Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions

wwc2000 · May 2001

I have a 2000 Dakota Sport with ABS front and rear
have had 2 sets of rotors warp and rear drums.
I only have 20K on the truck and I am very disgusted with so called 5 star dealer. They tell me the problems are my fault that I drive the truck to hard, and in the same breath they tell me my pads and shoes are like brand new, I say this should show that I am not hard on my truck. They respond with I must have changed the parts. Also the drums are warped because I apply the emergency brake when parking
the truck. Apparently you are not supposed to use your emergency brake. I spent months arguing with damit-crimesler and got nowhere. I have ordered and received Power Stop high performance rotors and pads for the front and had drums turned. We will see if this fixes the brake problems. It is sad that dealers will not admit to the problem.
Even sadder is the fact that damit-crimesler does not upgrade the brake parts or specs, this will come back to bite them just like
the Firestone tire issue. This is my first and last DODGE it is too bad that the treatment you get will prevent you from buying another Dodge car/truck/van.

bluebayou · May 2001

wwc2000

Sorry to hear about they problems that you are having. I know from reading this board that I will someday soon have to purchase aftermaket rotors due to the poor quality of the OEM units. Fortunetly, I knew about this before purchasing and decided that it was a small price for an otherwise great truck.

Let us know how the new units perform and if it helps... your not alone.

blue

namfflow · May 2001

Maybe as we all gain a little more experience with our newer Dakotas and start the hunt for quality parts that we list what we find here. It would make many of our quests much easier.

I know my 97 rotors (OEM) did okay. At 40K did a brake job and replaced one because it got a bit too grooved from the rivits in the pads. (Went a few too many miles before taking it in). So I guess the newer ones are worse.

I know when the time comes up for brakes I will be looking for high quality rotors, pads and calipers. One thing I have noticed on all my mopars from 87 on is that everytime I need a brake job the calipers get replaced too. This should not be happening if they were of decent quality.

I agree that the manufacturers need to listen to the customer. In industry it is known as Voice of the Customer (VOC). I just received my initial survey from Chrysler for my 01. There will be a detailed attachment going with it. The truck and sale went well but as usual, the dealer prep was nonexistant. They even left labels on that should have been removed (especially the "Suspect parts" tag that was on the headliner) and even the tires were grossly overinflated (48 lbs mounted and 52 lbs on the spare)

I say that we, the customers and clearly from these forums, the most vocal that we use the dodge website to relay our feelings. perhaps send them links to our postings so they see the stories and see it from what the customer and potential customers see.

My professional experience is in QA so it frustrates me when I see companies that seem to fail to act on customer input. Sure they started to add "style" but lets get the substance straightened out. I for one am a mopar man. I would hate to have to look elsewhere the next time I need to get a vehicle.

steve234 · May 2001

I have been looking at the problems with brakes after seeing the issue brought up a few months ago. It looks like all the manufacturers are having similar problems. A lot has to do with the fact that most brakes are made by one primary company , add a few fed regs and Mexican quality. I am not happy about it, but it is not just a DC problem.

I just found out that there are fuses on my Dak that can only be bought at a Dodge dealer. So if I have my trailer brakes go out or my AC on a weekend, I am out of luck. The price is fair, but the limited access sucks. The fuses are in the power center under the hood.

namfflow · May 2001

If the prices are fair, then why not pick up a few extras and keep them in the Dakota for those times you may happen to need one? This way ity doesn't matter if you can get to a dealer or not.

BTW, if you have a tendancy to blow fuses than you have a problem somewhere that should be traced down and corrected. Fuses blow for good reasons.

scottieeck · May 2001

Have to agree with wolffmann on this subject. fuses are put in to protect electrical equipment. If one component goes bad, the fuses job is to protect other electrical components from being damaged by the amperage and heat that a short circuit or overload generates. if a fuse blows once, it is likely to happen again and should be diligently inspected.
Electrical problems are a pain in the neck by themselves, let alone what they could do to the PCM.
BTW, my truck just started showing signs of stalling at cold accellerate. I'd hoped I was free and clear, havent had the auto tranny "learning problem" (at least not yet, 5000mi.)
Any reccommendations for rotors and other brake parts for when my truck decides to do the "brake shimmy"?
scottie

mopar67 · May 2001

get aftermarket units. Some postings on MOPARCHAT.com indicate those who have gone to aftermarket rotors and drums no longer have brake problems. I can't say for certain as I am still dealing with OEM junk. But when I do replace them with aftermarket units, I will let you all know how it goes.

beachbunny · May 2001

Hello Gentleman! This is my first time on the board. Have a question but don't want to sound stupid. I do have general knowledge of trucks(I work for Rollins Truck Leasing).

I currently own a 2000 3.9l 4x4.

Here's my question. 1. When I make a sharp turn there is a loud popping noise on the passenger side floor board. The noise sounds like metal against metal. My dealer is telling me it is normal. (Maybe they think they can fool me because I am a women)Does anyone else have this problem and if so, what could it possibly be.
2. While I am driving, there is a low rattling coming from somewhere under the truck. I asked the dealership to take a look at the exhaust manifold to see if it was loose. They told me it was fine and they could not duplicate the noise I was describing. Could this noise be the catylitic convertor?

bookitty · May 2001

Stephanie, I have not experienced this noise in my 2000 Quad, but I did have noise like that in a Bronco that I owned previously. Each time I would take a hard right turn (and especially if I had my foot on the brake) it would clunk. I took it back to the dealer twice, and both times I was told that they could not duplicate the noise. The third time my son took the car in for me as his office was very near to the service manager that the vehicle was brought in twice before to no avail. The service manager promised to test drive the truck himself and would try to duplicate the conditions. When my son returned to the dealer at the end of the day, the service manager claimed that there was no noise and that it was "normal." My son told him that perhaps he should have driven it further, as the string that he tied from the front bumper to the parking rail was not as yet broken. The service manager mumbled and fumbled saying that he must have tested the wrong car, etc., etc. He then drove the car with my son in it and of course as soon as he made a tight turn and touched the brake pedal, there was the noise. It was a loose heat shield that protected the catalytic converter, and was a tough thing to get to in order to tighten the fasteners. After that incident, we received much more respect. I have a great deal of mechanical experience and background in construction and material handling equipment, but I was treated much like you were. It is not normal, so tell them to fix it, or take it to someone who can if they don't know enough to properly service your vehicle. Good luck.

Bookitty

scottieeck · May 2001

Hoo Hoo, Norm, that was a kicker! Sounds like your son's a chip off the old block. What was the name of the place you took it to? Apparently, the service manager didn't have a "clew".
scottie

ethuresson · May 2001

I have experienced intermittent rattling from under the truck (4.7 4x4 quadcab). Only occurs over bumps, and not all the time. I had it in for a freebie oil change and the mechanic and I both checked out bottom of truck while it was on the lift. Neither one of us found anything even remotely loose, and believe me I checked pretty carefully. Doesn't happen much, so I'm living with it; if it begins to occur enough to bug me, I'll look harder. Sounds exactly like a rattling heat shield. Just thought I'd let you know you're not crazy, I hear it too. No suspension heebie jeebies yet, only 1800 mi on truck. BUT!! Beginning to creak and groan like an old rusted yugo upon brake application. No shimmy, everything works fine, just very noisy. Wassup wi dat?? anyone? Bueller?..;)

iowabigguy · May 2001

I've experiences a "rattling/rumbling" sound on occasions. It seemed like it happened when the gas tank was less than 1/2 full. I checked the whole under side if the truck and could find nothing loose however I could cause a similar sound by pressing up on the bottom center of the gas tank where it is suspended between two metal straps. I'm thinking there are no baffles inside the tank and occasionally when the fuel level is low enough the sloshing gas causes the tank to flex. Since I'm pretty sure this is the source of my occasional sound I don't feel there are any safety issues and I've got a 7 year 85,000 mile extended warranty so I've chose to ignore it. Rick

bookitty · May 2001

Scottie, it was the Ford dealer in Newtown. My son's office at the time was on State Street. Paul, our older son has a very dry sense of humor.

Bookitty

steve234 · May 2001

Love the tale.

On the fuses, I will probably get a few to keep on hand, added to the box of the other style fuses and misc necessities. I have found that when you are working on an electrical problem, you can sometimes blow several fuses before you trace the fault. Since this is on the trailer brakes, I would not like to get caught where I could not get parts when I am 50+ miles from home. I think the original fuse was bad because when I went to hook up the controller, it was dead from the beginning and no problem after replacement.

mopar67 · May 2001

goin' back to Indiana for a week and its straight shot on I70 all the way thru. Gonna fill up at an Amoco station w 87 octane, and off I go.
Truck will be empty save for me, suitcase, fishing poles and Iron City beer (still in the case of course) for a friend that actually likes the stuff.
Total mileage from door to door is 443 miles 95% hiway. It will be cool so I don't anticipate using the AC unless to defog the interior.
First hiway trip with the K&N filter.
Last trip in winter to Detroit to visit the factory (and try to get a new truck, not successful) I got 16.55.
Actually went to HF museum for a tour. Lots of fun, recommend it to any car nut.
Probably won't be back for a week so no one start crying okay? Ha Ha.
Long Live Mother Mopar!

biglucy · May 2001

bookitty - That's a classic! I'll remember that one.

beachbunny - don't you love those "normal" pops and rattles. Wouldn't it be great if car dealers went to the doctor and they were told that their chest angina, heart murmur, and hip dysplasia were... normal..! I always suspect the suspension and steering when you hear pops on sharp turns. I had some rattling going on, only to find out that my spare tire was alittle loose, you might want to check that out too.

ohc_baby · May 2001

My favorite is to simply place a penny on top of one of the tires. At my local dealer, I have to wait until they move it out back, then check it before I let them know I'm there. Until the truck moves, I won't talk to anyone..

bpeebles · May 2001

I am now officially back from my two Singapore trips and a well-deserved vacation trout fishing in the boonies of Vermont.

It will be a while before I catch up on the 15 Dakota forums I follow here at Edmunds.(not to mention MoparChat, DejaVu and all of the others)

Can I resume my role as the "resident technical advisor" for this forum?

mopar67 · May 2001

you were appointed as patriarch of this forum. There were no nay votes all present voted for you.
Congrats.

Karen_S · May 2001

bookitty: Love your son's ingenuity!

bpeebles: Welcome home! You say you went fishing, but nothing about what was caught?

I'm gearing up to do some channel cat fishing this summer. And you can bet I'll be bragging about the catch....I hope. :-)

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

bookitty · May 2001

Karen, if you are anything like Paula, (one of our daughters-by-marriage), you will catch the biggest fish while the others (male) are standing around bragging.

Bookitty

bpeebles · May 2001

I have heard stories of people coming back to find a flat tire after being parked overnight. I have seen the teeth marks on the rocker-panel of my dads automobile.

This is the second time my Dakota engine light has been on.... Some of the EEC (Evaporative Emissions Controls) hoses were nibbled clear through in both cases. Also one of my steering-rack boots was all tore up.

Who is this culprit that loves to nibble? I am told that the Porcupine can taste the leftover salt from the winter driving. He comes out at night and nibbles on all kinds of stuff.

I wonder if the warantee covers this...Perhaps I should have orderd the anti-nibbler option ;-)

namfflow · May 2001

Sounds like the culprit to me. This used to happen all the time along the Appellation (I know, misspelled) Trail.

Karen_S · May 2001

That's why my husband doesn't like fishing with me. :-)

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

Karen_S · May 2001

Hunh. That's a new one for me. I do know that chipmunks can cause similar damage. They did a number on the wiring and small hoses in my husband's dump truck.

I did a little investigating and found some suggestions to keep the critters away while wilderness camping. Placing mothballs around and under the vehicle "might" work. Encircling the vehicle with chicken wire, held down with logs or rocks, is probably a better solution. This prevents porcupines from crawling underneath the vehicle.

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

bookitty · May 2001

An even better solution. Stay out of the woods, stay in a four star hotel and have tickets to a show. Works for me!

Bookitty

beachbunny · May 2001

A few post back I remember reading about someone who was trying to get Bug and Tar off their paint without damaging it. The best thing I have found for this is to put a little Whistle cleaner into a spray bottle (approx. 1 inch). Then dilute with water. While washing spray onto the bottom area of the truck or problem areas. You do not even need to scrub..... normal washing will have it come right off! I have a white Dodge Dakota and this has not affected(or turned it yellow) my paint.

biglucy · May 2001

YUP Folks, while hiking on the Appalachian Trial for a few days I came back to my chevy station wagon to find a puddle of brake fluid under the front driver tire. It was already dark and we were looking at the cable with a flashlight and there were definate signs of sabotage. Along came some guy in a pickup truck who promptly told us that porcupines were the cause and since we had no extra brake fluid, if we waited until the next day, He just happened to have a cousin who ran a service station at the bottom of the mountain!!! Sounding a little too much like the movie "Deliverance", we decided to take our chances driving until we could get to a mini market for more brake fluid (the rear reservoir was still full of fluid - so we had rear braking power).
Heading down the mountain, sure enough, was a porcupine stumbling along the road like he was drunk and his hair was wet and matted down under his chin. It would seem that porc's indeed like salty things and chewed right through the brake line to drink the deliciously toxic concoction. Since it was night, I could drive OK because it was late with no trafffic and only minimal stopping was needed, but I did feel real bad for the porcupine, who probably didn't live long.

steve234 · May 2001

Pack rats are very fond of nesting in vehicles and can get into the darnest places. I have had to replace more wiring because of pack rats than I care to think about. Automotive wiring seems to attract rodents and they have sharp teeth. Wire cutters should be so tough! Be careful how you deal with whatever you have. Poison baits can get pets too.

bmwjoe · May 2001

All this talk about salt attracting rodents makes me want to share a trick I use to remove the salt from the underside of my car and truck. I take a garden hose and string it from the front to the back under the car. Then I hook a rotary lawn sprinkler up to it and turn it on. I slowley move the sprinkler from the back to the front by pulling on the hose. I pull it 3-4 feet and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. This is a good way of rinsing the salt from the bottom of a vehicle.

Drive Safe,

Joe

phidelt241 · May 2001

I just bought a 96 Dakota Sport with the 4-cyl. engine. Nothing too powerful, but not too bad. However, I've noticed that the engine runs a little on the warm side. I was just wondering if anyone had a similar problem, and if so, how you fixed it.
thanks!
mike

bpeebles · May 2001

( bmwjoe ) This sounds like a good idea. Rinsing the salt off will prolong the life of the frame too.
(I have had some vehicle frames rust so bad that they fail state inspection. One could "grab a handful" of rust from the frame and pull it right out from underneath the car.) No wonder it was starting to "sag" in the middle ;-)

The research by (KarenS HOST) may work too. I wonder if there is a "spray" like "OFF" for insects that may work to keep the critters away.?

bpeebles · May 2001

(phidelt241) Please describe what you observerd that leads you to beleive this is abnormal? Does the temp. gauge indicate it is too hot? Is there steam coming from under the hood?
Is the paint peeling from the hood? Con you hear the coolant boiling after shutting it off?
Were you running the AC compressor? Do you have automatic xmission? Under what conditions do you observe the "running on the warm side"?

There are a lot of reasons an engine may run hot... we must first determine if you are seeing somthing abnormal before getting too worked up about this.

phidelt241 · May 2001

bpeebles...it is the 96 4cyl with a 5 speed manual tranny. the temp gauge has run about 3/4ths of the way to the right, so close to the "h." there is to peeling paint, steam, etc. i've just never seen a truck that ran warm like that...oh, and the AC was off, seeing as it was fairly cool this morning..

namfflow · May 2001

I had several of the mopar 4 bangers both normal and turbo. 2.2 and 2.5L Most of the time they do not run hot. Going 3/4 of the way on the temp gauge is still within normal for these engines.

Considering the age of the truck I would suggest a complete radiator servicing. A good flush and inspection to see if the raditaor may need to be rodded. Hopefully a good flush and fill with proper amounts of coolant and maybe a new thermostat as they do stick with time will prevent any real problems.

bobs5 · May 2001

I can share some experience with a 2.2l 4 cly mopar 4 banger.Used to have a '86 plymouth reliant with the 2.2l fuel injected engine. I have not had an overheating problem with that engine. What I did have was an engine that ran too cool though. Never did solve the problem, I got the new truck to replace the car.

With an overhaeting engine this is how I usually proceed. Being that you see steam:
Change out the thermostat first, then recheck if the engine still overheats.
If that doesn't do it, then swap out the radiator.
Water pump if necessary.
Good luck.
Bob

ahasher · May 2001

The fan relay on my QC fried! The fan stayed on after I shut down today. Pulled the fuse box cover in the engine compartment and found the auxilary fan relay VERY HOT and white residue from a short all over. I pulled the relay and the fan shut down. I now have a check engine light and no aux fan. Any thoughts on what caused it? Why the check engine light? I am thinking replace the fuse box altogeter, when it goes to the dealer Tue (UNDER WARRANTY)...bpeebles..any suggestions??

bpeebles · May 2001

Was the AC on? The electic fan is programmed to run ALL OF THE TIME when the AC is enabled. (Or are you saying that the fan was running with the engine OFF?) This should only occour when the coolant is very hot.

I do not have my BOB right in front of me but I seem to recall that there is some kind of "feedback" from this fan relay to the computer which will trigger the check engine lamp if a problem is detected. (ie... fan should be on but is not running.) Certainly pulling the relay MAY trigger this fault.

mopar67 · May 2001

Made it to Indiana on Amoco 87 dino fuel and returned 18.6 MPG on the trip, nearly all interstate. This is runing 65-70 with the AC on (it was damp and rainy)
Changd the oil to MOBIL1 5W30, and had to endure carpal tunnel getting the oil filter off after a gorilla at the dealer decided tight just wasn't tight enough. Tighter was better in his mind.
Saved the old filter and plan to have a conversation with the tech and the manager on why the "turn 3/4 to 1 full turn after gasket contacts base" instructions were not adhered to.

ahasher · May 2001

for the trip to my sister-in-laws. The fan stayed on after the engine was shut down. I don’t remember the electric fan being the type that stays on after the engine is shut off, but I waited about 10 min. It was still on so I popped the hood, then the fuse box cover. The relay was HOT HOT HOT (fan still going) so I finally pulled it. I started the engine, hoping i had not fried any wiring, and the light was on. The coolant might have been an issue, I guess. It was not an overly hot day and the drive was only about 90 min.. not much more than my normal commute (with AC on frequently these days)..
Now I am running without that relay, but the AC works, and the light still on. The QC is going in first thing Tue..

biglucy · May 2001

Beach - I had the exact same problem with my filter on the first oil change! Is there purpose here or are they just a bunch of gorillas?!? I had to jump in the wife's Audi to get a filter cap after blood and ooze started dripping from the blisters!

dbquad01 · May 2001

I have a 2001 Quad 4x4 4.7L auto w/T&H package, 7500k miles. The tires are 16x8 265's. The sticker on the door only has tire pressure for a truck equipped w/15x7 tires. Does anyone know the correct amount of air to put into an empty Quad with the 16x8 tires? The dealer has been putting in 38-39 psi and it seems to be bouncing around the road more than it did when I originally got it from factory. Also, does everyone else have the correct pressures posted on the drivers door?

Thanks for the help!

mopar67 · May 2001

I can count on one had the number of times I had my OWN (not company cars) at the lube places (dealers included). I do know when I took my company cars in to the lube places often times I could hear choice words being uttered regarding the difficulty in getting the oil filter off.
In the process of getting mine off, I broke a plastic cap style wrench (from Wally World), stripped the hole in my dads METAL wrench where the ratchet extension goes, and bent his Plews oil filter wrench all to heck.
Finally I got really p.o.'d and stuck a screwdriver thru the thing and twisted it off that way.
biglucy you should have seen the gasket on the Mopar filter; it was mashed down big time. Wonder it didn't leak like a sieve!
Oh then there's the drain plug itself but I won't go into that. All I will say is the three beers afterwards sure tasted good!
A trip to Preston Dodge will take place this tuesday and guess what I will talk about (besides my brake drums)?

DBQUAD>>>>you should have an insert in your truck literature (a separate piece of paper) that specifically deals with the correct tire pressure for your truck. Yes, mine also shows the incorrect tire pressures for the tires I have on my truck 31X10.5X15

macey · May 2001

There is indeed a separate piece of paper detailing correct tire (cold) pressure, should be included in your black folder with all the other paper work that came from the factory.

For my 2001 DAK QC it says 30 PSI for all tires...I run 33 as I feel 30 PSI is too low and will not give as good MPG.

The door sticker is for the minimum tire size the DAK can have

My dealer followed that info and had the tires at 41 PSI.

henne · May 2001

what was the final results on the fumoto valve, did it need the adapter? and what is the model of the valve? i looked under my new replacement truck and it would be nice to have that valve in there.

thanks

robert

bpeebles · May 2001

Lets not forget that the 31X10.5 tires MUST be around 40 PSI for highway driving. This safety warning appears in the owners manual. Running lower PSI than that on these big tires can lead to tread seperation.

mopar67 · May 2001

handling is markedly improved over the manual specifications of 30 front and 30 rear for light load. I would assume MPG improves also but I never ran my tires at 30 PSI long enough to compare to the 40PSI settings.

pmacey · May 2001

Wow, I'm gonna have to re-read both the manual and separate Tire pressure sheet that came with the truck...as mentioned, I disregarded the manual statement of 30 PSI, running about 33 PSI cold.

Agree about increase of MPG as well

Thanks!

ahasher · May 2001

because the dealer is ordering a new fuseblock and wire bundle. The relay fried and melted them, not to mention itself. What happened to fuses in the aux fan circuit??

bpeebles · May 2001

So sorry to hear of your Dakota "meltdown".

As for your question about fuses... Basic electricity knowledge teaches that fueses DO NOT protect from meltdown under all conditions.

Consider this... a 100Watt light bulb does not "blow" a fuse but will certainly get hot enough to melt things or start a fire. This is due to the RESISTANCE of the light bulb.

What happened to your Fuseblock was a POOR CONNECTION or RESISTANCE in an unwanted place. Fuses cannot protect from this type of problem which can easilly cause enough heat to melt things.

Those of you that have followed these forums for years will recall that when I first bought my Dakota, I whent through and snugged up ALL electrical connections. I also solderd all crimp-on ground connections. (Does anyone remember the infamous "ticking sound" of the early Dakotas with the 4.7LV8 Hemi?)

Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions

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Dodge Dakota: Problems & Solutions