1997 DODGE DAKOTA Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

MY BALL JOINTS AND TIE RODS WERE GOING BAD AT 54,000 MILES. DODGE WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM. ALSO, MY TRANSMISSION STARTED TO GO BAD AT 74,000 MILES. 2ND GEAR WENT OUT, THEN IT WENT COMPLETELY OUT AT 91,000 MILES. OBVIOUSLY DODGE WASN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I WONT BUY ANOTHER DODGE AGAIN. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 50,000 MILES. TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO BOG DOWN WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES IT WOULD ONLY GO ABOUT 5 MPH WHILE REVING ABOUT 3500 RPM. PAID FOR TOW TO DODGE DEALER IN HAMPTON VA FOR ANALYSIS AND REPAIR. TOW OPERATOR REMARKED ALMOST ALL DODGE DAKOTAS TOWED FOR TRANNY WORK ENDED UP COSTING $2300-$2900 FOR A REPLACEMENT. I WAS LUCKY AND ONLY HAD TO REPLACE ALL PRESSURE REGULATING VALVES FOR ABOUT $670 (FUNNY HOW THEY ALL WENT BAD AT THE SAME TIME BUT I WOULD NOT ARGUE THE POINT SINCE THE PARTS WERE CHEAP COMPARED TO DOING IT OVER IN A FEW MONTHS). DEALER INDICATED THIS WAS A YEARS OLD PROBLEM WHICH WAS COMMON TO REPLACE THESE TRANSMISSIONS AND THAT MY $600 REPAIR WAS NOT GUARANTEED TO PREVENT TOTAL FAILURE. DODGE HAS NOT AGREED TO ANY RECALL TO FIX BUT SHOULD DO THIS. THEREFORE, I...

MY TWO YEAR OLD SUCCESSFULLY PLACED KEYS INTO IGNITION AND TURNED TO ON. THEN WITHOUT THE REQUIREMENT OF DEPRESSING THE BRAKE HE WAS ABLE TO PLACE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL. MY TRUCK ROLLED BACKWARD APPROXIMATELY 150 YARDS AND CRASHED INTO TREE. TOTAL DAMAGE OF $3500, LUCKILY NO ONE SERIOUSLY INJURED.

WAS DRIVING WHEN TRANSMISSION BECAME HARD TO SHIFT INTO GEARS. WOULD DOWN SHIFT INTO 3RD FROM OVERDRIVE ON ITS OWN. TOOK TO TRANSMISSION MECHANIC. WAS INFORMED THAT GEARS WERE MADE OF PLASTIC AND WERE STRIPPED, BREAKING GEAR TEETH OFF. *AK

UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON FREEWAY.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH VEHICLE SHIFTED OUT OF 5TH GEAR AND REMAINED IN NEUTRAL. DEALERSHIP INFORMED CONSUMER THAT "GEAR WAS CRACKED." PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK

TRANSMISSION SLIPS WHEN PUT VEHICLE IN GEAR.*AK

WE PURCHASED A 1997 DODGE TRUCK IN OCT. 1996. THHE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 42000 MILES. WE WERE TOLD BY BOTH OUR LOCAL SOUTH CAROLINA DEALER AND BY ED MURDOCK WHERE WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE THAT CHRYSLER WOULD NOT STAND BEHIND THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO OUR WARRANTY BEING UP AT 36000 MILES. WE CALLED THE 800 # TO CHRYSLERS COMPLAINT LINE AND WERE TOLD THE SAME THING. WE HAD OUR TRUCK REPAIRED AT A LOCAL INDEPENDENT GARAGEAND ONLY THEN DID WE DISCOVER THAT OUR TRUCK HAD A 1998 PROTOTYPE TRANSMISSION IN IT. PARTS WERE ORDERED FROM ATLANTA THAT WOULD NOT FIT OUR 1997 DODGE DAKOTA BECAUSE OF THE PROTOTYPE TRANSMISSION AND HAD TO BE RETURNED AND REORDERED FROM DETROIT. ALA IN ALL WE WERE WITHOUT OUR TRUCK FOR 29 DAYS WHILE THIS MESS WAS SORTED OUT. WE WOULD HAVE NEVER PURCHASED A TRUCK WITH A PROTOTYPE ASIAN TRANSMISSION IN IT IF...

WHEN GOING 55 OR FASTER AND LET OFF THE GAS, WHEN REACCELERATING THE TRANSMISSION "BUCKS". THE TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE THERMOSTAT HAS BEEN REPLACED TO TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT IT HAS NOT WORKED. *AK

ON 2/27/2000 I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. MY PROBLEM BEING MY TRANSMISSIOM WILL NOT ENGAGE PROPERLY. WHEN IT IS SHIFTED FROM PARK TO DRIVE THE VECHICLE MAY HESITATE AND NOT MOVE THEN VIOLENTLY SLAM INTO GEAR. ON ONE OCCASION MY NEICE SETTING IN THE BACK SEAT HEAD WAS SLAMMED INTO THE REAR WINDOW GLASS AS THE VECHICLE LURCHED FORWARD. I HAVE A VIDEO TAPE OF THE TRANSMISSION FAILING TO PROPERLY ENGAUGE. I WAS ABLE TO REACH IN THE BACK SEAT TAKE THE CAMERA OUT OF THE CASE INSERT THE BATTERY FILM AND SHOOT A VIDEO OF THE TRUCK SETTING IN GEAR THEN VIOLENTLY LURCHING FORWARD. THE DEALER SERVICE MANAGER SAID ON THE SERVICE ORDER "CANNOT DUPLICATE SITITION. I SHOWED HIM THE VIDEO AND HE ADMITTED I HAVE A PROBLEM BUT HE COULDNT HELP ME BECAUSE CHRYSLER WOULD NOT REIMBURSE HIM. *AK

VEHICLE SHOWS RPMS BUT DOESN'T ACCELERATE AS FAR AS MOVING UP TO SPEED. DEALER WAS CONTACTED & IT MAY BE THE TRANSMISSION. TRANSMISSION REPAIRS ARE NOT NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY.*AK

THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT ENGAUGE AFTER BEING IN REVERSE FOR A PERIOD OF A MINIUTE OR MORE THIS HAS HAPPENED 14 + TIMES. THE DEALER SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. I TOOK A VIDIO TAPE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT GURLEY LEEP THAT CLEARLY SHOWS IT IN DRIVE WITH THE SHIFT IN DRIVE WITH THE TACKOMETER RISING AND FALLING THEN SLAMING INTO GEAR. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT WAS OUT OF HIS HANDS BECAUSE CHRYSLER WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT . IT WAS BETWEEN ME AND CHRYSLER. I PERSONALLY WONDER IF THE DISTRICT REPRESENTITIVE ISNT WAITING FOR IT TO FAIL UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRENTY SO SOMEONE ELSE CAN PICK UP THE REPAIR TAB. IT VIOLENTLY SLAMS INTO GEAR WHEN PUT IN DRIVE THROWING YOU BACK IN THE SEAT AND SLAMMING THE POWERTRAIN IN ENGAUGEMENT. A CERTIFIED LETTER WAS SENT TO CHRYSLER# Z257635146 4/14/199 SIGNED FOR BY KYLE C AND...

TRANSMISSION ACTING SLUGGISH. WAS NOT SHIFTING INTO GEAR PROPERLY. WOULD BUCK SEVERELY. PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING, VEHICLE WOULD STALL OUT FOR NO REASON. HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 4-5 TIMES. AT DEALERSHIP, MECHANIC CHANGED BATTERY, MAP SENSOR & THE COMPUTER CHIP. PROBLEM WAS NOT SOLVED. FINALLY INDICATED TRANSMISSION WAS WORN OUT & NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WITH A REBUILT ONE. *AK

52000 MILES AND I HAVE REPLACED THESE ITEMS: BELT TENSIONER, A/C COMPRESSOR, 3 SETS OF FRONT TIRES (THE TIRES ARE WEARING ON THE OUTSIDE EDGE-THE TRUCK HAS BEEN ALIGNED EACH TIME THE TIRES WERE REPLACED), 2 SETS OF ROTORS, 2 BRAKE CALIPERS, 4 SETS OF BRAKE PADS, THE STEERING KNUCKLE THAT BROKE INTO THREE (3) PIECES WHILE THE TRUCK WAS GOING 65 MPH, AND NOW I HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP BECAUSE THE TRUCK JUMPS FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL WHILE THE TRUCK IS IN MOTION. ALL OF THESE REPAIR COST HAVE BEEN PAID BY MYSELF. DEALER SAID THERE HAS BEEN NO OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE DODGE DAKOTA I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: LT21575R15 )

DESIGN OF VEHICLE IS SHIFTING VERY HARD, FOUND PIECES OF METAL IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. *YC

TRANSMISSION FAILED, WOULD NOT GO IN REVERSE. MJS

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE IS BACKFIRING/STALLING/VIBRATING, AND VEHICLE DIES OUT. CONSUMER HAD TO GET A NEW CLUTCH AND THIS IS THE THIRD TRANSMISSION THAT HAS BEEN REPLACED WITHIN VEHICLE. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE GEARS, AND DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK

TRUCK WAS IN PARK, WITH THE PARKING BRAKE ENGAGED, AND REFUSED TO START. AFTER TWENTY MINUTES IT FINALLY STARTED. I STEPPED OUT TOO CLOSE THE HOOD, AND THE VEHICLE STARTED MOVING IN REVERSE. IT STRUCK A PART OF THE PARKING STUCTURE, BENDING THE HINGES AND MISSALIGNING THE DRIVERS DOOR. FROM THAT POINT ON THE TRUCK WILL NOT START IN PARK, AND YOU MUST "FIND THE NEUTRAL STARTING POINT, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN NEUTRAL AND REVERSE. TODAY, 12-15-98 I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED BECAUSE APPARENTLY THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN WORSE, AND NOW THERE IS NO NEUTRAL TO START THE TRUCK IN !

TRANSMISSION DRAGS.

VEHICLE JERKS FORWARD, WITH A CLUNKING SOUND, WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR.

TRANSMISSION SHIFTING PROBLEMS.