Weenjoy my 1998 Dodge 2500 CTD 4X4 so much that when my wife needed to replace her car, we purchased a 2004 Dodge 2500 CTD 4X4 with 95K miles from Broadway Dodge in Littleton, Colorado. Their mechanic who inspected the truck said it was the cleanest truck he had seen in a year and foundno mechanical defectsother than two ball joints which he replaced.He even walked me personally through the vehicle while it was on the rack and assured me that it was in excellent mechanical condition.Well, no more than 1,000 miles later I was driving it home from work going 65 mph on the highway and crossed a railroad track and had my first experience with Death Wobble. I have never experienced anything like this before in any vehicle and was not able to regain control of the vehicle until it was going about 25 mph! All of the vehicles around me were scattering to avoid me! It did it to me again before I could get home. This is a life-threatening defect when going at high speeds in heavy traffic!

Needless to say, Itook it at my local Dodge dealership in Greeley the next day. They informed me that all of the bearings in the front differential were bad and that the ball joints, track bar, steering gear, tie rod ends, etc. needed to be replaced for approximately $4-5K. So, I took the truck back to Broadway Dodge and told them they had misrepresented the vehicle and needed to make the necessary repairs. Their service department inspected the vehicle and agreed the bearings in the differential were totally shot.So bad in fact thattheir mechanic was not willing to drive the vehicle because he felt they were ready to sieze.The worn bearings can even be heard whirring when the truck is driven at higher speeds. They did find that two out of four ball joints were replaced. But, they could not find anything else wrong that would be causing the death wobble, except to advise me to replace the Rancho steering stabilizer in case it is defective. As you probably guessed by now, the dealership is unwilling to take any responsibility becausethey claim it is sold "as is."

It is clear to me thatthey either intentionally misrepresented the vehicle's mechanical conditionor were incompetent. Either way, the vehicle now requires a lot of repairs to be safe to drive. So, I wouldlove to hear any advice you might have on how Ishould solve this problem and how I can hold the dealership accountable. I am considering reporting them to the BBB, as well as the state. Thanks for your thoughts!

 

If it said sold As is you'r stuck Sorry

Buyer Beware thats one of the big draw backs in buying used may look good on the outside but why did the person before you get rid of it My buddy did the kinda the same thing he had a 2003 Ford F-250 with the PSD it speant more time in the shop than he owned it for motor problems, he ended up trading it to anouther dealer.

One option get hold of the owner of the dealership deal withHe or She, Theymay be at least they will split some of the cost of the repairs or they mite let you trade for something else on the lot unwind the deal.

We had a Used 2006 Dodge mini van we got out of it was a POS Engine light would go on and off airbag light was on no spare tire Ect we found this stuff out on the drive home the day we got it I called them on the way home to let them know we were comming back the next day.
We end up getting got a Buick SUV instead but it was under a 90 warrenty and we had it 4.5 weeks they could not fix it or could not find what was wrong with it we only drove it for3 weeks, The mechanic were idiots I knew how to fix it and what wrong with it so they could not BS me, i had to stand In the middle of the showroom and made a seen may be thats why they let us out of the deal.

I not tell you to cause a seen but they dont want there new custormers seeing they sell junk and will not stand behind there product do when they are very busy hint hint.

 

With a repair bill that high, I would consult an attorney to see if you have any legal ground to stand on. It might be worth it.

 

Legally there's not much you can do if it was "sold as is"...but like you said i would report them to the BBB. I'm sure nothing will come of that either butthe dealerwill have to write a response back to the BBB andthe BBB willkeep arecord of it. If they have a 5 star rating do what you can to get rid of it.

 

The Colorado Department of Revenue web site says "the dealer does not have to repair the vehicle after the sale when the vehicle is sold without a warranty and "AS IS", unless it is a safety item." It seems to me that it is a safety item if the vehicle is lethal at high speeds with a front axle that is about to implode. I think the idea about consulting an attorney is a good one.

 

+1 Ran intomultiple problems with a brand new van for my wife a few years back and the dealership was being an ***. Called the owner and let him know what was going on. Got a call from the dealership the same day, kissing my butt. Ended up trading the van for my truck at a good deal.

Also, Most "s is" warranties have a minimum time and mileage on them. Look at the bill of sale carefully, may shed some good light for you.

Last note, I would look into the lemon law. I know a s a military leader I have junior people that buy cars from dealerships right off base that are junk (aka. sawdust in trannies, exhaust about to fall off, etc.) and we have gotten them out of the deal due to the lemon law. I always send my guys/gals to legal, which is free for us. You definately should look into a lawyer for the amount of money it is going to cost you to fix it.

 

if it has been less then 7 days I know that in Iowa, Legaly the dealership would have to buy it back from you under a "buyers remorese" law. but thats only in iowa that I know of.


if there is nothing like that in your state, sorry man your SOL.

 

I would consult an attorney on this. If they walked you through the vehicle while it was in the air and said it all was good and the cleanest vehicle they have seen in a year, they were out to dump this vehicle on someone and that was you. You got screwed. Red

 

I agree.. specially if you only put 1000 miles on this vehicle. You need to take this to them and maybe even call a Dodge Rep. You have an argument here and they need to own up to it.

I would become such a pest to them!!... Another thing you may want to do.. is contact Tom Martino in CO. He is the dude that does the TV shows... I can guarantee you that the dealership will work with you as soon as they thing they can be exposed.

 

Dodge will do little to nothing for you given it wasa used transaction out of warranty.

A lawyer is your only choice. If you do not have that inspection in writing a lawyer will not even be able to help.