It's nice to see an aftermarket company make the dashes. It's even made in the U.S.A. and the company has the ***** to back it with a lifetime warranty. Wish I'd have seen this before I bought mine from Dodge.

 

2001 Dodge Ram 1500, Tan interior. Dash is badly cracked and it has 65,000 original miles. I have reported it to Dodge and the insurance safety place. Got nothin.
I am so dissapointed with Dodge and their customer service. Mainly dodges interior. IT SUCKS!

 

I hate to make this thread go ridiculously long but if i can help with some sort of recall I would love too. I have a 98 ram 1500 and It was my first vehicle I have ever owned it has been put through some crazy abuse and has been an awesome truck. I only have three complaints. The only problems I have had with the truck in 145k miles are the dreaded plenum leak, a rear main seal leak and the peice of junk dash that has almost completely fallen apart. I hate to say I didnt read all the way through the 28 pages of this thread but I am buying a molded cover for my dash also it seems to the be best solution I just wanna see if any one has bought anything like this and if they are happy with it if this has already been brought up someone can just post the page it is on and I will go to it or pm me. This is the dash I am buying it also looks to be cheaper than most of the ones i have seen in this thread and I truck the parts from lmc. http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/de/t.aspx?Page=85

 

I think dodge has more to worry about then a 8 year old dash But you can add me too the list of cracked dash.That replacement from ebay looks good.

 

eh, i have a 96 dodge 1500, bought it with a tiny crack in the dash.. np. so i bought a dash mat and about a month later i was cleaning my truck and noticed little pieces of plastic on my floorboard, puzzled me until i went to clean my dash mat and i had NO dashboard left... i'll post some pics later but i literally am missing 2/3s of my dash..

on a side note.. if i dont have a dashboard will those abs molded dashboards still fit on mine?

 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is the main reason I have stayed out of this thread. IMO, I think that people that expect a company to issue a recall on a product that is at the very least eight (8) years old, is completely idiotic.

I relate the topic to computers.
If a company makes, say, a hard drive, And thousands of them were sold. They all worked fairly well for 5 years, and all of the sudden, they start to crap out. Would you expect that company to cover their product that they made with technology 5 years old? I wouldn't I consider a dash to be a wear and tear part. Things get thrown on it, it bakes in the hot sun all day.... Cracks are going to happen. I do think that Dodge picked a very cheap compound to use on their dashes, but IMO Good stock vehicles started to go by the way side in the 80's. Sure they are somewhat safer, but the materials used, has gone to ****. This is true of ALL Domestic vehicles. Not just limited to Dodge.

Now, being a small enterprise owner, I understand customer satisfaction is key to any profitable business, but in the other hand, I have limitations on my decency. If someone buys my product (Honey, Sorghum, Soap, Candles, or Engine work) and within a reasonable amount of time they have an issue with it, I will honor my product. BUT, If I have someone buy a bottle of honey, and they call me years down the road to tell me my product is cheap, and shoddy, Honestly, I am not going to give them the time of day. The same holds true for someone bitching about engine work.
People have no sense, and they expect everything they ever buy to last for a lifetime with no issues what so ever! In the history of man, there has never been such a product that can fulfill that kind of standard.

Does anyone on this site see my point?

 

I totally see your point, Chris, but a part like a dash should be able to last at least a decade without crumbling to pieces. The wide range of people and situations involved (different geographic areas, age of vehicles, degree of cracking) tells me that something is not right with these things and that there is truly a manufacturing defect involved.

 

I have no doubt that Dodge should have done something about the dashes when the issue first started appearing. Like say within 2-3 years after manufacturing? This whole deal is a lot like what the 4th genners are going through right now with their leather seats, and them stretching out.

What I don't get is the people now that expect something to be done. Some of these truck's dashes are over 10 years old. Hell, mine has a small one. (Course that was partly due to the passenger throwing a temper tantrum and throwing a rather heavy ratchet on the dash... We pulled over and someone walked home.

 

Yeah, I agree with you there. At this point, unless there's some way to prove this is a safety issue (not likely) I doubt Dodge can be forced to do anything about it and with their current financial situation they certainly aren't going to do something this potentially expensive on their own. Even if it is the right thing to do.

 

Hey COMTEX, we already know you're a SPAMMER. Quit trying to masquerade as a concerned member.