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Traci
Dodge Dakota
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4/02/2002
17:25:46
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 Subject: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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I've had a problem with my 2000 QC from the day of purchase... the front end "fish-heads" (the only term applicable) when going over washboard or rough road, and damaged stretches of highway. A very unsafe situation. I've had several alignments done, none of which have eradicated the problem, and it keeps going out of alignment. It's been back to the dealer 5 times, and each one has told me that the vehicle is performing to manufacturer's specifications (nonsense).
Now, at 40K the transfer case has gone out on it (it has mostly highway miles- not a great deal of off-road or hard use)... has anyone out there had similar problems, and would one problem cause the other?
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chris
Dodge Dakota
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4/02/2002
17:44:41
|  RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Is "fishheading" similar to "fishtailing," only with the front of the truck? What kind of tire pressure do you run? What makes you say the truck keeps going out of alignment? Tire wear?
At highway speeds, a 4 wheel drive truck may wander a little on the road because of wind, weight distribution, slant to the road, etc.... Could that be what you're refering to?
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Traci
Dodge Dakota
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4/02/2002
18:28:49
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Chris- yes, your correct in your description. The front end is behaving much as a "light" rear end would in a pick-up.
Tire wear, pulling and an alignment check on the machine all have pointed to it being out of alignment- each time I've brought it in for this problem (5 times in 1 1/2 years).
Offhand, I'm not certain what tire pressure I was running at, but it was at the manufacturers specs, and checked each time I brought it in. They tried adjusting tire pressure, and there was no difference in performance- additionally, I've just purchased a set of Perelli Norseman- again, no difference.
As for handling at high speeds, or for that matter, handling and performance on washboard surfaces should not be as unpredictable or unsafe as this truck performs. I have been driving NOTHING but 4WD's for 20 years- I've owned a Ford Bronco, Nissan PU, and a Toyota 4Runner, and none of them have ever exhibited similar characteristics. On washboard surfaces, you're lucky to keep it going in a straight line. It doesn't always do it on the highway- the bumps and road damage have to be set up just right, but it's knocked me into the lane on more than one occasion. That's not normal-
If I haven't had experience with 4WD's, I would chalk it up to the nature of the beast, but I know that's not the case. So, unless Dodge is purposely building faulty front suspensions, I believe that there is something inherently wrong with this particular vehicle. Unfortunately the dealer either can't or doesn't want to find it.
Any suggestions?
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chris
Dodge Dakota
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4/02/2002
18:38:15
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Without looking at the vehicle or driving it, it's hard to come up with suggestions. I have a 2002 QC 4x4 myself. The 2002's come with a rack and pinion now (not sure about 2000, think they were still recirculating ball?), but a couple of months after getting it I had it aligned when I had a flat changed (this wasn't at the dealer though). Maybe you could try an independant alignment shop?
What kind of options did your QC come with? Does it have the tire and handling group?
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Traci
Dodge Dakota
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4/02/2002
18:59:49
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Chris-
I'm not sure if it's rack & pinion or recirculating ball... it does have the tire & handling group (for whatever that's worth in this case!).
Well, thanks for taking the time to answer some of my questions. If you have any more input, please send it my way.
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Mig-29
Dodge Dakota
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4/02/2002
21:55:08
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Traci do you have a full or part time 4wd transfer case ?
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Traci
Dodge Dakota
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4/02/2002
23:22:59
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Part time, shift on the fly-
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Mig-29
Dodge Dakota
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4/03/2002
10:59:18
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Are you running it in 2wd or 4wd when this happens ?
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kevster
Dodge Dakota
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4/03/2002
21:05:00
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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I have read that the tires that come from the factory on the 4x4 are P for passenger tires, this gives the truck a smoother ride, but causes the front to wonder some, mine does this also.. all in all the LT tire is the way to solve most of the problem if not all, LT means light truck, and what about the stock shocks, they SUCK! try a better set, like Rancho gas, Pro Comp,etc..
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Traci
Dodge Dakota
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4/05/2002
14:23:03
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Both for the "fish-heading", and the 4WD no longer works at all, and there's a problem with it in 2WD as well. It's currently at the dealer, but I will be bringing it to an independent shop for the transfer case (which shouldn't have gone out at only 40K).
As for the tires... yes, I've heard that, but I now have a good set of truck tires, and it hasn't improved the ride. Gas shocks are the next thing to try, but frankly, I don't think that will alleviate the problem entirely. I think that I may just have a lemon, and I hate to keep to throwing good money after bad (since it's no longer under warranty).
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kevster
Dodge Dakota
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4/05/2002
18:18:34
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Have you had the ball joints checked for excess wear along with the tie rod ends?? worn control arm bushings??
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Scott
Dodge Dakota
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4/06/2002
11:49:11
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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I have a 2001 Quad with the same problem. The truck gets squirrelly in rough road conditions at anything above 35 mph. All city and highway, no off-road. The truck actually wants to jump sideways and go into the adjacent lane. The truck has 18,000 miles.
I think that dodge has softened the suspension up to make it ride like a car.I am planning on replacing the shocks in the next month or so. I was also thinking about up-grading the swaybars with larger aftermarket ones. I met another local guy with the same year truck who had the same complaint.
Dealer says that everything is fine.
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Mykr
Dodge Dakota
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4/06/2002
15:09:36
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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I have a 2001 QC AWD and also have the problem...The front end gets a bit squirrely when hitting road imperfections..The faster I hit them the worse it is...Definately woke me up the first few times I experienced it..I also believe it's due to a soft suspension...
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kevster
Dodge Dakota
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4/06/2002
20:10:31
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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I have a 2002 quad cab 4x4, 4.7 auto and mine seldom does that, It has the Goodyear tires. 265x70x16 is this the same tires you all have?? I agree that the suspension is soft, but i am waiting for someone to make shocks for my 02.
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J. C. Brandon
Dodge Dakota
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4/07/2002
00:22:32
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Difficult to diagnose without driving the truck. My experience with a 2000 Club Cab with 31s is that the truck is very sensitive to tire pressure on washboarded dirt roads. I usually kept the tires at 40 psi for paved surfaces. Pulling onto a corrugated dirt road without adjusting air pressure meant the truck felt very squirrely at anything over 15mph. If I aired down the situation improved. I made it a habit to just air down to 15 psi anytime I left the pavement.
My truck now has 65,000 miles on it. The shocks have felt very soft for about 15 to 20,000 miles. Got so that hitting irregularities in the pavement on the freeway with the wheel turned just a couple of degrees left me heading into the next lane. I lowered my pavement tire pressure to 35 psi and that helped a lot. I plan to replace the shocks with adjustable Ranchos and figure that will solve the problem.
I suggest experimenting with tire pressures, then replacing the shocks.
Sorry, no help on the transfer case.
-J.
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Traci
Dodge Dakota
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4/08/2002
10:49:57
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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To all that answered on this problem... Thanks! It seems that this may be a problem for many QC owners across the board, however, I don't consider this "normal" by any means. Hitting some road damage and flying off into the next lane, and having the dealer tell you everything is "fine", smells like a lawsuit to me. None of us should have to upgrade our suspensions after spending 26K+ on a new vehicle, just to make it safe to drive.
I drove a friends 2000 QC (same year as my own) this weekend, and his did not have this problem. He claims that he's never had an issue with this. I also took the Manager of the dealership out for a test drive, and he clearly noted that the truck "under" performed on the washboard, even at 7 miles an hour. There's now also some other sound/grinding in the front left suspension that was evident during this test drive that needs checking into.
Whether the tranfer case and the front suspension issue are linked, is still an unknown. This truck has gone out of alignnment several times as well- the last time (another) dealership had it, they neglected to tighten the tie rod ends after the aligment. Both a dangerous situation, and one that could have caused further damage.
To Kevster who asked about the control arm bushings and tie rod ends... I don't think they've inspected this thouroughly enough. I'm now going to take it to an independent shop to have a third-party evaluation. If the dealer missed something in their initial servicing of the truck, they have no incentive (now that it's no longer under warranty) to really tell me what the problem is, since they'll have to eat the job. I'll also need a third-party expert witness in the event I decide to go to arbitration with Dodge.
I will experiment myself with the tire pressure- I believe it's probably at about 40 PSI, last time I checked when I purchased new tires about a month or so ago.
If anybody out there that's had these similar problems ends up changing their shocks, please keep me posted on the outcome.
Thanks-
Traci
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Nate
Dodge Dakota
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6/17/2002
16:00:27
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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I've got a 2000 EC 4wd 44k miles that the transfer case also just went out on. The dealer first thought it was the transfer case seal. They fixed the seal and it still leaked. Now they say the case is cracked. Sounds like either the dealer doesn't know what they're doing or that the transfer cases are crap.
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Traci
Dodge Dakota
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6/18/2002
11:29:02
|  RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Well that's interesting- the dealer "rebuilt" my transfer case, and it leaked again immediately afterwards. They also thought it was a bad seal, pulled the transfer case and replaced it, and it still leaks (worse than ever). It sounds like that might be my problem, too.
This entire truck is a piece of crap-
Keep me posted on what happens with your truck
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jjj
Dodge Dakota
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6/18/2002
19:59:23
|  RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Both my 99 w/HD suspension and my 01 QC do it, BUT it isn't just a dodge problem. I watched (darn can't remember now) Ford or Chev. do the exact same thing right in front of me. It is not so much the front moving but the rear jumps out and you can literally watch both rear tires leave the ground.
I am now very careful around bends at high speed and bumps.
What I find is the rear jumps out and you are actually turning the front which makes it seem like the front.
At least this is what I experience.
Jeff
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JP
Dodge Dakota
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6/18/2002
21:18:44
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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There has to be a mechanical problem of some sort on these Dakotas. I have an AWD '01 CC with factory suspension and have very good handling on curves, bumps, rough road, hard stops, etc.
JP
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Doh
Dodge Dakota
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6/19/2002
03:37:22
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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Just got a 2002 QC 4.7 4X4. Old truck is a '95 Ford Ranger 4.0 SuperCab. The rear ends of both trucks step out when cornering on a bumpy surface, but the Ranger is much worse than the Dakota. On the Ranger is seemed to be a shock/spring problem, and something I just got used to. So far the Dakota has had a much smoother ride, but it's my first 4X4 so maybe that's the difference. The tire pressure suggestion sounds like a good place to start, since that will greatly affect the overall spring rate of the suspension and is very easy to change. Good luck!
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Traci
Dodge Dakota
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6/19/2002
10:25:41
| RE: 2000 QC $WD Front End & Transfer Case
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The problem with the front end is most definitely the front end- not the rear end skipping(which is typical in a light rear-end pick up). I've been driving trucks for the last 20 years- I know the difference. The manager of the dealership even acknowledged it when we went for a test drive- which is why they installed gas shocks. It's definitely made a difference on the washboard surfaces (not perfect- but FAR better handling), but still jumps on the highway road damage. I don't think I'll ever get rid of that, no matter what modification I make (other than purchasing a different truck).
I think they put these things together with spit and @#%$ just to get them to the market place (since they were such a hot item, and back ordered when the model first came out). That'll teach me to buy a first year model...
Traci
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