NHTSA Complaint #10016478 — 1997 DODGE RAM PICKUP

!)AT 36,246 MILES, BOLTS HOLDING TIE RODS TO STEERING BOX BROKE WHILE I WAS TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE. HAD TO FIGHT DODGE TO COVER UNDER WARRANTY. ORIGINALLY HAD VEHICLE IN FOR 'WANDERING STEERING' BEFORE WARRANTY EXPIRED. THEY REPLACED STEERING BOX, TIE RODS, BALL JOINTS, IDLER ARM AND OTHER RELATED COMPONETS. 2)18,276 MILES LATER, SAME DEALERSHIP STATES NEEDS NEW TIE RODS, IDLER ARM, PITMAN ARM, AND BALL JOINTS ON LEFT FRONT. FEEL THESE PARTS SHOULD BE REPLACED FREE AS THEY REPLACED THEMSELVES ONLY 18,000 MILES AGO. HAVE PROVIDED PROPER MAINTENANCE. IN THE MEANTIME, GETTING THESE AREAS GREASED AND EXAMINED AS DIRECTED IN OWNERS MANUAL BY CERTIFIED MECHANICS. 3)SAME DEALERSHIP THIS WEEK REPLACED HEADER AND MANIFOLD GASKETS STATING THEY WERE BURNED UP DUE TO OUR USING PLATINUM TIP SPARK PLUGS WHICH SUPPOSEDLY CAUSED GASKETS TO BURN UP AND ALLOW OIL TO LEAK INTO CYLINDER. ($459)THEY ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE CATALYTIC COVERTER (UNDER WARRANTY). THROUGH RESEARCH ON INTERNET, HAVE FOUND THAT THE INTAKE ON THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE AND CAUSES EXACT PROBLEMS I WAS CHARGED FOR. WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED OF THIS PROBLEM, HAVE DOCUMENTATION THAT VEHICLE WAS IN THEIR SHOP ON OR AROUND THE TIME AT LEAST 2 OF THESE BULLETINS WERE ISSUED WITH THE SAME COMPLAINTS THEY WERE TOLD TO LOOK FOR (OVERHEATING, SMELLING OF BURNING COMING FROM ENGINE, SMELL OF RAW GAS INSIDE VEHICLE). AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, THEY HAVE NEVER CHECKED OR REPLACED THE INTAKE. VEHICLE: 1997 DODGE RAM EXTENDED CAB LARAMIE EDITION. 5.2 L , V-8 ENGINE. I FEEL THIS DEALERSHIP IS LYING ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AND PLACING OUR LIVES IN DANGER BY NOT PROPERLY INSPECTING AND EXPLAINING PROBLEMS. IN REGARDS TO THE NEWEST TIE ROD RECOMMENDATION, THEY STATED THAT "CUSTOMER DECLINED WORK". I DID NOT DECLINE THE WORK, I JUST ASKED THEM TO PAY FOR IT SINCE THEY DID THE WORK SUCH A SHORT TIME AGO. *JB