Complaint 581723

Complaint Summary

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

Owner Narrative

I PURCHASED A 1997 DODGE 2500 RAM PICKUP TRUCK IN NOVEMBER OF 1996. WITHIN A FEW WEEKS I EXPERIENCED A BRAKE FAILURE WHEN I HIT THE BRAKES HARD. I MANAGED TO CHANGE LANES TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AND TRIED MANY TIMES AFTER THAT TO GET THE BRAKES TO FAIL. BUT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN UNTIL ALMOST A YEAR LATER. SAME RESULT, NO ACCIDENT AND COULDN'T REPEAT THE PROBLEM. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR SOME WARRANTY WORK AND REPORTED THE BRAKE FAILURE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. THEY TESTED THE VEHICLE MANY TIMES AND STILL COULD NOT PRODUCE BRAKE FAILURE. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED ELEVEN TIMES MORE SINCE THE LAST FAILURE AND THIS TIME I HAD AN ACCIDENT. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO MISS THE STALLED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME BY CHANGING LANES AND HITTING A CAR ALONG SIDE GOING THE SAME SPEED. THIS RESULTED IN PROPERTY DAMAGE TO BOTH VEHICLES BUT NO BODILY INJURY. IF I HAD CONTINUED STRAIGHT INTO THE STALLED VEHICLE, GOING ABOUT 30-35 MPH, I WOULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS BODILY INJURY TO THE PASSENGERS OF THE STALLED CAR. MY TRUCK HAS THE DIESEL OPTION AND WEIGHS OVER 9000 POUNDS. IT WOULD HAVE CRUSHED THE STALLED HONDA AND INJURED ALL THE OCCUPANTS. TO DATE, ONLY NORMAL PARTS REPLACEMENTS HAVE BEEN DONE ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND THE BRAKE COMPUTER HAS NEVER BEEN REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WILL BE GOING IN TO THE LOCAL DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE BRAKE COMPUTER AT MY COST AND MY REQUEST FOR REPLACEMENT. *NM

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.