NHTSA Complaint #10918631 — 2005 DODGE DAKOTA

SHIFTING ON ITS OWN. MY TRUCK HAS 75,186 MILES ON IT AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. FOR THE PAST 10,000 MILES OR SO, IT HAS BEEN SHIFTING IN AND OUT OF 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND LO 4X4 RANDOMLY BY ITSELF WITHOUT ANY HUMAN INTERACTION. EVEN SITTING PARKED YOU COULD HEAR IT CYCLING AND SHIFTING ELECTRONICALLY IN AND OUT OF 4X4. I RECENTLY PARKED IT IN A GRASS FIELD NEAR A POND AND LEFT IT - WAS WORKING FINE WHEN I PULLED IN. CAME BACK ABOUT AN HOUR LATER, GOT IN, STARTED IT AND TRIED TO GO... NOTHING AT ALL. IT HAD SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL (RED "N" LIGHTED) AND IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR FORWARD OR REVERSE. ROLLED FREELY NOW BOTH DIRECTIONS. HAD TO GET IT TOWED OUT OF THE FIELD AND UP TO THE ROADWAY AND THEN ANOTHER COMPANY TO COME LOAD IT AND TOW IT TO THE SHOP. SEARCHED ONLINE - THERE ARE MANY SIMILAR INSTANCES ABOUT THIS VEHICLE SHIFTING IN AND OUT OF GEARS RANDOMLY ON ITS OWN. WHY HASN'T THIS ELECTRONIC SHIFTING MECHANISM BEEN RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED? MY TRUCK EASILY ROLLED REGARDLESS OF THE SHIFTING POSITION. JUST LUCKY I WAS ON FLAT LAND IN A FIELD AT THIS TIME AND NOT ON A SLOPING STREET - HORRIBLE TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED LAST WEEK WHEN I PARKED IN THE SLOPING PARKING LOT AT TEH SCHOOL ABOVE THE FOOTBALL CROWD AT THE GAME BELOW. TOO TERRIBLE TO IMAGINE IF IT WOULD HAVE SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL BY ITSELF AT THAT TIME.