2002 Dodge RAM 1500

SUNDAY MORNING, I STARTED MY TRUCK. THE TRUCK WARMED UP FOR NEARLY 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO MY TREK HOME. I THEN DROVE THE TRUCK FOR NEARLY 90 MINUTES PRIOR TO REACHING INTERSTATE 95 IN HOULTON. WHEN I STARTED DRIVING, THE TEMP WAS 16. WHEN I ENTERED THE INTERSTATE, I SET MY CRUISE CONTROL TO 85. AFTER TRAVELING FOR NEARLY 80 MINUTES, MY TRUCK RAPIDLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. I TAPPED MY BRAKES IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL. THIS DID NOT WORK. I THEN PUSHED THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTONS ON MY STEERING WHEEL, IN AN ATTEMPT TO TURN OFF THE CRUISE. THIS DID NOT WORK EITHER. I PUSHED ON THE ACCELERATOR THINKING THAT IT WAS STUCK. THIS MADE NO DIFFERENCE. THE TRUCK WAS ACCELERATING WITHOUT WARNING OR REASON. MY TRUCK ACCELERATED TO 95 MPH, AND WAS CONTINUING TO CLIMB. I HAD TO DO THE FOLLOWING IN ORDER TO GET MY TRUCK STOPPED. I HAD TO FORCE THE BRAKES ON, WHICH WAS THE NOT VERY PRODUCTIVE. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE TRUCK TO 65 MPH BEFORE PLACING THE TRUCK INTO NEUTRAL. AFTER PLACING THE TRUCK INTO NEUTRAL, THE ENGINE RACED OUT OF CONTROL. THE TACHOMETER WAS MAXED OUT. THE ENGINE STALLED, AS I ROLLED TO A STOP. AFTER COLLECTING MY SELF AND ATTEMPTING TO CALM MY WIFE DOWN, I STARTED THE TRUCK UP. THE ACCELERATOR WAS STILL STUCK AND THE TACHOMETER WAS PAST 7000 BEFORE I COULD GET THE TRUCK SHUT OFF. I STARTED THE TRUCK THREE MORE TIMES AND THE ABOVE STILL OCCURRED. I THEN SLOWLY PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR A COUPLE OF TIMES WITH THE TRUCK, OFF. I THEN STARTED THE TRUCK AND PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR. THE TRUCK THEN CAME OUT OF WHAT EVER WAS GOING ON. OUTSIDE TEMP 0. THIS REALLY CONCERNS ME. THIS WAS A VERY SCARY EVENT, AND THANKFULLY WE WERE ON THE INTERSTATE IN REMOTE NORTHERN MAINE. IF THIS OCCURRED IN OR AROUND RURAL MAINE IT WOULD HAVE AND COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. *JB WILLIAM SMITH 18 FERN WAY ROCKPORT, MAINE HRSWKS412@ADELPHIA.NET

THE TIRES SHOWED SIGNS OF EXCESSIVE WEAR, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SHOP FOR A FRONT ALIGNMENT AND THE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE TIE RODS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK THIS WAS AFTER THE 2ND SET OF TIRES WERE INSTALLED. SOON AFTER A SERVICE MAINTENANCE FLIER WAS RECEIVED IN THE MAIL TO INSPECT TIE ROD ENDS AT 30,000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP WAS THE ONLY PLACE TO PURCHASE THE TIE ROD ENDS AT $134.00 A PIECE. *CB *JB

VEHICLE HAS HAD REPEATED FAILURES OF REAR AXLE COMPONENTS. ALL APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO OVERSTATED TOWING CAPACITY. AFTER PURCHASING A TRAILER WELL WITHIN THE VEHICLES TOW RATING THE VEHICLE ON THE FIRST TRIP OUT WITH THE TRAILER EXHIBITED A PUTRID SMELL THAT COULD NOT BE LOCATED. THIS OCCURRED ON 07-25-03 AT JUST UNDER 8500 MILES. THE DEALER COULD NOT LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL, AN INDEPENDENT GARAGE FOUND COAGULATED DIFFERENTIAL FLUID AND METAL SHAVINGS IN THE REAR AXLE. SEE YOUR ODI NUMBER 786051 FOR A SIMILAR CASE. THE REAR GEARS WERE REPLACED. ON 12-01-03 AT 10638 MILES I WAS ABLE TO LIMP THE TRUCK WITH THE TRAILER ATTACHED INTO SOUTHSIDE DODGE/KIA IN KISSIMMEE, FL. THE ENTIRE REAR AXLE WAS SO BADLY DAMAGED INCLUDING THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SENSORS THAT THE ENTIRE UNIT HAD TO BE REPLACED. ON 12-06-03 MY WIFE AND I RETRIEVED THE TRAILER. THE TRUCK WAS HAVING TROUBLE MAINTAINING EXPRESSWAY SPEEDS INTO A HEADWIND ON THIS TRIP. UPON ARRIVAL AT OUR HOME 265 MILES LATER WE AGAIN SMELLED THE OVERHEATED REAR AXLE FLUID. LATER INSPECTION AT THE DEALER SHOWED IT TO BE BURNT SMELLING, AND DISCOLORED. FURTHER REPAIRS ARE NOW AWAITED. I WILL BE FORWARDING COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION TODAY VIA USPS.*AK

MY 2002 DODGE PICK UP HAS A CUPPED LEFT FRONT TIRE CAUSING A SEVERE VIBRATION. THE TIRE IS A GOODYEAR WRANGLER LT275/70R17. AFTER TAKING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SUSPENSION AND ALIGNMENT. THEY CONTACTED GOODYEAR AND WERE TOLD THAT THE TIRE ON THE TRUCK IS TOO AGGRESSIVE AND THAT THE RECOMMENDED ROTATION INTERVAL SHOULD BE 5000 MILES. THE SERVICE MANUAL RECOMMENDS ROTATION AT 7500 MILES NORMAL DRIVING. I ROTATED AT 6000 TO COINCIDE WITH MY OIL CHANGES. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT GOODYEAR OFFERED TO GO 1/2 WITH ME. THE COST TO ME WOULD HAVE BEEN $210.00 MOUNTED AND THE DEALERSHIP COULD HAVE THE TIRES IN THAT AFTERNOON. I HAD GONE TO A GOODYEAR ESTABLISHMENT 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS VISIT TO COMPLAIN. THEY TOLD ME THE SAME STORY THAT THE TIRE IS TOO AGGRESSIVE AND NEEDS TO BE ROTATED AT BETWEEN 4000 AND 5000 MILES. THEY OFFERED ME 2 NEW TIRES AT THE SAME DEAL. THE DIFFERENCE BEING WAS THE SAME TIRES WERE $180.00. THEY WOULD HAVE TO ORDER THEM AS THE LOCAL WAREHOUSE HAD NONE IN STOCK. THAT LEADS ME TO SEVERAL QUESTIONS: 1. WHY DID THIS NEW VEHICLE HAVE TIRES ON IT THAT ARE "TOO AGGRESSIVE"? 2. WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR TIRES THAT I HAVE BEEN CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN AND ROTATE AT THE SPECIFIED INTERVAL IN THE SERVICE MANUAL? 3. WHY IS THERE NO NOTIFICATION TO THE OWNERS STATING THAT THE ROTATION INTERVAL NEEDS TO ADJUSTED?*JB

THE VEHICLE HAD GONE INTO REVERSE AND COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND COULD NOT LOCATE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK THE CONSUMER SHIFTED THE GEAR TO DRIVE THEN STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL, EXPECTING TO GO FORWARD, BUT IT HAD GONE BACKWARDS. THE CONSUMER JIGGLED THE GEAR SHIFT SLIGHTLY AND STEPPED ON THE GAS AGAIN THEN IT WENT FORWARD. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED FROM PARK. *SCC *JB