Sudden near-complete brake failure due to defective bolt holding master cylinder in place to hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator. On 05-14-2005, my 18 year old son completed his shift at work. He went out to our 1994 dodge dakota pickup and started the engine. As he depressed the brake pedal he heard a metallic noise as if something had broken. He drove to our nearby residence at very low speed. There was no collision, but he reported significantly reduced brake performance. At our residence, my mechanic and I inspected the vehicle. I am a 21-year experienced police collision investigator. We found that the left (driver side) bolt holding the master brake cylinder to the hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator (aka: hydroboost) had broken off. The bolt appears to be a low grade stud that is pressed into the forward cover of the hydroboost unit. The bolt / stud is of small diameter for such a critical component. It appeared to be over-tightened at the factory (most likely), or wore out due to metal fatigue (less likely as the vehicle only has approximately 51,000 miles on it). There is a second bolt holding the master cylinder to the hydroboost. The second bolt held in place, allowing reduced braking ability. The master cylinder was falling down and to the right at about a 35 degree angle. Had this defect occurred at highway speeds, or when pulling a load, a catastrophic collision would have likely occurred. The two bolts appear to be too small in diameter for any vehicle, particularly a light pickup truck. Although this vehicle is a 1994 model year, it is still in excellent condition. I live in a semi-arid area, so there is no rust. The vehicle has also never been in a collision and is parked in a garage when not in use. I purchased the vehicle new and have been the only owner. The vehicle has been otherwise extremely reliable.
1994 Dodge Dakota: brake failure
5 of the 166 complaints about the 1994 Dodge Dakota describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 0
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
Anti-lock brakes failed.
Abs brakes; when applying, system fails to stop. Brakes replaced twice. Tt consumer states brakes have always felt spongy, in june the shoes and pads were replaced, one month later a rotor was found crakced and was replaced along with the pads, in september the shoes and master cylinder were replaced, in october brakes did not work at all when trying to stop, the very next the same thing occurred. Idler arm fell off, both tie arms were replaced due to excessive wear, the front end fell out again while driving causing vehicle to a ditch, even after repairs there is a popping noise. Vehicle would not go in forward when put in drive, a single wire in the wiring assembly had been burnt by rubbing against the engine, dealer replaced the whole wiring harness.
Abs, brake failure, ABS light stays on and continues brake failure loss of effectiveness. Tt
Front brakes failure, excessive wear of rotors and pads in the front. Tt
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1994 Dodge Dakota brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 1994 Dodge Dakota?
5 of 166 owner complaints about the 1994 Dodge Dakota (3%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1994 Dodge Dakota?
There are 0 recalls and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1994 Dodge Dakota
No deployment 14ABS 10Headlights 7Seat belt 6Stalling 6Transmission failure 6Adaptive cruise 5Fire or smoke 5
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