2002 Dodge Dakota visibility problems

Filed Apr 24, 2013 · Electrical, Lights · 175,000 miles · AL

While driving on interstate 24, near clarksville, tn, at 2015 hours, my headlights completely shut off while driving. After a span of 15-20 seconds with no lights, I had to unsafely pull over on the shoulder of the road. After which my headlights began to flicker on and off, for spans of 1-3 seconds. From the time of the first incident to now, my headlights, internal lights, windshield wipers, and tail lights are all inoperable and unsafe to drive during bad weather conditions, or limited viability due to light. From my research this is an extremely frequent problem with dodge dakota and dodge durango owners, with vehicles made between the years of 01' - 03'. I contacted dodge about the problem and requested assistance, and they were unwilling to help or fix the problem, even though I told them it was unsafe, and that my situation was not an isolated incident. I honestly believe, if this were to happen to a less experienced driver, or to a driver in a situation of bad weather or late at night. It could result in serious injuries or tragic loss of life.

Filed Mar 7, 2010 · Visibility · 85,000 miles · OR

My windshield is being scratched because of dry wiper blades contacting the initial dry glass before the washer pump engages, then the blades will oscillate about 6 times before even a dribble of water will show up. The lines were pressurized and jetted both with air and water. The dealer told me that I would have to replace the pump. The visibility is good when it rains. New arms and blade assemblies were installed. Vision is not safe at 25mph. At 55mph when the pump is engaged it seems that water is being siphened and a better coverage of the glass occurs.

Filed Mar 2, 2009 · Electrical, Visibility · 8,000 miles · MI

This has been a recurring problem since approximately 8,000 miles on the new vehicle. Single owner/reporting complaint. Heater blower fan has stopped working numerous times. The first time the dealer replaced the blower fan itself. The next time the blower motor resistor failed and consumer replaced paying out of pocket. A third time the blower motor resistor failed and again the consumer replaced it paying out of pocket. The fan now operate intermittently and if you wiggle the wiring harness connecting to the blower motor resistor the fan will come on and operate on 3 of the 4 speeds. Close examination of the harness connector reveals that the harness connector is melted as is the wiring at the connector. Contact with two different dealers reveals that this is a known concern and the manufacturer has a repair kit available part# 5017124ab. This is a manufacturer defect and should be a safety concern given that the harness failure can prevent the heater fan from functioning properly and cause immediate visibility concerns as well as potential overheating of the electrical circuit resulting in a fire. Dealers advise this is a frequently seen concern yet no assistance from manufacturer is available.

Filed Jan 15, 2008 · Electrical, Visibility · 100,000 miles · OH

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the heater stopped working in the vehicle. The dealer stated that the heater fan resistors melted and the wiring harness connected to the heater needed to be replaced. The dealer further stated that this was a common failure for this year, make, and model. A year prior to the failure, the heat resistors were replaced. The failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 120,000.

Filed Aug 9, 2007 · Visibility · 17,160 miles · GA

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge dakota. The contact noticed water on the floorboard of the vehicle when the air condition was activated. The failure was noticed while driving 65 MPH. The dealer stated that the condensation line was cracked and needed to be replaced. As of august 9, 2007, the dealer has not repaired the vehicle. The failure mileage was 17,160 and current mileage was 17,963.

Filed Feb 17, 2007 · Visibility · 16,700 miles · NY

A part inside the heating system failed; this is the second time in three years that this part has been replaced. The heating system to defrost the windshield will not work. Part was replaced again; service company says that this part fails often. The part number is 5174618-aa described as a resistor.

Filed Dec 13, 2006 · Visibility · 38,000 miles · MA

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds on the highway in rainy weather, the windshield wiper/washers failed to operate without warning. The vehicle was inspected by an independent repair shop, who determined the windshield wiper/washer motor needed to be replaced. There was a the federal safety agency recall, # 04v216000, regarding the windshield wiper/washers. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. The manufacturer was alerted.

Filed Mar 29, 2006 · Visibility · 29,800 miles · CA

I have a 2002 dodge dakota (with less than 30,000 miles, which I bought brand new) and I was having water pool on my passenger side floor after it rains, so I took it to the dealer and they told me that the seal on my rear window was faulty. I replaced my back window and now the water is gone. I have asked several other people who own dakota's and they have all said that they have had water either on the passenger side or drivers side at some point. I have even been to online forums to see if people throughout the us have this problem and it seem to be very common. Check out www.dodgedakotas.com.

Filed Dec 12, 2005 · Visibility · 51,000 miles · PA

Dt: the contact stated the heater fan mechanism stopped working, resulting in no heat or defrost. He took the vehicle to have repairs made, but there were no parts available. Repairs will be made at the contact's expense.

Filed Sep 12, 2005 · Brakes, Electrical · 81,000 miles · 00

Dt: while applying the brakes at no particular speed there was abnormal operation of the windshield wipers, horn, and lighting system. All of them came on and off all by themselves. The consumer has not taken vehicle to a dealer but planned to do so. The consumer was referred to an independent mechanic, and he could not determine the cause of the problem. No corrections or repairs have been made. No explanation as to why this occurred. This only happened when brake pressure was applied. The federal safety agency recall 03v389000 was issued but it was for the manual transmission vehicles only-the consumer has an automatic transmission.