GOT YA! I never block anyone, no matter how annoying they are... [:'(]


STORY CONTINUES ::: I took my truck to a local mechanic, not affiliated with Dodge, and found out that I could get an aftermarket part that is virtually IDENTICAL to the one in my truck except it has grease tips. My question is this. If the aftermarket is smart enough to figure out there is a problem, why isn't Dodge fixing their screwup? Personally I think it's all about the $$. It would probably cost an extra $1 to put grease fittings on these parts so they would rather save their money and put lives at risk. Once again, I've got nothing against the DEALERSHIP that I'm dealing with, they have no choise in the matter.

Anyway, I can't fit anymore into my signature because I hit the maximum number of characters, so here's a short list of everything else that's wrong with the truck. Keep in mind I treat this truck like gold (even if the engine has some residual dirt from spring driving, Chris).

- Fan (hot/cold air) only turns on if set to high.
- CD player half the time won't give back a CD for a week.
- Steering linkage shot.
- Noticable rust, even though I have an ionizer installed.

In short, with everything that's already happend, these are the clinchers. So, today I began talks about returning this POS early, since I only have a few months left on the lease anyway.


EDIT: BTW, I remember someone saying something about these things being in the manual? I actually found it. The manual states that every time the truck is hoisted these joints (as well as the ball joints) should be checked. EVERY TIME! To me that kinda sounds like evidence that they know there is a problem, but they aren't going to fix it, so you need to keep an eye on it. How about you?

 

Where did your mechanic get the after-market part? I would like to replace mine?

 

Oops didn't need a ? mark. I meant I want to change mine.

 

That's the thing. He told me he knew aftermarket part WAS available to fix the problem but he didn't give me anything more than that. I don't even know if he was telling the truth or not.

 

I have had the same problem with my truck. I just slathered the joints in grease and worked it in and havent had a problem with it since.

 

scandal: Don't use WD40. It is a penetrating oil, not a lubricant. Your general purpose spray lubricant will be white lithium grease.

 

FURTHER UPDATE::: I spoke with a representative at my dealership about taking the truck back early due to the problems we're having. It's only 4 months till the end of the lease, they have a $1500 cash deposit, and we've added over $1000 to the value of the vehicle with customizations so I didn't expect any issues. We were called back today and basically told they wouldn't let us out of the lease. I made sure to inform him that it would be almost a month before the replacement part comes in and I couldn't drive the truck (the steering has gotten that bad, and I REFUSE to fix it myself) until it did. I was basically told, "tough luck", and that we were screwed. At that point I was SOOOOOOOOOOO tempted to tell the ***** that I went today looked at some FORD trucks, but instead I decided to take out my frustrations in a more, constructive way.

Anyone having this problem, REPORT IT! I, personally, have lost my respect for Dodge and as such will never be buying another but for those who still believe this is the best way to have your cake and eat it too. The more reports filed the more chance there is that Dodge will be FORCED to fix their design defects. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for people having to do their own maintenance, or purchase an aftermarket part, to fix a design defect. You can report your issue here;

http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp2822/page4_e.htm

Note that this is a way to report in CANADA, and while you can report to this agency from pretty much any country, there may be better ways to report if you live outside Canada.

 

YET ANOTHER UPDATE::: Since it was too late yesterday for me to call, I called the number on the reporting site (see previous post) today and the person there was more than happy to take my report. They said they already had a few reports of problems with stiff-loose-stiff steering on the Dakota models, but people weren't sure what the problem was so they couldn't really look into it. I gave them all my details about the intermediate shaft, as well as directed them to the specific "2nd Gen Dakota" forum area, and he was thrilled.

He wanted me to have EVERYONE who is having this issue contact their office and report the problem because an influx of complaints (even 4 or 5) would force their office to launch an immediate investigation and might put Dodge on the recieving end of a government issued recall. Once again the site is here;

http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp2822/page4_e.htm

Unfortunately it's a government office so they're only open from 8AM to 4:30PM EST. Make sure you have your ownership (the little paper that says you own the truck) on hand because they'll need some info off it, like the VIN number.

 

YET ANOTHER UPDATE (AGAIN!)::: It would seem that some representatives from Dodge actually view this forum because only a few hours after I posted here that I contacted Transport Canada, a part, that was supposed to be on 3 weeks backorder, magically will be available tommorow morning at my local dealership. Anyone think that sounds a little like a Big-Wig pulled a UPS overnighter? So tommorow I have a date to replace the intermediate shaft (for the second time). I'm not going to be as enthusiastic as others on this site though, because I know that whomever owns my truck in 2 years will be running into this same problem, and by that time the warranty will be done. Jokes on the dealership, since I'm keeping a running log of my breakdowns in the "Notes" area of the truck's owners manual...



Once again, if you're having problems with your vehicle REPORT IT...

Canada: http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp2822/page4_e.htm

USA: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov

They'll only fix the problem (for good) if they're forced to. YOU HAVE THE POWER!

 

(bump, due to edits)