NHTSA Complaint #10168334 — 2001 DODGE DAKOTA

2001 DODGE DAKOTA QUADCAB BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS AGO, FROM THIS DATE, 09/15/06. BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ON. AFTER CHARGING ME $500.00 + FOR A TUNE-UP, CLEANING THE INJECTORS, AND REPLACING AN OXYGEN SENSOR, THE DEALERSHIP STILL COULD NOT MAKE THE TRUCK RUN SMOOTHLY. THEY ENDED UP TELLING ME THAT IF I LEFT IT WITH THEM FOR A WEEK OR SO THAT THEY COULD POSSIBLY DETERMINE THE PROBLEM AND IT WAS PROBABLY GOING TO ENTAIL THEM REMOVING THE HEADS AND WOULD BE A MINIMUM OF $1,000.00. I WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT MY FRONT END NEEDED TO BE ALIGNED. I JUST PUT THE TIRES ON LAST SUMMER, HAD ALL THESE PROBLEMS CHECKED BY ANOTHER MECHANIC. FRONT END DID NOT NEED ALIGNING BUT THEY DID DETERMINE THE PROBLEM WITH RUNNING ROUGH. SEEMS THAT DUE TO A CARBON BUILD-UP INSIDE THE CYLINDER, SOME CARBON ACTUALLY GOT INTO THE #3 CYLINDER AND CAUSED THE VALVE TO BEND SLIGHTLY. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND IT ONLY HAS 63,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE NEVER RAN IT HOT, WITHOUT OIL AND ALWAYS MAKE SURE I MAINTAIN MY MAINTENANCE ON IT. LAST YEAR, MY FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS HAD TO BE REPLACED, AT $900.00 WHICH IN TURN RUINED THE FRONT BRAKE PADS. THE DEALERSHIP THEN TOLD ME THAT THE BOOTS IN THE CALIPERS WERE DRY ROTTED. I LIKE THE TRUCK BUT IT SEEMS AS IF SINCE I PAID IT OFF 3 YRS. AGO, I HAVE HAD SOME SORT OF MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH IT EVERY YEAR SINCE THEN. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS VEHICLE TO ANYONE, UNLESS THEY WERE A MECHANIC. MY MECHANIC SAYS THAT A LOT OF IT IS DUE TO POOR WORKMANSHIP. WHAT A SHAME, IT IS NO WONDER WHY THE U.S. AUTO INDUSTRY IS IN SUCH BAD SHAPE. *JB