Hello Everyone,
I thought that I would post a PSA here and try to see if I could help a few of you fellow SD’s.
My father has a big Dodge Ram pickup truck. He purchased it new a few years ago and loves it. Except that he has had problem after problem with the brakes. Every 10 thousand miles or so he would need to either have his rotors turned or replaced. This went on for a few years and at a considerable cost. We and the dealer couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on. Finally we thought that it must be the cheap OEM rotors. To try to correct the problem, Dad purchased a set of very expensive aftermarket rotors in the hopes that the problem would go away. Unfortunately after about 10k the aftermarket rotors were warped and the same vibrations were happening when applying the brakes. About to tear out his hair, Dad called the manufacturer of the rotors and discovered what the true problem was.
It appears that the Dodge trucks have a major problem in keeping rotors in good condition when the rotors are turned off the truck. While this is pretty much standard procedure on all vehicles it just causes problems in the Dodge Ram. To correct the problem, Dad had to find a shop that had the equipment that allowed the rotors to be turned and trued while on the vehicle. Viola! Problem solved! Since they were done that way he has put close to 30k on the truck with zero shake and grinding when the brakes are applied. We couldn’t for the life of us figure out why the Dodge dealer was unaware of this. Looking back now, I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee (1999) that was eventually bought back by Jeep/Chrysler for the same problem. I was going through brakes every 10k or so.
Anyway, not really a question, but more so a PSA for some of you. I remember how frustrated Dad was and thought that by passing on this information it might help some of you. But there is a question in all of this for some of the more mechanically inclined Dopers out there. Why would a Dealer not be aware of this problem and solution? I would think that it would be something they should know. And this isn’t an isolated incident. A quick Google search on Dodge Ram brake problems pulls up story after story of frustrated owners. I have responded to some, but there are just too many to answer all of them. Hope this helps.
My first reaction: your Dad is (unconsciously) riding the brake pedal. He doesn’t realize it, but even slight pressure is enough to overheat the rotors. Combine that with over-zealous overtightening of the wheel lug nuts (by tire shop employees), and you have a perfect scenario for warped/pulsating front brakes.
I say this because I never had the problem-but my wife wears out rotors and pads canstantly.
The other thing: the truck he has is very heavy-I sspect that the raotors are marginal (in terms of swept area) for the weight. Take a look at German cars (M-B, BMW, etc.-they use rotors that are much larger than those on American vehicles. The larger area means they can dissipate heat better.
It is the “Bean Counters” philiosophy-save $0.25/rotor, more$$ on the bottom line!
Your points are valid, but we checked and double checked the causes over a period of 30k miles (Dad drives a lot). Not to mention that the problem has been 100% eliminated since the rotors were balanced on the truck. And confirmed via several sources on the internet and shops, mechanics etc… who have all been aware of the problem.
As far as the rotor problem being caused by cheap rotors and a heavy vehicle. This is one of the things we thought of so that is why we replaced the rotors with EBC ones. These are heavy duty, slotted and drilled to dissipate heat. Unfortunately the problem continued.
FWIW, I am not knocking Dodge at all. I like their truck and think the product is a good one overall. This just happens to be a very costly and irritating problem that seemed to have no answer. The only reason I brought it up is doing Google searches on this problem brings up many people looking for answers. I thought that might save someone the trouble of discovering on their own after many rotor changes and lots of dollars wasted.
I wonder if the real problem is that the wheel hubs are skewed relative to the calipers, which might explain the whole bit about needing to turn/true the rotors on the vehicle, rather than in the usual way off in a corner of the shop on a brake lathe.
I’ve got an '06 Ram with 70,000 miles and haven’t had any unexpected brake problems - just new pads at about 50,000 miles.
What models are having the problems? 1500, 2500 or 3500? Mine’s a 1500 Mega Cab,which in reality is a 2500 chassis, but wearing a 1500 nameplate. Always guaranteed to cause confusion at the parts counter.
Just want to pipe in and say a similar thing happened to me. I bought a Dodge Neon in 1997, and after the first couple of years, I had to get the rotors replaced almost every year. The dealership didn’t have an explanation apart from the snow and salt from our “Buffalo winters.” With all the other maintenance problems I had with that car, I finally got rid of it in 2004. I have been driving a VW Beetle since then, and have had very few problems.
The truck is a 1500. To clarify this problem doesn’t seem to be affecting 100% of the trucks, but enough to were I see many people seeking answers. It is a frustrating problem and unfortunately the only answers Dodge seems to give involve spending more and more money at a solution that doesn’t work. As stated in the OP, I am not knocking the RAM, I like the truck.
Thanks for the info. I’m still trying to understand why turning them on the hubs is any different from turning them off (the hubs). Your shop was leaving the bearing races in the hubs during turning, right?
I’ve got a 2011 Ram quad-cab, that I use for frequently for towing (I tow right at the edge of GCWR). All four trailer axles have brakes, so maybe that’s why I haven’t noticed any unusual wear. (??)
Thanks again for the info.
Does your truck have the built-in brake controller? I’ve noticed quite a bit of traffic on the Dodge(Ram) boards about those. In many cases they aren’t applying enough voltage to the trailer brakes. I’ve noticed I have to set mine to maximum for it to work acceptably. Maybe your dad’s truck wasn’t applying the trailer brakes sufficiently? (and the truck brakes were doing all the work?)
With a prior history of a buy back for brake vibration and ongoing brake vibrations with this truck my vote is the root cause is located between the steering wheel and the seat.
I would add that brake lathes need service (I just paid about $350 to have my shop’s lathe tuned up)
There is a strong possibility that the lathe is out of spec and after the first turning the rotors weren’t straight, but not yet warped enough to feel.
Bent hubs is also a possibility.
My previous Dodge Intrepid and my current Dodge Caliber have the same issue. I always get warenteed brakes because they always warp. Always. We, too, thought that it was from getting rotors with cheap steel. Cheap or expensive, same thing happens.
I also have found that there is a shake in the right front tire that goes away for a short time each time the tires are replaced, but comes back every time.
I’ve always bought Dodge. Probably not going to again (esp since they keep not coming out with a 35+ MPG car other than the SmartCar which won’t work for me)
I had a similar problem on a 2003 Honda Accord. I took it in at 10,000 miles for a soft pedal feel and they said there was a TSB and they would replace the brakes altogether. It kept recurring every 10,000 miles, though, and the rotors would warp if you looked at them funny. My dad gave me his 2003 Odyssey a couple years ago about 5,000 miles after getting a brake job done (aftermarket at Bob’s Brake Palace or something) and the rotors were badly scored and warped almost as soon as we got it.
However, before you blame me for all these brake problems, keep in mind that I have a 2008 Hyundai Elantra with 62,000 miles on it with the original rotors and pads. No problems at all. So I guess the point of this rambling anecdote is that it might not be your dad’s fault.
