NHTSA Complaint #10423077 — 2002 DODGE DAKOTA

TRUCK HAS BEEN DRIVING LIKE SOMETHING WAS GRINDING AGAINST MY FRONT RIGHT WHEEL FOR A WEEK OR SO, I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT, IT HAD JUST BECOME AN ANNOYANCE. ID LOOK UNDER THE WHEEL AND EVERYTHING LOOKED OKAY AND IN SHAPE, NO DAMAGE WAS BEING DONE. THE OTHER DAY I DROVE A SHORT DISTANCE AND HEARD A POP, LIKE SOMETHING HAD POPPED NEAR THE WHEEL, I PULLED OVER AND COULD SEE NO DAMAGE. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE AND NOTICED THAT THE GRINDING HAD STOPPED AND MY WHEEL SEEMED TO BE FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. I ARRIVED TO MY DESTINATION WITH NO PROBLEM. WHEN I LEFT THE DESTINATION TO RETURN HOME, I STARTED FEELING HEAVY PULL TO THE RIGHT ON MY STEERING WHEEL, IF I LET GO OF THE STEERING WHEEL I WOULD HAVE GONE INTO A DITCH OR THE WOODS OR ANOTHER CAR. I THEN STARTED NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM MY RIGHT WHEEL, I WAS A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM HOME AND FIGURED I COULD MAKE IT, I STARTED NOTICING MY BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING TOO WELL, AND ANYTIME ID PUSH ON THE BRAKES MORE SMOKE WOULD ARISE, I WENT THE 3 STOP SIGNS TO MY HOUSE AND PULLED IN, RAN AROUND AND SAW THAT BEHIND MY WHEEL HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE, TOOK ABOUT 5 MINUTES TO PUT THE FIRE OUT WITH WATER AND SOME CAT LITTER WE HAD LYING AROUND. IT WAS SO HOT THAT IT WOULDN'T COOL DOWN FOR ABOUT 45 MINS TO AN HOUR. WE WOULD THROW WATER ON IT AND IT WOULD SIZZLE. I QUICKLY REMOVED THE TIRE TO PREVENT ANY DAMAGE TO IT. I NOTICED IT HAD STARTED TO MELT THE PLASTIC BOOT COVER ON THE SUSPENSION. WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE WHEEL YOU COULD SEE IT HAD SNAPPED OFF ON THE BOTTOM HALF, CAUSING THE WHOLE WHEEL TO TILT INWARD WHICH THEN CAUSED A FULL ON GRIND OF THE WHEEL AND THE BRAKEPADS AND WHATEVER ELSE IS DOWN THERE CAUSING SUCH FRICTION THAT IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. I THEN DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THEIR HAD BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE... :( *TR