NHTSA Complaint #10346042 — 2007 DODGE RAM 2500

I WAS TRAVELING A VERY CURVY ROAD TO GET TO MY DESTINATION. TIME TO GET TO DESTINATION WAS ABOUT 30 MINUTES. ONCE I GOT THERE, I PARKED, AND GOT OUT OF MY 2007 DODGE RAM 2500 TRUCK. THE LEFT REAR WHEEL WAS SMOKING LIKE IT WAS ON FIRE. THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WAS SMOKING AS WELL, BUT NOT AS BAD. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I'D SEEN THIS PROBLEM. I THOUGHT MAYBE I HAD BEEN ON THE BRAKES TOO MUCH GOING DOWN THE CURVY ROAD. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO GET IT CHECKED OUT. I WAS TOLD MY BRAKES WERE FINE, THAT I HAD ABOUT 50% BRAKE PAD STILL LEFT ON THE REAR BRAKES. I TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER ABOUT THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF SMOKE I HAD WHEN I PARKED THE TRUCK. THEY INVESTIGATED AND CAME BACK TO TELL ME THE REAR SEALS WERE GONE ON THE TRUCK ALLOWING THE FLUID TO GET ON THE BRAKE PADS. THEY SAID THE FLUID ON THE BRAKES PADS WAS GETTING HOT AND THIS WAS CAUSING THE SMOKE. THEY ALSO STATED THAT I SHOULD NOT DRIVE THE TRUCK WITH THE REAR SEALS GONE BECAUSE IT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE ME TO HAVE A FIRE. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 70,000 MILES ON IT AND THE SERVICE REP TOLD ME IT WAS NOT NORMAL FOR THE REAR SEALS TO FAIL LIKE THESE HAVE. THE REAR SEALS ARE NOT COVERED UNDER ANY WARRANTY AND THERE IS NO RECALL, THAT I COULD FIND. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS $500.00 TO REPLACE THE SEALS AND THE BRAKE PADS SINCE THEY GOT WET. THIS IS UNSAFE CONDITION BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR A FIRE CAUSED BY THE REAR SEAL FAILURE. THIS FAILURE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND DODGE RECALL AND REPLACE FAULTY REAR SEALS FOR THE CONSUMERS. *TR