2002 Dodge RAM 1500

WE PURCHASED THIS TRUCK 2/28/02. BY THE END OF MARCH EARLY APRIL, THE TRUCK BEGAN TO STALL SPORADICALLY AND HAS EVEN JUMPED GEARS WHILE IN MOTION ONCE. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP 8-9 TIMES AND WE HAVE BEEN TOLD EVERYTIME THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. PROMISES UPON PROMISES HAVE BEEN MADE TO RE-FLASH THE COMPUTER SYSTEM BECAUSE WE WERE TOLD THEY (DODGE) THINK THE TRUCKS COMPUTER SYSTEM IS TELLING THE TRUCK TO SHUT DOWN. ONE TIME WHILE RIDING DOWN THE ROAD THE TRUCK LOST COMPLETE POWER TO ALL INTERIOR SYSTEMS (I.E. AIR CONDITION, STEREO, WINDOWS) AND WE HAD TO PULL OVER. THE TRUCK HAS STALLED BOTH IN REVERSE AND IN DRIVE, THE TRANSMISSION HAS LOCKED UP ON THE DEALERSHIP (IN REVERSE). FROM FEB. 28, 02 TO JUNE 28, 02 THE TRUCK WAS IN THE SHOP OVER 25 DAYS. ON JULY 8, 2002, THE DRIVER SIDE MIRROR COMPLETELY BROKE AND WOULD SPIN AROUND IN CIRCLES. WHEN WE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WE WERE TOLD IT WAS ON A NATIONAL BACKORDER. WHILE WAITING FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR, THE DRIVER SIDE MIRROR BROKE IN THE SAME FASHION. ALL IN ALL WE HAD TO WAIT UNTIL 9/9/02 TO HAVE THE MIRRORS FIXED. WHILE WAITING WE HAD TO TAPE THE MIRRORS IN PLACE SO WE COULD SEE WHILE DRIVING. THIS WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AT TIMES AND MADE IT DIFFICULT TO TRAVEL. WE HAVE STOPPED TAKING THE TRUCK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR NOW BECAUSE WE GET NOW WHERE WITH THEM OR DAIMLERCHRYSLER/DODGE. I HAVE SINCE CONTACTED THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO HELP PURSUE THIS MATTER. WHEN PAYING $30,000 FOR A TRUCK AND THEN BEING REFUSED REPAIR FOR A PROBLEM THAT CAN AND HAS DEFINETLY ALTERED THE MARKET VALUE AND OUR CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE A SAFE TRUCK TO DRIVE/RIDE IN IS IN-EXCUSABLE. AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE NHTSA WEB SITE WE ARE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF THESE PROBLEMS. LET'S ALL GET TOGETHER AND MAKE DODGE STAND UP TO THEIR PROBLEMS. MR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE VIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY CAME LOOSE AT THE SWIVEL POST. THIS ALLOWED THE MIRROR TO MOVE BACK AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WHEN IN FORWARD MOTION. WHEN STOPPING OR MOVING BACKWARD, THE MIRROR MOVES TO THE FULL FORWARD POSITION. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE (AND HIGHLY DANGEROUS) TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH A MALFUNCTIONING MIRROR. I HAVE HAD TO TEMPORARILY TAPE THE MIRROR IN PLACE TO THE DOOR IN ORDER TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS VIRGINIA SAFETY INSPECTION.*AK

THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS SIDE BREAKAWAY MIRRORS BROKE AND WILL NO LONGER STAY IN PLACE. THE DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR BROKE ABOUT A MONTH AGO ON 8/3/03 AND HAS BEEN ON NATIONAL BACKORDER SINCE. THE PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR BROKE YESTERDAY ON 9/1/02 AT THE BEGINNING OF A 300 MILE TRIP. I CONTACTED A LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT I WAS ONE OF OVER 3000 MIRRORS THAT WERE CURRENTLY ON BACKORDER. WHEN I CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AFTER THE SECOND MIRROR BROKE, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE MIRRORS AND THAT IT WOULD BE ANOTHER 2 WEEKS BEFORE I WOULD BE ABLE TO GET A REPLACEMENT. WHEN I ASKED HIM IF THE NEW MIRRORS WOULD HAVE THE DEFECTS FIXED, HE JUST SAID THAT THEY WOULD BE DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES THAT I HAVE NOW AND SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN THE ONES THAT I CURRENTLY HAVE. I ASKED HIM WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THE BROKEN MIRRORS UNTIL THEN AND HE TOLD ME THAT I WOULD JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH THEM. I NOW HAVE A THREE MONTH OLD TRUCK THAT I CAN'T USE EITHER OF THE SIDE MIRRORS ON AND HAVE TO DRIVE IT LIKE THIS FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER TWO WEEKS WITH THE CURRENT MIRRORS SWINGING AROUND UNTIL I CAN GET THEM FIXED.*AK

THE HEATED ELECTRIC MIRRORS ON MY 2002 DODGE 1500 QUAD CAB PICKUP ARE DEFECTIVE. BOTH THE PASSANGER AND DRIVERS SIDE MIRRORS WHICH MOUNT TO THE DOOR FRAME HAVE COME APART. THE DESIGN OF THE MIRROR AS WELL AS THE COMPONENTS INSIDE ARE FAULTY. THERE IS A SHAFT INSIDE THE MIRROR CASE THAT HOLDS THE MIRROR STATIONARY BY THE TENSION HELD BY A COIL SPRING ON THE HOUSING. THE NORMAL PURPOSE OF THIS MECHANISM IS TO ALLOW THE MIRROR TO FOLD IN OR OUT WHEN THE MIRROR STRIKES A FIXED OBJECT, SAVING THE MIRROR FROM BEING BROKEN. IN THIS FAULTY ASSEMBLY, THE RETAINER CLIP WHICH HOLDS THE COIL SPRING AND MIRROR HOUSING IN PLACE FAILS, ALLOWING THE MIRROR TO SWING TOWARD THE FENDER WHEN SLOWING OR TOWARD THE DOOR WINDOW WHEN SPEEDING UP. NOT ONLY DOES THIS RENDER THE MIRROR USELESS, IT ALSO INCREASES THE CHANCES OF HAVING AN ACCIDENT FORM NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE ANYTHING BEHIND THE VEHICLE WHEN BACKING OR ANYTHING TO THE SIDE WHEN SWITCHING LANES. THE MIRROR COULD POSSIBLE COME OFF THE SHAFT COMPLETELY CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE AND BY BECOMING A PROJECTILE ON THE HIGHWAY. THE MIRROR COULD ALSO HIT THE DOOR GLASS CAUSING IT TO SHATTER. REPLACEMENT MIRRORS ARE ON BACK ORDER ACCORDING TO THE DEALER AND THERE HAVE BEEN MANY MIRRORS THAT HAVE FAILED. BOTH THE MECHANICS AT THE DELEARSHIPS AND CHRYSLER KNOW ABOUT THE DEFECT. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE MIRRORS REPLACED IS AFTER THEY ACTUALLY FAIL. AFTER THE PASSANGER SIDE MIRROR FAILED, I HAD IT REPLACED AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE THE DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR UNLESS IT ACTUALLY FAILED. A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER, IT FAILED AS WELL, LEAVING ME IN VERY HEAVY TRAFFIC WITHOUT A DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR.I BELIEVE CHRYSLER SHOULD RECALL ALL VEHICLES WITH THE DEFECTIVE MIRRORS AND REPLACE THE PAIR TO GET THIS DANGER OFF THE STREET

THE MECHANISM THAT HOLDS THE OUTSIDE MIRROR IN PLACE FAILED DUE TO UNKNOWN CAUSE. THE MIRROR FLOPS AROUND MAKING VISION IN IT IMPOSSIBLE. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WERE ON BACKORDERR AND PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR A MONTH OR MORE DUE TO THE NUMBER OF THES FAILURES NATIONWIDE THEY WERE OVERWHELMED WITHORDERS. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE PERSONALLY KNEW OF MANY VECHICLES DRIVING THAT HAD BOTH MIRRORS BROKEN IN THE SAME WAY. THEY TRIED TO TAPE IT IN PLACE BUT THIS FAILED TO HOLD THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT ON THE FREEWAY WHICH MEANS I HAD NO VISION DOWN THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE CAR AND I BELEIVE THE IS ILLEGAL AS WELL A VERY DANGEROUS. I BELIVE THA IF THIS IS AS IT APPEARS TO BE A VERY LARGE SCALE PROBLEM THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL OF THIS MIRROR. I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH SIMPLE REPLACEMENT IF THIS IS A PROORLY MANUFACTURED PART.*AK

I BOUGHT THE DODGE RAM ON JANUARY 6, 2002. ON APPROXIMATELY 6/10/2002 I HAD FOLDED IN THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER MIRRORS FOR APPROXIMATELY 4 CAR WASHES OVER THOSE MONTHS. ABOUT TWO DAYS AFTER THE LAST CAR WASH, THE MIRRORS WERE FOLDED OUT LIKE NORMAL. I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MILES AN HOUR IN NO WIND AND THE PASSENGER SIDE VIEW MIRROR BEGAN TO "FLOP" BACK AND FORTH. I LOOKED AT IT AND COULD LIFT UP ON IT APPROXIMATELY ONE INCH. ALTHOUGH IT WAS STILL CONNECTED, IT WAS NOT LOCKING INTO PLACE. I CALLED TOWBIN DODGE FOR AN APPOINTMENT AND THE FEMALE I SPOKE TO AT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ASKED ME IF IT WAS THE PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR. I TOLD HER YES AND SHE STATED THAT I WOULD BE THE FIFTH 2002 RAM SHE HAS SEEN WITH THAT PROBLEM IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS. I TOOK MY TRUCK IN FOR THE APPOINT MENT THE NEXT WEEK. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD LOST THE NEW MIRROR AND DID NOT HAVE ANY MORE. THEY EXPALINED THAT ANOTHER WOULD BE IN ON 7/5/2002. I CALLED ON 7/6/2002 AND MADE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT FOR 7/15/2002 TO GET THE MIRROR FIXED. ON 7/12/2002, I FOLDED THE MIRRORS FOR YET ANOTHER CAR WASH. I RETURNED THE DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR BACK TO ITS POSITION. THE NEXT MORNING I PULLED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND THE DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR STARTED "FLOPPING" AROUND EXACTLY THE WAY THE PASSENGER SIDE HAS BEEN. I BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE BOTH OF MY MIRRORS HAVE BROKEN AND AFTER WHAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME ABOUT OTHER VEHICLES, THAT THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS A FULL SIZE TRUCK AND IT IS EXTREMELY HARD TO DRIVE WITH THE MIRRORS FLOPPING AROUND AND THE FACT THAT YOU CAN NOT SEE EITHER SIDE OF YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.*AK