I had purchased a new 2006 Dodge Dakota at Jenkins Chrysler and Dodge in Cumberland, Md. last September. Several months later it developed an abnormal shaking in the vehicle when the brakes were applied. I took the vehicle back to Jenkins and they told me the drums and rotors needed turned and also the pads replaced.

I left the vehicle and they done what ever was necessary to correct the problem. I was asked to retrieve the vehicle a short time latter which I did but before I drove it off the lot noticed the brake pedal went almost to the floor, I asked a salesman to pull the vehicle up to the door and when he came back in stated he didn't think the vehicle was going any where. I left the truck their and was notified latter it was ready to pick up again, well the problem was still very evident so I had a talk with the general manager and was told their was nothing wrong with it to drive it.

I bucked a little and they pulled it back in and said the rear wheel cylinder was leaking and they would order one , a few days latter I was called and told it was done, again I drove the 40 miles to retrieve my truck only to find the same problem and again was told their was no problem with it to drive it, so I did.

By the time I got home I was very worried about the brake pedal fading to the floor and as I parked it that night seen that the emergency brake pedal went to the floor also. I phoned the dealer again and they told me to bring it in, I did so, when I arrived at the dealer the gen manager told the service manager to show me their was nothing wrong with the brakes as he positioned the truck on a hill and set the brake and put it in neutral I told him to pull the shifter into reverse as he did the truck took off down the hill as if the brake was never applied, he agreed it was not a good thing, at this point they adjusted the emergence brake somehow and said now it's done. I started back home with the same uneasy feeling the brakes were not right and decided to go a step further and took it to 2 different Pa. inspection stations and got the word [yes] their was a problem and the brakes was definitely faulty, I had 20 different people drive this truck and all didn't care for the pedal function.

I called the dealer once again and complained and was told to live with it their was nothing they could do. Now the fun starts no other Dodge dealer wanted to touch this truck because the selling dealer had input to Chrysler they had fixed the problem and their wasn't any thing to be done.

Ok, now I'm up again the wall Chrysler customer service wouldn't help I had called them 7 times and was told their dealers were their eyes and ears and their dealer said it was ok. Next move, go to a Chrysler garage, this paid off with in 10 minutes it was discovered the master cylinder was defective, it was replaced and now at last the vehicle seems ok.

This seems like a horror story and believe me it was, [I have only told part of the story it's too long and detailed ] I do not know why Jenkins would not repair the defect nor why other Dodge garages would not touch it or even after I had other garages write a report saying a problem existed, it was left undone.

Dodge has a 5 star banner on their buildings covering safety, I do know having a bad master is a safety problem I drove this vehicle for a month or so and as I told all at Dodge and the dealer [I once served my country in war and expected to give my life, but never through I'd come home and spend 30,000 to do the same]

Ron Miller