2004 Dodge Dakota

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN WHEN THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED WITH CAUTION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE STEERING WHEELS INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. THE FAILURE RESULTED IN PREMATURE WEAR TO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. THE PART WAS ORDERED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE WHICH THERE WAS NO RESOLUTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. THE DRIVER STATED THAT HE WAS DRIVING 40 MPH THROUGH A GREEN LIGHT WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE PULLED IN FRONT OF HIM AND CRASHED INTO HIS VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CENTER AND THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS VEHICLE WERE DESTROYED. THE FRONT END AND THE FRAME WAS REPLACED. THE DRIVER AND THE PASSENGER WERE INJURED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 78,000.

MY 2004 DODGE DAKOTA HAS STEERING PROBLEMS. AFTER TAKING IT TO A DODGE DEALER AND LEAVING IT FOR TWO DAYS THEY ARE UNABLE TO TELL ME WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. THE VEHICLE IS VERY HARD TO STEER. FLUID IS NOT LEAKING, I HAVE DAYS THAT THE STEERING IS BETTER THAN OTHER DAYS..BUT FOR THE MOST PART THE STEERING IS GETTING HARDER EVERYDAY. I FEEL THAT IT IS GETTING VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE,YET I CANNOT GET AN ANSWER TO WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET AND THIS FORUM, I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER 2004 DAKOTA OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. INFACT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 2000 TO 2003 DAKOTAS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. YET THE 2004 HAS THE SAME STEERING DESIGN. I THINK THE 2004 DAKOTA SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL. PLEASE HELP!! AS I CAN'T SEEM TO GET ANY ANSWERS TO WHAT IS CAUSING THIS STEERING PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB 4X4 WITH THE MAGNUM ENGINE. IT HAS ROUGHLY 59,000 MILES ON IT. SOMETIME WITHIN THE PAST 3,000 MILES THE STEERING BEGAN TO GET STIFF. IT WAS A GRADUAL THING, SLOWLY GETTING WORSE UNTIL NOW I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IT FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT. THE EXACT SYMPTOMS AT THIS POINT ARE THAT THE STEERING WILL GET STIFF THEN SMOOTH THEN STIFF THEN SMOOTH, DEPENDING ON THE POSITION OF THE WHEEL DURING A TURN. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ONLINE FOR THIS PARTICULAR MODEL AND YEAR, IT IS APPARENTLY EITHER THE UPPER OR LOWER U-JOINT ON THE STEERING COLUMN. I HAVE NOT CONFIRMED THIS, BUT WANTED TO LEND MY WEIGHT TO THE OBVIOUSLY HUGE NUMBER OF DODGE DAKOTA/DURANGO OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR

ON FEBRUARY 5, 2010 AT APPROXIMATELY SIX PM ON MY WAY TO WORK I WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. DUE TO THE SNOW ON THE ROAD I WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTROL MY VEHICLE, THUS LEADING TO THE ACCIDENT. THE FRONT AIRBAGS IN MY 2004 DODGE DAKOTA DID NOT DEPLOY. THE OTHER VEHICLE INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT A HONDA CRV THEIR FRONT AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT CHRYSLER HAS HAD PREVIOUS ISSUES WITH AIRBAGS FAILING TO DEPLOY, THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK WITH A REPRESENTATIVE TO DISCUSS HOW THIS SITUATION CAN BE HANDLED. *TW

I HAVE READ SO MANY OF THESE SAME ISSUES THAT I AM HAVING WITH MY 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. THE STEERING IS LOCKING UP AND VERY HARD TO TURN. I'VE TAKEN IT INTO A DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES NOW, AND THEY HAVE REPLACED POWER STEERING PUMP, CHECKED MY RACK AND PINION, AND ALL OTHER OPTIONS AND THE PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. VERY SCARY. JUST HAD A BABY AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THIS POINT WHERE NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I HAVE READ UP SO MANY OF THESE SAME COMPLAINTS AND THEY ARE ALL THE SAME AS WHAT I AM EXPERIENCING. THERE HAS GOT TO BE A PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. VERY HARD TO TURN WHEEL AND GO STIFF LOOSE STIFF LOOSE. PLEASE ADVISE. THANK YOU. *TR

MY SON WAS ON HIS WAY TO THE DOCTOR FOR AN INJECTION IN HIS 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 45 MPH, HE TURNED ON THE PARKING LIGHTS AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON ALL BY THEMSELVES. HE HAD NOT TURNED ON THE WINDSHIELD WIPER SWITCH. HE STOPPED THE TRUCK AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. ASSUMING THAT IT WAS A TEMPORARY GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM HE STARTED THE ENGINE AGAIN AND TURNED ON THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. AT THAT TIME THE ENTIRE LIGHTING SYSTEM WENT CRAZY. THE HEADLIGHTS BEGAN FLASHING ON AND OFF, THE EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEM BEGAN TO WORK AND THE DIRECTIONAL LIGHTS BEGAN TO BLINK ON THEIR OWN. BETWEEN FLASHES OF THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS A DIRECTIONAL LIGHT WOULD ELIMINATE. AGAIN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BEGAN TO OPERATE ON THEIR OWN AGAIN. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AFTER DARK. WE ARE WAITING TO GET A DEALER TO LOOK AT THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. AGAIN THIS COULD HAVE HAD A DISASTROUS ENDING IF HE HAD BEEN DRIVING AFTER DARK AND ON A BUSY HIGHWAY OR STREET. *TR

I OWN A 2004 DAKOTA QUAD 4X4 WITH 78K MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT THE TRUCK NEW AND HAVE TAKEN CARE OF IT. MOST OF THE MILES ARE HIGHWAY AND IT HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN OFF ROAD. SINCE ITS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY I GOT ONLINE TO RESEARCH A DIY SOLUTION. I FOUND THAT MANY OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD AND ARE HAVING ARE NOT JUST BEING EXPERIENCED BY MYSELF BUT OTHER DAKOTA OWNERS. 1) STEERING ISSUES THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN AT TIMES BOTH GOING INTO AND COMING OUT OF A TURN. THIS STARTED HAPPENING IN FEB 2009 WITH 71K ON IT. IT IS MUCH MORE PREVALENT IN COLD WEATHER. I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE TRUCK UNTIL THE WEATHER WARMED UP. (I HAVE NOT HAD THIS FIXED YET.) 2) BRAKE ISSUES 27K I HAD TO HAVE THE FRONT ROTORS AND THE REAR DRUMS TURNED AND NEW PADS AND SHOES INSTALLED AND HAD THE BRAKE FLUID CHANGED. 46K I HAD TO HAVE NEW FRONT ROTORS AND PADS ALONG WITH THE BRAKE FLUID CHANGED 77K REAR BRAKES BEGAN MAKING NOISE. THE PARKING BRAKE PAD HAD FALLEN OFF. I NOW NEED NEW REAR DRUMS AND SHOES AND PARKING BRAKE SHOE. ( I HAVE NOT HAD THIS FIXED YET) 3)SUSPENSION 77K I NEED A FRONT UPPER BALL JOINT PROBABLY DUE TO EXCESS STRAIN FROM THE DEFECTIVE STEERING. ( I HAVE NOT HAD THIS FIXED YET). *TR