That National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating 2000 and 2001 model year Dodge Ram trucks following 30 consumer complaints that the hood unexpectedly unlatched while driving, sometimes smashing into the windshield and damaging the roof of the truck.
As many as 697,480 Dodge trucks are covered by the federal safety probe. They include the 2000 and 2001 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, the Ram Pickup, the 2000 Dodge Ram 250, and the Ram Quad Cab.
Consumers have reported to the Office of Defect Investigations (ODI) that the hood on their Dodge Ram opened while the truck was moving, blocking visibility, "in some cases smashing into and damaging their windshield and roof."
"The secondary hood latch may bind and not secure the hood," according to the federal safety agency. "Many of the complaints specify that the secondary hood latch components were corroded," the NHTSA Web site reported.
The corrosion "appears to prevent the latch form operating properly," according to the safety agency report.
If the secondary hood latch on the Dodge Ram binds when the hood is open, the latch may not engage when the hood is closed, according to the defect investigation notice.
"In most cases, secondary hood latch malfunction would not be obvious to the driver," the report cautioned. "If the primary hood latch were to fail or not be engaged, the hood could open unexpectedly while the vehicle is underway."
The NHTSA Web site warned that "sudden and unexpected opening of the hood startles the drivers, blocks their visibility and could lead to a crash into other vehicles or objects."
ODI has opened a preliminary evaluation of the hood latch failures in the Dodge Ram trucks. The evaluation could lead to a recall of the vehicles.
