Right front brake stuck, brake got hot, smoke came out of wheel well.
2002 Dodge Dakota brakes complaints
Page 2 of 8: complaints 11 to 40 of 213, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Right front brake caliper stuck, brake got hot, smoke came out of the wheel well. Had to have truck tower to dealer.
Right front brake caliper stuck, brake got hot, smoke came out of wheel well.
My truck only has 60k miles, don't drive a whole bunch, bought it brand new in 2002. 2 times I have had the front passenger wheel and breaks catch on fire due to the brakes/caliper locking up. One incident was only going about 25 MPH, the other incident on highway around 55 MPH. Between towing and replacing brakes, rotors, caliper, brake lines, around $500-$750 each time. I am on here because my brake line from front to back has eroded away near gas tank, same as everyone's I have read and because my passenger wheel has began to give signs that it will be locking up again. Have also had to replace the front drivers side brake line due to the line being cracked where the banjo bolt is. These seem to all be huge issues and very dangerous that need to be addressed. Thank you
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the calipers seized on the passenger side rotors. The failure occurred several times and the contact replaced the calipers himself. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000. Updated 9/4/14
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact noticed smoke rising near the front passenger side wheel and the vehicle began to veer to the right. The contact discovered that the front passenger side brake caliper failed. The failure occurred numerous times. The contact replaced the front passenger side caliper and rotor and remedied the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 50,000.
I was parked in a space. I started the vehicle and pushed the brake pedal to take the vehicle out if park. I felt the pedal go to the floor and heard a noise under the vehicle. I put the vehicle back in park an got out to see what the noise was and saw fluid dripping from my gas tank. After further inspection I realized the brake line next to the fuel tank had burst due to rust and corrosion. The entire brake line from the front of the vehicle to the rear needed to be replaced. The worst damage was the section tucked behind the fuel tank where it was more difficult to get cleaned during normal washing.
16 year old son was driving my truck to a school function, stepped on the brakes to make the turn off the highway into the school and brake pedal went to the floor. I went to get the vehicle and the brake line that runs along the frame rail to the rear axle had corroded through in several places causing him to lose brake fluid. I've had a lot of cars much older than this truck (my family had a car dealership) and this is the first time I've ever seen a hard brake line go bad. Looking online for a replacement part it quickly became apparent that this is a very common problem with the dodge dakotas and they all corrode in the same place. Behind the fuel tank. Definitely a safety issue that chrysler should correct.
Brake line to the left rear tire rusted out and leaked. Lost all brake functions. Location of the leak was next to the gas tank. Repetitive problem with other dodge trucks. Lucky I was going down the highway or needed a sudden stop.
Both caliper bolts on the passenger side front spidle of my 2002 dodge dakota 2wd stripped out causing the caliper to move out of place causing stopping difficulty to stop and damage to the caliper, rim and brake pads.
Have had steering knuckles replaced twice on my truck because the caliper bolts strip out and cause my truck do dive left or right upon braking. Also caused by brake pad rails wearing too muck and not letting the calipers move the brake pads to apply the brakes. Almost caused accidents multiple times but dealer says its not an issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the contact attempted to decelerate but the brakes seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the rotors, pads, hoses and the calipers were replaced. The contact also mentioned that the failure recurred multiple times. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 12,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the front brake overheated and seized while driving. The contact replaced the front rotors and the brake pads however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 88,000. Updated 10/17/13
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH both front tires locked up and the steering became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician replaced the brakes and upper ball joints. The failure continued to occur after the vehicle was repaired. The technician stated that the front calipers had to be replaced. The contact stated the vehicle was repaired four times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated that while traveling 45 MPH, the front brakes seized and smoke was seen from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The failure and the current mileages were 105,000.
While stopped parking and taking vehicle out of gear, brakes failed and pedal went to the floor. This is a special order vehicle that included 4 wheel ABS. After brakes failed and fluid leaked out of rear brake lines neither the ABS or "brake" warning lights were indicated on the dash control panel. I am concerned that a brake line failed and no indication of failure showed on the control panel. With the failure not under any stopping function (vehicle was already stopped) and there was no report of failure with the control panel this is a very important safety issue if brakes fail while driving and first notice is complete loss of pedal will cause accident or at least loss of confidence and or control of vehicle. I am the original owner of this vehicle and have all records of repair over the history of the truck. I am very concerned that a brake line failure took place at all. I have owned dozens of vehicles over my driving life and have had vehicles with well over 200,000 miles with no brake line failures. If this is not a defect in design or workmanship, then the defect has to be in inferior material quality that should not be allowed in this important function required for operating a vehicle.
Steel brake line to rear wheel rusted and leaked brake fluid out of master cyl.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the front driver's side brake seized unintendedly and the vehicle began to pull toward the same direction. The contact maneuvered to the side of the road, where the engine was turned off. The vehicle resumed normally after waiting thirty minutes. The failure occurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer five three times for the identical failure. The repairs performed on the vehicle consisted of replacing the entire front braking system, such as; both rotors, calipers, and brake lines. Also included in the repair was the replacement of both front brake pads and master cylinder. The failure recurred two weeks after the repair was performed. The vehicle had not been repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
Its poor quality of dodge. This is 1 of countless brake problems. If I could afford to get rid of pickup I would. Applied brakes after coming home from hospice where my mother is with stage 3/4 breast cancer. Applied brakes at traffic light, lucky no cars infront of me,rolled though light, pulled into shopping center to stop. At 60000 front right caliper burst replaced both front. Have replaced ranger that had 105000 miles with no problems, replaced brake shoes once, turned rotors at 92,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact applied pressure to the brake pedal while approaching a stop sign. The brakes seized and the vehicle skidded and swerved. The contact was able to control the vehicle as the brakes returned to normal and the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure recurred intermittently when driving at different speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics but the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the front rotors and brakes overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous times for the failure. Where the dealer replaced the front brake pads, rotors, hoses and the brake lines, but the failure was not corrected. The vehicle continued to overheat and the vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 45,000. Updated 11/16/11 *bf updated 03/08/12
Truck has been driving like something was grinding against my front right wheel for a week or so, I didn't think anything of it, it had just become an annoyance. Id look under the wheel and everything looked okay and in shape, no damage was being done. The other day I drove a short distance and heard a pop, like something had popped near the wheel, I pulled over and could see no damage. I continued to drive and noticed that the grinding had stopped and my wheel seemed to be functioning correctly. I arrived to my destination with no problem. When I left the destination to return home, I started feeling heavy pull to the right on my steering wheel, if I let go of the steering wheel I would have gone into a ditch or the woods or another car. I then started noticed smoke coming from my right wheel, I was a few blocks away from home and figured I could make it, I started noticing my brakes were not working too well, and anytime id push on the brakes more smoke would arise, I went the 3 stop signs to my house and pulled in, ran around and saw that behind my wheel had caught on fire, took about 5 minutes to put the fire out with water and some cat litter we had lying around. It was so hot that it wouldn't cool down for about 45 mins to an hour. We would throw water on it and it would sizzle. I quickly removed the tire to prevent any damage to it. I noticed it had started to melt the plastic boot cover on the suspension. When you looked at the wheel you could see it had snapped off on the bottom half, causing the whole wheel to tilt inward which then caused a full on grind of the wheel and the brakepads and whatever else is down there causing such friction that it caught on fire. I then did research online and found that their had been a recall for this exact issue... :(
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact was driving 35 MPH when the contact applied the brakes, but the brakes seized. Later, the contact discovered that the hub of the brake had burned and was an abnormal color. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted in regards to the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000. Updated 09/21/11*lj the consumer stated he replaced the caliper, brakes, hoses, brake pads and turned the rotors. Updated 10/05/11
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, he noticed that the brakes were getting hot and seizing. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic, but the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. The brake pads, shoes, and calipers were repaired. The failure continued. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated that a knocking sound could be heard coming from the brakes whenever they were applied. The vehicle would also jerk during the failures and smoke would be seen coming from the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The manufacturer was notified, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 117,000. Updated 08/31/11 *bf the caliper guide was rubbing causing the brakes to sound like metal on metal. The brakes smoked and became hot three to four times in a period of a year. Updated 09/01/11
Brought 2002 dodge dakota into dealership a total of 6 times since may 2010 because of problems with the front brakes. The first time the brakes were shuddering so bad when braking on a hill, it was difficult to hold the steering wheel straight. The dealership recommended replacement of the rotors and pads to resolve the problem in light of the fact that they supposedly visually passed inspection, and had plenty of pad surface remaining. The day following replacement, I took the vehicle out and noticed a distinct clicking below the brake pedal when braking. I took it back to the dealer, where they kept it for a day, told me they thought they fixed it, and returned it to me. As soon as I drove into my driveway, the passenger front was seizing and smoking. I called the dealership and they came to pick it up. It remained at the dealership for a few days until they disassembled the slide on the caliper, cleaned and regreased it, and resurfaced the new rotor. The problem reoccurred again within two weeks, when I had to return it again. This time I brought it in while the brake was pouring out smoke. They kept it for a week, and then decided the brake line required a replacement. Less than 3500 miles later, I was out of state visiting family. As soon as I arrived in that town, I could smell the brake burning again. Took it to the dodge dealership there where they said it was apparent that both front calipers had been sticking for some time and required replacement and well as the rotors resurfacing due to the heat. There is obviously some problem with the brake system or materials dodge uses now for their vehicles... Too many failures amongst too many people. While brakes seizing is preferable to them not working at all, this is just not acceptable. These are brakes, not brain surgery...
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the front passenger side brake caliper needed to be replaced. The caliper was replaced once in the past because it would fail to release completely after the brakes were engaged, allowing the brakes to overheat. The caliper would not release until the vehicle was allowed to cool off. The vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer after the second occurence where it was not repaired because the failure was no longer covered under warranty. The failure mileage was 17,000 and the current mileage was 32,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the front brakes intermittently locked while driving various speeds. The brakes would lock unexpectedly, until the vehicle was stopped and remained off for an undetermined amount of time. Occasionally when the failure occurred the brakes would smoke during the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 22,000 and the current mileage was 27,000. Updated 07/28/11*lj updated 08/01/11
Front brakes seized up causing the pads to smolder and smoke. This is the latest instance. The first time, the brake pads and rotors were replaced.
Rear brake line failed (leaked) due to rust and corrosion. The rusted part of line runs between fuel tank and inside frame. Luckily the line failed in my driveway. My wife and daughter were in the vehicle earlier and it could have been disastrous! I have been reading online of case after case of similar experiences by other dodge owners. The line should be stainless steel or change the routing so that it can't have a chance to corrode as quickly. There should also be switch/stop valve in-line to avoid total loss of braking (control). Should definitely be a recall item.
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