1999 Dodge RAM

INVICTA GL TIRES WERE ON MY DODGE RAM CONVERSION VAN WHEN I PURCHASED IT NEW. THE TIRES WERE WORN TO 4/32 IN AT 8050 MILES. WHEN I TOOK THE VAN TO GOODYEAR THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE PASSENGER CAR TIRES AND THAT THEY DO NOT BELONG ON A VEHICLE OF THE RAMS SIZE AND WEIGHT.ALL THE VANS ON THE SALES LOT WERE EQUIPPED WITH THE INVICTAS. A CHEAP ,SOFT AND UNSAFE TIRE FOR CONVERSION VANS AS STATED BY MARTY HAYES, GOODYEAR MANAGER. 716-873 1400 E( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 235/75R15 )

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT 65 MPH, CONSUMER HAD TO MAKE A SUDDEN / EMERGENCY STOP. THE BRAKES FAILED TO GRAB. STOPPING DISTANCE WAS EXTENDED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER & THE MECHANIC HAD THE REAR SHOES/ ROTORS AND PADS REPLACED. THE PADS WERE GLAZED OVER. BRAKES HAD FADED OUT AT 35 MPH. THE VEHICLE WOULD DRIFT FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. HAD STEERING GEAR BOX REPLACED & WHEELS REALIGNED. THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS FAILED TO REGISTER CORRECT GAS MILEAGE PER GALLON. BRAKES STILL DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. *AK *YC

THE HORN IS DEFECTIVE. THIS TRUCK IS MANUAL SHIFT. THERE ARE TWO PROBLEMS. 1ST, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCATE THE HORN BECAUSE OF THE PLACEMENT OF THE AIRBAG. IT REQUIRES NUMEROUS HARD PUSHES TO FIGURE OUT WHERE IT IS. A LESS THAN WHAT I WOULD ESTIMATE TO BE A 5 POUNDS OF PRESSURE WILL NOT MAKE THE HORN SOUND. I HAVE TRIED TO USE THE HORN ON AT LEAST THREE INCIDENCES AND WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE HORN SOUND. IN A NON-EMERGENT SITUATION (SITTING AT A LIGHT) I WAS ABLE TO SOUND THE HORN AFTER SUBSTANTIAL PRESSURE. 2ND : IN EMERGENT AVOIDANCE SITUATION (3 TIMES) YOU CAN NOT SOUND THE HORN AND DOWNSHIFT AT THE SAME TIME. BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN OF THE STEERING WHEEL ON THE LEFT SIDE, AND THE PLACEMENT OF THE CRUISE CONTROL, MY LEFT HAND CAN NOT REACH THE HORN WITHOUT TURNING LOOSE OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THAT LEAVE NO HANDS ON THE WHEEL BECAUSE THE RIGHT HAND IS TRYING TO DOWNSHIFT. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THE COMPONENT PART REQUIRES THAT THERE BE NO HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. I WOULD LIKE THIS ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. I AM FEMALE, 5'7" 135 POUNDS. I DO NOT HAVE A WIDE ENOUGH SPAN IN MY HAND TO BE ABLE TO HOLD ON TO THE STEERING WHEEL WITH FOUR FINGERS WHILE MY THUMB TRIES TO REACH THE HORN. IT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE. THAT TAKES YOU BACK TO PROBLEM NUMBER 1.

THIS VEHICLE SINCE NEW HAS HAD CONTINUING BRAKING AND STEERING PULLS, IS EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AND UNCOMFORTABLE TO DRIVE. WHILE HOLDING STEERING WHEEL STRAIGHT VEHICLE WILL BE UNDECIDED ABOUT WHETHER TO DRIFT LEFT OR RIGHT, AND EVEN AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BY THE DEALER WHICH INCLUDE TWO SEPERATE FULL WEEKS OF TIME AT THE DEALERSHIP, PLUS THREE DAYS OF WORK BY THE FACTORY FIELD REP. AND A FEW OTHER ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE IS STILL DRIFTING AND PULLING ON BRAKING. THE FIRST ATTEMPT I WAS TOLD THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE, ALL THE WAY TO THE TIME PRIOR TO THE FACTORY REP. WORKING ON IT ACTUALLY WRITTEN ON MY REPAIR ORDER "KEITH WE HAVE ALIGNED YOUR RIG TILL THE COWS COME HOME, WE NEVER DID EXPERIENCE A BRAKE PULL AT ANY TIME. I DID HAVE THE TECH. DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME OVERNIGHT. I THINK IT WILL DO WHAT YOU WANT, IF ANY FURTHER ALIGNMENT NEEDED YOU CAN DO IN YOUR SHOP AND SET IT HOW YOU WANT." UPON RECIEPT OF THE VEHICLE IT RESPONDED EXACTLY THE SAME. AFTER THE FACTORY REP. WORKED ON IT I SPOKE WITH HIM ON THE PHONE ON TUESDAY 10-12-1999, AND HE SAID "I THINK IT'S GOOD ENOUGH BUT I'D LIKE TO KEEP IT ANOTHER DAY AND SWAP TIRES, AND MAYBE EVEN BRAKE LINING, TO SEE IF IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE." HE ALSO STATED THAT UPON INITIAL BRAKING THE VEHICLE WANTED TO GO LEFT BUT SEEMED TO TRACK PRETTY WELL. CLEARLY NOT STATING "IT'S FIXED" BUT RATHER SHOWING THAT EVEN HE WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE "REPAIRS". UPON RECIEPT OF THE VEHICLE THIS LAST TIME I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE TO THE FIRST STOP SIGN AND UPON BRAKING VEHICLE PULLED LEFT. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED AROUND AND WENT BACK TO THE DEALER HOPING TO TALK TO KEVIN THE OWNER, WHOM I HAD ALREADY SPOKEN TO BUT HE WAS NOT IN AT THAT TIME. I AM STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM HIM.