2002 Dodge Dakota

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE RISING NEAR THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VEER TO THE RIGHT. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE CALIPER FAILED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE CALIPER AND ROTOR AND REMEDIED THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE CONTACT APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN. THE BRAKES SEIZED AND THE VEHICLE SKIDDED AND SWERVED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AS THE BRAKES RETURNED TO NORMAL AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY WHEN DRIVING AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTICS BUT THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT ROTORS AND BRAKES OVERHEATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES FOR THE FAILURE. WHERE THE DEALER REPLACED THE FRONT BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, HOSES AND THE BRAKE LINES, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO OVERHEAT AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 45,000. UPDATED 11/16/11 *BF UPDATED 03/08/12

TRUCK HAS BEEN DRIVING LIKE SOMETHING WAS GRINDING AGAINST MY FRONT RIGHT WHEEL FOR A WEEK OR SO, I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT, IT HAD JUST BECOME AN ANNOYANCE. ID LOOK UNDER THE WHEEL AND EVERYTHING LOOKED OKAY AND IN SHAPE, NO DAMAGE WAS BEING DONE. THE OTHER DAY I DROVE A SHORT DISTANCE AND HEARD A POP, LIKE SOMETHING HAD POPPED NEAR THE WHEEL, I PULLED OVER AND COULD SEE NO DAMAGE. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE AND NOTICED THAT THE GRINDING HAD STOPPED AND MY WHEEL SEEMED TO BE FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. I ARRIVED TO MY DESTINATION WITH NO PROBLEM. WHEN I LEFT THE DESTINATION TO RETURN HOME, I STARTED FEELING HEAVY PULL TO THE RIGHT ON MY STEERING WHEEL, IF I LET GO OF THE STEERING WHEEL I WOULD HAVE GONE INTO A DITCH OR THE WOODS OR ANOTHER CAR. I THEN STARTED NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM MY RIGHT WHEEL, I WAS A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM HOME AND FIGURED I COULD MAKE IT, I STARTED NOTICING MY BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING TOO WELL, AND ANYTIME ID PUSH ON THE BRAKES MORE SMOKE WOULD ARISE, I WENT THE 3 STOP SIGNS TO MY HOUSE AND PULLED IN, RAN AROUND AND SAW THAT BEHIND MY WHEEL HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE, TOOK ABOUT 5 MINUTES TO PUT THE FIRE OUT WITH WATER AND SOME CAT LITTER WE HAD LYING AROUND. IT WAS SO HOT THAT IT WOULDN'T COOL DOWN FOR ABOUT 45 MINS TO AN HOUR. WE WOULD THROW WATER ON IT AND IT WOULD SIZZLE. I QUICKLY REMOVED THE TIRE TO PREVENT ANY DAMAGE TO IT. I NOTICED IT HAD STARTED TO MELT THE PLASTIC BOOT COVER ON THE SUSPENSION. WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE WHEEL YOU COULD SEE IT HAD SNAPPED OFF ON THE BOTTOM HALF, CAUSING THE WHOLE WHEEL TO TILT INWARD WHICH THEN CAUSED A FULL ON GRIND OF THE WHEEL AND THE BRAKEPADS AND WHATEVER ELSE IS DOWN THERE CAUSING SUCH FRICTION THAT IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. I THEN DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THEIR HAD BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE... :( *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES, BUT THE BRAKES SEIZED. LATER, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE HUB OF THE BRAKE HAD BURNED AND WAS AN ABNORMAL COLOR. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED IN REGARDS TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000. UPDATED 09/21/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED HE REPLACED THE CALIPER, BRAKES, HOSES, BRAKE PADS AND TURNED THE ROTORS. UPDATED 10/05/11

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, HE NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES WERE GETTING HOT AND SEIZING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE BRAKE PADS, SHOES, AND CALIPERS WERE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 54,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A KNOCKING SOUND COULD BE HEARD COMING FROM THE BRAKES WHENEVER THEY WERE APPLIED. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO JERK DURING THE FAILURES AND SMOKE WOULD BE SEEN COMING FROM THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000. UPDATED 08/31/11 *BF THE CALIPER GUIDE WAS RUBBING CAUSING THE BRAKES TO SOUND LIKE METAL ON METAL. THE BRAKES SMOKED AND BECAME HOT THREE TO FOUR TIMES IN A PERIOD OF A YEAR. UPDATED 09/01/11

BROUGHT 2002 DODGE DAKOTA INTO DEALERSHIP A TOTAL OF 6 TIMES SINCE MAY 2010 BECAUSE OF PROBLEMS WITH THE FRONT BRAKES. THE FIRST TIME THE BRAKES WERE SHUDDERING SO BAD WHEN BRAKING ON A HILL, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO HOLD THE STEERING WHEEL STRAIGHT. THE DEALERSHIP RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT OF THE ROTORS AND PADS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT THEY SUPPOSEDLY VISUALLY PASSED INSPECTION, AND HAD PLENTY OF PAD SURFACE REMAINING. THE DAY FOLLOWING REPLACEMENT, I TOOK THE VEHICLE OUT AND NOTICED A DISTINCT CLICKING BELOW THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN BRAKING. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY KEPT IT FOR A DAY, TOLD ME THEY THOUGHT THEY FIXED IT, AND RETURNED IT TO ME. AS SOON AS I DROVE INTO MY DRIVEWAY, THE PASSENGER FRONT WAS SEIZING AND SMOKING. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CAME TO PICK IT UP. IT REMAINED AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR A FEW DAYS UNTIL THEY DISASSEMBLED THE SLIDE ON THE CALIPER, CLEANED AND REGREASED IT, AND RESURFACED THE NEW ROTOR. THE PROBLEM REOCCURRED AGAIN WITHIN TWO WEEKS, WHEN I HAD TO RETURN IT AGAIN. THIS TIME I BROUGHT IT IN WHILE THE BRAKE WAS POURING OUT SMOKE. THEY KEPT IT FOR A WEEK, AND THEN DECIDED THE BRAKE LINE REQUIRED A REPLACEMENT. LESS THAN 3500 MILES LATER, I WAS OUT OF STATE VISITING FAMILY. AS SOON AS I ARRIVED IN THAT TOWN, I COULD SMELL THE BRAKE BURNING AGAIN. TOOK IT TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP THERE WHERE THEY SAID IT WAS APPARENT THAT BOTH FRONT CALIPERS HAD BEEN STICKING FOR SOME TIME AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT AND WELL AS THE ROTORS RESURFACING DUE TO THE HEAT. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY SOME PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM OR MATERIALS DODGE USES NOW FOR THEIR VEHICLES... TOO MANY FAILURES AMONGST TOO MANY PEOPLE. WHILE BRAKES SEIZING IS PREFERABLE TO THEM NOT WORKING AT ALL, THIS IS JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE. THESE ARE BRAKES, NOT BRAIN SURGERY... *TT