Sorry all, forgot to paste the info off of Edmunds.com:

Component Description:
2. SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Bulletin Number: 0500405
Bulletin Date: NOV 2005

Vehicle: 2005 Dodge Dakota
Summary:
REAR BRAKE VIBRATION ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 8 1/4 REAR AXLES. ( NHTSA ITEM NUMBER - 10016024 )

May want to check out the other TSBs that are listed as well.

 

HOT OFF THE PRESS!!! CHECK THIS OUT!!!

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...tsa_dodge.html

I'm still reading, but here are a couple of interesting points, besides the fact DC is being investigated for this and several other SERIOUS problems:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating almost 500,000 Dodge Durango SUVs and Dodge Dakota pickup trucks because of a possible loss in steering control. NHTSA reports that the agency has received several reports of loose steering shafts and separation because of loose or missing coupling bolts in the vehicles.

The preliminary investigation will involve more than 467,000 vehicles, including the 2004-05 models of the Durango and the 2005 model of the Dakota.

While owners of the Durango and Dakota writing to ConsumerAffairs.Com confirm the steering problems, they also report the vehicles suffer from a wide range of other difficulties just as troubling. Consumers are reporting oil pressure failures, brake and rotor problems, along with continued and repeated ball joint failures.

 

JSMartin - Sorry to hear about your continuing struggles with your truck. Hopefully something is resolved soon.

In my case, they appear to have resolved the issue by performing the TSB. My only concern is that they did not perform the front rotor resurfacing. But seeing as it appears the issue is resolved, I'm not overly concerned. The vehicle brakes very smoothly and alignment is still good.

The water leak will take some time to confirm that its truly repaired. The work order indicates that there were two locations leaking; one from the emergency brake assembly where it comes through the firewall and one from the seam between the fender/feder mount to firewall (?). In any case I hope they got it.

The dealer was real good about it and am happy at this point. Now just can't wait for the new exhaust, should be here today!

 

[&o]Hey all, these Dakotas should be pulled off the showrooms and the road. Every part on my braking and rear end has been changed to no avail. The last time in (they still have it today) they claim changing the wheels from steel to cast will remedy the problem. How can a manuf. put out a vehicle that has this many defects and hold their head up? My advise to anyone contemplating the purchase of a new truck is NOT to buy a Dodge Dakota. Not only the mechanical problems and poor design flaws to deal with but now they are telling us this thing has depreciated 50% in 4 months. Once all the bad press gets to the dealers of other makes and the public you won't be able to give these things away, as it is the other dealers don't want it. We are going to persue the Lemon Law option with an attorney because there is no fix for this vibrating junker. I only have 8000 miles on it now. unless we have no choice thru settlement to get something else I geuss we will be stuck with another Dodge. Hope we can get a refund and be able to buy a Chevy again. Totally troulbe free trucks last three. At least they stop!!

 

Hi all. Question about steel wheels versus aluminum, the type of brakes everyone has, and an urban legend I've been told...my brakes do shudder at high braking speeds, and I'm testing tomorrow - I'm having a hard time deciphering this issue from the items I've mentioned above. HELP!

My truck ('05 SLT V8 Quad) came with wheels (B) shown in the picture, which on Dodge's site states they are full-face steel, however, my delivery slip states 16" aluminum, and numerous searches on the Internet also provide conflicting results. If you look under the specs on the Dodge web site, it states 16" aluminum are standard with the SLT, so unless my dealer switched them for the cheaper steel, then Dodge's web site is wrong. Can anyone clarify that "B" is truly steel and not aluminum?

A. 16-inch styled steel wheels are standard on ST
B. 16-inch full-face steel wheels are standard on ST "C" package
C. 16-inch cast-aluminum wheels are standard on SLT and Laramie models
D. 17-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels are available on SLT "E" package and Laramie

Secondly, I have been told that pickup trucks can experience this because the back of the vehicle is so light as compared to the front. I'm going to test that theory tomorrow with 2 - 75 pound bags of sand placed in the back.

LAST question - does everyone experiencing this problem have ABS brakes on the back or drum or doesn't it matter?



[IMG]local://upfiles/29890/3B2F53B1ECE8450C90DB0D64256C8BB1.jpg[/IMG]

 

Dear Saroni, forget it, I got the same song and dance about weight in the bed, the dealer told me previous to the 3rd return to try putting weight in the bed to see if the problem of the brake shudder would go away. That week I picked up 25 landscape bricks for a wall we are building about 1500 lbs and it made absolutley no diff. I asked them if I was supposed to go fill the truck with sand and leave it there, how stupid!! The brake shudder is being caused by some kind of design flaw, I have the new axles both sides, I am on the second set of rear drums and even these have been turned already at 300 miles. They installed 06 brake shoes in the rear and claimed the 05's are too rigid and not making even contact. They turned the front rotors, replaced the pads, then replaced the entire rear brake mechanism. Then they balanced the tires and checked for out of round. Now the truck is still there since Monday and I am waiting for a new set of wheels, supposed to be cast instead of the steel that came with the truck. They claim the steel do not meet up and lock down properly to the wheel surface, this is per the Dodge tech they sent out this week. The dealer has given up and is doing what Dodge says thru their technician now. If the problem is still there after this then there is according to the dealer nothing else left for them to do. I called this morning and asked as long as they have it anyway to check the steering column to make sure there are no missing bolts or loose, as the NHTSA has a complaint bulletin on Dakotas losing control because of loose steering columns.This has been going on for 4 months now, I will say though I have a new 06 car in the drive at all times free of charge as this is our 4th loaner. They know the vehicle is unsafe, the mechanic and service mgr drove it time after time and verified the complaint, it is a serious safety concern, brakes are nothing to fool around with and need to be in perfect order not Jerry rigged. I have not even brought up the rough idle (v6 3.7) or the vibrations on acceleration when turning left. The only reason I am posting this is to help someone else avoid this truck, we are fortunate in that we only got the two wheel drive with auto air ps, and cruise. The price was not that high, we just wanted reliable transportation and figured a small truck would fit the bill and be trouble free. Surprise!! We had a Nissan with 200,000 miles and drove every day for 9 yrs. and the only time it saw the shop was for mtc. and oil changes. All our Chevy trucks have also been very dependable and troulbe free. We made a grave mistake here so all we can do now is try to recupe to the best of our ability but it hurts knowing we can loose thousands of dollars we can't afford on this truck. Good luck with yours, maybe you will be one of the lucky ones, even if they seem to fix it though the problem always returns after a few hundred miles................

 

Sounds like dodge needs to put out a recall on their 05 dakota. I have not experienced any problems with mine yet, and not to say I wont. Kinda think I should get rid of the dakota to something that seems more reliable

 

Hey Gearhead - thanks for the reply! It sounds like you have summed it up here, too many if this then that scenarios resulting in --- if not this, then maybe its that --- all equating to a design flaw with no resolution until it funnels through the red tape for a recall. I'm at a loss of what to do after reading all these horror stories. I, like most everyone else, barely have time to participate in this forum, let alone spending counteless hours at a dealership only to experience the same thing you unfortunately have gone through - with no concrete resolution.

So far, I have liked the truck and it was perfect for my family's needs, but with a 6 month old I have to be conscious about safety. Add to this the issue about the vehicle's sterring column and not truly being "parked" assures me they went cheap on this model, selling the "Dodge look" more than quality......

I have inquired with my father-in-law who works at the DC Proving Grounds in Chelsea, MI to see if he can use his DC "connections" to find out something on this very topic. If I do, I will definitely post to help others as this forum made me aware of this issue, while all the time my dumb a$$ was thinking this is normal ABS behavior......which is another suggestion I received (disconnect the ABS wires and drive it). I think I'll drive my car for now, minimal on the truck, until more info is discovered on this.

Again, thanks for the info!!! Good luck to you!!!

 

i got an 05 dakota... and yea when breaking hard at about 60mph and above sometimes it shakes...

and i also get this rattling noise in my steering wheell column... gonna get that checked cuz after reading the replies in this thread my *** is freakin out here

now have close to 16,000 miles and been hearing that rattling since i first bought it and even tho it was annoying i kept putting off to have it checked...


and i wanted to hook this badass truck up!... dont really want to spend money on a truck that's going to fall apart.

 

What they didn't tell you was that it was based off five vehicles. Out of almost five hundred thousand. 4 of the 5 VINs are Durangos, too (the Dakota's an '05 V6 SLT Club Cab according to Carfax.) I'm not losing sleep over 1 in 100,000 odds.

I have a hard time trusting sites that wander off like that anyway. I'm sorry to hear about someone's '98 Dakota burning up when they were beating it up off-road, but is it really relevant to an article about a loose bolt in a steering shaft?

Re: those wheels:
Picture A = ST 16" standard steel wheel
Picture B = SLT/Laramie standard, 16" cast aluminum (description C)
Picture C = SLT/Laramie optional, 17" chrome-clad (description D)
Picture D = TRX/TRX4 16" cast aluminum (not described)

No problems on my truck at 16,000 miles...