I've got a 2007 Dodge Dakota STL Quad Cab Short Box, and a very frustrating & annoying problem!

I've taken this truck to a dealer to have it checked out and they just keep saying they cannot understand what i am talking about! (God help me!)
When driving over bumps in the road orRR tracks, the box on the truck moves to the left of the cab about 2 to 3 inches, yes inches. I can see it in the side mirror.Most times it is just very jiggly but a very significant jiggle it is.

They checked the bolts and they said they are tight. You cannot move the bed with your hands (side to side movement) when the truck is at a stand still.

I had one of the techs drive it with me so they could see what i meant, he says, "well its just a bit of wiggling, and it shouldn't wiggle that much, if it gets worse just bring it back in."

My response was....you've got to be BLANKING kidding me!!!
You can see the bed is not flush with the cab on the drivers side when eyeballing down the truck. It sticks out about 1/4 of an inch to the drivers side.

Now even if it was JUST bad box allignment, i don't see how that would affect the significant movement of the box going 2 to 3 inchesout the drivers side while crossing RR tracks or bumps in the road.

I am SO frustrated with the service! How can they NOT understand what i am talking about, especially after driving it with me! Can they not drive down the road and look at the rear side mirror at the same time?? LOL!

Iam just a plain old girl with NO AutoBody or Mechanical experience what so ever,BUTI amobservent enough, and intelligent enough to realize that something is just not right.

Can anyone here help me figure out what could possibly be the culprit with this problem?? Please???
Thanks so much!
Enjoy your day!
Tanya

 

it is normal for the bed to jiggle when doing that and it may appear to be bad at times, but not 3 inches bad. sorry to hear that. is there another dealership in the area? under warranty, all dodge dealerships have to cater to you

 

Mine has a seperate jiggle from the cab, I can see it when Im dancing on rough pavement or on a trail. Thats normal though. The bed doesnt flush the frame so I would imagine a bit of play but, if 3" of play is the case, theeeeeeeen. This is just a shot in the dark but, the bed body bolts have these rubber bushings, perhaps a few are missing??

 

I haul a camper and the tie downs are mounted to the front of thebed. I have not noticed any flexing but then when it should be flexing I had my hands firmly on the wheel and looking straight ahead. I'll look this weekend with the camper on. I have noticed that the bed is flush with cab on my 2005.

 

You should never see that kind of bed movement. All that is normal would be what is caused by frame flexing. It sounds like the service person is just blowing you off. I would suggest putting a camera in the cab with you. When the bed moves, stop and take a picture. Use that for proof when you go back to the dealer. You probably can't cause the movement by hand because you would have to pick the bed up a little bit to get ti to move.

 

I had the same problem with my 01 which I bought new back in 01. The dealer would not doanything aboutand stated it was normal. I took it to a local body shop that does Dodge warrenty work, and they had to remove the bed and realine (sp) it. It cost me nothing. Mine was also a 1/4" off to the drives side. The body shop stated it was not put on right at the factory. See if you can find a body shop that does warrenty work on Dodge trucks.

 

Hi all & thank you for the fast responses!!
Monkeywrench i will definately check those rubber bushings & see whats going on there, thank you for the info on that!
NightRunner, weve got one dealership in town, next one is 100 miles away......catered to? Wow that would be a first in my life lol!
Rick 4 Dak, Yeah i agree they are blowing me off! I don't think i could get a good shot with the type of camera i have.
Regandon, I will check for another shop. I was really unaware that the warranty would pay anyone other than a dodge dealer.

I didn't think that being a quarter inch off and not flush with the cab would cause it to have this much movement, but am wondering since its sitting on a frame, if its just enough to slip over the frame edge when on rough roads and tilting out to that side when flexing.
I haven't gotten under there and looked around, but it looks like i'm going to have to.
They don't let you go into the service shop when your trucks up in the air, which really stinks!
I think i will ask to drive one of their other trucks so i can get a feel of what "Normal" should be in the jiggle for the box, then i've got something to compare any improvements on.
Its definately got to be realined with the cab.
Thanks all for your help and insight!
You don't know what this does for someone without a clue!
I called the dealer twice this morning and got them to schedule me in next week to have another go round. Mean while i am going to try and find another shop authorized to do dodge warranties in my area!
I will post an update when the problem is resolved.
Your all very appreciated!
Enjoy your day!
Tanya

 

I tried to keep an eye on my box on the way home last night and I noticedthree things. 1) It is hard to drive when I'm lookingbetween my legs 2)my box is flush and does not move. 3) your sideview mirrors are not adjusted properly! (prepare for rant) If you can normally see the side of your truck in your side view mirror without changing your position it not adjusted right. If you have to crane your head around to see your blind spot when you change lanes your side view mirrors are not adjusted right. You should not be able to see anything right behind you with your side view mirrors, that's what the rear view mirrors are for. Really. Using a clock face for directoins, if 12 is in front and 6 is behind then you should be able to see from 7 to 8:30 in your left hand mirror and from 3:30 to 4 in your right hand mirror and the gap between with the rear view mirror. You should be able to see completly around you with out ever loosing the person in front from your perifrieal (sp) visioin. You should be able to glance at your sideview mirror and with your perifreal (sp) vision see anything to the side and towards the rear in the next lane with a quick glance. Ditto to the other side. You always see someone turning around and looking at you to change lanes to get in front of you (around here thats considered singnaling a lane change) and then they get in front of you and when you look in their side view mirror your looking right into their face. When your looking behind to change lanes your not seeing the sucker in front of you and one of these days they'll stomp on their breaks and you won't stand a chance to stop in time. It's call situation awareness. As a motorcycle rider I can't count on the times I've almost been run off the road because the other driver did not see me primarily because their mirrors or not adjusted properly. True, you should NEVER ride in the blind spot of another car but there are times when lane speeds or traffic locks you in it. OK, consider that your driveing tip of the day.

 

WTF did that last reply have anything to do with her problem? I don't see anywhere in her original post needing advice on how to set up herside view mirrors. Give the lady a break she has already pointed out that she isn't a mechanical wiz, so she sure doesn't need to be berated on driving properly and your opinion of how to set up side view mirrors!

 

from my experience driving rigs, I set the inside of my mirror to where I can just barly see the truck to spot problems then the convex mirror is to see my blindspot.

and I also agree it had nothing to do with the problem