I purchased my 2002 ETH/DEE new in November of 2002 and I've loved this truck ever since with one exception. The A/C has had a leak from day one. The first spring (2003) I tried it and got nothing but warm air. I took it in to the dealer (the first of over a dozen visits at two different dealerships over the past 3+ years), they replaced some hoses and sent me on my way. Two months later it was warm air again. This started a series of "recharge, add dye, come back in a few weeks, can't find the leak" visits which, almost like clockwork, would recycle every two months when the A/C would start blowing warm air again. The exception of course being over the winter when I didn't need it (I live in CO btw), so I/we could only troubleshoot this during the warmer months.
By the time I had 6 visits under my belt I sent in the lemon card. The dealer was refusing to change any more parts until they could find the leak so from my point of view I was stuck in a neverending cycle of recharging every two months. Nice. I was contacted by the local representative who assured me they'd fix it. He claimed the dealer had just received new equipment and they would find it now. So I took it back in, again, and they couldn't find it, again. At this point I insisted that they change something because I was not happy with the whole recharge and fill with dye routine. The dealer reluctantly agreed to change the evaporator since this was the only part they couldn't see (buried under the dash) and was the likely culprit. They then inspected the original evaporator and said it was fine, no leaks, so the leak must be elsewhere. Sure enough, two months later it was warm air again. This forced me back into the "recharge, add dye, no leak found, warm air" routine.
After a few more visits of this (and by now we're into my 2nd year of ownership with this truck) I contacted Dodge again and pleaded with them to resolve this. At this point I was told "sorry, you sent in the lemon card too late". I sent in the lemon card after 6 tries, but unfortunately I had accrued 40k+ miles by that time. It turns out there's a 36k mile limit to send in the card
The mileage was due to not being able to troubleshoot over two winters. So dodge basically said "tough luck, no lemon law for you" and I took it to a second dealership. By now I'm rapidly approaching 70k miles.
I figured a change of atmosphere and a fresh look at the problem couldn't hurt. Unfortunately it was the same story, different dealership. They couldn't find the leak either and after a few tries I contacted Dodge for the third time pleading for help. Their response? They sent a notice to Star, the local representative, and the dealership stating that "Dodge will no longer offer financial assistance with respect to this issue". In other words, I'm out of warranty now so I'm completely on my own. The dealership sympathized and recharged and checked it one last time which got me into the cooler winter months. That's where I am today and, guaranteed, the A/C will blow warm air this spring.
Over $34k to purchase the truck, 3+ years of ownership, the A/C has been leaking since new, over a dozen visits to the dealership specifically for this issue, 3 fruitless calls to Dodge, weeks spent without the truck (sometimes with a Dodge Neon dealer loaner, sometimes just left to find my own transportation), and Dodge's attitude throughout all of this was "tough luck". As soon as the 70k warranty expired they completely washed their hands of the issue. It was disappointing enough that the A/C has issues in a $34k+ vehicle, but the overall lack of service throughout this whole deal has been sickening.
The lesson learned doesn't really apply to the trucks in this forum, so I'll also post this in the 3rd gen forum for new owners. If and when you have issues with your new truck, send in the lemon card immediately. If you wait until after 36k miles you're screwed. Also if it's a repeat issue you're pretty much screwed anyway, and can fully expect Dodge to nurse the issue until the warranty expires. At this time they'll wipe their hands of the issue and leave it up to you to deal with it.
I would also like to note that this was my first new vehicle. Needless to say I was very excited with the purchase, however after my experiences I can say with conviction that I will
NEVER purchase another new vehicle from Dodge. Ever. In fact it's questionable that I'd even purchase a used Dodge. I hope others never share my disappointing experiences
Disappointed w/ Dodge's lack of customer service (A/C issue for 3+ yrs), LONG story
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