NHTSA Complaint #10217457 — 2000 DODGE RAM 1500

FIRST IS THE DASH. I BOUGHT THE TRUCK IN FEB 04 WITH 74,000 MILES ON IT AND SHORTLY AFTER I NOTICED A CRACK IN THE DASHBOARD, SINCE THEN THE DASH IS FALLING APART AND IS MORE BRITTLE THAN A SPORTING CLAY. IF YOU SNAP OFF A PIECE AND LOOK AT IT YOU CAN SEE THAT ABOUT 1/5TH OF THE WAY DOWN FROM THE TOP IS BROWN SINCE IT HAS COOKED IN THE SUN. SO THAT PROVES THAT DODGE USES VERY CHEAP PLASTIC FOR THE DASHBOARDS. I LOOKED INTO REPLACING IT ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO AND THE TOP PIECE OF THE DASH COST ABOUT 200$ AND NOW THAT I HAVE GOTTEN MY TAX RETURNS BACK I WAS GOING TO GET A NEW ONE BUT THE PRICE IS NOW 375$. I GUESS DODGE FINALLY REALIZED THE PROBLEM WITH THESE DASHBOARDS AND DECIDED TO CASH IN ON THEM. THE TORQUE CONVERTER WENT OUT ON THE DRIVE HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP ALSO, BUT 50 BUCKS FROM ME AND 2100$ FROM THE WARRANTY PEOPLE FIXED THAT. SECOND IS THE ASD RELAY WHICH MEANS AUTOMATIC SHUTDOWN RELAY AND IT ISN'T KIDDING WITH THE NAME. A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHEN I STARTED MY TRUCK IT WOULD SHUT OFF RIGHT AWAY AND WOULDN'T RUN RIGHT UNTIL I FEATHERED THE GAS FOR A LITTLE BIT, AFTER REPLACING THE THROTTLE BODY CONTROL SOLENOID, THE IDLE AIR CONTROL MOTOR AND MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR I DID A LITTLE MORE RESEARCH AND FOUND IT TO BE A 10 DOLLAR RELAY FROM NAPA. THE THIRD PROBLEM IS A WHOOPING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE THAT I STILL CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS. THE TRUCK MAKES THE NOISE WHEN ITS SITTING STILL SO I KNOW ITS NOTHING IN THE SUSPENSION, ALTHOUGH ITS LOUDER WHEN IDLING OVER SMALL BUMPS. THE FOURTH WAS THE SPEED SENSOR IN THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL, ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON BUT DIDN'T AFFECT PERFORMANCE AT ALL, REPLACED THE SENSOR AND DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE TROUBLE FROM IT. FIFTH PROBLEM IS THE BACK WINDOW LEAKS BUT I'M GOING TO FIX THAT WITH A GENEROUS BLOB OF WELDER GLUE INSIDE WHEN I FINALLY GET AROUND TO PULLING THE HEADLINER DOWN. *TR