1999 Dodge RAM 1500

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 DODGE RAM 1500. THE STATED THAT HE HAD TO REPLACE THE WATER PUMP DUE TO LEAKAGE. THREE YEARS LATER THE SHAFT BEARING IN THE WATER PUMP FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE SERPENTINE BELTS TO BREAK. ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING INCREASES THE RISK OF VEHICLE CRASH. HE SPECULATES THAT THE WATER PUMP HOUSING HAS BEEN SAND GLASSED. HE THEN ADDED THAT THE WATER PUMP MATERIAL WAS ALUMINUM, WHICH EVENTUALLY DEGRADES AND CAUSES THE FAILURE. HE REPLACED THE WATER PUMP AGAIN BUT THE REPAIR WAS INSUFFICIENT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE 70,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 147,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 DODGE RAM 1500. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE FINALLY RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE OXYGEN SENSORS AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY ATTEMPTED TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 59,800.

WHILE HAULING APPROX. 4000LBS HORSE TRAILER, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND I WAS BARELY ABLE TO KEEP THE TRUCK TRAVELING AT 20MPH. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD FAILED, RESULTING IN A BLOCKAGE OF THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. APPARENTLY, CHRYSLER HAD RECALLED 1.9 MILLION OF THESE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS BECAUSE OF THE EXACT PROBLEM, BUT AFTER I CONTACTED CHRYSLER, THEY SAID MY VIN WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. I SPENT OVER $800 TO REPLACE MISCELLANEOUS EXHAUST COMPONENTS AS A RESULT OF THIS FAILURE. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN SHE GOT INTO HER 1999 DODGE RAM 1500 (FAILURE MILEAGE: 100000) THE SEAT BELTS WERE RETRACTED AND LOCKED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOP AND THEY NOTIFIED HER OF THE RECALL ON THE RETRACTOR. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE RECALL AND ASKED HER TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. *JB UPDATED 2/22/2007 - BOTH FRONT SEAT BELT WERE LOCKED IN THE RETRACTED POSITION AND COULD NOT BE USED. THE SEAT BELT LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. THE WATER PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE AIR CONDITIONING HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE BRAKE LINES HAVE BEEN REPLACED. THE REAR END HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WOULD NOT ROLL DOWN. *NM

I OWN A 1999 DODGE RAM REGULAR TRUCK WITH SHORT BED AND IT ACCELERATED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. AT FIRST I THOUGHT I HIT THE CRUISE CONTROL BY MISTAKE, BUT I CHECKED AND CRUISE THE LIGHT WAS OFF. IT ENGINE KEPT RAMMING AND HITTING HIGH SPEEDS AND I COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE AND I ALMOST CRASHED INTO OTHER CARS. I MANAGED TO PULL OFF AT AN EXIT AND PUT ON THE BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD, BUT IT DID NOT STOP THE TRUCK. EVENTUALLY, I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK WHILE DRIVING. EVENTUALLY THE CAR STOPPED AND I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. MY MOTHER (WHO WAS VISITING ME AND HAVEN'T SEEN IN 5 YEARS) WAS FRIGHTENED. AND SO WAS I. I CHECKED THE COOLANT AND IT HAD RAN OUT. IT WAS JUST CHECKED A FEW WEEKS AGO. I HAD IT RECHECKED AND IT HAD NO LEAKS. ANYWAY, I EVENTUALLY WALKED TO A GAS STATION AND BOUGHT MORE COOLANT (FIGURING THIS HAD TO BE THE PROBLEM). IT DID NOT HELP THE SITUATION IMMEDIATELY. I WAITED FOR 30 MINUTES AND TRIED STARTING THE CAR ONCE MORE AND IT WAS OKAY AND I DROVE OFF. I CALLED THE DODGE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME TO BRING IT IN. WILL IT COST ME IF THE PROBLEM IS UNDER RECALL? *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD FAILED ADDITIONALLY, BLOWING THE HEAD GASKET. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED REPLACING BOTH THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND HEAD GASKET TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM.

1).WE WERE DRIVING ALONG WHEN THE TRUCK, WE JUST GOT SUDDENLY DIED. THE GAS GAUGE SHOWED 1/4 OF A TANK. IT IS A SINGLE TANK TRUCK, BUT IT WAS OUT OF GAS. WHEN MORE WAS ADDED IT STARTED UP AND RAN. 2). A HEAVY RAIN FELL , MY SONS CARSEAT (LATCHED IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE QUAD CAB) WAS SO WET THE NEXT DAY I HAD TO WASH AND DRY THE PADDING BEFORE IT COULD BE USED. THE WINDOWS WERE SHUT, LOCKED TIGHT AND PARKED ALL NIGHT. 3). MY HUSBAND WAS COMING FROM WORK A DRUNK DRIVER SUDDENLY PULLED IN FRONT OF HIM. TRYING EVERYTHING TO STOP MY HUSBANDS TRUCK HIT HIS. THE AIR BAGS (NONE OF THEM) WENT OFF! THEY WERE "ON" AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. MY HUSBAND WAS GOING AROUND 45 MILES PER HOUR.4). AS MY HUSBAND STARTED TO WORK THE TRUCK SUDDENLY OVER REVVED AND DIED. IT WAS SAID THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. IT WAS LATER FOUND IT WAS A SENSOR WENT OUT. NEW SENSOR FIXED IT FOR ABOUT A DAY AND A HALF. 5). TRUCK SHIFTED FUNNY, LOST ALL OIL PRESSURE, AND DIED THE MOTOR FAILED. WHEN IT WAS OPENED UP THE CYLINDER WALLS WERE NOT ASSEMBLED RIGHT AT THE FACTORY IT IS A SURPRISE IT EVEN MADE IT TO 87 THOUSAND MILES IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE XXX WALL PATTERN WAS HIGHLY VISIBLE AND NEVER WORN SMOOTH AS IT SHOULD HAVE IF IT WERE RUNNING PROPERLY FROM THE START. SOME OF THE PIECES ARE "MISSING" ALSO IN THIS MOTOR OTHERS ARE IMPROPERLY ALIGNED. WHEN HE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP IT WAS OUT OF BUSINESS AND THE DODGE COMPANY SAYS YOU BOUGHT IT YOU GOT IT . NOT EVEN 90 THOUSAND MILES ON IT . NOW WE ARE STUCK WITH THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF PAYING FOR MY CAR PAYMENT( AS TO SHUFFLE THE KIDS AROUND), HIS REPLACEMENT CAR (AS TO GET TO WORK 30+ MILES AWAY), AND THIS PILE OF MISTAKES IN A SHELL THAT IS SUPPOSE TO BE HIS TRUCK . THIS DOES NOT EVEN MENTION THE BURDEN OF THE COST WE ARE SUFFERING FROM TO RE BUILD THIS THING TO WORKING ORDER AGAIN . TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE; THIS IS JUST THE STUFF HE HAS TOLD ME ABOUT SO FAR, MORE IS BEING FOUND WRONG EVERY TIME HE CHECKS IN ON IT. *JB

CHRYSLER CORP FACTORY INSTALLED AN ODD, DEFECTIVE A/C COMPRESSOR UNIT WITH A HOUSING THAT DISINTEGRATED, CREATING A LARGE HOLE AND SPREAD METAL PARTICLES THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM. BECAUSE THIS PART WAS ONE OF ONLY A FEW ODD ONES INSTALLED, A NEW ONE HAD TO BE PURCHASED AT THE DODGE DEALERSHIP AT A COST OF $700, WHICH IS MORE THAN 3 TIMES COST OF PART INSTALLED IN MAJORITY OF VEHICLES THAT YEAR. AN ADDITIONAL $632 HAD TO BE PAID TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP TO CLEAR THE SYSTEM OF METAL DEBRIS AND REPLACE PARTS DAMAGED. I CONSIDER THEIR DECEIVING THE CONSUMER BY PUTTING IN ODD, POOR QUALITY (AND EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE) PARTS WITHOUT DISCLOSING IT, FRAUDULENT AND DISHONEST. WHEN A VEHICLE IS MADE, THE PARTS INSTALLED SHOULD BE THE SAME FROM THE FIRST ONE OFF THE ASSEMBLY TO THE VERY LAST ONE, SO THAT THE COST TO REPLACE IS FAIR AND AFFORDABLE TO THE BUYER. I HAVE SENT DOCUMENTATION, PICTURES, AND RECEIPTS AND REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT (WHICH THEY HAVE REFUSED TO DO) OF THE COSTS I HAVE INCURRED BECAUSE OF THEIR FRAUDULENT PRACTICES WHEN CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING MORE PROFIT. APPRECIATE YOUR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS MATTER. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR