NHTSA Complaint #10453184 — 2003 DODGE DAKOTA

I HAVE OWNED A 2003 DODGE DAKOTA V6 FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM UNTIL I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP IN UNION CITY GA YESTERDAY FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE. AFTER WAITING 2 HOURS, THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE HAVING A PROBLEM GETTING OIL IN THE ENGINE BECAUSE THERE WAS SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE WHICH WAS CAUSING THE OIL TO GO IN SLOWLY. THEY RECOMMENDED ADDING AN OIL ADDITIVE. AN HOUR LATER THEY RETURNED MY CAR TO ME. I STARTED DRIVING OUT OF THE LOT MY CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH. TWO BLOCKS LATER THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON, ENGINE STARTED A LITTLE TICKING AND RAN ROUGHER. I TURNED AROUND, DRIVING ABOUT 5 MPH, BARELY MADE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THERE WAS 6 QT OF OIL IN THE ENGINE. THEY WOULD HAVE TO START OVER. HALF HOUR LATER, THEY CAME OUT AND SAID NOW THEY HAD NO OIL PRESSURE AT ALL AND THEY WOULD HAD TO REMOVE THE OIL PAN AND MAYBE HAVE TO REPLACE THE OIL PLUMP AND OTHER PARTS. I MAY NEED A NEW ENGINE OR HAVE IT REBUILT. THEY WOULD CALL ME TODAY AND LET ME KNOW. MIND YOU, I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM UNTIL THEY DID THE OIL CHANGE THIS TIME. NOW THAT I CHECK THE COMPUTER, I FIND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SLUDGE AND LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE IN THE DODGE DAKOTA FOR NO REASON. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE IS NO OIL PRESSURE WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING. *TR