2000 DODGE DURANGO — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

MY WIFE WAS TRAVELLING AT 65 MPH ON A CLEAR DAY, ON DRY PAVEMENT WHEN TRAFFIC REDUCED SPEED AHEAD OF HER. SHE SLOWED BY GRADUALLY APPLYING THE BRAKES. WHILE APPLYING ADDITIONAL BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN, BUT NOT AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT A COLLISION. THE 2000 DODGE DURANGO 4X4 IS EQUIPPED WITH ABS, WHICH DID NOT ACTUATE AT ANY TIME WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SLOW. PRIOR TO THE COLLISION, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSING AS FIRMLY AS POSSIBLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DODGE DEALER WHERE THE BRAKES AND ABS WERE CHECKED. THE INITIAL RESPONSE WAS THAT VEHICLES WITH ABS DO NOT STOP THE SAME AS VEHICLES WITHOUT ABS; IF PRESSURE IS GRADUALLY APPLIED, THE ANTI-LOCK FEATURE WILL NOT ACTIVATE. THE BRAKES MUST BE RELEASED AND THEN APPLIED RAPIDLY TO ACTIVATE THE ABS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ABS IS OPERATING PROPERLY BUT THE FRONT ROTORS WERE OUT OF ROUND. THE ROTORS WERE CAUSING THE BRAKES TO GRAB, CAUSING THE ABS TO ACTIVATE. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED WITH OEM PADS, AND THE FRONT ROTORS WERE RESURFACED. FOLLOWING REPAIRS, MY WIFE AND I TESTED THE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE INITIAL CONDITION OF FAILURE COULD BE DUPLICATED. DURING THIS TEST, THE ABS WAS ACTIVATED SEVERAL TIMES. IT SHOULD BE NOTED HERE THAT THE ABS HAD NEVER BEEN ACTIVATED IN THE 14 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP PRIOR TO THIS TEST. I HAD MY WIFE DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER, UNDER SIMILAR 'SIMULATED' CONDITIONS, SHE WOULD ACTIVATE THE ABS, UNDER SUFFICIENT BRAKE PEDAL P