Dodge Dakota fuel gauge problems

Filed Aug 3, 2015 · 18,000 miles · CA

I bought my dodge dakota brand new from a dealer. I started to have problems with it almost immediately after purchase. I'll briefly list these failures. While driving in very cold weather (winter). I was driving with the heater on, a large volume of engine coolant came pouring out of the dashboard heater vents. This was repaired by the dealer. Within that same year the fuel gauge and check engine light would come on whenever the gas tank became half empty. At this point the fuel gauge would drop to zero fuel, corrects when gas cap is tightened or fuel is added. Plastic piece broke off in transmission at ~ 52,000 miles, I had it replaced and now have a crack in exhaust manifold which caused thermostat failure, water pump failure and leaking of all of the engine coolant. Unable to weld the manifold and mechanic had to install heat shield to prevent all of this from happening again. Now when I start the vehicle is sounds like it might explode! This horrendous noise softens after a few minutes. I don't run the heater anymore as I smell a very strong odor of exhaust fumes when heater fan is on. Vehicle occasionally shuts off when idling at ~500rpm.

Filed Jul 14, 2015 · Airbags, Electrical · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the air bag and fuel gauge warning indicators illuminated on the instrument cluster. On one occasion, the vehicle was refueled but the fuel gauge indicated that there was no fuel. The vehicle was restarted and displayed the accurate fuel level reading. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 15v313000 (air bags) and 14v795000 (electrical system) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable timeframe to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the contact's vehicle would receive the recall repair. The failure mileage was not available.

Filed Oct 24, 2014 · Fuel system · 75,000 miles · MA

Driving on highway, ran out of fuel. Fuel gauge and warning light failed. Required considerable effort to get to side of road. Fuel gauge registers tank has fuel when tank is empty. Required state police assistance because of high danger especially with children in vehicle.

Filed Mar 28, 2013 · Fuel system · 42,000 miles · DE

My wife and I were driving to dinner. Weather was cold it was dark outside but no other issues. Fuel gauge was reading between empty and 1/4 tank. We were driving on a busy stretch of highway route 1 north of dover delaware heading south. Traffic was moderate at the time. We were operating at a speed of 55mph when the engine suddenly stopped operating. I was able to safely maneuver the truck off the road. I attempted to restart the vehicle with no luck. I called aaa who brought some gas with them. They put 1 gallon of gas in and the vehicle started right up. An issue with the fuel gauge was reported to the selling dealer shortly after we purchased the truck (the vehicle was purchased new). The fuel gauge needle would fall to the "e" position and the low fuel indicator light would illuminate (even with a full tank of gas). The needle would then slowly recover to its original position. I took the truck back to the dealership for repair, but they could not replicate the issue so they did not repair the faulty gauge. Sudden loss of engine power is a serious safety issue. I should be able to rely on the instruments/gauges to provide accurate information so that I can operate my vehicle in the safest manner possible. This fuel gauge issue is a safety hazard. Loss of engine power due to erroneous fuel gauge readings resulted in loss of power assisted brakes and steering which made controlling the vehicle more difficult.

Filed Jul 2, 2010 · Fuel system · 61,232 miles · PA

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 dodge dakota. While driving approximately 35 MPH the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and fuel gauge displayed empty. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where a fuel sending unit was replaced. The failure has since recurred four times and each time the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the fuel sending unit would either be replaced or repaired. The failure mileage was 61,232 and the current mileage was 62,269.

Filed Jul 23, 2008 · Fuel system · 4,100 miles · LA

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge dakota. While driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The entire instrument panel failed to illuminate and the fuel gauge indicated that there was no fuel in the vehicle, when it was actually full. The vehicle would restart after several attempts, but the fuel gauge still indicated that it was empty. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not identify the cause of the failure. The following week, the failure recurred and again on july 22, 2008. During the most recent failure, the body shop mechanic had to repair a small ding in her door. The contact was advised to take the vehicle back to the dealer. Once at the dealer, she was informed that the vehicle would need to remain there for inspection. She is currently awaiting the dealer to inform her if a rental will be provided in the interim. The contact is currently driving the vehicle and no repairs have been made. The failure mileage was 4,100 and current mileage was 4,400.

Filed Jul 18, 2008 · Engine · 4,108 miles · LA

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge dakota. While driving 45 MPH, the engine in her vehicle suddenly shut off. The vehicle lost complete power. The fuel gauge dial dropped below empty when the gas tank was more than halfway full. The vehicle was able to be restarted after a few attempts. After the engine restarted, the fuel gauge dial remained below empty and never returned to the original position. The contact drove the vehicle home and did not have it inspected by a dealer. Three days after the incident, the failure recurred. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shut off again, but was able to restart after a few attempts. The dealer could not determine the cause of the failure. They found recalls on the vehicle, but none that were related to this failure. The vehicle is currently parked at the contact's residence because she is scared to drive. The current and failure mileages were 4,108.

Filed Feb 12, 2008 · Engine · 2,900 miles · NH

Driving between 35 and 45 MPH. The engine shut off, the key had not been touched. The gas gauge dropped to nothing, the only light I noticed on the dash was the current mileage. I had no power steering, no power brakes, I rolled to the side of the road and put on my flashers, put the truck into park, turned the key off and then started the engine. It only failed once but if I was on a highway or in heavy traffic most likely my wife and I would have been in an accident. Miles on truck was aprox. 2,900 miles dodge dakota quad cab 4 door, v6 automatic transmission, manufacture date is 5/2007 I called the service department and they said without an engine check light on they may not be able to find the problem. I have a 3:00 pm appointment today. I told him he has 3 tries to fix it.

Filed Jul 10, 2006 · Fuel system · 4,600 miles · 00

While driving at 40 MPH with 46,500 kilometers a strong fuel odor had been noticed gas gauge drop from just under three quarters to below half .complaint about fuel system and really bad gas mileage. And carbon residue on exhaust seem to have been ignored by dealer.

Filed Nov 4, 2005 · Electrical, Engine · NC

The electrical system keeps malfunctioning. The fuel gauge doesn't work right and the temperature hand sometimes is on hot as soon as you crank the truck. The check engine light keeps coming on too. It has been worked on 3 times since I bought it a year ago.