So Friday I'm changing the factory rotors on the Dakota, they'd been pulsating for a while and I knew they were warped. I had been wanting to replace the pads I put on at 40,000 miles with ceramics because of the dusting they created so at 47,000 miles I pull the first caliper off the driver side and the inside pad has a 3/4" gouge eaten out of it. I then pull the rotor off and the inside face is delaminating from the outer edge inwards 3/4"! The entire inner face of the rotor has spots where the surface is delaminating but the outer 3/4' is gone! Over to the passenger side........exact same thing, exact! This wasn't just rust eating at the steel. The steel was actually peeling back in places and folding back under the brake pad!.The outer faces were fine, there were no signs of overheating, no uneven wear except for the 3/4" gouges. This actually scared the hell out of me knowing that 7,000 miles ago these rotors looked fine and now they looked close to complete failure. I've seen some weird issues with different things automotive but this type failure on a brake part has me concerned with what other parts may have been made with steel this cheap. That's all it is-cheap materials used, and for brakes no less. Really has me quite pi$$ed actually. I'm real careful about maintenance on this truck and always follow the severe duty schedule in the owners manual so the truck is not abused or neglected. I like knowing when I hop in and turn the key that everything is in proper working order and SAFE!

Anyone else had this issue?

 

I've got about 94,000 miles on my 2002 Dakota SLT quad cab and I'm on my 3rd set of rotors. I baby the brakes on this truck and I get pulsation every 8,000 miles or so. I've been going back to the same brake shop since '04 thinking they'll figure it out. I've kept all my paperwork from the beginning because after reading some posts on here, I had a feeling the brakes were going to be a problem. I just got new pads, re-surfaced rotors and adjusted the rear brakes so this is fresh in my mind.

The recurring theme, every time I take it in to the shop, is that the rear drums aren't assisting as much as they should, therefore putting more strain/heat on the front rotors. I've been told from a couple different sources to buy some premium rotors and pads and basically replace any standard/economy equipment on the front brakes. I've heard that the problems will go away then. That's what I'll be doing in about another 5,000 miles.

 

make sure that you back up frequently enough, i know this sounds weird, but the auto adjusters int he rear drums activate when you stop short backing up, you can also adjust them through an adjustment window int he back of the drum, very easy to do, but you have to be careful not to make them too tight or else you will be wasting lots of gas driving around, if you need more details to do it let me know ill be glad to help, i just did mine a couple months ago

 

I back down my driveway everyday into my parking spot so I know the rears are adjusting themselves (I've checked numerous times). My rotors were in no way overheated just junk. I installed Auto Zone C-max ceramic pads and the mid level rotors since the premium rotors were not in stock. I even painted all surfaces except the faces with Eastwood rust encapsulator to help keep down the corrosion. Hopefully I'll have better luck with the replacements although 40,000 isn't too bad for rotors on a truck I guess. It was just the condition in the short amount of time since the last pads that startled me. I'm thinking of replacing the front brake lines with something better. It stops like new again but I think the factory brake lines are kinda soft allowing for a little softer pedal than I'd like.

 

SS Braided brake lines will help you out I would do the rear too. and the fitting is 10mm btw. lol At least mine where not sure if yours are too. a Real odd ball size.