Problems with 1999 Dodge Dakota SUSPENSION

During inspection the lower ball joints were found to be defective. the brakes pulsated and the vehicle was hard to stop.*ak

Last year my 1999 dodge dakota, 5.2l slt fail it's annual inspection due to faulty ball joints. one year later and less than 10,000 miles the ball joints need replace again. i drive this vehicle part time as a second vehicle and do not drive on unsmooth surfaces. it cost $700 last year to replace the bottom ball joints and i am not looking foward to paying that again this year. the stearing is very loose and hard to control. i turn the wheel and the wheels do not react in a timely mannor. it is also hard to stay in the driving lane. the vehicle sways from one side to the other.

Premature wear to upper and lower ball joints on 1999 dodge dakota. dealership quoted $1000.00 to fix! i put new tires on the truck and they were unable to do an allignment because of this problem. it's seems very unsafe. *ak

Lower ball joints had to be replaced on 99 dodge dakota at 66,000 miles.*ak

Faulty ball joints and bushings in the front suspension failed before 50,000 miles. this could create a condition where the front wheel assembly breaks off from the vehicle and cause a major accident.*ak

During replacing brakes on 1999 dodge dakota 4x4 v8, (brake equipment froze on one side), mechanic heard noises and found that both upper ball joints were severely worn and in his opinion, ready to seperate (drivers side being worst). veh. has 70,000 miles and is in very good condition. the mechanic believes this to be unusual and abnormal wear to the vehicle. the ball joints are going to be replaced to avoid any hazardous driving conditions and i will save the parts if you request for later examination.*ak

Found excessive wear - upper and lower ball joints & inner tie rods. replaced upper and lower ball joints & the inner tie rods. *jb

Replacement of ball joints and additional parts that were wornout, and the truck had only 68,000 miles, $900 repair costs, definitely a hazard that could have been averted by the manufacturer, and i would like reimbursemnt for my problem that alot of vehicles of chrysler-dailmer dodge dakota p/uhas had.*ak

Car became difficult to steer. next day took it to a repair shop. they diagnosed problem as ball joints.both are completely worn out should have been replaced a long time ago. repair estimate $1,000. this is a 1999 dodge dakota pickup truck. *ak

Dealership has told me that the front ball joints on my dodge dakota are bad. when i asked if this was normal with only 56,000 miles on a vehicle they became very evasive and would not give an answer. i asked if chrysler was helping their customers on this issue. i was told they were taking care of some of them but they would not help me. the first 2 years i had this vehicle it was in the shop 23 times for repairs. i had to go through arbitration twice while the vehicle was still under warranty because chryslers regional manager told the dealership not to work on it anymore. they refused to honor the factory warranty. now they want $1,100 to repair a defect that requires $150 worth of parts.

Wheels would shake and make a clicking noise when making turns and traveling at low speeds. vehicle repaired by the dealer when consumer found out that the upper ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak......also, replaced lower ball joints. *ak

Due to news info concerning dodge dakato ball joint failures, we took our 1999 dodge dakota, with 52,000 total miles on it, to our local dealer to have the ball joints checked on march 15, 2004. we were informed by their shop that they are bad and ready to fail and should be replaced. their quote to replace them is $775.37!!! this is premature failure and there should be a recall! *jb

We have a 1999 dodge dakota that was riding rough. after driving another vehicle, and then driving the dakota you would notice that the smoothness was gone, and when going over any uneven pavement or bumpy roads you really had to grip the steering wheel to have control. took the vehicle in for inspection and ended up having the upper and lower ball joints replaced. the vehicle had 44,000 miles on it. the replacement took care of the problem with an out of pocket cost of $633.00. *ak

While driving consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front of the vehicle. consumer took the vehicle to the dealership, and mechanic determined that the right upper ball joint failed. *ak lower ball joint was recommended by the dealer that it needed replacement. in addition, wheel bearing were replaced. *la

While driving consumer heard a loud grinding noise coming from the front driver side of the vehicle. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Both unper and lower ball joints on both sides of my 1999 dodge dakota failed and had to be replaced this march with less than 50,000 miles on the vehicle. the mechanic said the ball joints were ruined and that it was in large part to there being to small and also having no grease fittings.*ak

While driving a rattling noise was heard coming from the front driver side wheel. consumer noticed that both front wheels were loose. driver side tire had stress marks inside and outside. consumer took vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that both upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak

According to the dealer service department, both lower ball joints on my 1999 dakota are failing and need replacement at 35,700 miles. upper left ball joint failed and was replaced in december, 2003 when i had new tires put on and the tire dealer was unable to do an allignment due to the poor condition of the ball joint.*ak

While driving a loud rattling noise was heard coming from the driver side. consumer contacted a mechanic about the problem. driver stated that he would bring the vehicle in for analysis in the near future. *ak

Upper and lower ball joints were severely worn out. while pulling onto shop parking lot to be repaired the upper ball joint on the passenger side separated. *ak

The vehicle was taken to the dealer after the consumer saw a tv report about ball joint failure. the consumer had no indication that there was a problem with the ball joints before the news report. the dealer mechanic determined that the lower ball joints were worn out and the vehicle cannot be driven in this condition. also the mechanic informed the consumer that the ball joints are on back order. please provide further details.

While driving 55 mph a loud knocking noise was heard coming from the front. the consumer was able drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and the mechanic determined that the upper and lower ball joints needed replacement due to worn out parts. *ak *sc

1999 dodge dakota.i purchased my vehicle new in late 1998. in the five years i have owned it, i have had to replace two ball joints in the right front. currently, a metal-on-metal squeak exists in the right front, and i believe it is a ball joint. i have lubricated all pivot points and joints, but cannot lubricate the ball joints. the squeak still exists. here has been no incident as of this date. i only filled in the incident date below with today's because it is a required field.*ak

While rotating tires, an excessive amount of play was observed in the upper ball joint. mileage at 50,123. the cost of repairs at dodge 1,924.00 parts and labor,on oem parts.these are the same ball joints that originally failed. need to be replaced with ball joints with grease fittings, which i am having done for 565.00 parts and labor.

Front end wear causing erratic handling and excessive tire wear. replaced all four ball joints (upper and lower) on 3/1/2004 at a cost of $777.14. excess tire wear reduced useful life of front tires by 20,000 miles. replaced tires on 12/31/2004 at a cost of $547.09.*jb

Having new tires replaced on my 1999 dodge dakota 4wd, i was informed and shown that the front ball joints and tie rods were rusted and worn out. it was definitley danerous to drive the pickup and that the wheel would fall off! i do not have the $1,000.00 to repair it and from what iv'e been told, they just replace the worn parts with the same new defective parts. kinda like a bandaid. help!!*ak

During routine oil change mechanic determined that front upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak

My 1999 dodge dakota has about 31,000 miles on it. the ball joints are bad. can't be properly aligned without new ones. ruining brand new tires. chrysler not doing anything about this problem. lots of complaints on internet web sites. safety is at stake. *jb

Upper and lower ball-joints need to be replaced. *jb

dealership informed consumer that front ball joints were worn out. consumer was not having any problems at this time. *ak

Ball joint replacement. i am on my third set of ball joint on 1999 dodge dakota 4 by 4. with the 5.2 liter v8. last year at annual insection and again this year at annual inspection. *ak

While traveling consumer heard a noise coming from the front end. a technician serviced the vehicle and determined lower ball joints needed replacement.*ak *la

While turning consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front ball joints. *ak

Own a 19'99 dakota ext cab 4x4, 5.2l. 52k miles. upon inspection of ball joints there is starting to be some loosness, but are still within spec. there is unusal noises coming from the front end when going over bumps, indicating some type of looseness. all 4 joints are leaking grease indicating failure could possibly happen within the next 10k miles which would put it in the range of other failed trucks.*ak

Failing/lose ball joints on 1999 dodge dakota. *la

I just had my 1999 dodge dakota r/t's upper ball joints replaced. i was surfing the internet just to see if other people have been having the same problems as me. it is strange that a 1999 vehicle with 70,000 miles on it the upper ball joints are bad. this seems to be an ongoing problem with dodge, i am not the only person that this is happening to it seems that a lot of people are having to fork out money for a problem that could have been prevented in the first place. all dodge will have to do is recall all the vehicles with no grases fittings in the bal joints and replace them with ones that do. i mean after all you have metal rubbing on metal with no grease it is going to wear out without any lubrication. i wanted to make you aware of this problem , it could possible lead to malfunction of the vehicle and cause serious injury or even death.*ak

Since i bought the dakota i have had problems with front end alignment, weraring of tires and breaks and other items associated with suspension. the vehicle pulls to the right. as i drive down the road the vehicle has a wobble in the front end,causing abnormal wear on the tires stress on the breaks and hideous noise. presently the wheel sounds as if it is going to fall off making a grinding noise as i drive down the road. i have recently replaced the full break assembly(rotors, shoes,calipers,bearings etc). the noise is getting progressively worse. th e nois might even be considered a public nuisance. the noise is so bad that innocent pedestrains look at my vehicle in shock and awe of the terrible racket as i drive past. the dealer caims that i need control arms. this will cost quite a bit in addition to what i have already invested in the dakota (22k + repairs to suspension and interest). i could have made a decent down payment on a new dodge with what i have spent on the dakotas front end. i have seen several complaints on the above issues and believe that dodge should do the right and safe thing by issuing a recall.. the recall cannot come soon enough. am i safe driving the dakota? *ak

I along with everyone else that owns a late model (1998-2002) dodge dakota or durango have been told i need to replace my ball joints. since damler chrysler is being flooded with complaints about the weak material used in these model years i feel it is their responcability to fix the weak componants.*ak

I have a 1999 dodge dakaota with 50,000 miles and the dealership said i needed my ball joints replace. i think this is rediculus. i need to get this fix, but i will not pay for something that is defective. do i keep driving? and risk my life. i would gladly pay for it if chrysler will reimburse me later with a promise.

While turning/driving consumer noticed a clicking noise coming from the vehicle. vehicle was taken to dealer, who was unable to locate the problem. *ak

There was a popping noise in the front end while turning. vehicle was driven to the dealership, who indicated after inspection that the lower ball joints had worn out prematurely and needed to be replaced. the lower ball joints were replaced. however, failure recurred 4000 miles later with the upper ball joints. *ak

While driving consumer heard a loud noise coming from rear. took vehicle to the dealer for analysis, and mechanic noticed that both upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced due to corrosion. *ak

I have a 1999 dodge dakota with 29,985 miles. i bought it new. the ball joints are in bad shape. the dealer (russell dodge - now under new ownership) says they expect a recall to occur on this as this is a common problem. but they keep telling me to wait. i am very concerned about my safety. i have emailed chrysler twice, but all they say is that there is no current recall. are they waiting for injuries or deaths? i see numerous complaints on the web about these ball joints breaking. is nhtsa doing anything about this? is chrysler doing anything about it? also, i just bought 4 new michelin tires to replace the dangerous goodyear tires that came with this vehicle. not replacing all the ball joints could ruin these expensive tires and void their warrantee. in the "incident date" box below, i have entered todays date, but this has been an ongoing problem over many months. please help.*ak

Consumer complained about upper and lower ball joints problem. when driving there was a clanking noise. could hear it when pulling in and out of parking spaces. consumer contacted the manufacturer, and was told that the recall for these vehicles were between the years 2000 to 2003. they will not make an exception. *ak *nm

Bad ball joints! 1999 dakota r/t. *jb

Three of the four upper and lower ball joints on my '99 dakota r/t have prematurely failed causing two control arm bushings and the front two tires to wear to the point of replacement.

Following a news report documenting upper ball joint failure in dodge products, we had our 1999 dodge dakota inspected. it has been found that the lower ball joints were completely eroded and needed immediate replacement.

1999 dodge dakota with 27355 miles - front wheels about to fall off, had to replace upper ball joints - cost to me at the dealer was $484.38. i am the original owner and purchased the vehicle new. i think it's absurd to have to have ball joints replaced with those few miles - have never had to have that done with other vehicles owned with more mileage. i think the manufacturer should have replaced faulty items at no cost to the owner. front wheels susceptible to falling off - i think would be a major concern to the manufacturer and the nhtsa.*ak

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge dakota. while driving 15 mph or less, the contact heard a loud thumping noise underneath the front passenger side of the vehicle. the noise intensified whenever a turn was made. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the ball joints failed. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic and the front passenger side ball joints were replaced. the failure recurred years later and the upper ball joints were replaced at 59,244 miles. the contact believes that the chrysler ball joints do not have greasers, which the new replacement ball joints have along with a lifetime warranty. he believes that the manufacturer should issue a recall. the first time the ball joints failed, the contact was forced to replace them with chrysler parts. he believes that this is why they failed a second time. the failure mileage was 32,904 and current mileage is 59,244. updated 05/26/09 *bf the consumer replaced the ball joints at his expense. updated 05/28/09.*jp

Ball joint failure and needed to be replaced. *la