Bought new at the end of 2003 to pull 5th wheel trailer. This vehicle when home was always garage kept with garage door closed. Still in great condition at 157,396 miles with exception of dashboard cracked in 2 places and with a/c or heat on all positions, defrost/etc., little pieces of what looks like black foam fly out and have blown into eyes. Have to quickly find somewhere to pull over to recover and remove these boulder like obstructions in my eyes! Is this unsafe? Heck yeah! What is Dodge doing about it.....absolutely nothing! Seems it takes and act of congress to get this corrected! I live in central Texas and really need the A/C pretty much all the time but don't want to have to get grinding goggles to drive around every time I want to drive my truck! This needs to be corrected Chrysler Corporation!!!
This self destructive dash is awesome. In an accident there would be no chance of living when shards of thick plastic are flying though the air. Whether Dodge thinks it's an issue or not, it's serious. I can push down on it with my finger and it cracks easily. Yea Dodge! It couldn't be a supplier issue, because no one ever cuts corners to make more money. Greed!
This is a manufacturing problem, and the manufacturer should fix it. Just go to wrecking yard and look at old vehicles. No broken dashes on any truck except Dodge. Terrible and dangerous if you are involved in an accident.
I bought my Dodge around 2008 from a dealer. I used window shade for years. Then it started to crack. Now I have 5 cracks and a hole in my dash. I reported it to a dealer and they said there was nothing they could do. I called Chrsyler Corp, they said that my 2004 was not on the recall like the 2003 was, but they put it in their system that I have a problem. My truck was built in November of 2003 in Mexico. I paid $23000 for my truck and I am pissed at Chrsyler. I will not buy another Chrsyler product again.
I have the same complaint as others do. I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 4X4, that was purchased January 3, 2004. Several years ago my dash began to crack. Today there are cracks throughout, and small chips have broken off. I have taken good care of my vehicle, and plan to keep it for many more years. All I want is for Dodge to replace the dash. That is the only complaint I have with my truck. They obviously realize there is an issue. Thanks
The dashboard has developed straight line cracks in it, a pieces are beginning to fall into the vents, and have a tendency to blow out when the defroster is on and ends up flying into you face. This is very dangerous while driving. If a piece of this plastic was to blow into your eye, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what could happen. Permanent damage to your eye, or permanent damage to your body from a crash. Worse yet, this could put other drivers in danger when you crash and kill some innocent person because plastic has flown into your face. Why should this not be replace but Chrysler? Seems to me like they would not want blood on their hands.
Dash Cracked at 150,000 miles on 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. A second crack occurred about 2 weeks later. I did some research and it turns out this is a common problem with Dodge Dashboards of around this year. I don't understand why Dodge does not recall this as a safety issue.
My dash started cracking about 2008 just out of warranty. I used some glue to prevent it from worsening. The dash has developed two new very large cracks a few weeks ago.
our dodge is only 10 yrs old. the dash started to BREAK in to Pieces over 6 years ago. the "cracks" run from front to back and our dash is now 6 pcs instead of ONE. A replacement dash cost over $600.00 and when every penny counts, this is money that was not a necessity to live. It is disturbing that when we work as hard as we do, and we spend the amount of money we did for this truck to be THE vehicles that our family uses on a DAILY basis, the dash should have lasted longer than 4 yrs. We have put a lot of money into repairs that the warranty didn't cover and feel this is one that Chrysler should be responsible for.
It is obvious that Dodge does not want to address the cracking dashboard issue yet I believe they are minimizing the danger that is imposed by a cracking dash. My dash is now in about seven parts that will certainly become missiles should I be unfortunate enough to have a collision.
I have owned this truck since brand new. There is NO reason for the dash to look like a spiderweb....it started about 3 years ago and has steadily gotten worse. My wife spent 30years in the Chrysler plant and I know this is not the type of work that she did.
I have heard enough complaints that Chrysler should make good on this and fix the problem.....this is a lack of care, my truck looks like new and runs like new......until you see the dash
We bought the truck brand new. Dash started as straight line cracks after faulty AC was repaired (for the 11th time). Then one day we were returning from a trip, hit a bump and dash exploded, or popped, pieces went flying and a gaping hole left, exposing wiring and other things that the dash protected. This is a safety hazard. Airbags could be punctured while deploying. Grandchildren, or anyone, getting into front seat could cut their hands on sharp edges. Will never buy another dodge again, this was one of many issues we had with this truck and had to fight dodge on each issue to try and get the issues fixed, even when we were still covered by warranty. Dodge does not stand behind their product.
Update from Jun 8, 2015: Got rid of the piece of junk Dodge P/U and bought a new Ford. Haven't had a single problem since.Will never buy a Dodge again. Also had a Durango 2000 and the rear end went out 3 times. Got rid of that one after 1 year.
Looks like crap. Dodge has obviously know about this way before 2004 and should have fixed the problem. For the price of a truck whats another $100 for the correct material in the dash to make it right. Makes you wonder about their quality control
all at once there was a crack in the middle of the dash. it's as if it was made to only last so long and that was it. we paid enough for the truck and Dodge should fix it
Upon noticing the crack in the dashboard of my 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 I went to the Dodge dealer where I purchased the truck to find out if this was a common problem and if so if there were any factory recalls and/or maintenance bulletins regarding this issue. However, the service representative informed me the crack in the dashboard was not cover by the factory warranty and recommended to contact Chrysler.
I contacted Chrysler Customer Services and described the problem to a Customer Services Representative who informed me that he was not aware of any recalls or maintenance bulletins due to cracks in the dashboards of 2004 Dodge Ram Trucks. He claimed to have documented the issue for future reference. However, the Customer Services Representative did not acknowledge that dashboard cracks are a recurrent problem within Dodge Ram Trucks and he failed to offer any assistance to resolve the issue.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Bought new at the end of 2003 to pull 5th wheel trailer. This vehicle when home was always garage kept with garage door closed. Still in great condition at 157,396 miles with exception of dashboard cracked in 2 places and with a/c or heat on all positions, defrost/etc., little pieces of what looks like black foam fly out and have blown into eyes. Have to quickly find somewhere to pull over to recover and remove these boulder like obstructions in my eyes! Is this unsafe? Heck yeah! What is Dodge doing about it.....absolutely nothing! Seems it takes and act of congress to get this corrected! I live in central Texas and really need the A/C pretty much all the time but don't want to have to get grinding goggles to drive around every time I want to drive my truck! This needs to be corrected Chrysler Corporation!!!
- William S., Bulverde, US