Thebreak line on my 98 Ram 1500gave way this weekend and I had to be towed (out of state). It cost me $600.00 by the time they were done. The mechanic said I was the 6th Dodge that week with rotten break lines. There was another Ram in at the same time. Is Dodge doing a recall on this?

 

My 98 Ram break line failed this weekend out of state. I had to be towed. The mechanic told me that I was the 6th Dodge with a break line failure this week. Another Ram 15oo was in at the same time. Is Dodge taking any responsibility for this?

 

I wouldn't think so now that it's 10 years old. Rust warranties are usually only 7 years. Undercoat or just spraying oil every year or two has always saved my brake lines and gas lines and just made the vehicle last longer in general.

 

Recalls are defective parts causing issues rust on 10 year old trucks that live in an area that is called the salt belt are not subject for recalls due to driving conditions.

 

If the comment had not been made that the mechanic had 6 that week, I would have blamed it on age. The other Ram that was there was a 2002. My Camero Z is a' 95 with 160,000 miles and has not had any difficulties like my Ram. New transmission, evaporator core in the dash, break line, and they tell me the suspension is going and will need to be replaced at the next inspection...and it only has 66,000 miles. I would hate to see what it would be like with 160,000 miles.

 

Not to sound like a male appendage here but, I bet the mechanic was exaggerating. I have not seen 6 Rams with failed brake lines in the last 10 years. And the other problems that you have had: how often have you changed the fluid and filter in your transmission. Not servicing the trans is a sure way to kill it. Brake lines are subject to weather/road/salt/rust conditions. And if someone told me that my suspension was going, I would get a second opinion. Just can't see the entire suspension failing at one time. Sorta sounds like a mechanic needs some extra cash. Accept the fact that you have a 10 year old truck, things are gonna fail.

 

Thought I would add another few lines to the brake line discussion as my 2000 Dodge Cummins just blew a third brake line in less than two months.

The first one was the steel line running to the back that blew out just after I had hitched up my flatbed trailer to go pick up a car. It literally blew out right in the yard after I hooked the trailer up but before I left the driveway, so I replaced and bleed the system right in the comfort of my shop. The second line was the front steel line that runs from one side to the other just behind the engine support crossmember. This one blew out while I was pushing on the pedal after replacing the first line to check for leaks, which means that if I had been driving the truck with a car on a trailer in tow I would have been totally without hydraulic brakes.

Then just this past week I have a squeak in a rear wheel, so put it in the shop and pull the rear drum to find that one of the fasteners that holds the brake shoes to the backing plate has fallen off and been grinding on the drum. So I fix this and while I'm pumping the brakes to get the self adjusting mechanism to seat the brakes the rubber line in the back that connects to the rear axle blows out, again right in my yard.

Now living in New England cars get hit bad with salt, but I wash this truck regularly during the winter, taking care to rinse the undercarriage off good, so the truck is very clean and yet all this rust on the brake lines.

Of further interest is that the fuel line that runs right next to the first line that broke is bright and shiny, which as someone who has worked with metal for over 40 years tells me there's something up with the steel being used for the brake lines since the fuel line shows no rust on it.

Anyway, I've been looking around the web to see if more people are reporting problems and thought I would post mine to add to the list.

 

I see this is an old topic, so i'll be brief not to mention this is my very first post.
I have a 2001 sport 1/2 ton 4 X 4 p/u with off road package that i've had since new, and being a career auto truck and diesel bus mechanic, i'll also add from a professional view that its a poor grade of steel that was use.
Especially when you consider other manfactured vehicles of older age are still running there original brake lines and are mostly rust free, even in this region of snow and the use of sand & salt.

My turn to blow a steel line:
My rear brake-linejustrear ofthe fuel tank rusted out yesterday morning just behind the chassis bracket where it connects to the flex line that runs down to the differential, andjustas I was approaching a stop sign, not a great feeling when your peddle goes squoosh and you go into panic mode to get the truck stopped from 45 plus mph.
I'm glad I avoided having an accident and that I wasn't towing my 7000 Lbs 27 ft cabin cruiser if it was during the summer months down a steep incline country road here where I live in up state NY close to the Hudson River.

Recourse:
Even though Dodge doesn't recognize this safety problem which I base on knowing of more then a half dozen trucks from various people that have had the same problem over the past 6 months to 3 yr's that have come to me asking why this has happened so soon in yr's compared to other cars & trucks they've owned without a line failure.
Dodge must know of this issue becauseits strange thatthey havenow switched over to using s/s brake lines in their new trucks.
Before doing this repair myself I gave a localDodge dealer a call to inquire about if there was a safety recall at this point to replace these brake lines,and even though heacknowledged that thereis a problem and he has replaced many, his answer was SorryNO!

 

Moved to 2nd gen section, bump to the top.

 

Silver Dodge,
I guess being new here I don't understand your reply.