Anyone thinking of buying Dodge..........check this first

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Not you again! Looking at JDPowers or Edmunds the 2004 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton outscores both Ford and Chevy in almost all catagories for reliability.

I'm sure if you look you'll find similar websites for any auto manufacture.

Reply to
miles

This is the first time I've posted here.........so I don't know where the "not you again" is coming from. Here's my experience with a Dodge Dakota I bought new in '99. Before the warranty (60,000km) expired:

  1. Paint peeled off front bumper.
  2. Seals in A/C were replaced.
  3. Transmission shift linkage replaced.
  4. Front upper ball joints replaced. Dealer told me it would take awhile to get all the "bugs" out.

After the warranty had expired:

  1. Battery replaced (4 years old)
  2. Waterpump
  3. Both wheel bearings.
  4. y pipe on exhaust.
  5. cruise control stopped working
  6. Front rear seal on transmission
7.Flimsy Dodge box liner warps when sun shines on it.
  1. Transmission pan rusted out.
  2. Transfer case leaking fluid.
  3. Seat belts won't retract. I've done the recommended maintenace on this lemon since day one. I use this truck to travel to work and have never had it off road. The few times I've used it to go on a trip (never over 1000KM) something major has gone wrong.
Reply to
justme

I bought a 99 Ram new. Here are my problems

BEFORE Warranty expired

  1. NOTHING

AFTER Warranty:

  1. Flat Tire

Reply to
GeekBoy

I bought my 99 RAM new.

BEFORE WARRANTY EXPIRED:

  1. Steering system return hose rubbed against pulley, disabling power steering (repaired)

  1. Left door speaker stopped working, wiring harness replaced

  2. Had a couple of recalls, did not act on one (regarding hood latch).

AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED

  1. RWAL sensor went bad
  2. Had to replace batteries about twice (my fault)

I tow a 3,500 lbs boat trailer occasionally.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus3635

They have these sites for every manufacturer. People get crappy vehicles sometimes and the companies will try to keep from fixing it.

My 2003 Ram has been one of the best vehicles I have ever had, the best, hands down, was a 1982 Chevy Blazer. A broken trim piece was it, anything else I did (Like break the rear window track). My 1988 S10 Blazer was nearly as good.

My 85 Caravan was ok, with the exception of cracking an AC condensor every two years, same thing on my 93 Grand Cherokee, all were fixed for free. The 99 Grand Cherokee had awful seats and I hated it more than anything I have ever owned, but except for warped brakes, it was totally reliable.

BDK

Reply to
BDK

I'm calling BS here. Paint and body are covered for 12k only. If you got it fixed under warranty, thats a GOOD thing, and commendable action on DC's part.

So?

More BS. exactly how did it get broken? This is a dealer prep check item, if it broke, YOU broke it.

Finally an issue that is real. And they replaced them under warranty. Sounds like everything went right on this issue.

And thats possible, as it is with all mechanical devices.

Normal wear item at 4 years, so friggin what?

So? Its not unheard of at 60k plus.

Both? Which ones? Were they maintained properly?

I smell abuse of vehicle.....

Electronics fail anytime they want.

??? what you called it does not exist. Normal seepage is not a leak. How bad was it?

So get a real one. Dodge didn't design, nor manufacture, the box liner. Its not a DC issue.

BULLSHIT.

Normal seepage or draining on the ground?

ANd theres no user problems there?

I think you are full of shit. Your list screams of someone being too picky while abusing the vehicle. At least one problem couldn't happen.

Reply to
Max Dodge

Not sure I believe this web site. I could write the same thing about toyota or ford. It may be true, but I'm not yet convinced.

I purchased a '95 Ram new in '94. Warrenty repairs: 0 Out of warrenty repairs: 0 Rountine maint only

I traded it in at 85K miles for a new '01 Dakota QC on '00

Warrenty repairs: 0 Out of warrenty repairs: 0 Routine maint only. Now at 70K miles and going strong.

That's been my personal experiance with Dodge. Would I buy another new new Dakots? No, but only because I don't like the new styling or engine choices. I like my

5.9 magnum so I'll keep it until it dies, and then rebuild it. If my truck were to be destroyed in an accident, or stolen, I'd be at the Dodge dealer the next day looking for another one.
Reply to
.boB

Would a bad RWAL sensor cause the following symptoms:

(1) Brake indicator lit on the dash. (2) ABS indicator lit on the dash. (3) Cruise control cuts out occasionally (twice in about 100 miles this morning) (4) Speedometer operates normally. (5) Brakes appear to be operating normally - I haven't had the opportunity to try any panic stops.

I checked the ABS fuse (visual) and it doesn't appear to be blown. I don't want to go buy a meter if I don't have to.

Thanks, Greg

Reply to
Greg Surratt

could do any one of those

Reply to
Max Dodge

Thanks, Max. I guess I'll have to stare at the lights until I get back home in a couple of weeks and hope nothing else goes wrong with it. I'm out of town and don't have time to work on it right now.

Greg

Reply to
Greg Surratt

What does this have to do with the price of tea in China? It still pealed of which is not exactly a sign of quality.

Sounds like cheap rubber seals to me.

LOL, now you are the one giving BS. Dealer prep item, LOL!!! That doesn't mean they actually even looked at it and how exactly did he break it?

Really, how many time have you brought your vehicle back to work out these "bugs". Sounds to me like even the dealer saw this particular vehicle as a lemon.

That is still a fairly short time for a failure. Sounds like DC trying to save a buck at the customers expense again.

Please explain.

LOL, especially when they are made from sub-standard parts.

What exactly is normal seepage. I never see so much as a drop under either my wifes Intrepid or my 240SX which is a relic compared to his vehicle.

BS. They were the ones who installed it for top dollar, they should be responsible for what they sell although this may be a dealer specific screw-up.

What do you call "normal seepage"?

Why is everything he has a user problem?

If you had these many problems with your vehicle, I think that you would develop a similar attitude. With the exception of the POS rear axle and the now pealing paint, my truck has done very well for me. Every company is capable of producing a lemon, hell, that is the definition of Ford

Reply to
TBone

As a new guy I've been wanting to write something about my 4WD 2001 Dakota with the 4.7 V-8. This thread gives me the opportunity. This is the best vehicle I've ever owned with absolutely zero defects to date. The only area in which I was a little disappointed was the gas mileage, but now I feel better. Mine is 18, except in the summer when it does better. It is not used much for short trips though, unless you count about a mile of off-road most weekends. A friend with a 2WD version gets 19.

I could also apply this note to the thread from justme. His sounds like a case of abuse. Gary K. Conn.

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Reply to
Gary R. Kohler

Swap it with a known good fuse of the same rating.

Reply to
Nosey

Welcome to the funny farm Gary. There are a couple of other Garys here that post under different user-names. Some of us will slip up and refer to them by name from time to time. If you see a post mentioning your name it may not be intended for you. This is a great source of information and it can also be entertaining. Sometimes the discussions can get ugly so be prepared.

-- Ken

Reply to
Nosey

Here we go again, you don't want to address the issue. The issue is DC's customer service, not how the paint peeled. But hey, lets look at this... the paint pealed on a bumper. Now, how is it that the paint got to peeling? Could it be that he HIT something? We don't know, because he doesn't say. Hard to find fault with anyone if the facts aren't presented. But one fact was presented: DC fixed the problem. DC 1, justme 0

They all use the same seals, as refrigerant is kinda picky about what it'll eat through and what it won't. But until the facts are presented, this could be nothing more than a random failure. But DC apparently fixed the problem. DC 2, justme 0

Sorry, it DOES mean they actually looked at it, because part of prepping a new vehicle is looking at the underside for damage caused in transit, including linkage. Then, it must be test driven AT LEAST 10 miles, and I'll bet the linkage worked then. As such, it was broken after being sold. So the owner broke it, and DC replaced it. DC 3, justme 0

Actually, in the case of my 2000 Ram, it saw the dealer 11 times for a pull to the right. In my case, the dealer was the problem. On one visit, I told them about the problem, it was put on the service order, and when I picked it up, the problem was still there. Said the service manager, "well, we didn' know about it." "Funny," I said, "YOU friggin typed it in to the service order, so SOMEONE knew about it."

As to whether or not this vehicle was a lemon, I'm calling BS on that too. None of the problems were with the drivetrain, and none of the problems were anything that kept the vehicle in the shop a majority of the time it was owned.

Rubbish. In order to prove that, you'd have to prove that the majority of water pumps failed at that interval. As it is, we don't know why it failed, but it did. Its not unheard of, and its no one's particular fault.

A y pipe is very hard to get to rust out due to heat. Further, its pretty tough to hit the ground with it. So if it failed, its probably from some sort of activity with the truck that is above and beyond the normal scope of operation and design.

And I'm sure you have proof of this? Yup, thats right, you need PROOF when you make claims like this.

Have you checked the fluids lately? Maybe they're so low they aren't seeping. Or maybe its the dirt that clumped onto the wet spot that keeps it from dripping. I haven't seen a vehicle yet that didn't seep a bit of fluid at the 60-100k stretch. Evidence is the dirt clinging to the drivetrain.

Bingo. And furthermore, its something you can check on before buying "flimsy" stuff.

Because if he didn't use it, it wouldn't fail, it would be brand new. DUH. Walked into that one, didn't ya? Regardless, seatbelt retraction is generally fouled up by one of two things: 1) twisted/tangled belt, 2) foreign matter fouling the webbing of the belt.

All of the problems he mentioned are normal, save for the BS about a rusted out trans pan, which even you walked away from. Most of this stuff is just pain in the ass stuff, and it sucks that it happened, but its NOT a lemon. As to "this many problems", I've had my truck to the dealer over 15 times total for front end issues (shocks, two new steering boxes, track bar, intermediate shaft). I don't think Dodge built a bad truck, I think the dealer kept a shitty service manager.

Reply to
Max Dodge

Another drive-by....... jeesh....

Mike

Reply to
Mike Simmons

Ugly? That's putting it mildly?

Roy

Reply to
Roy

Actually Maxi, it is you that chooses not to address the issue. Many of the problems should not have happened at all or at least not in the fairly short time frame that they did. It seems that you blame everything on the owner and you don't know the whole story either. Back to that double standard once again, I see.

Wrong. It should not have peeled this early in the trucks life.

I don't think that he would be complaining if the paint pealed due to damage as that would sorta be expected but hell, you know everything, right? The paint is now pealing off of my hood and it was never damaged and washed regularly, is this my fault as well?

No, the dealer fixed it, DC screwed it up. DC 0, dealer 1

LOL, complete BS. Things fail for a reason and sub-standard parts and or assembly comes to mind.

Random failures are usually caused by reduced quality controls that were corrected by the dealer. DC 0, dealer 2

Once again, you are talking out of your ass. When I got my truck, it had a large patch of paint worn thru on the roof where a chain from the car carrier got it and they didn't catch it. I saw it two days after I took delivery when it was parked under my office window and I could see the roof and they washed the truck prior to my picking it up. Now even if they looked at the shift linkage, not all defective parts are obvious. A hairline crack or defective casting can easily look good but be very weak and not every part that is defective fails immediately. If all defective parts were easily detectable and failed immediately, there would be no need for a warranty past the first day of ownership.

You are kidding, right? I could probably get a coat hanger to work for the few times the linkage was used during that "test drive", LOL.

Back to spin once again. While it did break after being sold, that is not the same thing as the owner breaking it. BTW, you still didn't expalin how the owner could have done it other than just trying to make it perform it's function, IOW, it was defective. DC 0, dealer 3

LOL, feel free to hide behind the legal definition of a lemon. Lets just say that the dealer probably knew that this particular vehicle was going to have a lot of problems.

Not at all. A reduction in quality control will cause a small percentage more to fail prematurely while saving money, pretty much like the sub-standard bearings DC decided to use in the 9 1/4 rear. They don't all fail, but enough do to be noticable. As for fault, if it was just the pump, I would agree but when you add in all of the other problems that this vehicle is also having...

Or it could simply be a sub-standard part not up to what was required of it, pretty much like the shift linkage. Like YOU said, both of these components are hard to abuse so if they failed, it is more likely due to substandard components. DC -1

The proof is simple, there is no other valid reason for this type of failure unless you know of some magical way to abuse a CC unit.

Yep, fluid levels are fine. Are you saying that it is normal for a vehicle to leave a puddle of fluid on the ground? Oh, wait a minute, you did say

60-100K. I guess that you are referring to LEAKAGE due to worn seals and even then, you are talking about wetnesss on the components, not puddles on the ground..

That does not relieve them from their responsibility to install quality components (even aftermarket) on an expensive vehicle. DC -2

No, it would be unused, not new, and still defective., DUH!

No, but you sure did.

Or a substandard mechanism due to quality control cutbacks or cut rate components to save money. The belts in my 89 Nissan still work perfectly and that car has automatic belts, so they move every time the car is used. DC -3

While they may be normal, this many of them in this short of a period of time is NOT normal and is a clear indication of a slipping level of quality control. As for the pan, I don't know what it is made out of on his vehicle so I cannot make any comment there. Now did he get confused between rust and corrosion.

Yes, it is a PITA and completely unacceptable to have so many of them happen to a single expensive vehicle in such a short period of time.

Now this sounds like abuse from the customer. I guess I can see why you blame him for the problems with his vehicle.

Reply to
TBone

And Motor Week has rated all Jeep Wrangler, Liberty and Grand Cherokee the top SUVs out of all the auto makers.

Reply to
Coasty

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