Plastic for cooling sucks.
The plastic "T" where the fill cap goes in the top hose on my mom's '03 Dakota failed and split just as I was loosening the cap while it was hot. Scalded the HELL out of my arm.
That hose assembly was almost $100 at the time. It had already been replaced once.
I replaced it with an aluminum T from Jegs, for $20, and each side hose is now $12.
Did the same thing preventatively on my 2000 Dakota.