To whom it may concern, I own a 2003 dodge dakota quad cab slt. And I have run into a lot of problems with this truck that people I know say they had very similar problems with the same make of vehicle. To start with my truck only has about 62,184 miles on it, for a 2003 model truck, that is considered low mileage. The problems I have run into is as follows: both front wheel hub bearing sets have prematurely failed, in particular, the right front hub tried to lock up on me and almost caused me to loose control of the truck, I have since replaced that hub but still need to replace the left front before it locks up:second is that the steering and suspension system has no provisions for preventative maintenance, I.e. No grease zircs for the ball joints, tie rods,upper and lower control arm bushings, wheel bearings, etc...causing rapid wear and failure:third big issue, I have already replaced all four brake rotors due to warpage. The brake calipers were built with some type of composite plastic pistons that distort due to excessive heat build up in the brakes. Which in turn causes uneven pad contact, that then causes excessive heat, accelerated pad wear, brake fade, rotor warpage, and an awful "squeal" when the brakes are applied. I have noticed that my brand new brake pads are actually cracked now because of a combination of the calipers and the hubs going bad: fourth issue is that the transmission causes the engine to over "rev" in the highway passing gear especially with the over drive and cruise control on. When you're driving down the highway and you give it a little more gas to get around somebody, the engine RPM's shouldn't go up to sometimes around 7000, that in turn could cause premature engine or transmission failure. I have been in contact with daimler-chrysler about these concerns but they just keep giving me the run around and not answering my questions. I still have the old parts also.
2003 Dodge Dakota brakes complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 51, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On september 8 2006 my service engine light came on as I was driving home. While climbing a hill the engine started to miss fire and the truck was running very rough. When I crested the hill the vehicle stalled and I lost power brakes and steering. There was no traffice so I was able to pull over and stop the vehicle safely. I looked under the hood and seen that the vacuum line was rotted in half. I tried to restart the vehicle and it would not run. I spliced the line and was able to get the vehicle home. I was then looking under the hood and noticed that the vacuum booster for the brakes has rust on it. I called the chrysler customer care line and they told me that they had never heard of that happing on a 2003. They asked me the milage and I told them it had 45000 miles on it. I was then instructed to take the vehicle to a chrysler dealer and have it checked so they could see if there was a problem with the car. I took the vehicle to richland county chrysler in richland center wi. They told me that they would look at it as see if there was a problem. They looked at the vehicle and told me that yes the vacuum lines are rotted and that the brake booster is rusting. They would not repair the vehicle and charged me $80.00 to look at it. I have the old vacuum lines that are rotted and I also have the rusted vacuum booster.
Went to use the emergency brake. There was no holding of the brake. Took it in for repair and it was found that on both wheels the emergency brake linings had fallen off the backing plates. Replaced the brake linings in both wheels.
Dt: contact complained about the brakes making noises. He took the vehicle to a dealership six or seven times for this problem. The vehicle made noises when braking at any speed. The manufacturer sent an inspector to investigate this vehicle. No problems have been found with the brakes. No repairs were made at this time. The vehicle is still under extended warranty.
Email fm mr. Robin suggs (nc) re an oil consumption problem with her 2003 dodge dakota pick up truck.*mr the dealer told the consumer the vehicle consumes about 2 quarts of oil every 3,000 miles. The manufacturer stated it was normal. The emergency brake handle needed to be repaired, however, the consumer was told it was a cosmetic defect and was not covered under warranty.
Brake warning light ABS light parking brake light' no fuse read in mileage indacator box flashing all at the same time.
Dodge dakota quad cab pickup 2003, brake failed to work properly. *bf the consumer hit a parked vehicle on 2 separate occasions. The consumer stated when he attempted to apply the brake, the pedal simply collapsed to the floorboard. The dealer checked out the brakes and stated there were no problems, however on the third occasion the brakes failed again without incident. The consumer has continued to experience brake problems. The consumer took the vehicle to midas who told the consumer there was internal failure within the brake system and it was a warranty issue that should be handled by the dealer.
I purchased a new 2003 dodge dakota 4.7l v-8 quad cub. At approximately 6,000 miles, I noticed a shudder in the truck when the brakes were applied. It became worse with mileage, and at 15,000 miles, the vehicle felt unsafe when stopping due to horrible shaking and shuddering. It also felt I had less stopping power and distance. I took it to the dealership, and they advised I had warped brake rotors. They replaced the rotors at my expense. Approximately 3,000 miles later, the vehicle showed the same symptoms again. I took it back, same diagnosis. I asked the service representative why this continued to happen. She told me "dodge is using junk parts". I asked why they didn't put better parts on if they knew this and she said that was up to chrysler, not the service dealer. Approximately 3,000 miles later I had to take my truck back again, for the same problem. Again, when I asked why this continued to happen, I was advised "junk parts". I contacted dodge via their website explaining my problem and they advised me to use a different service dealership. Even with the new rotors, my truck feels it has inadequate stopping power. After reviewing dodge dakota owners website, I saw that there are many other owners experiencing the same problem. Please help dodge owners with this problem. Dodge is clearly using inadequate brakes for their trucks, sacrificing on stopping ability and quality. Dodge does not seem to care about the owners safety. Please help dodge take accountability for their inadequate equipment. I would be happy to provide any other information or documentation to assist with resolving this issue.
I've had problems for about 6 months with my brakes. I don't think that they work as well as they should. And then about 6 months ago I assumed that something was wrong with my rotors because when I applied the brakes there was a shimming in the front end. I took the truck to the dodge dealer where I bought it and was told that it was okay because it was a new truck. I took it back again with the same problem with the rotors and this time the dealer told me that he knew what was wrong with it before they even checked the rotors. This time they turned the rotors and this fixed the problem but now it is doing the same shimming again. The truck now has a little over 15,000 miles on it and I feel that there sould not be any problems with the braking system this soon.
Repeatedly and frequently warping brake rotors, which cause poor stopping.
My 2003 dodge dakota quad cab has had the brake rotors warped at less than 20,000 miles with no severe use. And also the ball joints are worn out at 35,000 miles. These parts should last a lot longer on a ligh use vehicle.
No events leading to failure just regular driving.unusual rotor warpping on my 2003 dodge dakota so far has cost me over $800 dollars in repairs my complaint is on the poor engineering of the brake system.worst vehicle I ever owned should of stayed with toyota!
My truck has less than 25000 miles and the front brake rotors have warped and cause terrible vibration of the steering wheel when applying the brakes.
After 10,000 miles on my 2003 dakota, I had to have the rotors (all 4) turned because they were warped. Dealer did it for free. At 20,000 miles they are warped and needed turning again. Dealer not paying I have to pay them. I am not the only one with rotor problems, it appears the brakes aren't made for a truck this size but for a smaller version of it. This needs to be fixed by dodge
Front/rear brakes wore out, causing vibration in the steering wheel when braking. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak.....consumer has had four replacements of brakes. Vehicle unsafe to drive.
Brake rotors warped after 6000 miles, brake pads squeal after less than 100 miles. Waited until 22,000 miles to have inspected, and told the warranty on product is only 12,000 miles 12 months. Refused to replace warped rotors with less than 25,000 miles on vehicle, and pads still in good condition despite squeaking.
When braking consumer heard a loud squeaking noise coming from the rear brakes. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
While driving on semi wet pavement brakes locked. As result, consumer's vehicle rear ended another vehicle. Upon impact, dual air bags did not deploy. No injuries reported.
Bought 2003 dodge dakota with 4-wheel disc brakes. Vehicle had only 3 miles on it at time of purchase. Disc brake warpage starting at only 3000 miles. It slowly became worse and finally all four rotors were turned at 13000 miles. Now at 15000 the brakes are beginning to pulse again.
I purchased a new 2003 dodge dakota truck in november, 2003. The brakes started squeaking loudly in january, 2004. It seems that I really have to push hard for the brakes to work. I informed the dealership in january, march, and may 2003 and again in june, 2004. They insist that it is common for the brakes to make a noise like this. They have attempted to put some type of filler on the pads which only stop it from making a noise for one week. In june, 2004, they said they replaced the pads with a "cheap" new pad. The brakes are still squeaking loudly. I am sending this to you because I called chrysler and they said there was nothing they can do. I am just afraid that one day my breaks will not work and I will cause an accident. What do you recommend I do? Thank you. Ingrid getka
While driving at 55 MPH consumer depressed the brakes and the front wheels locked up. Vehicle was towed to the dealer, who claimed that the power brake booster needed to be replaced. Another certified mechanic determined that the ABS system was defective. Recently the exact same problem occurred, and the dealer was still denying that there was a problem.
Vehicle will either go into neutral when put in reverse or while reversing pop out of reverse into neutral. This mostly occurred when the vehicle was in 4-wheel drive. The dealership serviced the vehicle several times for this issue, but since they were unable to duplicate or resolve the problem. *ak the consumer had two transmission problems. The transmission module shorted out on four separate occasions. This problem caused the consumer to be nearly rear ended three times. The transmission shift indicator showed that the vehicle was in reverse but acted as if it were in neutral. The vehicle pulled to the left, the brakes would squeak and the vehicle had poor gas mileage. *sc the battery was replaced because the vehicle did not start at times.
Normal wear and tear on vehicle, operated under optimal driving conditions. Front rotors warped beyond repair after 18000 miles on the vehicle. Dealer refuses to replace due to warranty expiration. Rotors should not have warped after only 18000 miles.
When the vehicle was placed in reverse there was a moaning noise in the rear brakes. The dealership and the manufacturer were aware of the noise but were unable to fix it.
We have recently submitted a claim to the bureau of automotive repairs. Our truck has been in the shop 6 times for the same and new problems. We bought this vehicle in june with 12 miles on it. They recently had our vehicle for 3 days in a row and wanted to keep it for a 4th day, however we declined. Below please find a list of the problems: 1) loud howling noise when backing up in reverse 2) slips out of gear when in reverse or drive 3) idles roughly 4) occasionally dies when backing in reverse or going forward 5) wheel well guards are starting to peel away 6) runs in the paint job 7) there was electrical wiring issues 8) transmission issues
After 6,000 miles on my 2003 dakota, I had to have the rotors (all 4) turned because they were warped. Now dealer did it for free. Again 13,000 miles they are warped need turned again. Dealer not paying I have to pay them. It is close to another 6000 miles and they are starting to behave in the way they did with pedal pulsating and vibrating and the truck rear end feeling like it is bouncing up and down and I know the same problem is there, and this time it is going to be replace all 4. I am not the only one with rotor problems, it appears the brakes aren't made for a truck this size but for a smaller version of it. This needs to be fixed my dodge.
At 6,000 miles the upper ball joints failed. When riding over any size bump in the road the front end collapsed. *ak the vehicle pulled to the right when driving and when braking, the flapper door for the fuel filler neck was missing and or fell inside the tank, the transmission did not shift properly, the front and rear rotors were grooved, worn uneven and pitted. *scc
Purchased a 2003 dakota quad cab in july 2003. When I test drove the truck I noticed a howl in the rear brakes when backing up. The dealership admitted that it was an issue but that dodge was working on a solution and that they would add me to their list. My truck was worked on per tsb 0050603. A couple of weeks later the noise returned. I took my truck into the dealership and I was informed that dodge has told them to not work on the trucks that they are working on a solution but do not know why the problem persists.
When depressing the brake pedal, a squeaking noise can be heard. The dealer says this is normal. Please provide further details.
Front rotors on my 2002 dodge cc 4x4 dakota warped at 18,000 miles. Had them turned and the rear brakes adjusted. Warping again after 8000 miles. Dodge dealer (sam leman dodge in morton illinois)will not acknowledge a problem. They offered to cut rotor at my expense.
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