Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - HUB | ||||||||||||||||
| 08E064000 | SKF USA, INC. | E (Equipment) | 2805 | 11/05/2008 | MFR | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 10/20/2008 | 10/20/2008 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Skf is recalling 2,805 hub units, part no. br930361, sold as a service part for 1997-2004 dodge dakota vehicles and 1999-2003 dodge durango vehicles equipped with 2-wheel drive & rear axle abs. due to a specification error, the rotor pilot for the hub unit may be too long. this results in the wheel to not be seated fully against the hub flange face during mounting. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Improper seating of the wheel can result in excessive vibration, brake rotor noise, difficulty removing the wheel after installation and operation of the vehicle, and possibly wheel-end separation during vehicle operation. should wheel-end separation occur, the driver could loose control of the vehicle, possibly resulting in a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Skf will notify owners and replace the defective hub units free of charge. the recall began on november 5, 2008. owners may contact skf vsm north america customer service at 1-800-644-8999. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Skf's recall no. skf pro 08-029us/ca.this recall only pertains to aftermarket skf hub units and has no relation to any original equipment installed on dodge dakota or durango vehicles manufactured by chrysler.customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 021599 | 11/05/1999 | 6089809 | Experiencing a squeak noise coming from rear leaf spring. *tt | 02/25/2000 | |
| 020699A | 12/17/1999 | 020699 | 6089735 | This bulletin mentions that the front wheel bearing grease is evident on the bearing seal area. *tt | 02/24/2000 |
| 030298 | 04/03/1998 | 600809 | Subject regarding axle lubricant and sealing requirements. *yc | 11/08/1999 | |
| 020599 | 06/11/1999 | 606526 | Experiencing squeaking or creaking from front wheel area at low speeds. *tt | 08/26/1999 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | |||||
| 020498 | 05/29/1998 | 601680 | Lower ball joint service information. *ak | 08/19/1998 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER ARM | |||||
| 0200600 | 10/27/2000 | 618857 | Subject regarding upper control arm bushing service. *tt | 05/03/2001 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||||
| 020699 | 06/11/1999 | 608109 | On some vehicles the front wheel bearings may incorrectly be diagnosed as faulty due to the evidence of wheel bearing grease on the bearing seal areas. *tt | 11/03/1999 | |
| 020699 | 06/11/1999 | 606527 | Subject on the front wheel bearing grease is evident on the bearing seal area. *tt | 08/26/1999 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 020500 | 05/17/2000 | 610617 | Some customers may comment about a squeaking / clicking noise from rear leaf springs. *tt | 05/08/2000 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | ||||||
| EA03023 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 11/19/2003 | 02/11/2005 | UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION | 04V596000 | |
| Daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) is recalling the target population of approximately 600,000 my 2000 through 2003 durango and dakota vehicles with four-wheel drive to replace the front suspension upper ball joints with redesigned parts that do not have the joint integrity concerns and have substantially improved joint retention capacity (nhtsa recall no. 04v-596).though dcc does not admit to a safety-defect in the subject components, odi believes that the facts in this investigation show otherwise.because of the low rates of separation incidents in the remaining subject vehicles, a safety-related defect has not been identified in those populations and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists in those vehicles.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report. | ||||||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | ||||||
| EA03023 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 11/19/2003 | 02/11/2005 | UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION | 04V596000 | |
| Daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) is recalling the target population of approximately 600,000 my 2000 through 2003 durango and dakota vehicles with four-wheel drive to replace the front suspension upper ball joints with redesigned parts that do not have the joint integrity concerns and have substantially improved joint retention capacity (nhtsa recall no. 04v-596).though dcc does not admit to a safety-defect in the subject components, odi believes that the facts in this investigation show otherwise.because of the low rates of separation incidents in the remaining subject vehicles, a safety-related defect has not been identified in those populations and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists in those vehicles.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report. | ||||||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM | ||||||
| EA03023 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 11/19/2003 | 02/11/2005 | UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION | 04V596000 | |
| Daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) is recalling the target population of approximately 600,000 my 2000 through 2003 durango and dakota vehicles with four-wheel drive to replace the front suspension upper ball joints with redesigned parts that do not have the joint integrity concerns and have substantially improved joint retention capacity (nhtsa recall no. 04v-596).though dcc does not admit to a safety-defect in the subject components, odi believes that the facts in this investigation show otherwise.because of the low rates of separation incidents in the remaining subject vehicles, a safety-related defect has not been identified in those populations and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists in those vehicles.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report. | ||||||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER ARM | ||||||
| EA03023 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 11/19/2003 | 02/11/2005 | UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION | 04V596000 | |
| Daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) is recalling the target population of approximately 600,000 my 2000 through 2003 durango and dakota vehicles with four-wheel drive to replace the front suspension upper ball joints with redesigned parts that do not have the joint integrity concerns and have substantially improved joint retention capacity (nhtsa recall no. 04v-596).though dcc does not admit to a safety-defect in the subject components, odi believes that the facts in this investigation show otherwise.because of the low rates of separation incidents in the remaining subject vehicles, a safety-related defect has not been identified in those populations and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists in those vehicles.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report. | ||||||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER BALL JOINT | ||||||
| EA03023 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 11/19/2003 | 02/11/2005 | UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION | 04V596000 | |
| Daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) is recalling the target population of approximately 600,000 my 2000 through 2003 durango and dakota vehicles with four-wheel drive to replace the front suspension upper ball joints with redesigned parts that do not have the joint integrity concerns and have substantially improved joint retention capacity (nhtsa recall no. 04v-596).though dcc does not admit to a safety-defect in the subject components, odi believes that the facts in this investigation show otherwise.because of the low rates of separation incidents in the remaining subject vehicles, a safety-related defect has not been identified in those populations and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists in those vehicles.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 07/07/2003 | 196 | 1 | 10/29/1997 |
| After reading about steering problems in dodge vehicles, i have hope you can help me. i purchased my '98 dodge dakota from 5 corners dodge at 1292 highway 143, cedarburg, wisconsin 53012. *09 dec '97 i took my truck in for customer states that when making left hand turns there is s jarring that comes through the steering wheel - replace intermediate shaft - n/c. *23 july '99 - check noise at low speeds from drive train - front propeller shaft ball socket insufficient lube noisy 16300100 driveline/propeller shafts, remove inspect wheels, brakes, universola, repair/lube front shaft ball socket joint and reinstall -n/c. *07 july 2003 - grinding noise from drivers side front end area - 2200 replace left front wheel bearing/hub assy, 219 replace upper and lower ball joints-both sides, 2wt 2 wheel truck alignment, 52165 test drive and insp replace failed lf bearing assy replace both upper ball joints replace both lower ball joints 2wheel truck align - $1095.12!!!! i brought attention to the problem from the beginning and by the time it was finally fixed, it was no longer under warranty. can you help me, in any way? thank you, don gruell. *jb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 62000 | 1 | |
| Owner of a 1998 dodge dakota reporting defective upper/lower ball joints and wheel bearing hub assemblies. *bf the faulty ball joints caused uneven and excessive tire wear. *nm | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 92000 | 1 | |
| Dodge dakota ball joints'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>ball joints failure. steering started to get sloppy. *bf upper and lower ball joint failure. the mechanic was unable to perform an alignment because the upper and lower ball joints were severely worn. *tc *jb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 38000 | ||
| Low miles on dodge dakota, upper and lower ball joints had to be replaced. *bf | |||
| 27000 | 1 | ||
| Inquiry into anything consumer could do to get dodge to take care of the ball joint failure which he experienced. *ph the consumer stated the ball joints rusted and loosened. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer questioned whether the numerous complaints of ball joint failure would be enough to issue a recall. *ph when the consumer took the vehicle into the shop to be serviced, he was told the upper and lower ball were bad. *jb | |||
| 10/25/2001 | |||
| While brakes are applied at any speed there is vibration in steering column. there is also a noise coming from steering column during acceleration. dealership has made no determination as to a cause for this problem. please provide any additional information / attachments.*ak | |||
| 01/28/1999 | |||
| When making sharp right turns on an incline there would be loud popping noises. a constant problem. have taken vehicle to dealer & mechanic could not duplicate the problem. would have control of vehicle. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 08/07/2005 | 62000 | 2 | 07/05/2001 |
| Ball joints seperated...costing me over $1000 in repairs...and now they have failed again....also control arm bushing is failing. *jb | |||
| 06/24/2005 | 4 | ||
| I took my 1998 dodge dakota 4x4 in for a front end alignment and found out that all four front ball joints were bad. one side was very loose and was almost ready to break. i talked to several mechanics who said this is expected for any dakota of this era. i found out that the 2000 and above years have been recalled. why aren't the 98's included in this, they have the same problem. | |||
| 01/10/2001 | 03/15/1998 | ||
| Had to replace rack&pinion after only 35000 miles | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 83000 | 1 | 06/24/1998 |
| 1998 dodge dakota has upper and lower ball joints failing.*mr the vehicle was taken to service center to have front wheel alignment done. the technician noticed sever front tire wear and concluded that the front upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *nm | |||
| 11/16/2004 | 84634 | 2 | 11/25/1998 |
| I have a 1998 dakota 4x4, making suspicious noises in front end. took to alignment shop where i was told that all ball joints and tie rods needed replacement badly, as , according to shop owner, the wear was so extensive that the truck was dangerous to drive. truck was repaired on 12/01/ 2004. this truck has never been an off-road used vehicle, hwy. miles only. i was also told by the shop owner that he has recently been receiving same complaint and need for repair by an unusually high number of dakota and durango owners. recall for 2000-2003 vehicles as released by the media occurred after my truck was repaired.*ak | |||
| 06/05/2000 | 6 | ||
| Sir, i just read on the internet where chrysler is recalling the dodge dakota going along with the governments recommendation. i understand they are only going back to the 2000 models. well, i have an 1998 model that's going through the same things. the ball joints have gone bad the steering has gone bad. there's been a bad crunching coming from the front-end for over a year and no-one can find out what's making it. i'm getting scared to drive it. i've already spent a load of money on the front-end of this vehicle!!! i have been to the dodge dealers numerous times and they tell me there is no bulletins on these problems but you can go on the internet and check on complaints for the dakota and there are thousands on the front-end ever since they changed to the new body style. i don't know what you guys can do about this problem but i think you should, in good faith, make them reimburse or recall all of these vehicles having the problems not just the last 4 years. this is just a cop-out on their part to keep you guys off their backs. if you think there are not complaints just go on the internet and check it out. this problem began several years ago, not just in 2000. thank you -------- an answer to this e-mail would be appreciated. jim jerles . *ak | |||
| 11/11/2003 | 2 | 07/30/1998 | |
| 1998 dodge dakota xlt truck upper and lower ball joint failures. mileage: 40,000 v8 (318ci) engine highway driven bought new experienced intermittent front end shimmy from day one. total of 12 tires tried resulting in no improvement and marred rims from tires being mounted and over 18 balancing. *la | |||
| 10/24/2003 | 62972 | 1 | 02/01/1999 |
| Worn front wheel bearing & excessive wear on upper & lower ball joints.*ak | |||
| 06/01/2000 | 3 | 05/01/2098 | |
| The tires have been replaced twice due to wear on the outside edge of the front tires. had the front end aligned each time and the mechanic stated minor adjustment. the problem seems to be the camber, the last mechanic i talked to (8/29/202) stated that has had several dogde dekotas in with the same problem and the dealers state that there is no problem.*ak | |||
| 08/01/2002 | 05/01/2098 | ||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 11/01/1999 | 2 | ||
| In 1999 steering was tight/ hard to turn, and difficult to steer. consumer tookvehicle to dealer, and they replaced rack and pinion. currently, vehicle needs another rack and pinion. *ak consumer states he thought he saw where there was a recall regarding steering on his vehicle. ball joints need replaced, however shop could not get the pin out to make repairs. front end needed alignment, it was out of specs. *slc | |||
| 08/20/2000 | 2 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Rotors (front discs) warp extemely quickly because of cylinder seal. seal is allowing brake pads to remain in contact with rotors. braking at high speed causes the front end to vibrate and is very difficult. rotors turned and pads replaced at 36000, and is needed again at 59000. this vibration is also causing the front end to get out of alignment very quickly. in 59000 it has required 4 major alignments and is now in need of 5th. *ak | |||
| While vehicle is being driven steering wheel pulls extremely to the right or the left, also, after vehicle is in park vehicle jerks forward,cause unknown. please give any further details.*ak | |||
| 09/04/2000 | 04/01/1998 | ||
| No summary | |||
| 06/15/2000 | 1 | 10/01/1997 | |
| Vehicle required ur & ll control arms replaced at 27,500 miles for failed ball joints, now at 66,500 miles ul balljoint has failed. 2wd, virtually all highway miles, no heavy usage, although no accident has occurred this a potentially hazardous condition. in addition to the 3 failures of ball joints on my vehicle my fathers 1997 dodge dakota required a control arm replacement for the same problem @ ~13000, miles. frankly, i believe this may warrant a recall, or at least extended coverage of replacement parts by daimler-chrysler. *ak | |||
| 03/01/2000 | 3 | 03/01/1998 | |
| I have gone thru 3 sets of tires for the front rh side of my vehicle. i have done 3 alignments on my truck already. i took the truck into a 2nd dealer to check out the front end 2 weeks ago and the conclusion was that i needed a 4th alignment for this truck. this truck has 60,000 miles on it, mainly commuting back and forth to work. i am going to be traveling 4,000 miles next month and am very leery of taking this vehicle. what are my options. i have never had a vehicle in my 15 years of driving need 4 alignments in 2 years. *ak( dot number: tire size: p21575s15 ) | |||
| 03/26/1998 | 4 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Clunk in front suspension, felt in driver floorboard when turning on uneven pavement. been to dealer 3+ times, can't fix. manufacturer's representative says normal, but i think it feels loose. *ak | |||
| 01/01/1998 | 2 | 11/29/1997 | |
| While driving in wet conditions vehicle sways left to right. problem is intermittent. consumer is very concerned for safety. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM | |||
| 12/10/2006 | 106657 | 1 | 05/09/2002 |
| Tl* - the contact owns a 1998 dodge dakota, whose left lower control arm on the front driver side broke off due to defective welding. the contact's dealer advised him that the vehicle was beyond the warranty period and not repairable. per the contact, the lower suspension bolts fell off the vehicle while driving 25 mph. there was no collision at the time of the failure. *ak updated 2/2/2007 - *nm | |||
| 07/01/2004 | 1 | 09/23/2002 | |
| This is in response to, and in support of, the reccommended recall of dodge dakotas. i have a 1998 dakota and recently had work done (july '04) on the front ball joints and tie rods. after a few months of popping noises from the front end when backing out and turning the steering wheel and a definite feeling of loose suspension on turns i took it to the dodge dealer for inspection and repair. they told me the truck was not driveable. the ball joints and tie rods were both failing and i was warned had i continued driving the vehicle in this condition i would have had a major accident. this, after having the same symptoms, but different repairs made by a different dealer, a year prior. the vehicle had one previous owner and 61,000 miles on it when i bought it in late 2002. i put on maybe 10,000 miles before the first incident and only a few thousand more before the second incident. i feel this vehicle is not only unsafe, but poorly manufactured and have contacted the manufacturer with my concerns. i feel the suggested recall should include the years prior to those reccommended (2000-2003). i have had two authorized dodge dealers perform two sets of repair to the amount of nearly $3000.00. this is nearly the value of the vehicle and it's not even paid off yet.*ak | |||
| 10/08/2001 | 2 | ||
| Consumer states that vehicle wonders all over the road. took to dealer and dealer replaced the tie rods, ball joints, upper control arm. consumer states six months later problem reoccured. please provide any further information. *mr | |||
| 11/01/1999 | 2 | ||
| In 1999 steering was tight/ hard to turn, and difficult to steer. consumer tookvehicle to dealer, and they replaced rack and pinion. currently, vehicle needs another rack and pinion. *ak consumer states he thought he saw where there was a recall regarding steering on his vehicle. ball joints need replaced, however shop could not get the pin out to make repairs. front end needed alignment, it was out of specs. *slc | |||
| 05/20/2001 | 2 | 08/01/1998 | |
| The first ball joint on the right side had to be replaced at just over 36000 miles. it was covered under the warrantee. the 2nd. ball joint failed at apr 62000 miles. i contacted chrysler but they said it was my responsibility. i find it hard to believe that with just 62000 mi. i've had to replace 2 ball joints. it seems to me that the 1998 dodge dakota has a problem and that they are the one's that should be responsible not me.. what would have happened if these ball joints would have failed doing 70 on i-75. i guess chrysler wants to wait until someone gets killed before they will fix the problem. thanks for listening. | |||
| 03/01/1999 | 3 | 06/01/1998 | |
| Steering coupler wears, front brakes and rotors wear excessively, serious ball joint wear even though greased regularely,(greased every 2,000 miles) | |||
| 06/15/2000 | 2 | 06/01/1998 | |
| Pre mature ball joint wear, even though serviced and greased regularly, which if not checked very often, could result in complete loss of vehicle control and injuries. *ak | |||
| 12/15/1999 | 1 | 11/01/1997 | |
| Truck has only 46000 miles on it. highway use, very little 4-wd usage. i find it suspicious that the ball joints wore out so quickly, and the parts are nationally backordered for 1 month. *ak | |||
| 06/09/1998 | 12/01/1997 | ||
| Left front ball joint failed. | |||
| 07/30/1998 | 09/15/1997 | ||
| Upper ball joints wore out. also experiences oil leaks and ignition system malfunctioning. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM | |||
| 10/02/2003 | 59629 | 2 | 09/10/1997 |
| Noises in front end, upper and lower ball joints on a 1998 dodge dakota 4-wheel drive defective. lower ball joints replaced under warranty at 34,853 miles. replaced lower joints again and upper ball joints at 59,629 at a cost of $1123.55. luckily it was caught before any serious accident occurred. your recall indicates year 2000-2003 but problem was there prior to that.*ak | |||
| 05/24/2004 | 27675 | 1 | 11/17/1998 |
| Upper and lower ball joints deteriorating 5-24-2004, 27,675 miles stearing intermediate shaft 6-22-2004. ball joints, lower control arm, and right wheel bearing had to be replaced by dealer.*ak steering intermediate shaft had to be replaced at freehold dodge nj very loose front end, hard to control, bounce. typical symptoms of a front end falling apart. dates above are replacement dates. third major problem is all of the bolts attaching the cab are deteriorated. taking to my nm dodge dealer. can not even take off the bots they are so bad on the cab of my truck vin: 1b7gg22y9ws589684 i have been the owner from day one. in my parents name in new jersey for insurance rate reduction. | |||
| 09/17/2003 | 59423 | 4 | 11/15/1997 |
| 1998 dodge dakota, upper arm ball joint defect. a story on cbs news last night has prompted me to submit this complaint. september 2000, noise on the right front side of truck prompted me to stop at a dodge dealer to check it out, found the right upper arm ball joint was so bad that the service manager said i could have lost the wheel on the highway at the speed limit causing potentially serious accident. the arm was replaced under warranty (34853 miles). i recently purchased 4 new tires for the truck and asked the dealer to do a front end alignment (59423), he tried and said he could not because the ball joints were defective. i had no indication at this time there was a problem with the ball joints until i tried to get an alignment to protect the new tires, i got a second opinion with the same response. i went to the dodge dealer and confirms that all 4 ball joints in the front end were bad, lower and upper. dealer said it happens occasionally, but i have less than 60,000 miles on the truck and it is my third ball joint on the upper front. this time there was no indication of a problem and it cost me over $1100 to fix as it was no longer under warranty was lucky since the there was no accidents, the problem was caught in time. there is no doubt in my mind that the ball joints used on the dodge dakota are defective and do not last, in my case the replaced ball joint in september 2000 lasted less than 24,000 miles understand there is a class action law suit in progress, can you provide any information on this, chrysler/daimler needs to stand up and fix the problem before there is a tragedy.*ak | |||
| 07/22/2003 | 46059 | 4 | 12/17/1997 |
| Advised by authorized chrysler service to replace both left and right, upper and lower ball joints and left and right lower control arms for excessive wear at 46059 miles. cost $1478 plus tax. one mechanic said this is same premature problem experienced on ddodge durango.*ak | |||
| 04/03/2001 | 1 | 10/22/1997 | |
| Lower control arm broke from vehicle because it was not welded to vehicle. manufacturer has been notified.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | |||
| 12/05/2007 | 90000 | 1 | 05/10/2001 |
| My tires have been wearing on the outside for over a year now, i had the truck looked at and all ball joint uppers and lowers are bad. this truck only has 90,000 miles and has been driven to and from work for the last 5 1/2 years that i have owned it. the front passenger side is ready to give way. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2007 | 82000 | 5 | 11/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge dakota. the ball joints have completely worn out and also has a very noisy lifter in the vehicle. the vehicle drifts in and out of lanes at any speed; however, the failure was noticed while driving 10 mph. the contact has not taken the vehicle to the dealer. he was informed of a recall on the previous year's model, but his vin was not included. the recall number was unavailable. the current mileage was 93,500 and failure mileage was 82,000. updated 03/14/08. *lj the shifter didn ot stay in park | |||
| 05/09/2006 | 58500 | 1 | 05/05/1998 |
| Upper and lower ball joint failures @ 58,500 miles. *jb | |||
| 01/23/2006 | 5 | 03/27/1998 | |
| We own a 1998 dodge dakota sport 4x4. it currently has 144k kilometers. we just installed our 3rd set of upper ball joints, and have replaced the lower ball joints twice. we expect to replace the lowers again before next year. we know when the joints need replacing, when the vehicle becomes difficult to keep within a lane at highway speeds, due to excessive play in the steering. i see from the internet that chrysler has issued a recall for 2000 and later models. this is insufficient, as many people on the internet are experiencing the same issue in models as late as 1996. i believe this issue is well known in the industry, one person or family getting killed by this defect for there to be an official recall is not good enough. our vehicle maintenance is paid by our company, however a family that may not be able to afford such expensive replacement on a regular basis, may be putting themselves in jeopardy. *nm | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 112000 | 3 | 09/01/2000 |
| Dt: the contact states every year when he takes vehicle to be inspected they inform him the upper and lower ball joints need to be replaced. the ball joints have been replaced three times. the replacement takes place approximately every 20, 000-25,000 miles. a local mechanic said it was the design of the ball joints that caused the problem. *ak | |||
| 10/18/2005 | 73561 | 3 | 04/01/2003 |
| Walking back to my parked 98 dodge dakota, after dining out with family, i noticed that my front passenger side wheel was cock-eyed while the driver's side wheel was pointing straight. i had the local dodge dealer/service department check it out and they discovered that 3 out of 4 ball joints were bad. the service manager said that it was a very dangerous situation and i shouldn't have been driving the vehicle. i was appalled to hear that since i had no indication that i or my passengers were in any danger: the truck never pulled to one side, and it didn't steer funny, or give me any reason to believe that something was so terribly wrong. the service manager urged me to replace all four ball joints, which i did at a cost of over $773.81. i think dodge needs to recall the '98 dakotas' ball joints. there's no reason a vehicle with only 73,000 miles on it should have 3 out of four ball joints go bad to the point that the wheels are coming off. *nm | |||
| 09/30/2005 | 102950 | 1 | 04/01/2000 |
| Ball joints failed, passengers side came loose and the wheel feel off and the transmisson had to be rebuilt due to cheap internal parts. but if you own a 98 dodge dakota have your ball joints checked they are a hazard and someone is going to get killed, if they already have not.... *nm | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 49000 | 2 | |
| Dt: the consumer had a 98 dodge dakota, took to tire shop, truck could not be aligned because it had defective ball joints. contact called the daimler chrysler, who informed him that there was no recall on this vehicle after repairs were done vehicle had steering problem. there was a noise in the steering column. then, at repair shop owner was informed there was a defective steering gear, and would cost $800. owner did not repair steering and vehicle veered to the right/left. tire company stated the crown of the road caused vehicle to pull to the left/right. tire shop indicated they could repair the problem,but there were 500 steering gears on back order. owner felt there was a problem with the steering gear otherwise there wouldn't be 500 steering gears on back order. *ak | |||
| 06/03/2005 | 1 | 07/01/1998 | |
| Dt: the contact owns a 1998 dodge dakota. the front end upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. chrysler said that there was no recall. *ak also front end was aligned and the brake front rotors had to be turned. *tt *nm | |||
| 05/15/2005 | 86000 | ||
| All 4 front ball joints failed at 86,000 miles | |||
| 03/31/2005 | 1 | ||
| While driving 45 mph front passenger wheel felk off. driver pulled over, and the vehicle was towed to a garage for inspection. mechanic determined that the upper and lower ball joints broke, and needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 03/10/2005 | 83990 | 4 | 03/01/1998 |
| On my 1998 dodge dakota i experienced a klunking sound in the front end. found out at 84,000 miles that the ball joints were bad and contributed to wheel bearing and hub assembly problems. repair bill was $738.95. i had the repair performed at my local dodge dealer morgan dodge in durham, nc. the dealership told me the repair was necessary and the vehicle was unsafe to drive without the repairs. the oem replacement parts are on national backorder and the dealership had to use aftermarket parts for the ball joints. i have contacted dodge and they said the vehicle is out of warranty and is not subject to any recall so they can not assist me.*ak | |||
| 09/03/2003 | 79000 | 2 | 03/02/1998 |
| Noise from front end, had checked out and mechanic found left side ball joints (upper and lower) were prematurely worn. i had them replaced at my expense. i saved the old parts. now the passenger side nedds to be replaced. again the dealer tells me the recall does not apply to my car. | |||
| 11/25/2003 | 28795 | 1 | 07/07/2003 |
| I own a 1998 dodge dokota truck and had to have the ball joints replaced in november, 2003. i have heard they are recalling the dokota's starting in year 2000. what about the ones before that year. i have receipts where it cost me $753.71 to have this work done.*ak | |||
| 05/30/2000 | 40000 | 2 | 06/16/1999 |
| (1) front end making a popping noise. when i turned. truck was still under warranty dealership kept saying it was brake noise. (2)upper and lower ball joint failure, ball joints were rusted out, (3)all 4 ball joints replaced at my expense,when truck was barely out of warranty. *jb | |||
| 02/07/2005 | 87450 | 2 | 12/13/2000 |
| While pulling away from the gas pump consumer heard a loud noise and then the front right side of vehicle fell/dropped. consumer was able to observe that the front right lower ball joint broke. vehicle was towed to a repair shop, and mechanic confirmed that it was the lower ball joint. also, the left lower ball joint needed to be replaced. dealer was not notified.*ak | |||
| 07/31/2001 | 48000 | 1 | 08/18/1998 |
| Purchased truck in 1998 and in 2001 at 48000 miles had to replace upper and lower ball joints in the front end on both sides and i think i am going to have to replace them again and mileage is over 99000. i also made two other complaints for both front calipers seizing on this website. i would have made complaints sooner, but just found out about this site. i wanted to make complaints after hearing about the problems with the dodge dakota and durango model year 2000 and up with their ball joints. *jb | |||
| 01/26/2005 | 60000 | 1 | 01/17/2005 |
| Left and right side upper and lower ball joints severely worn . dust boots torn and no grease fittings (suppose to be lifetime lubricated). replaced with after market ones with grease fittings. vehicle only has 64,700 miles . *ak | |||
| 11/07/2003 | 67794 | 2 | 08/25/1997 |
| Had to replace upper and lower balljoints and outer tie rod ends.*ak | |||
| 05/04/2004 | 99559 | 1 | 09/19/2002 |
| 1. excessive drifting back and forth in the lane i was driving in . uneven tire wear. 2. service tech said that i was lucky a wheel didn't come of while driving. 3. replacement of upper and lower ball joints on my 98 dodge dokota sport.*ak | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 67000 | 2 | 07/01/2000 |
| I have replaced the ball joints twice now on my 1998 dodge dakota in the past four years. on a recent visit to my mechanic for an oil change, i was advised that i will again need to replace my ball joints and that one in particular was close to failure and was unsafe. in his words: you got lucky. this could have failed at any time. i have scheduled another appointment to once again replace my ball joints. *nm | |||
| 10/26/2004 | 81900 | 2 | 10/01/1997 |
| When turning or driving at low speeds there was a dry shuttering noise in the front end. took vehicle to dealership for inspection, and dealership indicated that the upper/lower ball joints were defective and needed to be replaced. parts were replaced. failure recurred 3 years later on upper ball joints only. *ak control arm, ball joint, and tie rods were replaced again at 136,807. *tt | |||
| 11/29/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving 35 mph vehicle swerved to the right and suddenly consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front, and the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that both frontal lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 12/14/2004 | 105000 | 2 | |
| My mechanic informed me that all 4 ball joints and the inner & outer tie rod ends need replacing on my 1998 dodge dakota. since there is currently a recall for 2000-2003 dakotas & durangos and a class action lawsuit pending for 1998 durangos, i wonder if there is merit to my 1998 dakota failure and the resulting expense.*ak | |||
| 10/02/2003 | 59629 | 2 | 09/10/1997 |
| Noises in front end, upper and lower ball joints on a 1998 dodge dakota 4-wheel drive defective. lower ball joints replaced under warranty at 34,853 miles. replaced lower joints again and upper ball joints at 59,629 at a cost of $1123.55. luckily it was caught before any serious accident occurred. your recall indicates year 2000-2003 but problem was there prior to that.*ak | |||
| 12/11/2003 | 1 | 06/09/2002 | |
| 1 - took the dodge dakota truck in to have the snow tires put on and was told that the upper & lower ball joints where ready to fail. the automotive shop then replaced the upper & lower ball joints. *ak | |||
| 04/19/2001 | 36357 | 1 | 12/02/1997 |
| A recent recall announcement for dodge dakotas and durango only included the model years of 2000-2004 for failed ball joints and wheels falling off. this compliant is to notifiy the nhtsa that early model years also experience the sample problem. in 2001, my 1998 dodge dakota had the right front wheel colapse while in motion due to a failed ball joint. the nhtsa should expand this recall to earlier models.*ak | |||
| 12/11/2004 | 100 | 4 | 10/28/1998 |
| 1998 dodge dakota, current mileage:426,000. have had to replace all control arms twice. ball joints unavailable, requiring entire a-arm replacement. bummer. *jb | |||
| 06/01/2001 | 30000 | 1 | 11/29/1997 |
| Lower ball joint failure in 1998 dodge dakota 4wd. query: why isn't the recall re. ball joints covering dakotas manufactured prior to 2000? mine experienced lower ball joint failure at 30,000 miles and i was told by the dealer that there is a design defect that will cause repeating ball joint failure. now i am informed there is a recall of 2000-2004 models with a similar defect, because wheels have come off. this is a serious safety issue and should be comprehensively addressed to include prior model year problems. most of these vehicles are still on the road ! *ak | |||
| 08/01/2004 | 61200 | 3 | 11/15/1998 |
| I've submitted a complaint about my plight previously but i have another episode to report. my first complaint (last year) detailed problems with my 98' dodge dakota truck. the ball joints on this vehicle are substandard to say the least and are actually downright dangerous. my truck has less than 70000 highway miles on it and i have replaced two ball joints already (as noted in my previous complaint) and now a third is failing and in need of repair. you may ask how i know it failing when i haven't had it repaired yet?... because it's happened so many times before and i know the symptoms. that makes 3/4 of the ball joints on the front of this truck that will have been replaced in the last two years. i was elated to see where the nhtsa has requested chrysler to recall the dakota and durango as a result of these ball joint failures. i was equally dismayed to see that it only covered 2000-2003!!!! why?!!! as you read above, my truck has failed equally if not worse than the models the nhtsa recommended be recalled. numnerous web sites are filled with complaints about these same issues on vehicles that are older than 2000. i suspect it has to do with money = anything more than 4 model years and chrysler will start screaming. if the failing ball joints are dangerous on the 2000-2003 models, then the same failing ball joints are dangerous on the older models too. please explain to me why my safety is less important than those with trucks two years newer than mine. thank you.*ak | |||
| 10/05/2004 | 1 | ||
| 1998 dodge dakota upper and lower ball joint failure. reported by repair shop when asked to perform a front allignment. i was told that tey have never seen a worse case of worn out ball joints. they told me that an allignment cannot be performed without the ball joint repalcement. fron end is loose and makes a popping sound when turning. truck has approximately 85,000 miles. no repair completed as yet. i was informed by the repair shop that a recall to correct this defect is likely to be initiated soon and that i should wait for the recall and avoid driving the truck until fixed. *ak | |||
| 12/02/2004 | 79645 | 4 | |
| I started to notice a loud popping noise coming from the drivers side front wheel well on my 1998 dodge dakota slt club cab. i took my truck to an independant garage and was told that my ball joints were in desparate need of replacement. i was told by the ase certified mechanic that the ball joints are sealed and could not get the proper lubrication causing premature failure. the mechanic also stated that the ball joints could have failed at any time causing the wheel to fail which would result in loss of control of the vehicle. i asked the mechanic if the replacement ball joints were greasable. he told me yes. i feel that the original ball joints were not designed properly by daimler chrysler, and this is a safety issue that warrants a recall. | |||
| 11/26/2004 | 40000 | 2 | 11/14/1997 |
| Left and right ball joints on my 1998 dodge dakota pickup truck failed with only 46,000 miles on the truck. i had to replace them in order for the truck to pass its state safety inspection.*ak | |||
| 08/26/2004 | 84000 | 1 | |
| There is a squeaking noise in the front end while driving. dealership indicated that all 4 ball joints needs to replaced due to premature wear.*ak | |||
| 11/04/2004 | 47563 | 1 | |
| The upper and lower ball joints'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>lower ball joints'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>lower ball joints wore out completely at 27,000 miles. *ak the consumer stated that a consistent rattling noise was heard coming from the front steering suspesion area. the consumer stated that the play inside the ball joint'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>ball joint was severe. *tc | |||
| 10/20/2004 | 88088 | 1 | 04/26/2002 |
| Discovered upon vehicle inspection; abnormal wear to front tires, front brakes and rotors, upper and lower front ball joints. *jb | |||
| 10/19/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving, a loud popping noise was heard coming from the front of the vehicle. the consumer was able to drive it to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the consumer that the front lower ball joints needed to be replaced. please fill in additional information. *jb | |||
| 10/19/2004 | 4 | 10/09/2003 | |
| I went in to get my truck aligned because the outer end of my tires are woren. however, i was informed that all four of my ball jionts were worn out and that this is a very common problem with dakotas. i am looking into fixing them but if they are defective and will be recalled i would like the manufacture to pay to have them fixed.*ak | |||
| 10/14/2004 | 29045 | 1 | |
| The vehicle had to have both lower ball joints replaced. the vehicle has only 29,045mi on it. *jb (right and left lower ball joints) there was excessive tire wear. the mechanic determined that the lower ball joints to be worn within excess of the specifications and could not be aligned. *sc | |||
| 09/03/2004 | 55000 | 1 | 06/02/1998 |
| While driving at any speed, a squeaking/popping noise was coming from the front of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. who informed the consumer that both front lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *jb | |||
| 09/11/2004 | 50000 | 1 | 09/15/1998 |
| Front end noise. excessive tire wear and frequent front end allignments. 2 lower ball joints failure requires replacement replacement of faulty lower ball joints. *ak | |||
| 08/10/2004 | 64000 | 1 | |
| The rubber boot on all 4 ball joints shredded and all of the grease was lost and washed out. *ak *sc *jb | |||
| 08/04/2004 | 53000 | 2 | 10/25/2003 |
| At 50k miles the front end was extremely loose and steering control was becoming quite dangerous. no off road activities. both upper and lower ball joints were pretty much destroyed. after 1300$ to fix the front end found that the steering worm gear is also worn out. steering is still dangerous. the steering should pretty much never fail and under normal conditions the ball joints should last at least 100k miles. *jb | |||
| 08/17/2004 | 113000 | 1 | 08/14/2004 |
| Purchase of used 98 dakota on 8/14-04, noise in front end, returned to used car dealer, bad ball joints, replaced bad parts.*ak | |||
| 07/04/2004 | 1 | ||
| Ball joints, front upper, and lower wore out, and were very loose. took vehicle to the dealer. however, the problem still existed. *ak | |||
| 08/04/2004 | 52822 | 1 | 03/06/1998 |
| The lower ball joints were worn and needed to be replaced. in a discussion with the dealer representative, i was told to retain my bill since although there had not yet been a recall, there may be one in the future. from this conversation, it was obvious that this is a problem as has been indicated on several news reports and newspaper articles.*ak | |||
| 08/05/2004 | 72000 | 1 | |
| The vehicle was having a problem with the ball joints. the ball joints caused excessive tire wear from the inner sidewalls. *jb | |||
| 08/04/2004 | 69000 | 2 | |
| Consumer heard a clicking noise in the front of the vehicle. once the vehicle was turned off consumer still could hear the clanking noise. the ball joints have been rerpaired twice. *ak | |||
| 05/24/2004 | 27675 | 1 | 11/17/1998 |
| Upper and lower ball joints deteriorating 5-24-2004, 27,675 miles stearing intermediate shaft 6-22-2004. ball joints, lower control arm, and right wheel bearing had to be replaced by dealer.*ak steering intermediate shaft had to be replaced at freehold dodge nj very loose front end, hard to control, bounce. typical symptoms of a front end falling apart. dates above are replacement dates. third major problem is all of the bolts attaching the cab are deteriorated. taking to my nm dodge dealer. can not even take off the bots they are so bad on the cab of my truck vin: 1b7gg22y9ws589684 i have been the owner from day one. in my parents name in new jersey for insurance rate reduction. | |||
| 03/16/2003 | 56000 | 4 | |
| (1) events leading to the failure were simply normal driving. nothing special or out of the ordinary was done or attempted. (2) the ball joints on both of my upper and lower control arms have failed. the joints were original equipment and are permanently sealed supposedly requiring no maintenance. however the rubber boot surrounding the joint failed, thus leading to water and other road grit to enter the joint. thus the joints did not remain lubricated, eventually leading to mechanical failure. (3) due to dodge not selling the individual ball joints, i opted replaced both of the entire front control arms. due to the cost of that repair i opted to purchase and install aftermarket ball joints for the lower control arms rather than replace the entire arm as had been done with the upper. the repair was very labor intensive; especially on something which should require minimal if any maintenance.*ak | |||
| 06/29/2004 | 2 | ||
| While vehicle was being serviced technician noticed that the ball joints along with the tie rod ends were loose. *ak *tc | |||
| 06/28/2004 | 88000 | 4 | 06/25/2001 |
| I have a dodge dakota 98. i went in for an alignment today. my 69 dollar alignment was bumped up to 830 dollars. they said that all of the ball joints need to be replaced and that this happens all the time with the dodge truck of this year thru 2003. they told me that my wheels might just fall off. i told them not to perform this since i did not have the money and they told me to watch out for bumps and sharp turns. my truck is not making any wired noises and i cant believe that this issue was legitiment since you would think a recall would have been issues for such a dangerous thing. i went online of course to look into this and found that this is currently being looked into by the feds. if i had not gone in for the allignment, and my wheel fell off with my 6 year old child in the car i or her / both might not be here. i will be driving my other vehicle for the time being and would like to know when this will be recalled / addressed. firestone put at the bottom of the recommended services: system failure - required upper-both ball joints/ lower both ball joints the money is one thing. me and my kid is another. and with no indication of this problem, that really concerns me!!!*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| While having the vehicle inspected technician determined that vehicle would not pass inspection due to defective left and right front ball joints. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1998 dodge dakota ball joint failure. *mr consumer felt that failure of ball joints was an example of poor design and vehicle being unsafe. *la | |||
| 04/15/2004 | 70000 | 3 | 05/15/1998 |
| I am on my third catalytic converter on a 1998 dodge dakota, i just hit 70,000 miles and there seems to be an aweful lot of bad catalytic converters on this vehicle. now the dealer tells me the biggest safety problem with my truck is the upper and lower ball joints (it'll cost almost $1000), these are the same as used on the durango and they have had all kinds of problems also.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer took the vehicle to an inspection station and vehicle did not pass inspection due to worn out upper and lower ball joints. consumer will take the vehicle to the dealer in the near future. *ak | |||
| 03/31/2004 | 45606 | 1 | 10/24/2000 |
| Upper and lower ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak *sc *jb | |||
| 01/31/2004 | 94189 | 2 | 12/02/2004 |
| Front suspension, ball joints, & stabilizer bars were all replaced due to unusual wear & tear. the steering was popping and my front tires were loose. my vehicle was deemed unsafe by the dealer & needed immediate repair. according to the dealer this is a common problem with the dakotas & durangos & daimler chrysler is fully aware of this issue. i was told it would be in my benefit to bring my particular vehicles problem to nhtsa's attention as well as daimler chrysler.*ak | |||
| 03/18/2004 | 65000 | 2 | 02/03/2000 |
| Defective upper and lower ball joints on my 98 dodge dakota. i just went to les schwab to get new tires and an allignment when they told me all of my ball joints needed to be replaced. this seems way to soon for this type of problem. and it cost me 800 dollars to get it fixed.*ak | |||
| 03/12/2004 | 77170 | 1 | 05/25/1998 |
| Premature wear on both upper ball joins and one lower ball joint. *jb | |||
| 03/10/2004 | 61000 | 1 | 01/01/1998 |
| The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection after a road trip. dealer determined that upper ball joints were about to separate, and the lower ball joints were worn out. upper and lower ball joints were replaced. *ak | |||
| 09/14/2003 | 1 | 10/19/2001 | |
| An independent shop replaced the lower and upper ball joints lat september at the consumer's expense. dealer notified. *ak the cv drive and axle shaft were also replaced. *jb | |||
| 2 | |||
| While vehicle was being serviced mechanic determined that ball joints and tie rod ends were loose. *ak | |||
| 100000 | 2 | ||
| While driving there was vibration in the front end. dealership replaced both upper ball joints. also, at 100,000 miles right front upper ball joint was replaced because it was loose, and the wheel was about to fall off. *ak | |||
| 03/04/2004 | 1 | ||
| The driver took the vehicle to the garage for tire repair. the mechanic noticed that both upper and lower ball joints needed replaced due to the excessive wear on the inner side of tires and wheel are loose. | |||
| 68000 | 1 | 10/12/1998 | |
| Vehicle was taken to dealer for premature wear of the tires. mechanic determined that ball joints were rubbing , and needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 03/04/2004 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Dealer replaced the lower and upper ball joints at 90000 miles. *ak | |||
| 03/04/2004 | 17000 | 1 | 05/08/1998 |
| While driving and turning left or right at lower speed consumer heard a noise coming through the front end. vehicle was taken to the dealership and the mechanic determined that the ball joints wore out and needed to be replaced. *ak *nm | |||
| 03/03/2003 | 90000 | 4 | 10/15/2000 |
| Failure of all ball joints in march of 2003 and then a subsequent replacement of 2 of those ball joints in july of 2003. currently 1 more of the ball joints is going bad.*ak | |||
| 06/14/2002 | 100000 | 3 | 12/05/1997 |
| The ball joints on my 98 dodge dakota have failed several times. one time the wheel almost fell off. they have been replaced as well as the wheel bearings and entire hub assembly which they cause to fail when they fail. *ak | |||
| 09/15/2002 | 30000 | 3 | 08/05/1998 |
| Ball joints and steering column on my 1998 dodge dakota pickup truck. both were worn out after 30,000 miles.*ak | |||
| 02/25/2004 | 67500 | 1 | 11/25/1998 |
| The upper and lower ball joints failed. the consumer was concerned that the front end would collapse while driving. *ak the vehicle was still under warranty. *sc *jb | |||
| 02/17/2004 | 42000 | 2 | 02/19/1998 |
| Consumer had to replace the upper and lower ball joints and inner tie rods at 42,000 miles. *ak the ball joints and tie rod ends had excessive play. *jb | |||
| 01/13/2004 | 80000 | 1 | 06/11/1998 |
| While driving at any speed consumer heard a clicking sound coming from the front wheels when turning corners. also, consumer needed to compensate for vehicle pulling from one side to the other side. vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who lifted the vehicle and one of the front wheels fell off. mechanic determined that front ball joints were worn out. *ak mechanic replaced upper and lower ball joints, inner tie rod ends and performed front end. *la alignment | |||
| 02/09/2004 | 4 | 09/05/1998 | |
| I hear a popping sound when i turn left. i took my 1998 dodge dakota to a mechanic and he said all four of my ball joints (two uppers and 2 lowers) are shot. i have an extended warranty so i contacted the local dealer about getting new ball joints. the parts dept. manager told me there is a nationwide back order on the lower ball joints and he expected to get them in within a few months. as for the uppers, he said he could get them within a few weeks. it sounds to me like dodge knows the ball joints are defective so they pulled everything from stock and are having new ones made up. i think dodge might be doing this to avoid a recall. *ak | |||
| 02/05/2004 | 80000 | 4 | 11/01/1997 |
| My complaint is in regards to the ball joints on my 1998 dodge dakota truck. my truck has 80,000 miles on it, but i baby it, have never been in an accident, and can remember just about every pothole i've hit on the road because it makes me cringe every time. i brought the truck to the dealership to investigate the loud noises i could hear, and feel, when i drove. i don't understand why all four of them had to be replaced. i believe the ball joints were faulty upon manufacture, and hope to be reimbursed for the parts and labor. granted this is probably a low priority issue because there have been a relatively low number of fatalities attributed to ball joint failure, and it generally does not involve fire, or emergency situations. i would like to make the point that my truck is much more responsive, and the steering feels much tighter, and attribute this to the new ball joints. whether this is just in my head, or i really do feel a difference, i am relieved to say that i got it done. but i did consider not doing it and waiting to hear more about potential recall status. i would like to urge people not to wait if they are having problems, and keep your fingers crossed for a future recall. the bit of sloppiness, and potential failure of the ball joint, is a large risk, and if you correct the problem now you can mitigate the risk that will become an issue as the automobiles with faulty ball joints grow in age and severity of defect. please do what you can to push for recall.*ak | |||
| 01/01/2003 | 85536 | 1 | |
| Technician serviced vehicle and determined that ball joints needed to be replaced. part was replaced in january 2003. vehicle was serviced january 2004, technician installed new ball joints. *ak *mr | |||
| 11/03/2003 | 56345 | 1 | 03/22/2001 |
| While driving at any speed, the consumer heard a subtle noise coming from the front wheels. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined excessive upper and lower ball joint wear.*ak *jb | |||
| 01/12/2004 | 1 | 10/20/2003 | |
| While driving consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front end. dealerships mechanic informed the consumer that the problem pertained to the front lower ball joints failure. *ak the consumer viewed film where the wheels had fallen. *sc | |||
| 01/14/2004 | 3 | 05/23/2002 | |
| Upper and lower ball joint require replacements as well as tie rods. *cb | |||
| 01/09/2004 | 1 | ||
| Upper and lower ball joint are bad. *ak | |||
| 12/24/2003 | 45000 | 2 | 07/30/2002 |
| Bought used 1998 dodge dakota in july 2002. vehicle had 45,000 miles. was told by dealer that lower ball joints had been replaced. vehicle started making popping noises in october 2003 and continued to worsen. i could not locate the problem. finally took it to dealer in dec 2003 and was informed that both lower ball joints were shot. vehicle had 61,000 miles at time of replacement for second set of lower ball joints. deal er advised that at time of first replacement after market ball joints were not available and that they were factory replacements.*ak | |||
| 10/27/2003 | 66000 | 1 | 10/05/1997 |
| 1998 dodge dakota upper ball joint failure dealer diagnosis. *ak | |||
| 10/01/2002 | 42008 | 1 | 02/26/1998 |
| Lower ball joints had to be replaced at 42, 000 miles on my 1998 dodge dakota due to the repair shop being unable to perform a front end alignment. mechanic told me that the upper ball joints will most likely need to be replaced within the next year or so depending on mileage put on the vehicle in that time. *ak | |||
| 10/07/2003 | 48000 | 1 | 10/15/2002 |
| 1998 dodge dakota 2wd standard cab pickup with a 3.9 liter v6 engine. at 48,000 miles the drivers side lower ball joint required replaceing and now at 52,000 miles the passenger side is making popping sounds. i am probably going to have the upper and lower ball joints replaced with aftermarket parts as dodge prices are double to triple the cost.*ak | |||
| 06/15/2002 | 84350 | 1 | 09/01/1998 |
| Upper and lower ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak | |||
| 04/20/2001 | 40000 | 2 | 08/10/2001 |
| Per broadcast on december 19, 2003 on cbs nightly news, the dodge durango/dakota ball joint, upper and lower issues, not yet a recall by the mfg. we own a 1998 dodge dakota, purchased in 2000 and at every state inspection, the upper and lower front ball joints need to be replaced. the dealer is aware of the situation that all dodges 97 and up have ball joint issues, so the mfg is aware of the problem for a long time now. every year it is 300+ $ to replace these for the needed state inspection, they go bad every year, and are dangerous if not replaced. we only put about 10, 000 miles a year on the vehicle also. the joints cannot be greased w/o dealer or mechanic assistance. per the news these items need to be replaced to accomodate larger ball joints which is going to be costly. we called about 2yrs ago to chrysler dodge, who advise there is nothing wrong and no recall has been issued. now we see there are major safety issues regarding this defect and causing fatalities and accidents. we dont want to find out this way, we would like it to be a recall to have the joints and arms replaced to accomodate the bigger ball joints required for this type of vehicle. apparently this is a known issue re all dodge trucks/ suvs and needs to have a prompt investigation done not only by the dealers/chrysler dodge who already are aware anyway, no need for them to investigate something they have been repairing at the cost of the customer for the past 10yrs or so. this needs investigated by someone who has the authority to make chrysler recall this dangerous life threatening defect.*ak | |||
| 12/10/2003 | 70000 | 1 | 12/12/2002 |
| I've got a 1998 dodge dakota and just had the ball joints replaced. the vehicle only had about 65000 miles or so when i noticed the problem and i finally had them replaced at about 73000 miles. i emailed dodge about it and they gave me no worthwhile answers except i didn't qualify for any recalls or reimbursement. i know ball joints shouldn't go out this soon and wanted to send this information to you because i saw where you are looking into this matter. if you need any other information please feel free to contact me. thanks, gregory thomas. *ak | |||
| 12/15/2003 | 104000 | 1 | 07/24/1998 |
| 1998 dodge dakota has worn lower ball joints - manufacturer did not install grease fittings to allow for proper preventative maintenance.*ak | |||
| 34000 | 1 | ||
| While having tires replaced and aligned mechanic noticed that the lower ball joints and inner tie rods were defective and needed to be replaced before an alignment could be performed. *ak | |||
| 04/25/2002 | 70000 | 2 | 02/01/1999 |
| On two separate occasions upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced because of premature wear. *ak *nlm *ph | |||
| 08/06/2003 | 49141 | 1 | 10/17/1997 |
| Lower passenger side ball joint failure. *ak | |||
| 06/11/2003 | 48171 | 1 | 10/18/1997 |
| Lower driver's sider ball joint failure. *ak | |||
| 10/10/1998 | 300 | 3 | 08/10/1998 |
| I have had numerous problems with my 1998 dodge dakota. i purchased it brand new. 2 months after 8/98 purchase date, the transmission went out. the brakes have had to be replaced several times, the map sensor went out while driving down the highway causing the vehicle to shut down. i recently had to replace the lower ball joints. the seat belts come off entirely too easy. all of this and the vehicle only has 39,000 miles on it. i sent arbitration papers to chrysler twice with no response. *la | |||
| 10/21/2003 | 75000 | 1 | 05/01/2000 |
| During a routine inspection mechanic informed the consumer that front ball joints were wearing out. *ak *mr | |||
| 10/28/2003 | 33419 | 1 | |
| The upper and lower ball joints on both sides broke, causing the greasing fit to leak. consumer was concerned that the front end will collapse. *ak | |||
| 09/17/2003 | 59423 | 4 | 11/15/1997 |
| 1998 dodge dakota, upper arm ball joint defect. a story on cbs news last night has prompted me to submit this complaint. september 2000, noise on the right front side of truck prompted me to stop at a dodge dealer to check it out, found the right upper arm ball joint was so bad that the service manager said i could have lost the wheel on the highway at the speed limit causing potentially serious accident. the arm was replaced under warranty (34853 miles). i recently purchased 4 new tires for the truck and asked the dealer to do a front end alignment (59423), he tried and said he could not because the ball joints were defective. i had no indication at this time there was a problem with the ball joints until i tried to get an alignment to protect the new tires, i got a second opinion with the same response. i went to the dodge dealer and confirms that all 4 ball joints in the front end were bad, lower and upper. dealer said it happens occasionally, but i have less than 60,000 miles on the truck and it is my third ball joint on the upper front. this time there was no indication of a problem and it cost me over $1100 to fix as it was no longer under warranty was lucky since the there was no accidents, the problem was caught in time. there is no doubt in my mind that the ball joints used on the dodge dakota are defective and do not last, in my case the replaced ball joint in september 2000 lasted less than 24,000 miles understand there is a class action law suit in progress, can you provide any information on this, chrysler/daimler needs to stand up and fix the problem before there is a tragedy.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| During inspection it was determined that the upper and lower ball joints were warped and must be replaced. *ak | |||
| 10/24/2003 | 62972 | 1 | 02/01/1999 |
| Worn front wheel bearing & excessive wear on upper & lower ball joints.*ak | |||
| 10/28/2003 | 1 | ||
| I have a 1998 2wd dodge dakota that has suffered from excessive front tire wear since new. the dealer could never seem to find a cause for this and the vehicle has cost me a fortune in replacement tires and front end alignments. with the vehicle out of warranty, an independent front end shop recently replaced the lower ball joints, inner tie rod ends and right-side upper control arm bushings. it is too early to tell if these repairs have corrected this long-standing (67,000 miles) problem, but because this truck has the same front suspension as the dodge durango currently under investigation, i am submitting this complaint.*ak | |||
| 05/10/2003 | 78000 | 1 | 04/28/1998 |
| While turn a corner in my 1998 dodge dakota i heard a bang. looked around under the truck i did not see anything broken. took truck to tire shop to have front tires rplaced and they told me that the ball joints need to be replaced. i have found out that there is an ongoing investigation by your staff intop the dodge durango (pe03032). the durango and dakaota have the same front ends underneath them. if there is a finding of defective parts in the durango is should also apply to the dakota.*ak | |||
| 07/22/2003 | 46059 | 4 | 12/17/1997 |
| Advised by authorized chrysler service to replace both left and right, upper and lower ball joints and left and right lower control arms for excessive wear at 46059 miles. cost $1478 plus tax. one mechanic said this is same premature problem experienced on ddodge durango.*ak | |||
| 11/19/2001 | |||
| At 32,000 miles consumer had both front lower ball joints replaced. presently, problem has reoccurred. informed that both lower ball joint needed to be replaced again. dealer was contacted / not cover under a recall. feel free to provide any further information concerning this matter.*ak | |||
| 11/01/2001 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Front lower joint had worn out. could not get a wheel alignment because lower ball joint had worn out. contacted dealer, and dealer had to replace ball joint. *ak *yd | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 2 | 10/01/1997 | |
| Both lower ball joints completely worn out at less than 22000 miles. the front end of the truck rattled severely whenever driving over an surface that was less than perfectly smooth, and at any speed. this truck has not been driven offroad except very occasionally, and even then was done so with great care. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER ARM | |||
| 12/28/2004 | 61200 | ||
| I have 61000 miles on my 1998 dodge dakota. when i got my tires rotated i was shown that my upper control arms were worn out. i had heard a chunking noise when i turned. i don't understand why they are failing with so little mileage on my truck. i called the chrysler corporation on december 28 & 29 to discuss the problem i was having. i had talked to three people, 1)whitney, 2)billy (12/28/04), and i talked with 3)carol (12/29/04). carol had told me that there was nothing chrysler could do and there was no one else i was able to speak with. i have read that there are recalls to the 2000-2003 dakota's. why weren't the 1998-1999 included? they have the identical front end. is there any way you could give me some answers to my question. thank you. *nm | |||
| 10/02/2003 | 59629 | 2 | 09/10/1997 |
| Noises in front end, upper and lower ball joints on a 1998 dodge dakota 4-wheel drive defective. lower ball joints replaced under warranty at 34,853 miles. replaced lower joints again and upper ball joints at 59,629 at a cost of $1123.55. luckily it was caught before any serious accident occurred. your recall indicates year 2000-2003 but problem was there prior to that.*ak | |||
| 10/28/2003 | 33419 | 1 | |
| The upper and lower ball joints on both sides broke, causing the greasing fit to leak. consumer was concerned that the front end will collapse. *ak | |||
| 09/17/2003 | 59423 | 4 | 11/15/1997 |
| 1998 dodge dakota, upper arm ball joint defect. a story on cbs news last night has prompted me to submit this complaint. september 2000, noise on the right front side of truck prompted me to stop at a dodge dealer to check it out, found the right upper arm ball joint was so bad that the service manager said i could have lost the wheel on the highway at the speed limit causing potentially serious accident. the arm was replaced under warranty (34853 miles). i recently purchased 4 new tires for the truck and asked the dealer to do a front end alignment (59423), he tried and said he could not because the ball joints were defective. i had no indication at this time there was a problem with the ball joints until i tried to get an alignment to protect the new tires, i got a second opinion with the same response. i went to the dodge dealer and confirms that all 4 ball joints in the front end were bad, lower and upper. dealer said it happens occasionally, but i have less than 60,000 miles on the truck and it is my third ball joint on the upper front. this time there was no indication of a problem and it cost me over $1100 to fix as it was no longer under warranty was lucky since the there was no accidents, the problem was caught in time. there is no doubt in my mind that the ball joints used on the dodge dakota are defective and do not last, in my case the replaced ball joint in september 2000 lasted less than 24,000 miles understand there is a class action law suit in progress, can you provide any information on this, chrysler/daimler needs to stand up and fix the problem before there is a tragedy.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER BALL JOINT | |||
| 12/05/2007 | 90000 | 1 | 05/10/2001 |
| My tires have been wearing on the outside for over a year now, i had the truck looked at and all ball joint uppers and lowers are bad. this truck only has 90,000 miles and has been driven to and from work for the last 5 1/2 years that i have owned it. the front passenger side is ready to give way. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2007 | 75000 | 0 | |
| I was advised today that my 1998 dakota is plagued with the same issue that has been around for quite a while. the upper and lower ball joints are garbage at about 75,000. fortunately i drove my wife's car by a stroke of luck and they gave me a lot of noise. so i caught it before a wheel fell off. dodge should be recalling or at least replacing free of charge all ball joints that failed. not just the 2000-2003 model numbers.*jb | |||
| 05/09/2006 | 58500 | 1 | 05/05/1998 |
| Upper and lower ball joint failures @ 58,500 miles. *jb | |||
| 01/23/2006 | 5 | 03/27/1998 | |
| We own a 1998 dodge dakota sport 4x4. it currently has 144k kilometers. we just installed our 3rd set of upper ball joints, and have replaced the lower ball joints twice. we expect to replace the lowers again before next year. we know when the joints need replacing, when the vehicle becomes difficult to keep within a lane at highway speeds, due to excessive play in the steering. i see from the internet that chrysler has issued a recall for 2000 and later models. this is insufficient, as many people on the internet are experiencing the same issue in models as late as 1996. i believe this issue is well known in the industry, one person or family getting killed by this defect for there to be an official recall is not good enough. our vehicle maintenance is paid by our company, however a family that may not be able to afford such expensive replacement on a regular basis, may be putting themselves in jeopardy. *nm | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 112000 | 3 | 09/01/2000 |
| Dt: the contact states every year when he takes vehicle to be inspected they inform him the upper and lower ball joints need to be replaced. the ball joints have been replaced three times. the replacement takes place approximately every 20, 000-25,000 miles. a local mechanic said it was the design of the ball joints that caused the problem. *ak | |||
| 10/18/2005 | 73561 | 3 | 04/01/2003 |
| Walking back to my parked 98 dodge dakota, after dining out with family, i noticed that my front passenger side wheel was cock-eyed while the driver's side wheel was pointing straight. i had the local dodge dealer/service department check it out and they discovered that 3 out of 4 ball joints were bad. the service manager said that it was a very dangerous situation and i shouldn't have been driving the vehicle. i was appalled to hear that since i had no indication that i or my passengers were in any danger: the truck never pulled to one side, and it didn't steer funny, or give me any reason to believe that something was so terribly wrong. the service manager urged me to replace all four ball joints, which i did at a cost of over $773.81. i think dodge needs to recall the '98 dakotas' ball joints. there's no reason a vehicle with only 73,000 miles on it should have 3 out of four ball joints go bad to the point that the wheels are coming off. *nm | |||
| 09/30/2005 | 102950 | 1 | 04/01/2000 |
| Ball joints failed, passengers side came loose and the wheel feel off and the transmisson had to be rebuilt due to cheap internal parts. but if you own a 98 dodge dakota have your ball joints checked they are a hazard and someone is going to get killed, if they already have not.... *nm | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 49000 | 2 | |
| Dt: the consumer had a 98 dodge dakota, took to tire shop, truck could not be aligned because it had defective ball joints. contact called the daimler chrysler, who informed him that there was no recall on this vehicle after repairs were done vehicle had steering problem. there was a noise in the steering column. then, at repair shop owner was informed there was a defective steering gear, and would cost $800. owner did not repair steering and vehicle veered to the right/left. tire company stated the crown of the road caused vehicle to pull to the left/right. tire shop indicated they could repair the problem,but there were 500 steering gears on back order. owner felt there was a problem with the steering gear otherwise there wouldn't be 500 steering gears on back order. *ak | |||
| 06/10/2005 | 84000 | 2 | 07/19/1996 |
| Ii had noted a clunking sound when turning into my driveway and at other times involving turning or driving over speed bumps or turning up an incline, also the steering feel had become vague. during my annual state insp. the mech stated that the upper ball joints on both sides were complely worn out, and as such could not pass it without repair. | |||
| 06/03/2005 | 1 | 07/01/1998 | |
| Dt: the contact owns a 1998 dodge dakota. the front end upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. chrysler said that there was no recall. *ak also front end was aligned and the brake front rotors had to be turned. *tt *nm | |||
| 05/15/2005 | 86000 | ||
| All 4 front ball joints failed at 86,000 miles | |||
| 05/19/2005 | 88000 | 1 | 03/15/2000 |
| All 4 ball joints in front of vehicle have failed. advised to not drive vehicle | |||
| 03/31/2005 | 1 | ||
| While driving 45 mph front passenger wheel felk off. driver pulled over, and the vehicle was towed to a garage for inspection. mechanic determined that the upper and lower ball joints broke, and needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 03/10/2005 | 83990 | 4 | 03/01/1998 |
| On my 1998 dodge dakota i experienced a klunking sound in the front end. found out at 84,000 miles that the ball joints were bad and contributed to wheel bearing and hub assembly problems. repair bill was $738.95. i had the repair performed at my local dodge dealer morgan dodge in durham, nc. the dealership told me the repair was necessary and the vehicle was unsafe to drive without the repairs. the oem replacement parts are on national backorder and the dealership had to use aftermarket parts for the ball joints. i have contacted dodge and they said the vehicle is out of warranty and is not subject to any recall so they can not assist me.*ak | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 31000 | 1 | |
| Dodge dakota 1998 consumer replaced ball joints. *bf the consumer replaced the upper ball joints at 31000 miles and both the upper and lower ball joints at 43000 miles. the technician indicated that the lack of grease fittings on the original design created and excessive wear problem. *nm | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Consumer wants to know why the ball joint recall was not expanded to include 1998 dodge dakotas. *bf *nm | |||
| 03/08/2005 | 88951 | 1 | 03/15/2000 |
| Vehicle would vibrate and make a clanking noise while driving at any speed. vehicle was taken to a repair shop, and mechanic determined that the upper ball joint on the right side needed to be replaced. the dealer was notified, and informed the consumer that their vehicle was not covered under that recall. *ak *bf *nm | |||
| 09/03/2003 | 79000 | 2 | 03/02/1998 |
| Noise from front end, had checked out and mechanic found left side ball joints (upper and lower) were prematurely worn. i had them replaced at my expense. i saved the old parts. now the passenger side nedds to be replaced. again the dealer tells me the recall does not apply to my car. | |||
| 08/01/2003 | 84000 | 1 | |
| Consumer noticed front tire on dakota was having alignment problems due to front ball joints. *bf the technician informed the consumer that the front ball joints were bad and needed to be replaced | |||
| 11/25/2003 | 28795 | 1 | 07/07/2003 |
| I own a 1998 dodge dokota truck and had to have the ball joints replaced in november, 2003. i have heard they are recalling the dokota's starting in year 2000. what about the ones before that year. i have receipts where it cost me $753.71 to have this work done.*ak | |||
| 05/30/2000 | 40000 | 2 | 06/16/1999 |
| (1) front end making a popping noise. when i turned. truck was still under warranty dealership kept saying it was brake noise. (2)upper and lower ball joint failure, ball joints were rusted out, (3)all 4 ball joints replaced at my expense,when truck was barely out of warranty. *jb | |||
| 02/08/2005 | 35400 | 3 | 05/18/1998 |
| I heard a clicking noise from the front end and a low pitched growl fromn the rear end. i brought the vehicle into the dealer, who determined that at 35,428 miles theat it needed two upper ball joints and a new differential (rear end) . vehicle is a 1998 dodge dakota 4wd.*ak | |||
| 07/31/2001 | 48000 | 1 | 08/18/1998 |
| Purchased truck in 1998 and in 2001 at 48000 miles had to replace upper and lower ball joints in the front end on both sides and i think i am going to have to replace them again and mileage is over 99000. i also made two other complaints for both front calipers seizing on this website. i would have made complaints sooner, but just found out about this site. i wanted to make complaints after hearing about the problems with the dodge dakota and durango model year 2000 and up with their ball joints. *jb | |||
| 01/03/2005 | 72000 | 1 | |
| 1998 dodge/dakota has same problem as 2000-2003. upper ball joints problems. consumer wants to know why are you excluding 1998 when the problem existed in the 1998. *bf | |||
| 02/01/2005 | 1 | ||
| While driving heard a loud squeaking noise. driver noticed while turning the steering wheel a clanking noise would follow. driver took vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that upper ball joints needed needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 01/03/2005 | 1 | ||
| Dodge dakota 1998 front end has failed. consumer wants to know why the recall info doesn't include the '98 model year. the vehicles front wheel could have fallen off at anytime because the ball joints were so bad. *bf *jb | |||
| 01/26/2005 | 60000 | 1 | 01/17/2005 |
| Left and right side upper and lower ball joints severely worn . dust boots torn and no grease fittings (suppose to be lifetime lubricated). replaced with after market ones with grease fittings. vehicle only has 64,700 miles . *ak | |||
| 01/18/2005 | 50910 | 1 | 11/18/1997 |
| Upper ball joints prematurely worn out due to lubrication being washed out (same problem as detailed in nhtsa campaign id number 04v596000, but my vehicle is a 1998 model and this campaign is for 2000 and newer).*ak | |||
| 09/07/2004 | 1 | ||
| Popping sound was coming from left front of vehicle. dealership found that upper and lower ball joints were bad and the vehicle could not be driven without immediate replacement. had service work done for $1500. considering the problem is obviously related to the same issue that sparked the recall notice in later model dakotas, i feel i should be reimbursed for the repairs. *nm | |||
| 01/12/2005 | 41300 | 08/01/1999 | |
| Bad ball joints on 1998 dodge dakota sport, vin 1b7gl22x8ws504806, 41,300 miles, discovered at pa state annual safety inspection.*ak | |||
| 11/07/2003 | 67794 | 2 | 08/25/1997 |
| Had to replace upper and lower balljoints and outer tie rod ends.*ak | |||
| 05/04/2004 | 99559 | 1 | 09/19/2002 |
| 1. excessive drifting back and forth in the lane i was driving in . uneven tire wear. 2. service tech said that i was lucky a wheel didn't come of while driving. 3. replacement of upper and lower ball joints on my 98 dodge dokota sport.*ak | |||
| 11/16/2004 | 84634 | 2 | 11/25/1998 |
| I have a 1998 dakota 4x4, making suspicious noises in front end. took to alignment shop where i was told that all ball joints and tie rods needed replacement badly, as , according to shop owner, the wear was so extensive that the truck was dangerous to drive. truck was repaired on 12/01/ 2004. this truck has never been an off-road used vehicle, hwy. miles only. i was also told by the shop owner that he has recently been receiving same complaint and need for repair by an unusually high number of dakota and durango owners. recall for 2000-2003 vehicles as released by the media occurred after my truck was repaired.*ak | |||
| 11/18/2004 | 96300 | 01/10/2000 | |
| My husband and i own a 1998 dodge dakota, vin 1b7gg26x9ws729721. we have had numerous problems with this vehicle, beginning in the second year of our lease. during the past four years, we have spent approximately $9,000 on vehicle repairs including a new transmission, new engine, new starter, new wheel baring, new brake caliper, new heater core and new water pump. the catalytic converter and alternator have been replaced twice and two o2 sensors have been replaced. the air conditioner has been repaired four times. while these repairs have been costly and inconvenient, none of them has posed a safety concern per se. i am writing now to complain about our most recent vehicle failure which most certainly is a safety issue. on november 18, 2004, my husband was driving approximately 35 mph when his front driver side tire broke off from the axle. the tire fell on its side and the truck landed on the tire. the steering wheel locked up, and the truck skidded to a stop in the left turn lane. my husband had no control of the truck. when we took the truck to our mechanic, he found that the passenger side wheel was near the breaking point as well and replaced that axle as well. we are still driving on the two front tires, but we were informed that we should get an alignment and probably have the tires replaced as well. we understand that dodge has recalled the 2000-2003 dakotas for this same defect. we believe that our vehicle should also be covered under this recall. *nm | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 67000 | 2 | 07/01/2000 |
| I have replaced the ball joints twice now on my 1998 dodge dakota in the past four years. on a recent visit to my mechanic for an oil change, i was advised that i will again need to replace my ball joints and that one in particular was close to failure and was unsafe. in his words: you got lucky. this could have failed at any time. i have scheduled another appointment to once again replace my ball joints. *nm | |||
| 12/22/2004 | 89000 | 1 | 06/17/2003 |
| My 1998 dodge dakota 4x4 5.2l club cab truck had the front ball joints fail on me. i know there is now a recall for 2000 to current models, but what about the 98? it's the same problem. i have 89000 miles on it currently. *jb | |||
| 10/26/2004 | 81900 | 2 | 10/01/1997 |
| When turning or driving at low speeds there was a dry shuttering noise in the front end. took vehicle to dealership for inspection, and dealership indicated that the upper/lower ball joints were defective and needed to be replaced. parts were replaced. failure recurred 3 years later on upper ball joints only. *ak control arm, ball joint, and tie rods were replaced again at 136,807. *tt | |||
| 11/11/2004 | 55000 | 1 | |
| During inspection consumer was informed that driver/passenger upper ball joints wore out. dealership repaired the problem. *ak | |||
| 12/01/2001 | 55000 | 3 | 01/01/2000 |
| Consumer stated upper ball joints wore out prematurely. the protective coating broke, which allowed dirt onto the ball joints. *ak......also, dealer replaced wheel bearing, and performed throttle body service. *ak | |||
| 12/12/2004 | 100000 | 1 | |
| While pulling into the driveway upper ball joints failed. as a result, front driver's side wheel fell off, and the front end collapsed. *ak | |||
| 12/14/2004 | 105000 | 2 | |
| My mechanic informed me that all 4 ball joints and the inner & outer tie rod ends need replacing on my 1998 dodge dakota. since there is currently a recall for 2000-2003 dakotas & durangos and a class action lawsuit pending for 1998 durangos, i wonder if there is merit to my 1998 dakota failure and the resulting expense.*ak | |||
| 10/02/2003 | 59629 | 2 | 09/10/1997 |
| Noises in front end, upper and lower ball joints on a 1998 dodge dakota 4-wheel drive defective. lower ball joints replaced under warranty at 34,853 miles. replaced lower joints again and upper ball joints at 59,629 at a cost of $1123.55. luckily it was caught before any serious accident occurred. your recall indicates year 2000-2003 but problem was there prior to that.*ak | |||
| 12/11/2003 | 1 | 06/09/2002 | |
| 1 - took the dodge dakota truck in to have the snow tires put on and was told that the upper & lower ball joints where ready to fail. the automotive shop then replaced the upper & lower ball joints. *ak | |||
| 04/19/2001 | 36357 | 1 | 12/02/1997 |
| A recent recall announcement for dodge dakotas and durango only included the model years of 2000-2004 for failed ball joints and wheels falling off. this compliant is to notifiy the nhtsa that early model years also experience the sample problem. in 2001, my 1998 dodge dakota had the right front wheel colapse while in motion due to a failed ball joint. the nhtsa should expand this recall to earlier models.*ak | |||
| 10/22/2004 | 97955 | 1 | 08/18/2003 |
| While making a turn the tire rubbed the wheel well. *nm the consumer was told that the ball joints'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>ball joints'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>ball joints were the cause of the problem. *tc *jb | |||
| 02/01/2003 | 57000 | 4 | 07/07/2001 |
| Ball joints have begun to fail..only 64,000 miles on vehicle...57,000 at the time problem started...know there is a recalll for 2000 and higher models...but fear this is a bigger problem than known in earlier models as well....dealer will fix, but not pay, and have no explanation as to why there is such an early failure.....also have noticed from your site that there were other recalls....did not know of these...will try to have dealer fix these......and check on my 4 ball joints. | |||
| 06/11/2002 | 1 | ||
| My upper ball joints had to be replaced in my 1998 dodge dakota at 56,000 miles. why are the 98 and 99 dodge dakota's not being covered under the same recall. that is un-acceptable as they have the exact same ball joint in them. *jb | |||
| 12/11/2004 | 100 | 4 | 10/28/1998 |
| 1998 dodge dakota, current mileage:426,000. have had to replace all control arms twice. ball joints unavailable, requiring entire a-arm replacement. bummer. *jb | |||
| 10/21/2004 | 77164 | 1 | 08/11/1998 |
| 1998 dodge dakota. i purchased 4 new tires from a goodyear dealer. they told me at this time that all four ball joints were extremely bad. one upper ball joint had about an inch to an inch and a quarter. i had the vehicle towed at my expense to the dealer where i purchased to truck and an extended warrante. pervious to this, i had been complaining about a loud thumpiong sound coming from the passenger front. (this turned out to be the worse ball hjoint found). the dealer kept telling me that all my suspension and ball joints were fine. the sound continued and i repeatedly bought the truck back complaining about this sound. the last time, prior to my getting new tires which were rotated every other oil change, i was charged a road test fee and told nothing was wrong. after the new tires were installed and the truck brought back to the dealer, i was told that their 'front end expert' found one lower ball joint (passenger side) that has a small amount of play in it. it was replaced. i brought the truck directly back to goodyear for the alignment and they called me into the service area where they showed me an incredible amount of play in the right upper ball joint and an more than normal amount of play in the left upper joint. the lower joint had a grease fitting and did not reveal that much play this time because the dealer and done a lube, oil and filter change while the truck was there for the ball joint work. i now see that the nhtsa and asked for a recall on the dodge vechiles starting from the year 2000. my truck is a 1998 and certainly fits the description of the other recalled vechiles.*ak | |||
| 07/01/2004 | 1 | 09/23/2002 | |
| This is in response to, and in support of, the reccommended recall of dodge dakotas. i have a 1998 dakota and recently had work done (july '04) on the front ball joints and tie rods. after a few months of popping noises from the front end when backing out and turning the steering wheel and a definite feeling of loose suspension on turns i took it to the dodge dealer for inspection and repair. they told me the truck was not driveable. the ball joints and tie rods were both failing and i was warned had i continued driving the vehicle in this condition i would have had a major accident. this, after having the same symptoms, but different repairs made by a different dealer, a year prior. the vehicle had one previous owner and 61,000 miles on it when i bought it in late 2002. i put on maybe 10,000 miles before the first incident and only a few thousand more before the second incident. i feel this vehicle is not only unsafe, but poorly manufactured and have contacted the manufacturer with my concerns. i feel the suggested recall should include the years prior to those reccommended (2000-2003). i have had two authorized dodge dealers perform two sets of repair to the amount of nearly $3000.00. this is nearly the value of the vehicle and it's not even paid off yet.*ak | |||
| 08/01/2004 | 61200 | 3 | 11/15/1998 |
| I've submitted a complaint about my plight previously but i have another episode to report. my first complaint (last year) detailed problems with my 98' dodge dakota truck. the ball joints on this vehicle are substandard to say the least and are actually downright dangerous. my truck has less than 70000 highway miles on it and i have replaced two ball joints already (as noted in my previous complaint) and now a third is failing and in need of repair. you may ask how i know it failing when i haven't had it repaired yet?... because it's happened so many times before and i know the symptoms. that makes 3/4 of the ball joints on the front of this truck that will have been replaced in the last two years. i was elated to see where the nhtsa has requested chrysler to recall the dakota and durango as a result of these ball joint failures. i was equally dismayed to see that it only covered 2000-2003!!!! why?!!! as you read above, my truck has failed equally if not worse than the models the nhtsa recommended be recalled. numnerous web sites are filled with complaints about these same issues on vehicles that are older than 2000. i suspect it has to do with money = anything more than 4 model years and chrysler will start screaming. if the failing ball joints are dangerous on the 2000-2003 models, then the same failing ball joints are dangerous on the older models too. please explain to me why my safety is less important than those with trucks two years newer than mine. thank you.*ak | |||
| 05/12/2004 | 20000 | 3 | |
| Consumer stated upper ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak | |||
| 10/05/2004 | 1 | ||
| 1998 dodge dakota upper and lower ball joint failure. reported by repair shop when asked to perform a front allignment. i was told that tey have never seen a worse case of worn out ball joints. they told me that an allignment cannot be performed without the ball joint repalcement. fron end is loose and makes a popping sound when turning. truck has approximately 85,000 miles. no repair completed as yet. i was informed by the repair shop that a recall to correct this defect is likely to be initiated soon and that i should wait for the recall and avoid driving the truck until fixed. *ak | |||
| 12/02/2004 | 79645 | 4 | |
| I started to notice a loud popping noise coming from the drivers side front wheel well on my 1998 dodge dakota slt club cab. i took my truck to an independant garage and was told that my ball joints were in desparate need of replacement. i was told by the ase certified mechanic that the ball joints are sealed and could not get the proper lubrication causing premature failure. the mechanic also stated that the ball joints could have failed at any time causing the wheel to fail which would result in loss of control of the vehicle. i asked the mechanic if the replacement ball joints were greasable. he told me yes. i feel that the original ball joints were not designed properly by daimler chrysler, and this is a safety issue that warrants a recall. | |||
| 11/26/2004 | 40000 | 2 | 11/14/1997 |
| Left and right ball joints on my 1998 dodge dakota pickup truck failed with only 46,000 miles on the truck. i had to replace them in order for the truck to pass its state safety inspection.*ak | |||
| 11/14/2004 | 2 | 07/01/2000 | |
| Ball joint problem with 1998 dodge dakota. i have had symptoms of the problem, heavy clunking in front right, for about a year now. i went to the dealer believing it was an upper ball joint problem. i even asked them to replace the uppers. dealer diagnosed problem as lower ball joints and i paid for them. i beleive they were just out of stock on the uppers. 7 months later, the clunking has gotten worse and when backing out of a parking spot with the wheeel cut hard to the right the front end hopped to the side. i had this happen twice in the same day, and took the truck to the dealer the next day. they now admit it needs upper ball joints and are charging me $500+. it is clear that this is a design problem based on the number of people having problems at relatively low mileage.*ak | |||
| 10/30/2004 | 87000 | 1 | 06/07/2004 |
| My 1998 dodge dakota sport 4wd 5.2 auto has a loud squeak in the suspension area. i took the truck to get an oil change and asked that they make sure they lubricate all areas. the tech told me my ball joint was the problem and that it needs replaced. he told me that dodge had a recall on them. is this true? i will be calling the dealer this week to see if they can repair since this may be or already is a recall. *jb | |||
| 08/26/2004 | 84000 | 1 | |
| There is a squeaking noise in the front end while driving. dealership indicated that all 4 ball joints needs to replaced due to premature wear.*ak | |||
| 11/04/2004 | 47563 | 1 | |
| The upper and lower ball joints'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>lower ball joints'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>lower ball joints wore out completely at 27,000 miles. *ak the consumer stated that a consistent rattling noise was heard coming from the front steering suspesion area. the consumer stated that the play inside the ball joint'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>ball joint was severe. *tc | |||
| 10/20/2004 | 88088 | 1 | 04/26/2002 |
| Discovered upon vehicle inspection; abnormal wear to front tires, front brakes and rotors, upper and lower front ball joints. *jb | |||
| 10/19/2004 | 4 | 10/09/2003 | |
| I went in to get my truck aligned because the outer end of my tires are woren. however, i was informed that all four of my ball jionts were worn out and that this is a very common problem with dakotas. i am looking into fixing them but if they are defective and will be recalled i would like the manufacture to pay to have them fixed.*ak | |||
| 10/12/2004 | 38000 | 1 | |
| After taking the vehicle into a repair shop, the ball joints were completely worn out after only 40k miles. *jb *sc | |||
| 08/10/2004 | 64000 | 1 | |
| The rubber boot on all 4 ball joints shredded and all of the grease was lost and washed out. *ak *sc *jb | |||
| 08/04/2004 | 53000 | 2 | 10/25/2003 |
| At 50k miles the front end was extremely loose and steering control was becoming quite dangerous. no off road activities. both upper and lower ball joints were pretty much destroyed. after 1300$ to fix the front end found that the steering worm gear is also worn out. steering is still dangerous. the steering should pretty much never fail and under normal conditions the ball joints should last at least 100k miles. *jb | |||
| 08/17/2004 | 113000 | 1 | 08/14/2004 |
| Purchase of used 98 dakota on 8/14-04, noise in front end, returned to used car dealer, bad ball joints, replaced bad parts.*ak | |||
| 07/04/2004 | 1 | ||
| Ball joints, front upper, and lower wore out, and were very loose. took vehicle to the dealer. however, the problem still existed. *ak | |||
| 08/05/2004 | 72000 | 1 | |
| The vehicle was having a problem with the ball joints. the ball joints caused excessive tire wear from the inner sidewalls. *jb | |||
| 08/04/2004 | 69000 | 2 | |
| Consumer heard a clicking noise in the front of the vehicle. once the vehicle was turned off consumer still could hear the clanking noise. the ball joints have been rerpaired twice. *ak | |||
| 05/24/2004 | 27675 | 1 | 11/17/1998 |
| Upper and lower ball joints deteriorating 5-24-2004, 27,675 miles stearing intermediate shaft 6-22-2004. ball joints, lower control arm, and right wheel bearing had to be replaced by dealer.*ak steering intermediate shaft had to be replaced at freehold dodge nj very loose front end, hard to control, bounce. typical symptoms of a front end falling apart. dates above are replacement dates. third major problem is all of the bolts attaching the cab are deteriorated. taking to my nm dodge dealer. can not even take off the bots they are so bad on the cab of my truck vin: 1b7gg22y9ws589684 i have been the owner from day one. in my parents name in new jersey for insurance rate reduction. | |||
| 06/09/2004 | 35311 | 1 | 06/20/1998 |
| Both upper ball joints were loose and had to be replaced in order to pass state (mo) safety inspection. vehicle mileage was only 35311 and the inspection and replacement was performed by a dodge dealership.*ak | |||
| 03/16/2003 | 56000 | 4 | |
| (1) events leading to the failure were simply normal driving. nothing special or out of the ordinary was done or attempted. (2) the ball joints on both of my upper and lower control arms have failed. the joints were original equipment and are permanently sealed supposedly requiring no maintenance. however the rubber boot surrounding the joint failed, thus leading to water and other road grit to enter the joint. thus the joints did not remain lubricated, eventually leading to mechanical failure. (3) due to dodge not selling the individual ball joints, i opted replaced both of the entire front control arms. due to the cost of that repair i opted to purchase and install aftermarket ball joints for the lower control arms rather than replace the entire arm as had been done with the upper. the repair was very labor intensive; especially on something which should require minimal if any maintenance.*ak | |||
| 06/29/2004 | 2 | ||
| While vehicle was being serviced technician noticed that the ball joints along with the tie rod ends were loose. *ak *tc | |||
| 06/28/2004 | 88000 | 4 | 06/25/2001 |
| I have a dodge dakota 98. i went in for an alignment today. my 69 dollar alignment was bumped up to 830 dollars. they said that all of the ball joints need to be replaced and that this happens all the time with the dodge truck of this year thru 2003. they told me that my wheels might just fall off. i told them not to perform this since i did not have the money and they told me to watch out for bumps and sharp turns. my truck is not making any wired noises and i cant believe that this issue was legitiment since you would think a recall would have been issues for such a dangerous thing. i went online of course to look into this and found that this is currently being looked into by the feds. if i had not gone in for the allignment, and my wheel fell off with my 6 year old child in the car i or her / both might not be here. i will be driving my other vehicle for the time being and would like to know when this will be recalled / addressed. firestone put at the bottom of the recommended services: system failure - required upper-both ball joints/ lower both ball joints the money is one thing. me and my kid is another. and with no indication of this problem, that really concerns me!!!*ak | |||
| 05/05/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving the consumer heard a loud knocking noise coming from the front upper ball joint. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak *nm | |||
| 05/30/2004 | 1 | 05/17/2004 | |
| Consumer took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection and the mechanic determined that both upper ball joints were wearing prematurely. consumer will have the mechanic replace the upper ball joints. *ak the vehicle made a squealing noise. the mechanic discovered a ball joint problem. the brake warning light had come on and the p/s wheel squeaked when going over bumps. *sc *jb | |||
| 05/20/2004 | 89000 | 1 | 03/09/2003 |
| Front ball joints on my 1998 dodge dakota failed. i noticed a popping noise in my front end that transitioned up through my steering column. they have to be replaced!*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| While having the vehicle inspected technician determined that vehicle would not pass inspection due to defective left and right front ball joints. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| 1998 dodge dakota ball joint failure. *mr consumer felt that failure of ball joints was an example of poor design and vehicle being unsafe. *la | |||
| 04/20/2004 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Consumer took vehicle to the dealership for inspection. the mechanic determined that the upper ball joints failed. *ak the dealer replaced the ball joints under the vehicle's warranty. *nm | |||
| 04/15/2004 | 70000 | 3 | 05/15/1998 |
| I am on my third catalytic converter on a 1998 dodge dakota, i just hit 70,000 miles and there seems to be an aweful lot of bad catalytic converters on this vehicle. now the dealer tells me the biggest safety problem with my truck is the upper and lower ball joints (it'll cost almost $1000), these are the same as used on the durango and they have had all kinds of problems also.*ak | |||
| 01/13/2004 | 80000 | 1 | 03/07/1998 |
| Driver side upper ball joint completely failed and had to be replaced. mechanic indicated the passenger side was not in good shape but operating. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer took the vehicle to an inspection station and vehicle did not pass inspection due to worn out upper and lower ball joints. consumer will take the vehicle to the dealer in the near future. *ak | |||
| 03/31/2004 | 45606 | 1 | 10/24/2000 |
| Upper and lower ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak *sc *jb | |||
| 03/18/2004 | 65000 | 2 | 02/03/2000 |
| Defective upper and lower ball joints on my 98 dodge dakota. i just went to les schwab to get new tires and an allignment when they told me all of my ball joints needed to be replaced. this seems way to soon for this type of problem. and it cost me 800 dollars to get it fixed.*ak | |||
| 03/18/2004 | 14500 | 0 | 06/09/1998 |
| Ball joint's in dodge dakota's. i have a 1998 dakota with low miles, my warranty is up already and my truck has very low miles for it's age. 14,500. i noticed that it was riding funny so i took it into car-x whiting in. and he informs my my ball joints are shot, plus i needed an alignment. it's bad enough that i needed a serpentine already, but now this. it hasn't even been broken in and these are shot for $500 bucks. are there any other people complaining about this? there is an article from a news paper http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=1700237 about bad dodges. i think dodge should pay me pay the money.*ak | |||
| 03/12/2004 | 77170 | 1 | 05/25/1998 |
| Premature wear on both upper ball joins and one lower ball joint. *jb | |||
| 03/10/2004 | 61000 | 1 | 01/01/1998 |
| The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection after a road trip. dealer determined that upper ball joints were about to separate, and the lower ball joints were worn out. upper and lower ball joints were replaced. *ak | |||
| 09/14/2003 | 1 | 10/19/2001 | |
| An independent shop replaced the lower and upper ball joints lat september at the consumer's expense. dealer notified. *ak the cv drive and axle shaft were also replaced. *jb | |||
| 2 | |||
| While vehicle was being serviced mechanic determined that ball joints and tie rod ends were loose. *ak | |||
| 03/05/2004 | 1 | ||
| Upper ball joints on both sides are worn severely and lower left side is showing signs of significant wear. my truck only has 82k miles on it. i am aware that dakota trucks have been reported to have a possible defect in the ball joints and when is chrysler going to issue a recall. my truck is unsafe to drive at this time. *jb | |||
| 100000 | 2 | ||
| While driving there was vibration in the front end. dealership replaced both upper ball joints. also, at 100,000 miles right front upper ball joint was replaced because it was loose, and the wheel was about to fall off. *ak | |||
| 11/26/2003 | 1 | 04/10/2001 | |
| Had to replace both front upper ball joints and both inner tie rods. *jb | |||
| 02/02/2003 | 61000 | 3 | 02/18/2001 |
| Replaced the two upper ball joints,shocks,and tires on my 1998 dodge dakota with 61,000 miles on it.*ak | |||
| 68000 | 1 | 10/12/1998 | |
| Vehicle was taken to dealer for premature wear of the tires. mechanic determined that ball joints were rubbing , and needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 03/04/2004 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Dealer replaced the lower and upper ball joints at 90000 miles. *ak | |||
| 08/13/2002 | 60021 | 1 | 06/09/1998 |
| Premature failure of right and left upper ball joints | |||
| 03/04/2004 | 17000 | 1 | 05/08/1998 |
| While driving and turning left or right at lower speed consumer heard a noise coming through the front end. vehicle was taken to the dealership and the mechanic determined that the ball joints wore out and needed to be replaced. *ak *nm | |||
| 03/03/2003 | 90000 | 4 | 10/15/2000 |
| Failure of all ball joints in march of 2003 and then a subsequent replacement of 2 of those ball joints in july of 2003. currently 1 more of the ball joints is going bad.*ak | |||
| 06/14/2002 | 100000 | 3 | 12/05/1997 |
| The ball joints on my 98 dodge dakota have failed several times. one time the wheel almost fell off. they have been replaced as well as the wheel bearings and entire hub assembly which they cause to fail when they fail. *ak | |||
| 09/15/2002 | 30000 | 3 | 08/05/1998 |
| Ball joints and steering column on my 1998 dodge dakota pickup truck. both were worn out after 30,000 miles.*ak | |||
| 02/25/2004 | 67500 | 1 | 11/25/1998 |
| The upper and lower ball joints failed. the consumer was concerned that the front end would collapse while driving. *ak the vehicle was still under warranty. *sc *jb | |||
| 02/17/2004 | 42000 | 2 | 02/19/1998 |
| Consumer had to replace the upper and lower ball joints and inner tie rods at 42,000 miles. *ak the ball joints and tie rod ends had excessive play. *jb | |||
| 01/13/2004 | 80000 | 1 | 06/11/1998 |
| While driving at any speed consumer heard a clicking sound coming from the front wheels when turning corners. also, consumer needed to compensate for vehicle pulling from one side to the other side. vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who lifted the vehicle and one of the front wheels fell off. mechanic determined that front ball joints were worn out. *ak mechanic replaced upper and lower ball joints, inner tie rod ends and performed front end. *la alignment | |||
| 02/09/2004 | 4 | 09/05/1998 | |
| I hear a popping sound when i turn left. i took my 1998 dodge dakota to a mechanic and he said all four of my ball joints (two uppers and 2 lowers) are shot. i have an extended warranty so i contacted the local dealer about getting new ball joints. the parts dept. manager told me there is a nationwide back order on the lower ball joints and he expected to get them in within a few months. as for the uppers, he said he could get them within a few weeks. it sounds to me like dodge knows the ball joints are defective so they pulled everything from stock and are having new ones made up. i think dodge might be doing this to avoid a recall. *ak | |||
| 02/05/2004 | 80000 | 4 | 11/01/1997 |
| My complaint is in regards to the ball joints on my 1998 dodge dakota truck. my truck has 80,000 miles on it, but i baby it, have never been in an accident, and can remember just about every pothole i've hit on the road because it makes me cringe every time. i brought the truck to the dealership to investigate the loud noises i could hear, and feel, when i drove. i don't understand why all four of them had to be replaced. i believe the ball joints were faulty upon manufacture, and hope to be reimbursed for the parts and labor. granted this is probably a low priority issue because there have been a relatively low number of fatalities attributed to ball joint failure, and it generally does not involve fire, or emergency situations. i would like to make the point that my truck is much more responsive, and the steering feels much tighter, and attribute this to the new ball joints. whether this is just in my head, or i really do feel a difference, i am relieved to say that i got it done. but i did consider not doing it and waiting to hear more about potential recall status. i would like to urge people not to wait if they are having problems, and keep your fingers crossed for a future recall. the bit of sloppiness, and potential failure of the ball joint, is a large risk, and if you correct the problem now you can mitigate the risk that will become an issue as the automobiles with faulty ball joints grow in age and severity of defect. please do what you can to push for recall.*ak | |||
| 01/01/2003 | 85536 | 1 | |
| Technician serviced vehicle and determined that ball joints needed to be replaced. part was replaced in january 2003. vehicle was serviced january 2004, technician installed new ball joints. *ak *mr | |||
| 68000 | 1 | ||
| The vehicle's upper ball joints failed. please provide any additional information. *nm | |||
| 11/03/2003 | 56345 | 1 | 03/22/2001 |
| While driving at any speed, the consumer heard a subtle noise coming from the front wheels. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined excessive upper and lower ball joint wear.*ak *jb | |||
| 01/14/2004 | 3 | 05/23/2002 | |
| Upper and lower ball joint require replacements as well as tie rods. *cb | |||
| 01/15/2004 | 80200 | 1 | |
| While driving the vehicle at 30 mph, the right side of the vehicle vibrated. an independent shop replaced the upper ball joint and the upper arm. please provide further information. please provide further information. *jb | |||
| 01/12/2003 | 0 | ||
| Premature wear on left ball joints for 1998 dodge dakota 2wd. | |||
| 01/09/2004 | 1 | ||
| Upper and lower ball joint are bad. *ak | |||
| 10/27/2003 | 66000 | 1 | 10/05/1997 |
| 1998 dodge dakota upper ball joint failure dealer diagnosis. *ak | |||
| 12/30/2003 | 46100 | 1 | 03/25/1998 |
| Control arm upper ball joint failure. the state of pa requires vehicles to pass an anual inspection in order to drive on the roads. my dodge dakota will fail this inspection next feb. the right upper balljoint on my vehicle (which should have a life span minimum 80 to 100 k; my veh. has 46k) needs to be repaired to be considered safe by pa standards. dodge provided no way to perform preventitive maintenence on this vehicle part. poor design on their part is not worth the cost of serious injury or death and they know it because they modified the repair replacement part which to me admits a flaw to begin with. | |||
| 10/17/2003 | 1 | ||
| The owner took the vehicle to the dealership for an inspection. the mechanic informed the owner that the upper ball joints failed. please provide any additional information. *nlm | |||
| 06/15/2002 | 84350 | 1 | 09/01/1998 |
| Upper and lower ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak | |||
| 04/20/2001 | 40000 | 2 | 08/10/2001 |
| Per broadcast on december 19, 2003 on cbs nightly news, the dodge durango/dakota ball joint, upper and lower issues, not yet a recall by the mfg. we own a 1998 dodge dakota, purchased in 2000 and at every state inspection, the upper and lower front ball joints need to be replaced. the dealer is aware of the situation that all dodges 97 and up have ball joint issues, so the mfg is aware of the problem for a long time now. every year it is 300+ $ to replace these for the needed state inspection, they go bad every year, and are dangerous if not replaced. we only put about 10, 000 miles a year on the vehicle also. the joints cannot be greased w/o dealer or mechanic assistance. per the news these items need to be replaced to accomodate larger ball joints which is going to be costly. we called about 2yrs ago to chrysler dodge, who advise there is nothing wrong and no recall has been issued. now we see there are major safety issues regarding this defect and causing fatalities and accidents. we dont want to find out this way, we would like it to be a recall to have the joints and arms replaced to accomodate the bigger ball joints required for this type of vehicle. apparently this is a known issue re all dodge trucks/ suvs and needs to have a prompt investigation done not only by the dealers/chrysler dodge who already are aware anyway, no need for them to investigate something they have been repairing at the cost of the customer for the past 10yrs or so. this needs investigated by someone who has the authority to make chrysler recall this dangerous life threatening defect.*ak | |||
| 12/10/2003 | 70000 | 1 | 12/12/2002 |
| I've got a 1998 dodge dakota and just had the ball joints replaced. the vehicle only had about 65000 miles or so when i noticed the problem and i finally had them replaced at about 73000 miles. i emailed dodge about it and they gave me no worthwhile answers except i didn't qualify for any recalls or reimbursement. i know ball joints shouldn't go out this soon and wanted to send this information to you because i saw where you are looking into this matter. if you need any other information please feel free to contact me. thanks, gregory thomas. *ak | |||
| 05/15/2001 | 48000 | 1 | 01/01/1997 |
| At any speed vehicle was making a clicking sound when turning corners and wearing out tires. the last time consumer replaced a set of tires it was discovered that the upper ball joints had unusual wear. consumer claimed that he was an engineer, and that there was no way that one could lubricate the upper ball joints. *ak *mr | |||
| 07/15/2002 | 51000 | 1 | 02/01/1998 |
| Seen the cbs news about upper ball joints on dodge dakota on 12/18/03. had my left side ball joints replaced on 7/15/02 and my right side ball joints replaced on 8/5/03. pretty close to $500 to have replaced.*ak | |||
| 12/03/2003 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Prematurely worn upper ball joint for 1998 dodge dakota sport truck (2w) with 55,000 miles. severe squeaking and grinding noise along with obvious irratic braking problems.*ak | |||
| 12/17/2003 | 57351 | 1 | 05/01/1998 |
| The front suspension of my '98 2wd dodge dakota makes a loud 'popping' noise during sharp lowspeed turns - a check of the message boards revealed that this is a common proble with dakotas and durangos resulting from improperly engineered or manufactured ball joints constituting an obvious driver safety issue should these parts fail prematurely as they have in many low mileage vehicles.*ak | |||
| 04/25/2002 | 70000 | 2 | 02/01/1999 |
| On two separate occasions upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced because of premature wear. *ak *nlm *ph | |||
| 08/06/2003 | 49141 | 1 | 10/17/1997 |
| Lower passenger side ball joint failure. *ak | |||
| 08/06/2003 | 49141 | 2 | 10/18/1997 |
| Upper ball joint failure. *la | |||
| 06/11/2003 | 48171 | 1 | 10/18/1997 |
| Lower driver's sider ball joint failure. *ak | |||
| 09/05/2003 | 55000 | 2 | |
| The upper ball joints were replaced under warranty at approximately 30,000 miles. they were making a thumping noise when simultaneously turning a corner and going over a bump. the problem reappeared and the ball joints were replaced again approximately 25,000 miles later with aftermarket units. upon close examination of the oe units there was excessive play and the grease was hard. *la | |||
| 10/21/2003 | 75000 | 1 | 05/01/2000 |
| During a routine inspection mechanic informed the consumer that front ball joints were wearing out. *ak *mr | |||
| 09/17/2003 | 59423 | 4 | 11/15/1997 |
| 1998 dodge dakota, upper arm ball joint defect. a story on cbs news last night has prompted me to submit this complaint. september 2000, noise on the right front side of truck prompted me to stop at a dodge dealer to check it out, found the right upper arm ball joint was so bad that the service manager said i could have lost the wheel on the highway at the speed limit causing potentially serious accident. the arm was replaced under warranty (34853 miles). i recently purchased 4 new tires for the truck and asked the dealer to do a front end alignment (59423), he tried and said he could not because the ball joints were defective. i had no indication at this time there was a problem with the ball joints until i tried to get an alignment to protect the new tires, i got a second opinion with the same response. i went to the dodge dealer and confirms that all 4 ball joints in the front end were bad, lower and upper. dealer said it happens occasionally, but i have less than 60,000 miles on the truck and it is my third ball joint on the upper front. this time there was no indication of a problem and it cost me over $1100 to fix as it was no longer under warranty was lucky since the there was no accidents, the problem was caught in time. there is no doubt in my mind that the ball joints used on the dodge dakota are defective and do not last, in my case the replaced ball joint in september 2000 lasted less than 24,000 miles understand there is a class action law suit in progress, can you provide any information on this, chrysler/daimler needs to stand up and fix the problem before there is a tragedy.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| During inspection it was determined that the upper and lower ball joints were warped and must be replaced. *ak | |||
| 10/24/2003 | 62972 | 1 | 02/01/1999 |
| Worn front wheel bearing & excessive wear on upper & lower ball joints.*ak | |||
| 10/14/2003 | 49052 | 2 | 02/05/1998 |
| Failure of upper ball joints on my 1998 dodge dakota pickup truck at 49052 miles.ould get no satisfaction from dealer. *ak | |||
| 01/05/2003 | 1 | 06/01/2000 | |
| Upper ball joint premature wear. *jb | |||
| 05/10/2003 | 78000 | 1 | 04/28/1998 |
| While turn a corner in my 1998 dodge dakota i heard a bang. looked around under the truck i did not see anything broken. took truck to tire shop to have front tires rplaced and they told me that the ball joints need to be replaced. i have found out that there is an ongoing investigation by your staff intop the dodge durango (pe03032). the durango and dakaota have the same front ends underneath them. if there is a finding of defective parts in the durango is should also apply to the dakota.*ak | |||
| 06/10/2000 | 1 | ||
| Front ball joint early failure on 1998 dakota. front upper ball joints are experincing early failures. same suspension components as durango.*ak | |||
| 07/22/2003 | 46059 | 4 | 12/17/1997 |
| Advised by authorized chrysler service to replace both left and right, upper and lower ball joints and left and right lower control arms for excessive wear at 46059 miles. cost $1478 plus tax. one mechanic said this is same premature problem experienced on ddodge durango.*ak | |||
| 01/15/1999 | 5 | ||
| While traveling on the highway without prior warning the right control arm bolt became loose. the dealership is aware of the problem. nlm consumer compalined of a noise on numerous occasions before the incident occured.*jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - HUB | |||
| 03/10/2005 | 83990 | 4 | 03/01/1998 |
| On my 1998 dodge dakota i experienced a klunking sound in the front end. found out at 84,000 miles that the ball joints were bad and contributed to wheel bearing and hub assembly problems. repair bill was $738.95. i had the repair performed at my local dodge dealer morgan dodge in durham, nc. the dealership told me the repair was necessary and the vehicle was unsafe to drive without the repairs. the oem replacement parts are on national backorder and the dealership had to use aftermarket parts for the ball joints. i have contacted dodge and they said the vehicle is out of warranty and is not subject to any recall so they can not assist me.*ak | |||
| 05/24/2004 | 27675 | 1 | 11/17/1998 |
| Upper and lower ball joints deteriorating 5-24-2004, 27,675 miles stearing intermediate shaft 6-22-2004. ball joints, lower control arm, and right wheel bearing had to be replaced by dealer.*ak steering intermediate shaft had to be replaced at freehold dodge nj very loose front end, hard to control, bounce. typical symptoms of a front end falling apart. dates above are replacement dates. third major problem is all of the bolts attaching the cab are deteriorated. taking to my nm dodge dealer. can not even take off the bots they are so bad on the cab of my truck vin: 1b7gg22y9ws589684 i have been the owner from day one. in my parents name in new jersey for insurance rate reduction. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 10/20/2004 | 88088 | 1 | 04/26/2002 |
| Discovered upon vehicle inspection; abnormal wear to front tires, front brakes and rotors, upper and lower front ball joints. *jb | |||
| 02/02/2003 | 61000 | 3 | 02/18/2001 |
| Replaced the two upper ball joints,shocks,and tires on my 1998 dodge dakota with 61,000 miles on it.*ak | |||
| 04/05/1998 | 1 | 10/01/1997 | |
| 1. front crank seal leaking at first oil change, dealer finally replaced. 2. leaking front right shock absorber noticed at first oil change. dealer replaced both at owners request. 3. there is a loud popping sound coming from the front steering components when the vehicile is in motion and you turn the steering wheel lock to lock. the sound is made when turning left or right. 4. water leak through back slider window resulted in two new carpet/pad assemblies to installed. dealer finally fixed after 4th visit and threat of filing for lemon law protection. 5. drivers side air bag failed to deploy at 25 mph in a front end collision. | |||
| 12/10/1998 | 4 | 11/01/1998 | |
| Dealership service department contacted numerous occasions over past 7+ months with either no response or extremely slow response. tansmission/brakes/shocks/tires, and seat belts, not repaired to date. *ak( dot number: tire size: 235 75r15 ) | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - TORSION BAR | |||
| 08/07/2001 | 1 | 07/01/2001 | |
| While driving 35 mph track bar broke off the frame. consumer could not control vehicle. contacted dealer, and dealer got 3 estimates. *ak consumer was informed by a welder that manufacturer did not properly weld bracket to frame the track support bar supports the entire steering assembly.*jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - STABILIZER BAR | |||
| 12/06/2004 | 74000 | 1 | |
| My 1998 dodge dakota 4x2 pickup has 74000 miles on it. the truck recently developed a loud squeak in the area around the front driver's-side wheel. this squeak was traced to the sway bar and anti-sway rod. the bushings in this area of the truck are poorly designed and prone to failure. a check of a dakota owners' forum (www.dodgedakotas.com) lists many dakota owners having this same issue. what can happen with a sway bar that fails due to this type of bearing failure? the vehicle can become unstable during turns. this can lead to rollovers, injury and death. this is an unsafe and common failure on this vehicle. *jb | |||
| 01/31/2004 | 94189 | 2 | 12/02/2004 |
| Front suspension, ball joints, & stabilizer bars were all replaced due to unusual wear & tear. the steering was popping and my front tires were loose. my vehicle was deemed unsafe by the dealer & needed immediate repair. according to the dealer this is a common problem with the dakotas & durangos & daimler chrysler is fully aware of this issue. i was told it would be in my benefit to bring my particular vehicles problem to nhtsa's attention as well as daimler chrysler.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||
| 02/06/2005 | 38500 | 1 | 05/01/1998 |
| While driving my 1998 dodge dakota at 55 mph on the highway the front driver's side wheel bearing failed, causing the wheel to become separated from the bearing making control of the vehicle extremely difficult. the resulting damage required the axle, bearing, wheel, cv joint, cv boot, rotors and pads to be repaced for a cost of $2036. the truck only has 38,500 miles on it.*ak | |||
| 03/10/2005 | 83990 | 4 | 03/01/1998 |
| On my 1998 dodge dakota i experienced a klunking sound in the front end. found out at 84,000 miles that the ball joints were bad and contributed to wheel bearing and hub assembly problems. repair bill was $738.95. i had the repair performed at my local dodge dealer morgan dodge in durham, nc. the dealership told me the repair was necessary and the vehicle was unsafe to drive without the repairs. the oem replacement parts are on national backorder and the dealership had to use aftermarket parts for the ball joints. i have contacted dodge and they said the vehicle is out of warranty and is not subject to any recall so they can not assist me.*ak | |||
| 12/01/2001 | 55000 | 3 | 01/01/2000 |
| Consumer stated upper ball joints wore out prematurely. the protective coating broke, which allowed dirt onto the ball joints. *ak......also, dealer replaced wheel bearing, and performed throttle body service. *ak | |||
| 12/29/2003 | 55000 | 2 | |
| I have a 1998 dodge dakota. i purchase the vehicle with 55,000 miles. within a couple of weeks i heard a clunking from the front end in a hard right low speed turn. i took the vehicle to the dodge dealer and both front wheel bearings had to be replace. had a failure occured at high speed it could have been a big failure. as a second owner i can say how the vehicle was maintained, but the vehicle showed not other signs of abuse. quite the opposite it showed signs of excellent maintenance. date below is approximate. the repair was expensive, but more important it someone could be killed if the wheel cuts lose at even moderate speed. the property damage checked is to vehicle thanks. *ak | |||
| 10/24/2003 | 62972 | 1 | 02/01/1999 |
| Worn front wheel bearing & excessive wear on upper & lower ball joints.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer stated the front wheel bearings keeps wearing out. when applying the brakes the vehicle vibrates. also when making a sharp left turn the front wheel feels as though it skips. the dealer has been contacted. nlm | |||
| 1 | |||
| The a-arm/bushing failed causing an accident, the front end always felt unstable and after numerous repairs the problem seemed to get worse not better. nlm | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 01/15/2001 | 11 | 08/25/2000 | |
| Headlights flickering, problems with sway bar links and upper control arms noticed inspection, if parts fail completely total loss of steering would occur. | |||
| 01/01/1998 | |||
| When making a sharp turn left or right turn on an incline such as a ditch there is a loud popping noise from the rear suspension. *ak | |||
| 05/01/1998 | |||
| Towing issue | |||
| 05/01/1998 | |||
| Dakota r/t towing issue---chrysler corp. has lowered the tow rating on the dakota r/t models from 6400 lbs. to 2000 lbs.. at first they told me is was the speed rating of the tires. when i asked why they do not just change the tires they told me it was in the lowered suspension that could cause frame failure. i believe it is time for chrysler to offically say what the problem is. i also have a 1997 dakota work truck and i bought the 1998 dakota r/t to use as a tow vehicle for my classic car. chrysler has offered to buy back the truck but i would lose about $3500 in costs and interest. i am not interested in losing any money on this truck because chrysler made a mistake. like i said earlier it is time for chrysler to offically say what the problem is. any help in this matter would be appreciated. charlie hines | |||
| 05/01/1998 | |||
| Manufacturer has reduced rated towing capacity from 6400# to 2000# without stating a reason or offering an explanation. i need to know why the reduction has been made. will towing 4000# now cause a failure/accident? | |||
| 05/02/1998 | 1 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Truck is being sold without stating towing has changed. dodge is only offering a buy back of the truck, however the truck has been devalued and could be damaged if owner tries to tow more then 2000 pounds. advertised it would pull 6400 pounds. | |||
| 06/01/1998 | |||
| This is my complaint. dodge has issued an addendum for the r/t towing compacity weight. since they sold the vehicle to me stating that it could tow up to 6400 pds; i would like to know what component(s) are failing to make them issue these addendums. are the people who haven't received this addendum in danger on the highway if there towing a trailing. i can't get any answers from chrysler. maybe you people can. | |||
| 06/15/1999 | 1 | 06/01/1998 | |
| The recent news of a lowered hauling capacity on the r/t , from 6400lbs. to 2000lbs. i use my truck to haul and when i bought the truck i told it could haul my 5000lb. trailer and car. this effects me because i do not have another vehicle to haul with, and now i am being told that i can't use my truck for what i need it for. so basically i am told i have a $24000 truck in my yard that i can't use for the reasoins i bought it for. *ak | |||
| 06/01/1998 | |||
| Diamlerchrysler has revised the towing rating for all 1998 and later dodge dakota r/t trucks from 65oo pounds to 2000 pounds saying that the rear suspension can deteriorate and have a catastrophic failure . they do not intend to repair the defect and have only issued a warning to owners not to tow more than 2000 pounds . this is not satisfactory as the truck was advertised marketed and sold as being capable to tow 6500 pounds and will ultimately result in death and/or injury to a party . *ak | |||
| 09/01/1998 | |||
| Ongoing problem with vehicle having following defective3 parts parts: 1. engine accelerates at high rmp when vehicle is started. 2. rear end makes unnecessary noise when driving. 3. when consumer applied brake, could hear air leaking. 4. front tire wearing uneven. and 5. replaced catalyic converter system. *ak | |||
| 09/30/1998 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| Bought the vehicle new it had 295 miles on it from dealer assured me it was not a demo power train control module failed after a few days everything died as i was entering traffic dealer repaired after 4 days fuel gage not reading properly dealer repaired engine has slight miss dealer checked twice regapped plugs so they say no improvement rear end is starting to whine fluid checked at oil change am concerned if this truck is ok mapgar1391@aol.com | |||
| 11/19/1997 | 3 | 10/31/1997 | |
| Rearend replaced on vehicle has had three rear ends replaced on vehicle however noise is still heard when driving 40-45 mph. | |||