NHTSA Complaint #10421418 — 2008 DODGE DAKOTA

OUR 2008 DODGE DAKOTA HAD TWO TIE RODS FAIL IN TWO MONTHS. THE TRUCK WAS FRESH OUT OF WARRANTY WITH APPROX 63,000 MILES. FIRST ONE TIE ROD BROKE, THEN WITHIN TWO MONTHS, THE OTHER. NO WARNING, WHEN FIRST TIE ROD END WAS REPLACED, OTHER TIE ROD WAS CHECKED,LOOKED OK. NEW TIE ROD ENDS WERE INSTALLED. BOTH PRESENTED DRAMATIC SAFETY ISSUES. THE TIE ROD BROKE AND FELL SO THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OF THE FRONT WHEELS. BY SHEER LUCK, WE WERE NOT DRIVING 65 MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY, BUT IN A RURAL TOWN SETTING, SO WE DID NOT CRASH THE TRUCK. THE MECHANICS ON THE SECOND BREAKDOWN OF THE TIE ROD END TOLD US SOMETHING HAD TO BE WRONG WITH THE SECOND ONE GOING. THIS DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN TWICE ON ONE TRUCK. CHRYSLER "CUSTOMER SERVICE" OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE PARTS. CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE DID NOT UNDERSTAND ENGLISH AND WE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE REPRESENTATIVE, WHO SPOKE WITH A HEAVY ACCENT, MAKING IT DIFFICULT, NO, IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND THE REPRESENTATIVE. FROM THE RESPONSES WE GOT FROM OUR MECHANICS AND CHRYSLER, IT IS OBVIOUS TO US THAT THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TRUCK THAT CAME IN WITH THE VERY SAME PROBLEM. THE TIE ROD ENDS FAILING IS NOT THE SAME AS THE HEATER OR AIR CONDITIONER QUITTING. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, AND WE GOT NO SATISFACTION AND WERE TREATED AS THOUGH IT WAS SOME IRRITATION THAT THEY WERE BOTHERED WITH. WE BELIEVE THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AND THEIR (CUSTOMER SERVICE) KNOW ABOUT IT AND ONLY WANTED TO GET US OFF THEIR BACK BY GIVING US THE LOWEST POSSIBLE QUALITY OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. LIKE MOST GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES, THEY WOULD NOT COMMIT ANY OF THEIR COMMENTS TO WRITING, BUT, I AM SURE, RECORDED EVERYTHING, WHERE IT MAY OR MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE. *TR