2001 Dodge Dakota

KNOWING THE DAKOTA'S HAVE BRAKE ISSUES, I REPLACED THE FRONT ROTORS WITH AFTERMARKET SLOTTED ROTORS IN HOPES THAT THE ROTOR WOULD STAY COOL & NOT WARP. HOWEVER EVEN AFTER ADDING NEW ROTORS I HAVE HAD ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS ONE OR THE OTHER FRONT ROTORS HAVE LOCKED UP. AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT I COMPLETELY DRAINED & REPLACED ALL THE BRAKE FLUID W/SYNTHETIC BRAKE FLUID. I HAD NO PROBLEMS FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS BEFORE THEY LOCKED UP AGAIN. THIS TIME I REPLACED BOTH CALIPERS, IT'S ONLY BEEN A MONTH EVERYTHING IS WORKING FOR NOW. DODGE SHOULD RECALL! EITHER THERE BRAKE BOOSTER OR CALIPERS ARE FLAWED BECAUSE THE BRAKE CALIPER TEND TO STICK CAUSING OVERHEATING, WRONG TO THE POINT WHERE THE PADS ARE SO HOT YOUR ENGULFING OTHER VEHICLES IN SMOKE!

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WITH HIS FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AND HESITATE. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE TO ALLOW THE FRONT DISC BRAKES TO COOL OFF SINCE THEY WERE DRAGGING. THE BRAKE LINES AND CALIPERS WERE REPLACED AT 50,000 MILES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 64000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30000. THE CONTACT WILL ADD THE VIN, ENGINE SIZE AND PURCHASE DATE.

I HAVE A 2001 DAKOTA QUAD CAB 4X4 PURCHASED NEW AND THE INSIDE OF THE FRONT ROTORS WEAR OUT EXTREMELY FAST. THEY BECOME DAMAGED ON THE INSIDE OF THE ROTOR APPEARING EXTREMELY RUSTED AND AS IF MAYBE THEY OVERHEATED ON THE INSIDE. 64,000 AND THIS HAS HAPPENED 2 TIMES. DEALERS DENY THIS IS COMMON , MY BROTHER HAS A 2002 (PURCHASED NEW) AND HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. BALL JOINTS FAILED ON BOTH TRUCKS , STEERING RACK AND REAR DIFFERENTIAL LEAKS ON BOTH . *TR

2001 DODGE DAKOTA APPLIED BRAKE AND VEHICLE PULLED SHARPLY TO THE LEFT**CW** THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, PRESSURE WAS BEING PLACED ON THE LUGS/SLIDE BARS. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THAT IT WAS ALSO QUITE POSSIBLE THE BRAKES COULD BE DELAYED FROM ENGAGING BECAUSE THE BACKING PLATES ARE NOT ABLE TO RIDE UP AND OVER THE WEAR SPOT.*JB THE CONSUMER STATED WOULD LIKE A FULL INVESTIGATION PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 07/23/07 *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HAVING THE VEHICLE SERVICED, THE DEALER NOTICED THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WERE WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE SWITCH AND CLEANED IT WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. UPDATED 11/30/2006 - THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY. THE DEALER DETERMINED THERE WAS A VACUUM LEAK. THE WHEEL CYLINDER LOCKED UP. *NM

AT 32,000 MILES FRONT END VIBRATION WHEN BREAKING. PROBLEM-WARPED ROTORS. CORRECTED BY 'TURNING' ROTORS (RESURFACING). AT 58,000 MILES FRONT END VIBRATION WHEN BREAKING. PROBLEM-WARPED ROTORS. CORRECTED BY 'TURNING' ROTORS. AT 70,000 MILES FRONT END VIBRATION WHEN BREAKING. PROBLEM-WARPED ROTORS. CORRECTED BY REPLACING ROTORS. AT 90,000 MILES FRONT END VIBRATION WHEN BREAKING. PROBLEM-WARPED ROTORS. CORRECTED BY 'TURNING' ROTORS. AT 100,200 MILES FRONT END VIBRATION WHEN BREAKING. PROBLEM-WARPED ROTORS. DEALER SUGGESTS REPLACING ROTORS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM. THE SAME THING OCCURRED ON MY 1997 DAKOTA. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEN THAT THE ROTORS WARP WHEN THEY ARE HOT(FROM USE) AND THEN GET WET. (SO I GUESS I SHOULDN'T USE THE BRAKES IN WET/RAINY CONDITIONS) THE WARPED ROTORS ARE CAUSED BY A DESIGN FLAW, EITHER THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS NOT 'SIZED' PROPERLY (IE INSUFFICIENT STOPPING POWER CAUSING EXCESSIVE HEAT BUILD-UP) OR THE ROTORS ARE INFERIOR(METAL GRADE). I BELIEVE MOST OWNERS DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE THE DODGE DEALERS CONVINCE THEM THAT THIS IS ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. THE TRUCK IS GREAT OTHERWISE. *NM

I HAVE TAKEN MY VEHICLE SEVERAL REPAIR PLACES (BRAKE SPECIALISTS) INCLUDING 2 DEALERSHIPS (MULTIPLE TIMES). THEY TELL ME MY ROTORS ARE WARPED, OR THAT THEY CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG!!! STARTING AT AROUND 20,000 MILES I STARTED GETTING HARD VIBRATIONS IN THE FRONT END, REPLACED ROTORS AND PADS, FIXED PROBLEM. THEN, 5,000 MILES LATER IT STARTED AGAIN, HAD ROTORS TURNED AND REPLACED PADS, FIXED PROBLEM. 5,000 MILES LATER IT HAPPENS AGAIN, I DECIDE TO DEAL WITH IT FOR A LITTLE WHILE. 2,000 MILES OF DRIVING WITH WARPED ROTORS, AND RIGHT FRONT CALIPER LOCKS UP, NEARLY CAUSING A FIRE!!. REPLACED BOTH CALIPERS, ROTORS AND PADS, PROBLEM FIXED AGAIN. PROBLEM RECURS ROUGHLY EVERY 5,000 MILES. I DRIVE VERY CAREFULLY TO ENSURE THAT I AM NOT CAUSING ANY UNDUE STRESS ON THE BRAKE COMPONENTS. THE EXPENSE OF REPAIRING THE BRAKES EVERY 5,000 MILES IS ROUGHLY $200 TO $400 DOLLARS DEPENDING ON WHAT I FIND UPON INSPECTION. I AM AN INDUSTRIAL MECHANIC SO I DO THIS WORK MYSELF. I PURCHASED COPIES OF DAIMLER CHRYSLER MASTER TECH VIDEOS TO MAKES SURE THAT I AM NOT MISSING SOMETHING. I HAVE PURCHASED SEVERAL MANUALS FOR MY VEHICLE , SOME FROM DODGE AND SOME AFTERMARKET IN MY SEARCH FOR A MORE PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY DANGEROUS, TO ME AND TO OTHERS AROUND ME WHEN DRIVING. I AM CURRENTLY AT 90,000 MILES AND HAVE DECIDED THAT THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY SOMEONE... I HOPE YOU CAN HELP. *JB

FRONT BRAKE ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES ON MY VEHICLE WITH MOPAR PARTS. I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE FOR 2 YEARS AND HAVE PUT 40,000 MILES ON IT. THE ROTORS ARE ONLY LASTING IN THE AREA OF 10 - 15000 MILES. I SPOKE WITH MY LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE HAS TOLD ME THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE DODGE DAKOTA AND I BETTER GET USE TO REPLACING THEM OR GET USE TO DRIVING WITH WARPED ROTORS. *NM