Here's what my 2000 looks like AFTER being "FIXED" by the dealership (Caruso Dodge) here in Jacksonville, Florida. I should have known something was up when they called to tell me they were finished with it after only a half a day.
When I got there I immediately noticed that the new upper cover was much darker than the original lower parts. The upper is scratched up on both sides, is missing the soft rubber fillers at the a-pillars.....a-pillars, heck one of the plastic covers is now cracked as well. Way to go guys.
I had them leave the new instrument bezel off so I could re-install my stereo. Good thing I did because I immediately noticed that the entire lower half of the dashboard had not been replaced as was stated (and charged to corporate) on the receipt. The tech they had working on this thing barely had basic motor skills as the manager asked him about all the issues.
My air bag switch has since fallen into the dashboard. My headlight switch and A/C panel are hanging on by 2 screws each, and I little parts of dash continue to fall to the ground.
I have been working with the dealership since September 2007. They know they need to replace the upper dash, the lower dash, the cracked a-pillar cover and the instrument bezel, but the ETA for the parts is unknown at this point.
Then don't. Your loss. Go buy your crappy Chevrolet that will break down on you within 50,000 miles and have no power. Or go buy a Ford, they never break down on you, but they always have a million little things go wrong with them. Never enough to cause you to total it, but always costly.
Ever think its just that dealership? Give me a break dude. I know of a great dealership an hour from my place that, if that happened on a Dodge I bought from them, they'd replace it with no questions asked, no problems. However, the dealership (or two) a mile or so from my place sound a lot like yours.
My father-in-law once bought a Chevrolet Cavalier. It would do random, insane things like the windows would go up and down on their own, the engine would surge when you hit the brake, stop when you hit the gas, etc. The dealership and Chevrolet the company denied anything was wrong with it... until the assistant manager who was test-driving it for problems plowed into the dealership wall when he went to park it.
A cracked dash is a small thing compared to that. However, I can somewhat understand you hating Dodge or Chrysler for the cracked dash and not wanting to fix it. All vehicle brands have their quirks like that.
As far as that botched repair goes, life sucks, you should have learned a lesson. Deal with it. Don't go back to that particular stealership. But you didn't, instead you are blaming the brand name for a mistake YOU made, taking it to a stealership who obviously doesn't care about your business. Taking it to a stealership for a repair, unless it was completely free, is a dumb idea in the first place.
Again, I say, give me a break.
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5.9L 360ci Magnum V8
Single 3" Flowmaster Super 44 Exhaust w/ Magnaflow Catalytic Converter
Volant Cold Air Intake Kit
Fastman 52mm Throttle Body
Modified Intake Manifold w/ Hughes Plenum Reinforcement Kit
SCT XCalibrator 2 Tuning by Hemifever
Awaiting Install: 3.92 gearing all around & Auburn LSD in rear axle
My 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 has extensive cracking and a hole about the size of a baseball in the dash. This is just another in a long list of issues in my Dodge truck owning experience. I will never, ever buy another Chrysler product again and, I am always sure to tell everyone I know to avoid Chrysler products as well...not just because of my experience but, the experiences of other Dodge owners I have witnessed over the years. The sooner they go belly up and quit screwing the consumer, the better off everyone will be. In the meantime, I have siliconed the cracks and ordered a Coverlay dash cover which should arrive soon. I have to wonder how many people are out there with this same problem that arenot on this forum. We are surely just a fraction of Dodge truck owners that are experiencing this problem. They will never own up to this!!
My 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 has extensive cracking and a hole about the size of a baseball in the dash. This is just another in a long list of issues in my Dodge truck owning experience. I will never, ever buy another Chrysler product again and, I am always sure to tell everyone I know to avoid Chrysler products as well...not just because of my experience but, the experiences of other Dodge owners I have witnessed over the years. The sooner they go belly up and quit screwing the consumer, the better off everyone will be. In the meantime, I have siliconed the cracks and ordered a Coverlay dash cover which should arrive soon. I have to wonder how many people are out there with this same problem that arenot on this forum. We are surely just a fraction of Dodge truck owners that are experiencing this problem. They will never own up to this!!
Its a nine year old vehicle. OF COURSE they won't own up to it! Come on! No vehicle manufacturer will go over ten years for any problems except Chrysler's powertrain warranty on their brand new vehicles, and not a single manufacturer goes over 5 years for anything like the dash or other stuff unrelated to the powertrain. Give me a break.
All vehicle manufacturers are the same in that regard, not just Chrysler. Come down off your rant and get over it.
And all vehicles are the same in that if you don't take care of them (or if the previous owners didn't), you will have issues, regardless of brand. Common sense. My dash has not cracked and shows no signs of it. My guess is its a small percentage of the overall Dodge Ram "population" that has this problem, no offense to you guys that do. Does it make you mad? Sure. Should you go wining about Chrysler not backing up their trucks, no. These are old trucks, relatively speaking. You're going to have maintenance and repairs like that.
Most of the time people join a forum to get help for problems, so if anything, the forum should be filled with Dodge owners who have had problems, not the other way around. So your assumption that lots of people having this problem and not being on the forum is majorly flawed. Are there some, sure, but not as many as you'd like to think. Stop trying to console yourself and get over it.
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5.9L 360ci Magnum V8
Single 3" Flowmaster Super 44 Exhaust w/ Magnaflow Catalytic Converter
Volant Cold Air Intake Kit
Fastman 52mm Throttle Body
Modified Intake Manifold w/ Hughes Plenum Reinforcement Kit
SCT XCalibrator 2 Tuning by Hemifever
Awaiting Install: 3.92 gearing all around & Auburn LSD in rear axle
Obviously you haven't gone back through the previous pages to see just how many complaints there are regarding the dashboards on this vehicle. It was more than enough to get a news organization in Florida involved a couple of years ago. Or, perharps you're a Dodge salesman trying to defend the junk they put on the road.Either way, you can keep sucking on Dodges' tailpipe. Later...
I've owned only two Dodges, but my family has owned an additional three or four over the years. No major problems at all. Just basic maintenance stuff or a few small things caused by previous owners.
I'm not saying it isn't a problem, all I'm saying is that it is a small percentage of the total Rams owned. Should Chrysler own up to it? Maybe. But its not a reason to hate Dodges. (Basically restating my earlier posts.)
Besides, you take that chance when no warranty exists. You can't get something for nothing. Sh*& happens. Live with it, grow up.
__________________
5.9L 360ci Magnum V8
Single 3" Flowmaster Super 44 Exhaust w/ Magnaflow Catalytic Converter
Volant Cold Air Intake Kit
Fastman 52mm Throttle Body
Modified Intake Manifold w/ Hughes Plenum Reinforcement Kit
SCT XCalibrator 2 Tuning by Hemifever
Awaiting Install: 3.92 gearing all around & Auburn LSD in rear axle
Vehicle: 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2L 2WD Reg Cab Long Bed
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 5,478
RE: 2001 Dashboard Cracks
I have heard the the true problem is a combination of VERY cheap plastic resin in the dash (posibbly even recycled resin) and overtorquing of the set screws on the dash (especially near the windshield) from the factory. The resin you can't do much about, but you could remove the bolts from the dash near the windshield and place a felt "washer" underneath and torque down lightly.
This will be a "must do" improvement from me when I puchase my next Ram, regardless of the promises made by any dealership.
I have taken out the dash on my 01 and found that it is connected to the vent system which inturn puts a bind on the dash. My analysis is that the vent system does vibrate which causes it to weaken and crack.
RE: 2001 Dashboard Cracks
