIS motor, the Camshaft reference sensor, the wiper delay, the foam in the oil fill tube, the clanking calipers, the awful shifting 45RFE (although it does shift better now thanks to TCM flash), the galling lack of product testing (which resulted in stalls and rough idle....and three updates to the PCM to fix that)
If only Chrysler had those gremlins licked, they'd be world beaters rather than a ward of Daimler Benz. Lord knows, they've got the "eye candy" to do just that. If only the substance underneath it all was a little better.
But what do I know? I'm just a customer thats all.

stnick · March 2002

I had not experienced the brake problems on my 00 QC 4x4 4.7 auto and was feeling fairly confident that I wouldn't. I guess I fit the Kansas terrain driving condition that mopar67 eluded to, only a little farther north in Nebraska. I posted a couple of weeks ago that I was taking a trip to Az. Well guess what started up as I started braking from higher interstate speeds on this trip? Yes pulsating, and even more scary, when comming down from 70 mph the whole truck would buck, then at slow speed you would feel a slight pulsing in the steering wheel. I had 18,000 miles on it before trip and drove 3300 miles. It hasn't gotton much worse yet, but goes to service next monday. I will say this though, I drove 620 miles the first day and 680 miles the second going there. The ride and handeling I feel are superb. Milage ranged from 15.5 at 70 into 20 - 30 MPH head winds up to 19.6 with no or tail winds. No troubles for the whole trip other than stated on brakes. DC has done some very good things here, its too bad some bad judgments in critical areas spoil an otherwise very enjoyable truck. My driving style and relative flat terrain in daily driving did not show up the brake problem right away and I thought I would be a lucky one. So be aware all that sooner or later you all will probably experience some brake problems. Long post, but I still like this truck very much and would buy it again. Thanks, Nick

crossroads · March 2002

I just made my best decision re the 2000 SLT 4X2. I had with 21000KM on the clock....I traded it on a Subaru. I didn't need a truck anymore, but would have kept this as it was in mint condition. So why did I trade?

1. Had some paint problems early on...no satisfactory resolution.

2. Had problems with the intermittent wipers. Took about 15 visits to a dealership and multiple calls to technical support before the problems were partially fixed. During this time when I told dealer & Chrysler reps about the problems posted here on the Town Hall was told that they don't believe what is on the Web.

3. Had the problem with the oil emulsification in the filler tube that the baffle was supposed to fix (it hid the problem from view, it didn't fix it).

4. I bought the vehicle from an out of town dealer as they did not have what I wanted in town. As a result of this a local dealer refused to give me warranty service. Chrysler rep said they could not force the dealer to service my vehicle as they are "Independent Businessmen".

5. Subaru has a person monitor Town Hall and provides advice to people that ask for it, and will follow up on warranty/service problems posted here..what a novel idea.

6. Passed experience with Japanese vehicles...They usually work right from the factory and if they do need fixing, they're fixed right the first time.

I could go on.

I thought the PT Cruiser was a really cool vehicle, but considering the above experiences would not consider a Chrysler product. I won't buy another Chrysler product until I read in credible publications that they have got their act together and are building quality products, have quality dealerships, and treat customers with respect.

Over to you Chrysler....

hairydog · March 2002

I too have reached a crossroad with what to do with this truck. I had intended to put a great deal of after market products into it until the problems I experienced with it.

Please share with us your list of credible publications.

I am more than pleased with Edmunds Town Hall as a great source of valuable information.

Those of you that post your problems whether to vent your frustrations or praise the truck is important to me. The good bad and the ugly is what I am after.

This site has helped me with numerous problems from changing the oil to the many links of other sources of help that all of you have shared.

I have discovered the hard way that my dealership service department is not credible or reliable and generally a poor source of information.

All of you who take the time to post, have filled that void. We thank you!

So fire away, we are listening and believe me there are legions of folks who are in the wings paying attention to what you and I the consumer have to say.

danodw · March 2002

Another problem I have had with my truck is the wipers. Although the wiper problem will
not cause me to break down, the noise is very irritating. From day one the passenger side
wiper has skipped and hop across the windshield, its very noisy which drives me crazy.
I've changed blades, bent on it etc. to try and make it work right. In case anyone is having
this problem, I found a way to fix it. If you notice, the passenger side wiper frame ( the
part that holds the wiper blade in ) is a little higher riding than the drivers side blade. If
you look the frames are different. I took the passenger side frame for the wiper blade ( not
the arm ) and switch sides with the drivers side. No more noise, hops, skips are jumps.
The only thing is now the drivers side does not wipe the glass good. I am going to buy a
new blade frame to match the lower riding frame that came off the drivers side. I think
because it sits closer to the glass, it causes a better fit and therefore does its job better and
no noise. I hope all this makes sense.
Now for the news everyone has been waiting for.
I have filed complaints with the TxDot, NCDS, www.nhtsa.dot.gov. and Texas lemon
laws trying to get my brakes fixed, recall and other things. D/C set up a mediation request.
Three days before the meeting was set to view my truck and here me out, D/C called me
and made an offer. They would not buy the truck back like I wanted because the dealer I
was dealing with did not do the paper work showing how many times I tried to get it
fixed and my fault for not getting all the receipts. What they did was offer to fix everything
wrong with my truck including replacing the rotors, brakes and calipers, at the dealer of
my choice. At the time of repairs they will add a 5 year 60K mile maximum care service
contract with $0. deductible at no charge and free car rental anytime my truck is worked
on, plus I will still be able to file on lemon laws if it does not work out. Thing about that is
the time it took to get this done I will have too many miles to file on Texas lemon law. I
talked with a dealer that I trust and he said D/C is doing this for a lot of people that push
the issue. He also said that I want like the results because he agrees that aftermarket parts
is the only fix to the brakes but he said since I have in writing to replace the rotors, he will
do it as many times as needed until D/C catches on and maybe has a recall and he doesn't
mine charging D/C the work done. He also suggested that before I bring him my truck,
call D/C and see if maybe they would go with aftermarket brake parts, keep up with my
results, and maybe it will get rid of the brake problems and they can do this for everyone.
It will save D/C money in the long run if it works. It all sounds good, don't it. We will
see, after all they did not take care of it under the regular warranty. It could just be more
B.S. He also told me of a recall that is going to go into effect soon. The seatbelt connector
sits up too high in the seat and when people are in an accident their elbows are hitting the
button and releasing the seatbelt. O' the dealer I am taking it to said he is very sick of D/C
and some of their products and hopes people will keep on them about it. OK I'm tired of
writing

danodw · March 2002

I burn a lot on D/C and my Junk Dakota because the problems and trouble getting them fixed is very much real and has nothing to do with my driving. I'll say it one more time. I also have a 94 full size dodge truck. 318 5.2L auto trans. Its been a good truck but nor as good as Nissan I had in the past, but I would buy another one like it. I was going to trade it in on another full size Dodge until I bought this Dakota. Now that the full Size Dodge comes with the same motor and Trans. that my Dakota has, there is no way I would buy it. They should have left them like they were. I too think the Dakota Trans are junk sounding and I belive it will go down some day. One true thing they are saying about the full size is, " It just looks great". What the hell is wrong with Dodge

iowabigguy · March 2002

You said and I quote "trade it in on another full size Dodge until I bought this Dakota. Now that the full Size Dodge comes with the same motor and Trans. that my Dakota has, there is no way I would buy it." All your previous rants have been related to brakes and recently windshield wipers. How does this translate in your logic to bad motors and transmissions??? Rick

henne · March 2002

I must agree with you on this 100%. I bought my wife a Outback Sedan over a year ago and one of the reasons I did was that Patti (Subaru customer service) is always on Edmunds taking care of the Subaru customers. I had a problem with my dealer and I told her about it on here in the boards and within 24 hours the dealer called and I took it back in and they took parts off of an in stock car and fixed my problem in less than an hour. Thanks again Patti if your cruising around in here somewhere.

Enjoy your Subie.

Robert

crossroads · March 2002

Hairydog, I guess the most credible publication as far as I am concerned has been Consumer Reports. These forums on Edmonds are also extremely helpful. I learned about Patti from Subaru on one of the Subaru boards here in Town Hall and she has already answered one of my concerns prior to purchasing the vehicle.

There are many people on these boards who represent vested interests I am sure, but you just have to learn to separate those from people who are giving genuine input.

hairydog · March 2002

CROSSROADS: I am sure many of us recognize the posts that require reading between the lines. After awhile a pattern forms and it becomes apparent vested interest is a motive. I still read and file them. It is good to hear both sides of the coin.
Thanks and good luck with your subaru.

danodw · March 2002

I didn't mean to confuse anyone and I'm not adding more complaints just because I can. If
you had read some of my post in the past few months you would know of the other
problems I have had. When I first started posting my problems here and to D/C I had
made a list of all my concerns with my Dakota. Some warrant more attention, like the
brakes. Also the brakes are what most people are having problems with so I have posted
on that subject the most. Just trying to help all here. I didn't do all this just for myself. I
didn't have to tell you what Dodge has offered me but I did so others might have an easier
time getting something done. Dodge does have a quality problem with the Dakotas and in
my case the 5 star dealers are not doing their jobs. I do like the power of the motor. The
auto trans sounds like junk. I'm having some shifting problems with it but was told thats
the way it works. No need in going on and on so here is the list again.
1. Wipers
2. Brakes
3. Drivers window
4. Auto Trans. It sounds like rocks in a can. I wasn't sure if the clanking noises was from
the trans, rear end are drive shaft but it has gotten worse.
5. AC did not work well last summer. And the control for the ac, heater etc.
6. Motor has died on me a few times and it runs very rough. And whats the deal with the
fan noise. When I first start the truck up and take off, just for about a mile the fan I guess
kicks in for some reason and sounds like a plane taking off. Feels like its putting a strain
on the motor. After the first mile and it warms up, I never here it again. It seems it should
kick in when its runing hot not cold. My oil sending unit has gone out a couple of times
8. Other things include, when I ordered this truck they left off the alarm system and put a
slider window in the back instead of the solid with the defroster. My fault for taking the
truck. Also My gas tank almost fell out. It sounded like the truck was coming a part. I
look under the truck and saw that the bolt holding the strap around the tank had almost
backed all the way out.
I know it sounds like I am a pain in the but. I want what I pay for, If something is wrong, I
want it fixed right the first time. I have never had to go through this much B.S. but I have
mainly driven Nissans in the past.
As for my '94 Dodge, it has been a good truck. Now has 120k on it and still runs great.
Why would they change something that works. Never a brake problem on this truck No I
will never trade for a Dodge again. When something does go wrong, it takes an act of
God to get something done. I really don't like the way the auto trans. sounds and works in
my Dakota. Maybe it will last. I just don't trust Dodge. I guess maybe I should have
worded my post better. With all the changes they have made with the full size truck, they
are using more of the same equipment that has been used on the Dakota . Dodge is hurting
and they have made cut backs and I just don't trust them. Maybe the cut backs should be
on the engineers pay check. I do like the looks and size of the Dodge trucks. As much as
they cost, quality is more important than appearance and I feel the new full size is more an
appearance package than a quality package. Could be wrong.
I guess Nissans and a few Toyota I have had have really spoiled me. I bought them and
drove them and had no problems. Now that they are being built in the U.S. they too are
having some problems, mostly rattles. Back in the 80's when U.S. manufactures wanted to
build Nissans and Toyotas over here the Japanese said on a news special that the American
manufactures and workers wanted more production, more money and turned out less
quality. I believe thats true.
I don't think people are believing me and think I am ranting on and on so I guess I will
post this last post here and I'm done. I ranted on because I was trying to help myself and
all that are having problems. My money is hard to come by and so is my time. I am
disabled and I still try to work. Good luck to all of you, its been an experience.

danodw · March 2002

I just read my last post and I guess it could be confuseing on which truck I am talking about. Anyway
just read between the lines. I'm not a writter or a sppeller. I will leave my last couple of post up for a few days and then I will delete them. I want be back. See ya

hairydog · March 2002

danodw: Are you sure your vechicle wasn't delivered by a Japanese Kamikaze piloting a C-130 to a drop zone in Texas? The way you describe the problems I am not so sure if the truck wasn't used in a consumer guide frontal crash sent to Sri-Lanka for repair and sold to you.
I hope you are able to resolve your problems with
D/C. If not, have a priest give it the last rites or sell to Iraq for gas.

tglick · March 2002

I have a '01 Dakota Quad Cab with towing package. When hooked up to my 24' travel trailer all electrical components on the trailer work fine except for one thing. The batteries on my trailer are not charging. Is there a fuse on the truck that could be blown? In reading the owners manual for the truck and trailer the trailer batteries are supposed to be charged, by the tow vehicle, when towing. I would greatly appreciate any help.

Thanks,
Travis

mad42 · March 2002

After being dissatisfied with this SXT V6 (less power, more gas than V8, steering stiff in center light elsewhere, power falls off at 2300rpm then takes off, clunking in differential) the dealer will give me $12000 for it. 1250 miles and three months lost 1/3rd the value.
Drove it for one tank full like a '60 VW Bus (i.e. no acceleration) and got 19.5 mpg on 80% highway (65-70) the rest 35-40 with few stops. My friends '00 Quad cab with the 4.7L gets 21-22 highway. Both are manuals. Could make up the difference in the cost of the V8 over the V6 in just gas in less than 40,000 miles.
The dealer is useless, the vehicle is crap, should have bought a Toyota.

danodw · March 2002

Your should have bought a v8. The 4.7 or 5.9 is a much better motor for the dakota's. I agree with you more on should have bought a Toyota. I've had many problems with my Q/C. The best thing going for the Dakota's is the size, looks and v8 motors. Although some claim never to had problems with their Dakota's, many of us have. Most have been in the brakes and getting warranty. Dodge does have a big quality problem. It took me a year to get my truck fixed. I just got it back today from the Dealer who had it for 8 days. They fixed the brakes right for the first time I have own this truck. All other problems I had seem to be fixed also, but I have only had it back for a day and need to check it out for a few days to be sure.
To get mine fixed I had to stay on Dodge for a year and when they agreed I had problems I took my truck out of town to a dealer that is not 5 star, they have no stars at all. They couldn't believe the type of treatment and service the 5 star dealer gave me. This dealer seem to have fixed everything right and they took up for me with Dodge. I think 5 star dealers get the stars for selling the most cars and trucks and for jerking people around on warranty. After a year my truck seems better than it ever did before, since the fix. Hey my brakes finally work right and it doesn't pull any more to the right or left. I hope my fix last. Because of all the trouble I had and the trouble and time I went through to get it fixed ( if it last ) I will never buy or consider a Dodge unless it has been on the market for at lease 5 years and the reviews are good. I'm still mad at Dodge and the 5 star dealer I had all the problems with, is still a 5 star dealer

danodw · April 2002

where is everybody.

bookitty · April 2002

You've frightened them away (smile).

Bookitty

danodw · April 2002

Sorry Bookitty. Think I should delete my past post? Just trying to help. People do carry on when not treated right. Just to let you know, my truck is still doing good after my last fix. I've put about 2K on it since it was in the shop. ( knock on wood ).

bookitty · April 2002

Dan, actually I am happy to hear that your truck is doing well. It is most aggravating when you spend money to "buy trouble." I sincerely hope that you are out of the woods and continue to enjoy your truck. I love mine.

Bookitty

craig64 · April 2002

I have a 1995 Dakota SLT Clubcab 5.2, and love mine also.

danodw · April 2002

Thanks Bookitty. I too am glad that my truck is fixed right. I now enjoy it more than I ever had before. I really enjoy driving it now. If it stays fixed are if something happens to it and its fixed right the first time, I will be a happy camper. Thanks too everyone here for leting me vent. Now I'm ready to move on.

pokea · April 2002

Hey...guess what? I have a problem with my brakes and its not the whole warping thing. Not this time anyway. 2001 QC 4.7 @40k miles. Have had brakes turned once. I love the truck although I still cant get the rotten egg odor to go away. Dealership has replaced the cataleptic converter and are stumped. They said according to the sensors its text book perfect, it just smells like an egg salad sandwich. Well, maybe more like a thousand sandwichs.
Now to the problem at hand. My Brake lights dont work. Bulbs look OK. Dosnt seem to be a fuse for them. Everything else if fine lights wise. I have the factory tow package. It looks as though when retard at the cap place(wont get into it know)put on my cap he pulled a wire down for the top brake light and spliced it into the harness down near the tow hitch. Well actually he just stripped and twisted them together and let them hang. Nice huh! He connected into a white w/red striped white that was in split lumen tubing labeled CHMSL. Could any of this be the problem. Was it the right way to do it(besides the obvious)Where did this CHMSL wire originally come from.
I hope someone can help and that I didnt put anyone to sleep.

pokea · April 2002

I have disconnecting the white w/red wire from cap brake light and didnt fix.

iowabigguy · April 2002

The wire CHMSL (center mounted high stop light) wire was provided in the wiring harness for exactly the purpose the guy at the topper place used it for. Most newer trucks come with a wire to allow hookup to the center stop light when you install a topper. If the bulbs and fuse are good you might need to check the stop light switch on or above the brake pedal. Try turning on your 4 way emergency flashers. They use the same filament in the bulb as the brakes, if this works them you know the bulbs, sockets and part of the wiring works.

Dodge Dakota Problems. Please help!

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