NHTSA Complaint #10010481 — 2001 DODGE DAKOTA

TRANSMISSION CONTINUES TO SHIFT ERRATICALLY, DESPITE BEING SEEN BY TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS. THE TCM SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE. REPROGRAMMING IT DOESN'T SEEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE FACTORY TSB HAS BEEN DONE TWICE BUT HAS FAILED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE WILL SOMETIMES LURCH UP INTO 2ND GEAR AT LOWER SPEEDS WITHOUT WARNING OR DOWN TO 1ST FROM 2ND WITHOUT WARNING DESPITE TRAVELING AT A CONSTANT SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. AFTER 22500 MILES THE VEHICLE HAS DEVELOPED A MODERATE TO SEVERE PROBLEM WHEN BRAKING. THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO HOP IN THE FRONT END DURING BRAKING AND THE BRAKES SEEM TO LOOSE EFFECTIVENESS MOMENTARILY. CLOSER INVESTIGATION REVEALED BOTH FRONT SHOCKS HAD FAILED. THE FRONT BRAKE SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. NO LEAKS, NORMAL PAD AND ROTOR WEAR, NO GROOVES ON ROTOR, THE FRONT SHOCKS WERE REPLACED BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO HAVE THE BRAKING HOPPING PULSATING PROBLEM. *JB