Problems with 2000 Dodge Dakota SUSPENSION

Upper left ball joints were detached and the upper right ball joints were loose. consumer had both sides replaced. *ak *mr

Have replaced upper/lower ball joints once this year. they now need to be replaced again! am now also getting "whirring noise" when i am driving. when reversing out of parking space or turning corner, pulling into driveway, get huge clanking noise consistently. dealer refused to replace at 30,150 miles. bought truck to transport kids in safety. now i transport my 3 kids in terror. thanks dodge. not.*ak

Upper lower balljoint corrosion: i took my dakota r/t in for a "popping sound" that was coming from the front end. i was told by your service rep at the dealer that there was nothing wrong with my front end. i took my dakota to a local mechanic, he told me that both my upper and lower ball joints were close to failure. i returned to henderson dodge with my dakota and the service dept still told me there was nothing wrong with my front end. i cannot drive my dakota anymore due to the front end. i am very dissatisfied with dodges product. when will you'll stand up and back your products???? *ak

2000 dakota 4x2 club cab experiencing worn ball joints at 45000 miles. *ak

I am responding to the news of the faulty ball joints in dodge dakotas. i too have a 2000 dodge dakota quad cab with just over 56,000 miles on it and it needs to have the ball joints replaced. *la

While driving at any speed consumer heard a clanking sound when turning corners. vehicle was taken to a dealer, who found that the upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak *mr

The consumer took the vehicle to the dealership for an inspection. the mechanic informed the consumer that the upper ball joints failed. *ak *sc *jb

The vehicle's ball joints were defective which made it unsafe to drive the vehicle. the manufacturer is aware of the defect. *ak *nm

One of the front upper ball joints popped off, causing the tire to detach and roll under the vehicle while driving. driver was able to regain control of the vehicle and avoid a collision. *ak the detachment occurred on the front right side of the vehicle. the consumer felt that the cause was due to the lack of grease. there was also excessive wear in the upper ball joint and the left side of the vehicle. *sc

Consumer heard a noise coming from the left front tire. consumer took the vehicle to gas station, and mechanic noticed that both upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced due to corrosion. *ak

While rotating tires right front tire fell off with the lug nuts still in place. this occurred after consumer jacked the vehicle up. ball joints split down the middle. prior to this incident, front end would bounce upon coming to a complete stop. *ak 2000 dodge dakota passenger front tire fell off of vehicle during wheel rotation. the result of this occurence was due to the ball joints being spilt down the middle. the regular method of checking the ball joints did not reveal a defect.*mr

My 2000 dodge dakota r/t has just under 50,000 miles and was diagnosed with faulty upper ball joints. along with a slew of front suspension components including tie rods, sway bars, and lower control arms. *la

Premature failure of upper and lower ball joints on right front side.*ak

Front end noises. clunking sound that continues to get louder. has been checked by dodge service center a few times. the last time they replaced front ball joint. still has a loud clunk. also, it will not hold an alignment for any lenght of time.

My wife's 2000 dodge dakota 4x4... failed pennsylvania state safety inspection at 37,000 because of worn upper ball joints. estimated repair cost $275. it's absurd that this important safety item wore out before the original equipment tires and dodge is demanding full price to correct an obvious manufacturing safety defect. *la

2000 dodge dakota sport 42,000 miles, ball joints need replacement. *la

While driving over bumps at any speed, the consumer could hear a rattling sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. the consumer can also feel a thumping sensation coming through the steering wheel. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic who replaced the left upper ball joint. *nm *nm

Frequent popping feeling in the steering wheel coming from front suspension. always relates to front suspension up/down movement. several garages have inspected, but cannot locate problem. suspect problem has to do with early sign of ball joint failure. dealer admits history front suspension and ball joint problems in this model. *la

My 2000 dodge dakota was in the shop to have upper and lower control arms replaced on the left front side. the vehicle had 90923 miles at the time of repair, at a cost of $803. *jb

When making a right hand turn the consumer could hear a rattling noise in the front end. the dealer indicated that the ball joints were loose.*ak the dealer replaced the left and right ball joints to correct the problem. *nm

The vehicle experienced premature wear of the upper ball joints that caused popping and rattling in the front suspension. *nlm

2000 dodge dakota with only 13,531 miles has upper ball joint failure. *la

Upper control arms loose, defective, plus steering linkage needs to be replaced. *la

The upper ball joints needed replacement based on the observation of a mechanic that was servicing the vehicle. *ak *la

While driving at low speeds there was a loud thumping noise coming from the front. mechanic informed the consumer that it was due to front ball joint failure. *ak front alignment suddenly went out of whack. vehicle was 6 months out of warranty. the dealership denied there was anything wrong with the upper ball joints. after filing a complaint with the consumer protection agency, dodge recommended and refunded the repair cost. *ph

Front upper ball joints failing at aprox 43,000 miles. i heard the squeeky / rattle noise coming from front of vehicle when going over bumps or turning. i eventually made an appointment with dodge dealer. vehicle was still under warranty. dodge repaired under warranty.

I bought a 2000 dakota 4x4 used, with 42,000 mi. in oct. 03. went to get a missouri state inspection certificate, i was told upper & lower balljoints were "going bad". july 04, truck started to pull to the right.it"s an expensive repair that i cannot afford right now. i saw a news story on this issue and realized i am not alone. i belive dodge makes a great truck. they should stand behind there name, as well as product.*ak

Upper and lower ball joints premature wear out 45,000 miles . *ak

Upper and lower ball joints

The ball joints on my 2000 dodge dakota have failed with 41,000 miles on it. *la

When having new tires put on my 2000 dodge dakota, they advised me that the eft front tie rod was loose. i contacted the dealer and got an appointment to have it looked at. they looked at it and said the tie rod was loose as well as the upper and lower ball joints. they said the ball joints were on national back order due to problems with other dodge models (durango). they would contact me when the parts came in. they called yesterday (11-18-03). i have an appointment for next tuesday, 11-25-03, to have it fixed. i have the extended warranty on my truck, and i only have 47,000+ miles on it. the warranty will pay for all but the $100 deductible and the $49.95 for the subsequent alignment that will be necessary. with all of the similar problems you have had with the dakotas, durangos, jeeps, etc. i feel like this should be a recall issue and that i should not have to pay for any of it. my husband says suspension problems like this shouldn't occur in vehicles with this low mileage. i do not use this vehicle hard. it does not pull anything, and it does not carry heavy loads. i am the only owner.*ak

Nhtsa recall campaign 04v596000; daimler chrysler issued an upper ball joint recall. this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin, but the front right tire fell off at 55 mph. *ak

While driving 20 mph front passenger side wheel separated. dealer stated the upper ball joints failed. *ak

I have a safety concern with my front suspension on my 2000 dakota quad cab 4x4. i hear a popping noise coming from the front shock and control arm area. i also notice excessive abnormal wear on recently new tires. i also hear a lot of tire noise when driving and some front end shake.*ak

When driving it feels like vehicle has a mind of its own. driver will attempt to drive straight, yet it feels like vehicle is alternately pulling towards left and right. dealer replaced front brake pads and rotors three times. this did not remedy the problem. vehicle had been examined by dealer five times, and stated no problem could be found with the way vehicle performed.*ak

When driving over bumps steering wheel vibrated, making it difficult to control the vehicle. consumer took vehicle to dealer to be inspected, and mechanic informed consumer that the upper ball joints were wearing prematurely. *ak

2000 dodge dakota front left ball joint broke, causing the wheel to fall off.

2000 dodge dakota upper ball joints. last year, my upper left ball joint (bj) failed. thankfully i was still in a parkign lot at the time. if this failed at speed on the highway, it would have invloved sginificant injuries. *ak due to the failure of the one bj, i had a dodge dealer replace the left tire rod end and the left front axle shaft assembly since they bent when the tire and wheel assmembly came loose. in addition, i had the both lower joints replaced and the right upper bj and right side tie rod. the problem i have now is that the new dodge tie rods rub against the wheels on sharp turns. i took the vehicle and the service reps indicated there is no problem with this. however, the tie rod ends continue to wear the factory aluminum wheels. one dealer rep indicated that in 2001 the dakotas went to 16" wheels, and since my 2000 has 15" wheels, that i need to buy 16 wheels so the tie rods don't rub. well, quite frankly that is unacceptable. i find dodge / damiler chrysler response to the upper ball joint issues pathetic. in addition, the spray nozzle freeze up anytime the temperature goes below 30 degrees. i've used all kinds of washer flui, and even added rubbing alcohol to the fuild, regardless this is a visibility hazard, and it should be noted the design was changed in the 2001 dakota / durango models

Upper balljoints on my 2000 dodge dakota were badly worn out and took it to kirkwood dodge several times and they did not fix it. then took it to newark dodge and they found the problem and fixed it but my warranty had expired so i had to pay full price. i was lucky that nothing bad happened while driving but still the danger was there. i want chrysler to reimburse me for the car rental and the cost of the work that got done to my truck.*ak

Replacement of both lower ball joints at my expense because they were loose.*ak

I own a 2000 dodge dakota quad cab truck, and wanted it to be noted that both front tires came off the truck due to inner tie rod socket disconnected from main rack and various ball joint repairs have been made. thus far, i have not crashed or injured anyone, but that may be because i am afraid to drive the truck. *jb

Power steering fails. lose control of steering at highway speeds after about 1.25 hours. first occurance in august 2002, then october, 2002. did not drive on highway for extended period until august 2003 - failed again and again on mountain roads, exits, straightaways while passing, gentle curves. november 2002 dealer replaces rack and pinion and bushings at 23,997 miles. august 18, 2003, 31424 miles, dealer replaces column, intermediate shaft and bolt per starline. sep 3, 2003, 31904 miles, dealer replaces all four control arms - cannot replicate problem as they will not drive the required miles, i'm their test dummy. the knobs for air conditioning also broke at this time - charged to fix this. manufacturer says to contact dealer, dealer won't drive necessary miles - i still have to check the sep 3 repair to see if it really fixed the problem. each time the alignment is out and they will not fix this as part of the warranty item although i maintain my vehicles' alignment. the brakes have been relined at 26k miles because the dealer said they were shuddering - which i had not experienced until they repaired them. shocks have been replaced, have been trying to get the rear struts replaced due to excessive sway and loss of control when carrying a load, another thing they claim not to replicate.

Dodge dakota quad cab, 2000 upper and lower front ball joints failed. *ak

Consumer states that upper ball joint is wearing prematurely. dealer notified.*ak

Consumer states that upper control arm has failed.*ak

Consumer states both upper ball and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. vehicle was running without warranty. dealer notified. *ak *ts

I am having my ball joints replaced for the third time. i have a friend who has the exact same vehicle, and they have had theirs done four times. i also know at least three other people with same truck (year,make,model) that have had this same problem multiple times. this is not mere coinicidence- something is wrong with the suspension of these trucks.*ak

When replacing tires on my 2000 dakota, i was advised that my ball joints were worn to the point of being unsafe. my vehicle was less than 30 days beyond the expiration of the manufacturer's warranty, and had approximately 19,000 miles on it. i believe both the ball joints and the tires should wear more mileage than that. i also believe the deterioration of the ball joints accelerated the wear of the tires. ball joints have been replaced at my own expense. did not want to wait for a recall at the expense of my family's safety.

The right front upper ball joint broke then the front axle broke and caused the wheel to fall off. causing my husband to lose control of the vehicle and ending up in a 10-12 ft deep ditch with water. *la

Noise felt in front suspension when turning - especially with left turns. took to dealer and they were unable to reproduce problem. took to a different dealer a few months later and they told me i needed new upper ball joints. i took it to a different dealer and was told that i needed new lower ball joints. i have replaced the lower ball joints for a little over $600! i still can't afford to replace the upper ball joints and i am still feeling a slight thump when turning. this problem is so common with this vehicle and i am mad at dodge for not recalling. i read a report on 60 minutes about ball joint problems causing tires to fall off vehicles during driving. what a dangerous thing to happen. i think of this everyday as i drive on the highway. what would happen if my tires fell of on the highway while driving over 60 mph? i hope dodge gets some sense and does a recall on this! here is the link to the article: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/03/eveningnews/main603833.shtml *jb