1997 Dodge RAM 1500

ESTREMELY POOR BRAKE RESPONSE. DURING MODERATE BRAKING OR WITH A LIGHT TRAILER/LOAD IT TAKES EXTREMELY LONG TO STOP THE VEHICLE. ONLY HAS REAR ABS, IT HAS NEVER GONE OFF. YOU CANNOT LOCK THE TIRES EXCEPT ON ICE/SNOW OR LOOSE GRAVEL/SAND. BEEN IN ONE ACCIDENT, NUMEROUS OTHER CLOSE CALLS. THE BRAKE PEDAL CAN BE PRESSED TO THE FLOOR. DEALER SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG, SEVERAL BRAKE JOBS DONE, NOW RUNNING WITH SS ROTORS AND CERAMIC PADS WITH NO IMPROVEMENT. I HAVE A FRIEND WITH THE SAME MAKE/MODEL/YEAR THAT HAS 44" MUDDERS AND CAN STOP ON A DIME.*AK

AFTER REPLACING TRANSMISSION, TRANSMISSION FAILED AGAIN. CONSUMER WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65MPH AND VEHICLE JUST GRADUALLY STARTED SLOWING DOWN. CONSUMER COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD WITH ENGINE STILL RUNNING, BUT NOT ABLE TO GO IN ANY GEARS. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED 1-22-00. *AK VEHICLE EXPERIENCES SEVERAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, THERE HAVE BEEN RECALLS AMONGST THE REPAIRS, DRIVESHAFT BROKE WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER STATES THAT CHRYSLER CORP HAS NO RECORDS OF A TRANSMISSION BEING SENT TO NEW COUNTRY DODGE WHERE THE REPLACEMENT TOOK PLACE, TRANSFER CASE WAS RETORQUED, CONSUMER HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER MANY TIMES PRIOR TO COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND DEALER COULD NOT REMEDY PROBLEMS. CLUNKING NOISE UNDER VEHICLE, DEALER REPLACED FRONT SWAYBAR LINKS. O2 SENSOR REPLACED. CONSUMER STATED AT TIMES HE HADTO HIT THE STARTER WITH A HAMMER TO GET IT TO WORK, IGNITION COIL FAILED, AND BATTERY FAILED. VEHICLE STALLS WHEN COMING TO A STOP, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF FUEL USED, DISTRIBUTOR CAP WAS REPLACED, VEHICLE ALSO BACKFIRING. BRAKES GRINDING, FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE METAL TO METAL, ROTOR WAS SCORED BADLY, DEALER REPLACED FRONT PADS AND BOTH ROTORS. *SLC

TRUCK ACCEELRATED UPON PUTTING INTO DRIVE.....THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR ....COULD NOT STOP IT. THE ABS ACTIVATED AND VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A BUILDING....IT SQUEELED THE TIRES AS SOON AS I STEPPED ON PEDAL AND IT WENT TO THE FLOOR......CRASHED INTO A BUILDING AND IT WAS STILL REVVING AT FULL THROTTLE.........CAN YOU HELP US......WE DONT WANT TO DRIVE IT AGAIN UNLESS WE KNOW WHAT CAUSED IT TO DO THIS.........THE EXTERIOR DAMAGE IS BEING REPAIRED BUT WE STILL DONT KNOW WHY IT DID THAT........THANKYOU... *AK

THE BRAKING SYSTEM DOES NOT STOP THE TRUCK AS IT SHOULD. WHEN YOU MAKE AN EMERGENCY STOP THE PEDAL FEELS AS IF THE MASTER CYLINDER PISTON BOTTOMS OUT, METAL AGAINST METAL. I CHECKED TO SEE IF THERE WAS A BRAKE PEDAL STOP AND THERE WERE NONE. WHEN I HAD TO MAKE MY FIRST EMERGENCY STOP I HAD PLENTY OF DISTANCE TO STOP. MY SPEED WAS 35MPH WITH ABOUT 50FEET OF CLEARANCE. I HAD TO SWERVE AND RUN THRU A YARD CAUSING $200.00 DAMAGE. I TOOK THE TRUCK OVER TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. I WENT HOME AND DID A PLANNED EMERGENCY STOP IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. AT 30MPH, IT TOOK 30 -35 FEET TO STOP. MY BROTHER HAS A 1992 DODGE TRUCK OF THE SAME WEIGHT AND HE CAN STOP IN 12- 15 FEET AT THE SAME SPEED. BEFORE THE WARRANTY RAN OUT I TOOK THE TRUCK BACK TO THE DEALER AND HAD THE SERVICE MGR TO TEST DRIVE THE TRUCK AND HE FELT THER WAS A DEFINITE PROBLEM. HE ORDERED A MORE AGGRESSIVE SET OF PADS AND CHRYSLER CANCELLED THE ORDER AND SENT A KIT WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO INSTALL THE KIT INSTEAD OF THE PADS. TO ME. THAT TELLS ME THEY KNOW OF A PROBLEM, BUT DO NOT WANT IT TO GET OUT CAUSINF A RECALL ON ALL 1997 TRUCKS. THE DEALER STATED THERE WERE NO RECALLS OR BULLENTINS ON BRAKE PROBLEMS. I ASKED THEM IS IT GOING TO TAKE A FATALITY DUE TO FAULTY BRAKES BEFORE THEY FIX THE PROBLEM. AFTER THE INSTALLATION OF THE KIT THE BRAKES WORK A LITTLE BETTER BUT FAR FROM BEING SAFE AS TO PULLING A 4 WHEELER AND TRAILER OR A BOAT AND TRAILER. LAST WEEK I HAD TO EXECUTE ANOTHER EMERGENCY STOP. 50 MPH WITH APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET OF DISTANCE. I ENDED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION.MY POLICE CRUISER AT 30 MPH CAN STOP IN 10 -14 FEET . EVEN MY BROTHER'S TRUCK WITH A 1000 LBS OF WEIGHT IN THE BED STOPS IN A SHORTER DISTANCE THAN MY TRUCK. ARE THERE ANY OTHER VICTIMS OF BRAKE PROBLEMS BESIDES MYSELF?*AK