NHTSA Complaint #10743823 — 2006 DODGE DAKOTA

TRUCK HAS AN AWD 5 SPEED 545RFE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE "SERVICE 4WD" CHECK LIGHT STARTED RANDOMLY COMING ON AND BLINKING WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND THE TRANSFER CONTROL CASE AT TIMES FELT LIKE IT WAS ATTEMPTING TO AND AT TIMES DID SHIFT INTO 4HI OR 4LO. THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT ANY TOUCHING OF THE CONTROL SWITCH ON THE DASH. DEALER DISCLAIMS ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM AND THERE ARE NO SERVICE BULLETINS OR RECALLS. A SEARCH OF THE INTERNET REVEALS THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF DODGE DAKOTA, DURANGO AND JEEP OWNERS OVER VARIOUS MODEL YEARS HAVING THIS PROBLEM, SOME OF WHOM HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS REPLACING THE TRANSFER CASE AND CONTROL MODULES WITHOUT FIXING THE PROBLEM. THOSE FEW WHO HAVE REPORTED FIXING THE PROBLEM HAVE INDICATED THAT THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION WHERE THE TRANSMISSION MIGHT SHIFT INTO LOW RANGE AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND EXPLODE IS CAUSED BY CORRODED WIRING ON THE CIRCUIT INCLUDING THE TRANSFER CASE, TCU AND AIR CONDITIONING. AT THIS TIME THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AT THE TRANSFER CASE IS DISCONNECTED, EFFECTIVELY LOCKING THE TRANSMISSION IN AWD STATUS AND MAKING ALL LOW RANGES UNAVAILABLE. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY DANGEROUS.