Same story here - my dash is cracked through in four places now, this just happened two months ago. The bezel that surrounds the gauges is also cracked. The sunglass case clip broke clean off, leaving that annoying thing dangling down from the ceiling.

The truck also now fails to start unless you put your foot in it, it was just at the dealer for this problem a month ago and they replaced the fuel module, still has the same problem the day I got it back. I initally asked then to check for leaky injectors, but they told me that the fuel module was the problem.

I was initially very happy with the truck, until I tried to pull my 24 foot trailer (small, so I was told) with it. I eventually bought another truck (not a Dodge) for fear of the 5.2's life. This combination has no buisness pulling a trailer (with stock gears, or in stock trim) even though the dealer assured me that pulling that trailer would not be a problem. ( Apparently my salesman had never seen a hill ) It's been back twice to be flashed, both for missing horsepower and it's odd shifting to no avail to date.

I've only have 46K on this truck and really do not use it enough to justify it's sixth trip back to the dealer tomorrow, leaving me without it again for three days while they "tear the whole dash out" to replace the cracked dash and chase the starting problem.

 

Hey you party peoples.. I was surfing around today, trying to find a certain type of Dodge graphic logo for another poster and I found this website..

Dodge Dash Covers

These don't look like the after-market, el-cheapo dash mats that ya'll wanna stay away from.. They look more like actual vinyl replacement covers that will restore the factory look..

Here's a quote from their website..
Hope this helps one or move of ya..

 

This subject about dash cracking was discused on another Dodge forum. A common denominator seemed to be use of Armoral. Thought was Armoral contains petrolium base and attacks plastic. My 2001 interior plastic has had at least 1 or 2 applications of Armoral. All of it has a kind of grimey almost black coating except the dash. I've switched to Meguiar's for outside plastic trim and the toneau. I'm not gonna do anything to the dash. I don't know what to do about the black attack on the inside door panels and steering wheel center.

 

I have been using Armor All Interior on my 'o1's dash since it was new, it now has 48,000 miles and no cracks have appeared yet.

I think Armor All Interior has been discontinued because I dont see it in the stores anymore.

Also, my interior is gray, wonder if the color has anything to do with it?

 

I can't believe that someone else is having the same problem that I am. Two months ago, my 2001 Ram dash board was perfect. Now it is cracked severely in about 6 places. My truck is immaculate....this is not normal. I have already contact Dodge. They gave me the brush off. I'd love to join in on some kind of legal action if there is a reasonable way. I've copied the 'sorry Charlie' letter from Dodge below.

Dear Scott:

Thank you for the recent e-mail regarding your 2001 Dodge Ram.

Your concerns, particularly in view of the expense and inconvenience
involved in this issue, are understandable. However, your request for
consideration in this matter must be declined, because the vehicle in
question has exceeded the time or mileage limitations of the
manufacturer's warranty at the time the expense was incurred.

Although a more favorable reply could not be provided, sharing your
concern with us is appreciated.

Thank you for the e-mail.

Original Message Follows:
------------------------
Form Selected:
--------------
Category: US Customer Service
Brief Description:
------------------
DEFECTIVE DODGE RAM DASH BOARD
Comments:
---------
I own an immaculate 2001 Dodge Ram with tan interior. I have owned
trucks
for 25 years and this is my first Dodge truck. Within the last two
months,
my dash has cracked in 5 or 6 places (and more evry other day) and is nearly falling apart. I am not talking spider web type cracks, but ones that are full dash width an some 8" or more length wise. There were no cracks on it before two months ago. I have never seen anything like it. I have been online with other owners suprisingly found many others with
the
EXACT same problem. DODGE OWES ME (AND OTHERS) A NEW DASH BOARD. It is obviously a defective part. No well kept dash should crack in this
short
amount of time. I just sold a '95 F150...dash board looked like a brand new one. Obviously I am extremely unhappy with this situation. If
Dodge
doesn't make good on this dash, I guarantee you that this will be my
last
Ram.

 

My 2000 Ram 1500 has the same problem. It started about 6 months ago and has progressed to the point that I'm afraid that I I have an accident...and the airbags deploy...I'll be killed by shrapnel from the dash. Last night, my glove box completely fell off. I discovered that the hinges (apparently made from the same cheap plastic) completely broke...while the box was closed. I agree that I don't believe that a 5-eyar old vehicle should be like that. My 1993 Buick Roadmaster doesn't have a single crack in the dash, in spite of it sitting outside all the time.

Howard

 

I received my response from DaimlerChrysler - I thought I'd share it with you all, but then again you've read it before. It's the same letter sent to others who have complained.


-----Original Message-----
From: customerassist [mailto:customerassist@daimlerchrysler.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 9:20 AM
To: Howard Hawbaker
Subject: Re: DaimlerChrysler Customer Assistance (KMM3105275V95764L0KM)

Dear Howard,

Thank you for your recent email to DaimlerChrysler Motors Corporation.

I regret your dissatisfaction in your DaimlerChrysler product, and
appreciate the time and effort you took to bring this matter to my
attention.

Your concerns, particularly in view of the expense and inconvenience
involved in this issue, are understandable. However, your request for
consideration in this matter must be declined, because the vehicle in
question has exceeded the time or mileage limitations of the
manufacturer's warranty at the time the expense was incurred.

Although a more favorable reply could not be provided, sharing your
concern with us is appreciated.

Thank you again for your email.

NOTE: Please do not use the 'Reply' function of your email system. If
you have a need to respond to this message, please visit us at our reply
form (link provided below). Our system is NOT able to accept any emails
at this address.

For any future communications related to this email, please refer to the
following information:
REFERENCE NUMBER: 13891422
REPLY LINK: http://www.chrysler.com/wccsapp/wccs...MM3105275C0KM&


Sincerely,

Dan
Senior Staff Representative
DaimlerChrysler Customer Assistance Center


Original Message Follows:
------------------------
Form Selected:
--------------
Category: US Customer Service
Brief Description:
------------------
Dash cracking (among other issues)
Comments:
---------
I own a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup which I bought new from Cardenas Motors
in Brownsville, TX. I picked this truck as the first NEW vehicle that I've
ever owned. Unfortunately, it also turned out to be the biggest disappointment of my life. In the first week of ownership, the plastic cover on the drink holder in the back seat area broke off. Then, shortly after the warranty ended, I started having a myriad of other problems. Since new, I've gone through 12 sets of front brakes, an air conditioning condenser, a water pump, a transmission, a rear end and, most recently, the dash board has cracked to pieces (literally). Last night when I was driving home on city streets, the glove compartment fell off of its hinges. Upon closer examination, I see that the hinges just broke off, without the box even being open. My dash has cracked to the point that large sections of it have fallen into the firewall area and the bezel surrounding the instrument cluster has also cracked. I fear that if I were to be involved in an accident with airbag deployment, I might suffer more serious injuries
from plastic shapnel than from the accident itself.

I've started looking around at Dodge trunks similar to mine and have found that most of them in the 1998-2001 range have cracked dashboards. In reading other consumer forums, I see that I'm not alone in the problems. From what I understand, your company has changed vendors due to poor quality in the dash moldings. What can I expect from Daimler Chrysler in terms of repairing my vehicle? Since this is obviously not a problem unique to my vehicle, I think it is your company's responsibility to help fix the problem. Otherwise, I think just about any judge, upon reading a petition signed by several hundred owners of Dodge trucks with similar problems, would side with us. I would rather it didn't have to go that route (mostly because I am vehemently against lawsuits in most cases).

I'll be glad to send photos and any other documentation that you ask for. I look forward to hearing your response.

Thank You.

Sender Information:
-------------------
Title: Mr.
First Name: Howard
Middle Initial: L
Last Name: Hawbaker

 

My 2001 dash started with one single crack about 6 months ago. Now it has 8 cracks - literally coming apart. Other interior problems as well.

It is very obvious from this forum thread that Dodge installed defective plastics in 2000/01, and it is also obvious that they have no intention of fixing their mistake. Not surprising - Dodge is known for their shoddy interiors.

Which is why I now own a Ford and my daughter drives this piece of junk with very few miles (28K) as a high school car. I also have owned three Chevy trucks and put over 100K on each of them with no real problems. I will never buy a Dodge truck again.

 

Dodge Bubbas,

Sorry to hear you have the same problem I have with my 2001 Ram 1500 Quad. Though it looks good on the outside I can't let anyone ride inside due to the multiple dashboard cracks and fear of a wreck and personal injuries from the jagged edges. There are three separate, very large cracks that do not even connect to one another. This is not only a big embarrassment for Dodge but for me also. One passenger got pinched when she braced against the dash as I went over a bumpy area of the road. Dodge needs to fix this problem and soon. Some media attention during the daily newscasts should help...and from various cities around the country. My local stations air a Consumer Problem Solver nightly. Sometimes the case does not get resolved until they contact Headquarters which appears to be the case here with these dashboards. The publicity may induce Dodge to fix them.

 

AMAZING!! I found this site by trying to find a replacement dash for my....you won't believe it...2001 Dodge Ram Dashboard! Hmmm. I wonder. So anyways...heres what I know. Allen Samuels Dodge in Alliance, Texas sais they can get me a replacement for that part for $194.00. Now, thats just the part that cracks...or I can go and spend $364.00 and just the whole new Dash set-up! I did use Amorall on mine and stopped after I noticed 2 cracks int he plastic. Now the cracks have progressed to the point where they are broken up and look like spear tips! Not good if I get into a crash, eh? Oh well, I'm off to that site to check out the other dashboards I saw posted somewhere in the middle of this post.