2002 Dodge Dakota

EARLIER IN THE WEEK THE POWER DOOR LOCKS WERE WORKING ON AND OFF. TWO DAYS LATER HEADLIGHTS STARTED FLASHING ON AND OFF AND MAKING A CLICKING SOUND BEFORE THEY WENT OUT COMPLETELY. INTERIOR LIGHTS ARE ALSO NOT WORKING. LUCKILY, I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO HOME AND THERE WAS STILL ENOUGH TWILIGHT TO MAKE IT HOME SAFELY. I AM GOING TO BRING THE TRUCK TO DEALER THIS WEEK, BUT I READ ABOUT A SIMILAR PROBLEM IN THE 2003 DODGE DAKOTAS. *JB

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.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND VALVES FAILED AND THAT THE CLUTCH AND VALVES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 36,561. UPDATED 09/05/07 *TR

BOUGHT 2002 SLT QUAD CAB DAKOTA NEW FROM DEALERSHIP. FIRST EXPERIENCED TRUCK STALLING WHILE DRIVING ON ROADWAYS (VERY DANGEROUS!), WITHOUT WARNING AND WITHOUT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. SOMETIMES, IT WOULD ALSO STALL IF PUT INTO DRIVE/REVERSE FROM A PARKED POSITION. HAD TRUCK TOWED AT LEAST TWICE, BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT HOME BECAUSE IT WAS STALLING TOO MANY TIMES. TOOK IN TO DEALERSHIP THREE TIMES. SINCE ENGINE LIGHT WASN'T ON, DIAGNOSTIC TEST COULDN'T DETERMINE PROBLEM READILY; PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. OVER THE COURSE OF THE FIRST TWO VISITS TO DEALERSHIP, I HAD TUNE-UP, THROTTLE BODY CLEANED, NEW DISTRIBUTOR PLATE, NEW OIL PAN GASKET. BY THE THIRD TIME, I HAD THE ENTIRE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE REPLACED: THE "BRAIN" OF THE TRUCK, AS THE MECHANIC PUT IT TO ME. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN WHEN A BRAND-NEW TRUCK IS ONLY FOUR YEARS OLD; THE "BRAIN" SHOULD NOT DIE THAT SOON. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE, ESPECIALLY IF THE PCM/STALLING PROBLEM IS CONSIDERED "CHARACTERISTIC." ALL OF THIS COST ME ABOUT $2,500. THE QUALITY OF THIS TRUCK HAS NOT, AND STILL DOES NOT, MEET MY EXPECTATIONS. THE TRUCK IS TOO YOUNG TO BE HAVING THESE SORTS OF PROBLEMS. I EXPECT TO PUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS INTO A 10 YEAR-OLD TRUCK, NOT A FOUR YEAR-OLD TRUCK. I AM ALSO EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION ISSUES WITH THE TRUCK NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. I WILL OUTLINE THAT IN SEPARATE COMPLAINT. *JB

UPON THE RETURN OF MY 2002 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB FROM DEALER SERVICE, I NOTICED WHAT LOOKED LIKE A SPOT OF GRAY SPRAY PAINT ON THE FRONT PASSENGER FENDER. THINKING THAT SOMEONE HAD ACCIDENTALLY OVERSPRAYED SOMETHING WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS NEARBY, I 'LET IT GO'. ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER, I NOTICED THAT THE SPOT HAD GROWN FROM THE ORIGINAL SIZE (ABOUT THE SIZE OF A QUARTER) TO ABOUT THREE INCHES ACROSS. THINKING THAT PERHAPS I WAS 'SEEING THINGS', AGAIN, I LET IT GO. HOWEVER, TWO MORE WEEKS PASSED WHEN I STARTED NOTICING THE SAME GRAY COLOR APPEARING THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT FENDER AND BEGINNING TO SHOW ON THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT FENDER AS WELL. I TELEPHONED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT PAINT / FINISHES WERE NOT WARRANTY ITEMS, AND EVEN IF IT HAD BEEN A WARRANTY ITEM, MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED (NOTE: MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 38,000 MILES AT THE TIME). I CONTACTED DAIMLER-CHRYSLER ONLINE CUSTOMER SUPPORT REGARDING THE ISSUE, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT HELP ME BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T PHYSICALLY INSPECT THE VEHICLE. SOME TIME LATER, I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A DIFFERENT REPAIR, BUT DID MENTION THE FADING PAINT. I WAS TOLD THEN THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP THAT HAD BODY/PAINT FACILITIES AND HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. (NOTE: I WAS NOT TOLD THAT WHEN I CALLED ABOUT THE PAINT THE FIRST TIME.) I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP WITH A BODY/PAINT FACILITY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE 'BRUTAL TEXAS SUN' WAS THE CULPRIT - CAUSING MY PAINT TO FADE. (NOTE: MY 1996 GEO PRIZM AND 2000 KIA OPTIMA ARE SUBJECTED TO THE SAME BRUTAL TEXAS SUN, BUT SHOW NO SIGNS OF FADING PAINT.) I WAS TOLD THAT MY CASE COULD BE SUBMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION, BUT NOT TO EXPECT A POSITIVE RESULT. AS EXPECTED, THOSE WITH AUTHORITY TO APPROVE A REPAIR DENIED IT. AGAIN, I CONTACTED DAIMLER-CHRYSLER ONLINE CUSTOMER SUPPORT EXPRESSING MY DISSATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY OF THE PAINT, AND THE LACK OF SUPPORT DURING THE ORDEAL.

BRAKE FAILURE. BRAKES WOULD NOT APPLY AND CONSEQUENTLY RAN THROUGH A BUSY INTERSECTION AT 50 MPH BARELY AVOIDING CROSSING TRAFFIC AND STOPPED TRAFFIC. FOUND MISSING CALIPER PAD. REPLACED ALL PADS ON FRONT AND TURNED THE ROTORS. ALSO REPLACED THE REAR CYLINDER SEALS. 1 WEEK LATER RIGHT FRONT BRAKE SEVERELY OVERHEATED AND WAS RED HOT AFTER A SEVEN MILE COMMUTE HOME WITH ONLY SEVEN STOPS AT LOW SPEED (NORMAL BRAKING). MECHANIC FOUND EVIDENCE OF BURNED OUTER EDGE OF ROTOR. PADS ACTUATED NORMALLY. RE-TURNED RIGHT ROTOR TO VERIFY NO WARPING HAD OCCURRED. NO PARTS REQUIRED. BRAKES HAVE LOST SOME STOPPING POWER SINCE BEFORE THE FIRST INCIDENT AND MY CONFIDENCE HAS BEEN EFFECTED. COST OF REPAIRS $400+. *JB

I EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE AS MANY OTHER 2002 DODGE DAKOTA OWNERS IN WHICH THE LIGHTS STOP WORKING OR BEGIN TO FLASH WITHOUT WARNING. IN THIS INSTANCE, THE PARKING LAMPS, INSTRUMENT PANEL, AND COURTESY LAMPS FLICKER ON AND OFF. THE HEADLIGHTS ONLY SEEM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FLASHING PART OF THE TIME. IT APPEARS LIKELY THE PROBLEM WILL BE THE CENTRAL TIMER MODULE, HOWEVER DUE TO COST I HAVE NOT YET REPLACED IT. I HAVE DETERMINED THE PROBLEM IS NEITHER THE SWITCH, RELAY, OR LIGHTS. THE SYMPTOMS ARE IDENTICAL TO THOSE POSTING THE CENTRAL TIMER MODULE DEFECT. *NM

THE FRONT RIGHT BRAKE CALIPERS LOCKED UP ON THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE BRAKES TO BE APPLIED WITHOUT PRESSING ON THE BRAKES. AFTER REPLACING THE RIGHT CALIPERS, ROTOR (WARPED FROM HEAT), AND BRAKE HOSE, 12 MILES AWAY, THE LEFT CALIPER LOCKED UP. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUES BECAUSE THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED WITHOUT THE INTENTION OF THE DRIVER.*JB