Problems with 2000 Dodge Dakota SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Front roters and rear drums go out of round and warp after aprox 1k miles. this porblem has happened 5x . after 4th time roters were replaced with pads at owners cost. problem still showing up after more then 3k of driving. mostley interstate driving. no city stop and go in this part of nh. *ak

Intermittently when brakes are applied pedal becomes hard, resulting in extended stopping distance. dealer has inspected vehicle several times.*ak

Front brakes rotor problem, replaced sever times, rotors are warped or have excessive run out, can not find the cause. resulting in vehicle vibration when the brakes are applied. replaced front disc rotors several times.

Right rear brakes grab/lock up intermittently while driving, the vehicle has been taken to the dealer on several occasions but the brakes continue to lock up. nlm

I continue to have problems with my rotors on my dakota. my first complaint was at 3286 miles, the brakes were making a rubbing noise. the rotors were machined at 22173 miles. the rotors were replaced at 35500, 47095 and once again today at 62000. when i first complained about this problem i was told it was my driving habits (i.e. city driving) i drive 100 miles/day on the highway for work. something should be done about this braking problem before someone gets hurt.*ak

The right rear brakes locks up and release at low speeds, we tested (mechanic) the brakes and the abs didn't work at sometimes, but then again it work fine. *ak

The factory brakes warp and cause excessive shaking when brakes are applied. defective rotors. i've heard a lot of other dodge owners are having similar problems, and it seems pretty unreasonable to have to replace my rotors and hubs every 5k-10k miles. the truck is great, but the brakes are poorly engineered or designed.*ak

Rotors refaced by dealer at 11848 miles, warped again and replaced at 22946, warped again at 33000 and i'm now out of warranty. continuous problem from dodge dakota's. please push for a recall so all of us can be compensated. *aki

Front brake rotors have to be replaced about every 15000 miles. *ak *slc

While traveling at 10 mph brakes locked up and vehicle started sliding, and touched the bumper of another car, when consumer applied brakes there was ajumping motion like brakes were trying to lock up.*ak

Carried 2000 dodge dakota slt back to dealer @11503 milesfor front end shimmie under normal braking condtions.

Brakes keep failing on this vehicle- dangerous stopping conditions. *ak

Loss of control when braking at moderate speeds, see your consumer complaint database. *ak

Brake rotors warped so severely after 15000 mi of normal driving that braking was dangerous due to vibration. dealership replaced rotors, and they warped again within 2500 mi after repair. dodge wants to charge me $700 for repairs due to their defect!*ak

We purchased the vehicle 2/26/00 and had no apparent problems.beginning in may it developed an intermittent brake pulsation.it progressed quickly to a very steady and violent shaking everytime we applied the brakes.on7/29/00 we were driving and saw traffic slowing ahead and began to slow as well,traffic then proceeded and we did as well.we were never closer than 8-10 car lengths.traffic again slowed suddenly,we applied our brakes, they shook violently,we heard a squeal from the tires,and the brakes released,we then rear-ended the vehicle in front of us..the dealer and all applicable parties were notified of the occurrence,the body shop did not notice anything obvious with the brake system.once the body work was completed it was towed to ron tonkin dodge wher daimler/chrysler had arranged for an independent evaluation.they fond nothing in the computer and found nothing wrong with the brakes themselves(even the pulsation was gone).they released the vehicle to us.3-4 days later the truck resumed the pulsation the same way it did originally.we waited 10 days from the evaluation and took it to the dealer to have them test drive the vehicle to verify the problem.dave cordray the abs tech test drove the truck with me and felt the pulsation and said" thats not right".john geraci the sevice manager asked if it was safe and dave said if its his name on the repair order he wouldnt let us drive it..we were given a rental car.3 days later they called back and said the vehicle was fine and we could pick it up.john geraci explained that he drove the truck as well as the service advisor and said they felt a definite brake pulsation but they felt the same characteristic,to a much lesser degree, in the new vehicles they checked it against.john geraci checked with chrysler and they determined it was safe and operating safely and normally.when asked for a written copy of our conversation concerning what all parties had felt on the test drive,john geraci said that chrysler had said no

I would like to question of the quality of this braking system and have it checked out. i have had numerous visits to the dealer and have replaced the front rotors 4 times. i have had the rear drums and shoes replaced. i have complained about the front calipers and finally got the right front replaced in october 2000. my main consern would be that the calipers are hanging up and the rotors are heating causing warpage, or that the materials used in these components are inferior and should be improved. if the calipers are heating up the system, perhaps this could lead to fluid heat and failure thereof.

Warped front rotors causing severe vibration in streering wheel at critical braking situations, like coming down hills in tenn. or pulling a trailer.*ak

When applying brakes front brakes locks up and the vehicle pulls to left and right, cause unknown. *ak consumer states the problem does not occur everytime the brakes are applied, two mechanis could not duplicate the problem, the brake pads have been replaced four times, the rotors have been turned and the problem still remains.*jb

Brakes are not working properly. dealer told him to come in 2 weeks for a brake checkup. by the time the consumer went in his brakes were shot.( nothing left on the front brakes).*ak

I own a 2000 dodge dakota 2wd. there are defective ball joints on the front end. there was a recall on 4wd dakotas, however, there has been no recall for the ball joints on the 2wd models. there was an "extended warranty" that was silently (as in i never knew there was an issue) on the ball joints on the 2wd models. i have had 6 years of continuous trouble with the front end of the vehicle (i bought it brand new 07/2000). as in i have replaced the rotors on the front end at least every 3 months for the first 18 months of owning it. i have had it aligned (front and rear alignments) over a half dozen times. all work done in the first 18 months was done at the dealer, who should have been, and probably was made aware of the issue. after 18 months of paying to fix the problem (out of my own pocket because dodge's warranty isn't worth the paper it's written on) i conceded defeat (and took the word of the dealer) that nothing was wrong, and there was nothing to worry about but maintaining the rotors and purchasing new tires ever 12-16 months. when made aware of the problem, dodge is unwilling to correct the defect. if no one has died, there is no problem. let all buyers beware, safety is not always the most important issue. *jb

While coming to a stop pedal went half way to the floor, and consumer could hear a ticking sound. took to dealer, and dealer could't duplicate problem. *ak the left rear wheel locked up and slided briefly while trying to stops. *yh

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

About every 12-15k miles, the rotors on the front of the vehicle warped and either have to be replaced or turned. i have never had a vechicle that warped roters...let alone one that warps them so often. the manufacture says it's normal wear and tear and will not cover it. i have seen several people complaining about the same problem with their truck.*ak

Bought truck new, 1200 miles later under normal driving conditions the brakes started shuddering. at 5000 miles dodge replaced the rear drums under warrantee because of warpage that was causing braking to be more difficult and less controlled. 1500 miles later they started warping again. with 9000 miles on the truck (normal driving conditions) i brought the truck in with the shuddering problem and they told me that it wasn't bad enough to replace or turn under warrantee. 3500 miles later they were bad enought to replace but by the the time i brought the truck in for service they were out of warrantee (12k). dodge told me they needed to be turned or replaced at my expense (12,500 miles on the vehicle). they continue to warp and cause the truck to shake and pull under normal braking. this is unacceptable for factory installed equipment.*ak

No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak

Rotors have been turned and resurfaced three times, and replaced once. dealer refusing to honor warranty.*ak

When applying brakes abs braking systems was defective, and vehicle didn't stop. *ak rear wheels lock up during snow conditions but the dealer was unable to correct the problem. *yh

Brakes continue to wear out at about 4-5000 miles. when worn, the brakes begin to vibrate and vehicle has difficulty stopping. the dealership has replaced the brakes three times and the front rotors 2 times. they believe that it is not a big problem. or maybe they are waiting to me to get injured in an accident before the admit the vehicle is a lemon. i would appreciate it if you can provide me any help. thank you.*ak

When applying brakes vehicle bounces wildly and brake vibration transfers to brake pedal. during none braking brakes make a scrpeing/squealing noise. had rotors turned at dealership problem temporaily got better but eventually went back to same problem but with noise. vehicle was in warranty when first occurred and they tried to fix. truck is now out of warrenty and they will not try and fix problem.*ak

Every 9000-10000 mi. front rotors warp and pulsate reducing braking ability.*ak

When steering to left or to right a noise will occur. dealer replaced steering shaft once, and steering column twice, but noise still occurs. *ak rear brake drums and front brake rotors failed. *yh

While driving on a road with many turns the brakes overheated to the point that the rotors had discolored and smoke was coming from the brakes. *ak

Brake rotors continue to warp beyond use and repair. have had after maket and oem rotors and both begin to warp within three to 5000 miles and need to be replaced. after market rotors last longer and dont warp as fast as oem but i shouldn't have to replace my rotors twice a year due to under sized rotors for the truck.

I have a poping noise in the front end of the vehicle (2000 dakota) this has happened since about 5000 miles , i have 50,000 on it now. i still have the problem with more frequency, it definitely sounds like the ball joint issue. we have to do something about this before some is killed, what if is was your son or daughter riding in these vehicles what would you want done. also i have had the brake rotors turned once and replaced and now they are warped again.*ak

Every 7000 to 7500 miles brake rotors and drums have to be replaced due to warping and excessive wear. please provide any additional information/attachments. *ak

Both front brake rotors warped. *ak

Rotors warped and brakes pulsating, dealer replaced rotors, started again at 16k miles, dealer turned rotors, same problem 19000.

Carried 2000 dodge dakota slt back to dealer @ 8496 miles for front end shimmie under normal braking conditions.

At approximently 9000 mi. i noticed that the vehicale started to shimmy when the brakes were applied. then at apporx. 14,000 i took the truck to a dodge mech. and had the front rotors looked at. the mech. states that the rotors are warped and need to be machined. i think the problem is in the brake pads, causing the rotors to get hot at a faster rate. at this pace i will have to replace the rotors way before i have to replace the pads. i think i know alot about cars and that does not seem right . thank you. *ak

Braking system fails to properly slow/stop vehicle when brake pedal is depressed. when brakes are applied vehicle is sluggish to slow down, and will impact an object in front if a hard stop is necessary. dealership has examined vehicle and determined that brakes do not function properly, but a cause for this defect could not be determined. *ak *jb

2000 dakota club cab r/t with rear abs brakes only. complaint: never had working rear brakes, couldn't be fixed by dealer, sold back to chrysler. now i have discovered several more r/t's with the same problem! chrysler/dodge won't or can't fix! how many more are out there? rear wheels will not stop turning under under any condition except using the emergency brake. found this out on snowy street while stopping. when vehicle finally stopped in the middle of intersection, the speedometer was reading 10 mph! looked out door at rear wheels and they were spinning with the brake pedal depressed hard. it's no wonder they can't keep front rotors on these vehicles, they are doing 100% of the stopping!

Rear brakes failed to work from the factory, (never worked) and dodge cannot fix it, so they recommend i take it home!*ak

Rear brakes have been inoperable since the day we bought this vehicle, returned to dealer with complaint. they said it was "normal". returned later with further evidence to show them and they tested it , adjusted the brakes and said it was ok. later i jacked the vehicle up with the wheels powered up and could not stop the wheels from turning. took it back to dealer, showed them my test and they now proclaimed a problem. they replaced every component and still no brakes. they took it to a brake shop for second opinion, the owner claimed i was right. chrysler sent a rep to look at it, claimed it was "normal" so chrysler said they were done with it. so dodge won't do any more either. in slick conditions like snow, the rear wheels keep turning after the vehicle stops. i have to shift to neutral to keep from being pushed into an intersection.*ak

At 6000 miles i had a jerk when applying the brakes, i got much worse as time went on. at 14000 miles i finally had the dealership replace the rotors because braking was very dangerous. now at 30000 i once again have problems. i have to replace the rotors very soon again and i have a feeling that the rear drums are also warped. i also have a awful squeel coming from all 4 brakes. i work with 3 people that have 97 or newer and they all have the same problem. *ak

When vehicle is shut off, the auxiliary fan keeps running, dealer replaced fan and found the relay was sticking. *slc

Brake rotors warp on 2000 dodge dakota. i had to have the front brake rotors turned twice, followed by replacement of the rotors, all before 50,000 miles. the new rotors have already started to warp, less than 2 months after installation. note: brake pads show no unusual wear and haven't been replaced; the pads are supposed to be the sacrificial part, not the rotors!!! all work has been performed by clear lake dodge and allen samuels chrysler, both in houston; at no time has either place mentioned any systemic problem with dakota brake rotors. *ak

When consumer applied brakes in gravel sand on street, front two tires will lock up, and rear wheels will not slide. dealership was aware of problem.*ak the consumer states that the dealer failed to properly fix the brakes and the problem still exists. *yh

Dealer turned rotors @ 17,000 m. @ cost to me of $128.00 rotors warped @ 22,000 m. and i have lived with them. i am looking for replacment rotors that aren't made by dodge.*ak

Is anyone reading these complaints on dakota brake rotors?!? i am on my 4th set of front rotors, which are already warped. each set goes about 10-11k untill needing resurfacing/ replacement.. my local dealership actually billed some of my visits for rotors in a manner that the dealership i bought it from can't even understand what was done. i no longer tow anything, trying to make the rotors last longer- why did i waste money ordering the heavyduty tow package? i am sick of these brakes, like so many other dakota owners. how many complaints does it take? nlm