NHTSA Complaint #10100288 — 2002 DODGE DAKOTA

THE FRONT BRAKES ON MY TRUCK WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DEFECTIVE ROTORS. I DO MOSTLY HIGHWAY DRIVING SO I EXPECTED 40,000 TO 50,000 MILES ON THE FRONT BRAKES. I HAD 15,000 MILES ON THE TRUCK FOR ITS 1ST BRAKE INSPECTION AND WAS TOLD AT THAT TIME THAT I STILL HAD APPROXIMATELY 80% OF PADS LEFT. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK IN AT 31,000 AND REQUESTED TO HAVE THE BRAKES INSPECTED AGAIN. I WAS TAKEN BY SURPRISE WHEN THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ROTORS WERE SHOT AND ASKED TO SEE THEM BEFORE I WOULD AUTHORIZE A REPAIR. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS OVER 50% OF THE BRAKE PADS LEFT BUT SOMEHOW THE BRAKE ROTORS WERE SCORED SO BADLY THAT THEY COULD NOT BE CUT DOWN TO REPAIR THEM, THEY MUST BE REPLACED, AND I COULD ALSO SEE THAT THE ROTORS WERE THAT BAD. CONSIDERING THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF BRAKE PAD LEFT I OPTED NOT TO SPEND THE $565.00 AT THIS TIME AND GET MORE LIFE OUT OF THE BRAKES. THEY STILL STOP THE VEHICLE WITH NO PROBLEMS. I FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO.. DEFECTIVE METAL IN THE ROTORS, ( NOT HARD ENOUGH ) , DEFECTIVE PADS, ( HARD STEEL EMBEDDED IN THEM ) ETC. *AK