ORLANDO, Fla. -- Daimler Chrysler has announced a preliminary plan to deal with mounting consumer complaints in the wake of a Local 6 investigation into cracking and collapsing dashboards on Dodge Ram trucks.

Since Local 6 aired the original report, the station has received hundreds of e-mails from people who said they are having problems with their Dodge vehicles.

Central Floridian Paul Blankenship came forward and said he can't drive his 1999 Dodge Ram.

Blankenship said it is not legal to drive on the roads, claiming cracks of the dashboard have left wires exposed to the hot sun and damaged his electrical system.

"A few months after the dash piece was missing, I started having electrical problems," Blankenship said. "I have no tail lights. No brake lights. No parking lights and no dash lights. So, theoretically, I can't even take it out of the yard. I have a truck that is no use to me."

"We are learning that affected models could span model years 1995 to 2003," Cooper said. "We are also hearing that other Daimler Chrysler models may be affected."

A representative for Daimler Chrysler said the company has a preliminary plan in place to deal with the issue.

First, the automaker will send out teams of field inspectors to look at and evaluate the damage to the dashboards of vehicles, Local 6 reported.

"They hope this will help the company better understand the scope of the problem," Cooper said.

Daimler Chyrsler insists that this is the first step in assessing the problem, Cooper reported.

A representative said the company would reach out to customers on a one-to-one basis once the investigation concludes.

Cooper said many viewer e-mails included comments from consumers who said they would never buy a Dodge product again.

Meanwhile, some of the consumers said they have heard back from Daimler Chrysler, explaining how a recall might work.

"If a recall is necessary, a report is sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety administration. If your vehicle is involved in a recall, you will be notified by mail. If the number of recalled vehicles is substantial, often a phased launch is conducted and notices are sent over a period of time," an e-mail reads.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.