Initially, I noticed a small crack the summer of 2007 (five years after purchasing the truck). Every once in a while I would hear a cracking sound and by the time the holes were large enough to place your hand in, I decided it needed to be fixed. I had a partial dash cover ($500 vs $1,000) installed because the front part of the dash seemed to be okay. Big mistake, the front portion of the dash is now starting to crack.
I happened to go online today to see if there was a way to repair the crack and arrest its progress. That's when I came across CarComplaints.com. I had no idea that so many Dodge Truck owners were having the same problem. I was strongly considering purchasing a new Dodge Ram. I think it's time to make a change. I didn't realize the potential hazard that existed if I had an accident.
The dashboard on my 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel truck cracked at approximately 137,000 miles on 7/1/2014. I did nothing to cause this problem. In over 50 years of owning and driving vehicles I have never seen this happen. I researched this on the internet and found others had encountered this problem on the Dodge trucks in this time period. There is definitely a problem here that should be corrected by the Dodge
The dash top was made of paper thin plastic of a poor quality in which Dodge is aware of but will not share cost of replacement. This is a hazard because of the jagged edges and possible electrical problems from dash breaking apart.
The dash board literally crumbled in front of my eyes, it was patched with a dash cover. The trim around the instrument clusters started to crack and was also covered. I also drive a 20 year old Nissan Sentra that has started to have some plastic fail around the steering wheel, but not a single crack in the dash after 20 years in the Oklahoma sun. The dodge on the other hand failed after just 7 years, and failed catastrophically.
I have cut my hands upon the broken portion in front by the steering wheel and my grandsons have rubbed their arms across the broken portion closest to the windshield while retrieving toys and cut themselves. I placed a towel over the hole and crack, however it merely snags the fabrics, and with the electrical below, I am afraid it will cause a short or a fire. I find this to be a safety risk and electrical hazard, and believe Dodge should offer a repair or replacement for this issue.
dash,looks like hell! crap falls though ,cloth hangs up when you try to clean. my worry is whether moisture on the dash could affect in dash wiring. this stinks!
Dashboard had several cracks. I left it as is until the cracks merge together and several pieces of the dash broke out exposing the inner wiring of the instrument panel. The front bezel also cracked. I called DODGE and they told me it would cost $2500 to replace the dash and that the warranty would not cover it. I like my truck,but I sure as hell wont buy another DODGE if this is the type of QUALITY I am to expect with a 30,000 dollar truck. No wonder why USA manufacturers are in trouble, they can't produce a QUALITY PRODUCT!
Come on Chrysler , stand up and take ownership in the way these trucks were made. They have a problem with the dash cracking severely.. They have a BIG problem with front fender rust , door rust and quad door rust.. Stand up and fix the defective problems. These trucks also wander all over the road and have handling issues. Stand up and take ownership of the defects in these trucks !!! Show the damn world that somebody that makes cars and trucks gives a sh*t and cares enough to want to make it right !!!! Do the RIGHT thing , dont just stick your head in the sand because it will cost you money... In the long run this will make your a better company and maybe people will have more R E S P E C T and actually buy more cars.... Money better spent this way instead of the billion on a super bowl ad !!
The truck is low mileage and kept in good condition and clean. Hate to have a cracked dash to mar the looks and jeopardize the protection of vital electrical components under the dash.
After paying the cost of a new truck, and having this problem without the company standing behind their product when it is obviously a major problem with the design, is a complete turnoff for buying their product again.
At 58300 miles my dash now has a crack from the windshield clear up to the instrument bezel. It just appeared one day out of the blue. Prior to appearing the dash was in perfect condition, no scratches, cracks or even fading. After doing some research on the web and seeing other complaints and photos, I feel sick at the thought of what is still to come with this dash problem. It seems pretty clear to me that Dodge has major problem with their defective plastic dashboards and they need to step up and fix the problem.
when i purchased this truck,it had a small crack in dash board.as time went on it developed new ones.then the wireing harness under dash melted,so i had to pull dash out.in this process the dash boardsplit and cracked even worse.including the front of dash.so i investigated new parts from dodge.550.00 for top and 877.00 for front.OUCH! so i got the bright idea to fix them myself.i bought a plastic welder and material and special tools to fix it.as i was welding dash back together,the thing would crack somewhere else.i finally get it all welded and start to sand it,to prep it for textured and painting..more cracks.the dash board is so cheaply made,you cannot fix it.So,i will resort to purchasing a dash cover.right now i have over 600.00 dollars and my time invested in this problem i did not cause.the front of dash is same material,going to try my luck.just the stress of pulling the dash out ruins the cheap plastic.and you have to pull dash in order to fix wireing or replace a heater core.ect..I have been a loyal fan of dodge all my life,but i think they need to manufacture a higher quality plastic for these dashes,and do a recall to replace them.they are just finding cheaper ways to make more money.
There is no reason that Dodge can not own up to the fact they know the dashboards are defective. With all the consumers complaints you would think they care, but they don't. I talked to them about another complaint ( I will put on next) and also mentioned this. They said that they do not look at any complaints on the internet because anyone can put anything on there. They only look at complaints on their official site. All she would keep saying is I guess nothing I can say will satisfy you will it?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Initially, I noticed a small crack the summer of 2007 (five years after purchasing the truck). Every once in a while I would hear a cracking sound and by the time the holes were large enough to place your hand in, I decided it needed to be fixed. I had a partial dash cover ($500 vs $1,000) installed because the front part of the dash seemed to be okay. Big mistake, the front portion of the dash is now starting to crack.
I happened to go online today to see if there was a way to repair the crack and arrest its progress. That's when I came across CarComplaints.com. I had no idea that so many Dodge Truck owners were having the same problem. I was strongly considering purchasing a new Dodge Ram. I think it's time to make a change. I didn't realize the potential hazard that existed if I had an accident.
- drmwd, Morgan, UT, US