1996 Dodge Pickup

THE FAILURE AND NEAR FATALITIES INVOLVED THE INSTALLATION OF NAPA BRAKE PADS BY A LOCAL DODGE DEALER. I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAD DODGE BRAKE PADS INSTALLED BUT NAPA PADS WERE SUBSTITUTED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE. THE FAILURE INVOLVED THE INSIDE BRAKE PAD. SOMEHOW, THE INSIDE BRAKE PAD SEPARATED FROM THE METAL PAD PLATE. THEN AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE TIME, WHEN I NEEDED TO APPLY THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE PAD SLIPPED OUT OF THE CALIPER HOUSING. I WAS ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, TRAVELING ABOUT 60 MPH IN A 4-WHEEL DRIVE PICKUP IN FAIRLY HEAVY TRAFFIC WHEN BRAKE LIGHTS STARTED TO GO OFF. WHEN I SUDDENLY HIT MY BRAKES, THEY WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I WAS HORRIFIED. I HAD NO BRAKING POWER. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I WAS FORCED TO BEGIN DEFENSIVE MANEUVERS TO AVOID CRASHING INTO OTHER VEHICLES, NEARLY ROLLED OVER SEVERAL TIMES AND FINALLY MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS, I WAS DESPERATELY PUMPING MY BRAKES. AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY, BUT MOST LIKELY 4 OR 5 PUMPS OF THE BRAKES BEFORE BRAKING POWER FINALLY REAPPEARED AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP. I GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK TO LOOK FOR BRAKE FLUID BUT COULD SEE NOTHING, SO DECIDED TO HEAD HOME. ID HAD HAD ENOUGH, AS I HAD NEARLY KILLED MY DAUGHTER, OTHERS AND MYSELF. BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAYS, THE DEALER WHO HAD EARLIER INSTALLED THESE BRAKES AND SEVERAL OTHER SHOPS THAT I HAD CALLED WERE UNABLE TO DO THE JOB RIGHT AWAY. I RELUCTANTLY DECIDED TO DO IT MYSELF. THE BRAKE PADS, WHEN REMOVED, HAD ABOUT 20,000 MILES ON THEM BUT FROM A WEAR STANDPOINT SEEMED TO SHOW VERY LITTLE WEAR. UPON DISASSEMBLY, I DISCOVERED THAT THE INSIDE BRAKE PAD ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE TRUCK HAD SEPARATED FROM THE METAL PAD PLATE AND HAD SOMEHOW WORKED ITS WAY OUT OF THE CALIPER HOUSING. IM NOT AN EXPERT, BUT I THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE GAP CREATED BY THE MISSING BRAKE PAD THAT CAUSED THE BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE THAT I EXPERIENCED. AGAIN, IM NOT SURE BUT I THINK THAT THIS GAP MUST BE HYDRAULICALLY ELIMINATED FI

WHEN THE CONSUMER IS DRIVING AND PREPARES TO SLOW DOWN OR STOP BY APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE ITSELF STARTS TO PULL TO THE LEFT/RIGHT DIRECTIONS INVOLUNTARILY. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, REPLACED BRAKES PADS AND ROTORS. DUE TO IMPROPER SERVICE, THIE DEFECT STILL OCCURS. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS DOES NOT KNOW CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK