Problems with 2001 Dodge Dakota SUSPENSION

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge dakota. the contact stated that he was informed that the upper ball joint was worn. the independent mechanic informed the contact that the upper ball joints need to be replaced to repair the vehicle. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 73,647.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge dakota. the contact stated that the passenger side upper ball joints arm separated from the wheel. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic shop where the contact was awaiting repairs. the dealer was contacted who offered no assistance. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 140,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge dakota. the contact stated that while reversing out of a parking lot, he heard a loud noise and was unable to move the vehicle. upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the front passenger side tie rod broke. the vehicle was towed home, where the tie rod and lower ball joints were replaced. the vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 169,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge dakota. the contact stated that he previously had repairs performed on the vehicle under nhtsa campaign id number 04v596000 (suspension, front control arm, upper ball joint). he was experiencing an abnormally loud squeaking and clanking sound while he was driving various speeds. the contact stated that the identical failure recurred after the recall repairs were made. the failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 94,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge dakota. while driving 2 mph, the contact heard a banging noise coming from the passenger side front tire. he stated that the steering was difficult to turn. upon inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the passenger side front lower ball joints were disengaged. the mechanic stated that the cause of the failure was due to the lower ball joints not being lubed. in addition, the lower ball joints were rubbing against the upper ball joints. the mechanic replaced the front lower and upper ball joints. there had been no further occurrences. the failure mileage was 65,689 and current mileage was 66,471.

I have a 2001 dakota quad cab 4x4 purchased new and the inside of the front rotors wear out extremely fast. they become damaged on the inside of the rotor appearing extremely rusted and as if maybe they overheated on the inside. 64,000 and this has happened 2 times. dealers deny this is common , my brother has a 2002 (purchased new) and has had the same problem. ball joints failed on both trucks , steering rack and rear differential leaks on both . *tr

Ball joint problem on 4x2 dodge dakota. popping grating sound and lack of control in the upper ball joint assemblies. these use the same upper ball joint assy. as the 4x4 units that have been recalled. these cause the same problems and dangerous safety issues. *tr

I started noticing a "lurch or lateral shift" of the front end during tight left and right turns at low speed (35 mph or less). driving at highway speeds on straight roads did not indicate any problems. recently, during a brake system inspection, significant "slop / free movement" at the upper ball joint & wheel knuckle assembly connection was noted (> 0.5"). i researched the problem and discovered the nhtsa issued recall for "upper ball joint failures on 2000-2003 dodge dakotas" as well as the dodge issued tsb for the same defect. i took my 2001 dakota in to a dodge dealer for the recall repair. the dodge dealer and chrysler both conveniently took the position that my vin was not part of this recall, therefore they were not responsible for making the repair. my vehicle has the same failure mode described in the nhtsa recall and the dodge issued tsb. the nhtsa should force dodge to expand the scope of vin's covered by the recall to include all 2000-2003 dakotas that experience premature ball joint failures. a safety related suspension component should not fail at 50,000 miles. to arbitrarily exclude some vehicle vin's from the recall even though they have the same defects is dishonest and not in the best interest of the traveling public. i urge the nhtsa to force dodge/chrysler to repair this defect on all 2000-2003 dakotas. *tr

I bought a 2001 dodge dakota 4wd a month ago. i have had to replace the lower ball joints, catalytic converter, timing chain, water pump and now the transfer case has gone bad. the truck only has 55000 miles on it. i have only made one payment on the truck and have paid the repair shop over $1500 in repair costs. they only time that i have got to drive the truck is to the repair shop except when i bought it. this is ridiculous, a truck with low miles like this should not have this many problems. the dealer said that they would look at it this time put they couldn't make any promises. we paid for everything else to get fixed and i refuse to pay for anything else. i paid $10,000 for a truck that i can't even drive, i'm actually scared to drive it because who knows what will happen next. apparently dodges are pieces of crap to put it politely. *jb

I would like to know why only the upper ball joints on the 2000-2004 dakotas is covered in the recall as the lower ball joint are the same design where there is no way to grease up the lower ball joints and it would lead to the same problem as the upper ball joints? *nm

1. normal driving circumstances. front end suspension started making clunking/popping noises and steering became erratic. truck has 85,000 miles. 2. could not safely drive the vehicle. the steering was too risky. i also noticed while the tow truck driver was pulling the vehicle onto the truck that the front right wheel was leaning over at about 30 degree angle. 3. mechanic diagnosed that the upper ball joints has basically rusted and deteriorated. lower joints were also on their way to failure. additional research has shown that the 4 wheel drive models were recalled. why weren't the 2 wheel drives. this problem mirrors the issue that they had. *nm

Right front lower shock bolt sheared off while driving, causing shock to break loose from lower control arm. *nm

Own 2001 dodge dakota quad cab. notice the same problem has been identified with front steering ball joint having problems. our truck is suffering same problem with load popping noise when we make a hard left hand turn. has happened numerous times for past 9 months...but now getting more frequent. *nm

Dt: the contact stated while driving vehicle had to swerve to miss an oncoming vehicle. the lower ball join broke at this time. the contact's vehicle went into a creek. the injuries to the occupants of the vehicle were still being determined. the vehicle is currently being inspected. *ak

Dt: consumer owns a 2001 dodge dakota. the upper ball joints had to be replaced at 31,915 miles. the lower ball joints were replaced at 37,556 miles. the service dealer stated that there were problems with this year, make, and model vehicle. the consumer stated that while driving there was a noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. he did not notice if there was any play in the steering until the lower ball joints were replaced. since the replacement it has a tighter steering control. there was a recall on the upper ball joints, but there has been no recall on the lower ball joints. *ak *mr *jb

1. clunking noise coming from the front end of my truck. 2. upper ball joing wear at a dangerous level. 3. i had to have the parts replaced, and i still have the old part. this part was recalled under the 4x4 vehicles, and mine is 2wd so i had to pay for repairs. i believe my safety was at risk, and it had nothing to do with the fact my vehicle was not a 4wd.

Approx. 2 months ago i had upper balls joints replaced under recall, the dealship noted that the lower ball joints and tierods were worn as well, was qutoed approx. $700.00 to be fixed. today my daiughter was starting to pull out of my driveway with her 3 year old daughter, the tierod fell out of place causing the truck to stop. luckly my daughter wasn't driving down the road when this happened because there could have been a very bad accident on a very busy street!!! i want to know why there is a recall on the upper ball joints but not the lower ball joints and tierods, it is a fact that there are serious problems with these parts, are they waiting for someone to be killed because of these defective parts?? this will be the last time i purchase a chrysler product if these matters are not dealt with when problems with defective parts are presented!!

The consumer stated the lower ball joint was loose and the wheels could actually fall off.

When i recently took my 1991 dodge dakota in to have the upper ball joints replaced, i was told the lower ones were shot, also. the truck only has 36,000 miles on it. i only drive on the road and never overload my truck. why would the upper ball joints be recalled and not the lower? this continues to be an accident waiting to happen.*ak

Annual vehicle inspection of my 2001 dodge dakota sport 2wd verhicle (54,000 miles), performed on 03/05/05, necessitated the replacement of detatched ball joint. *ak

Recall campaign 04v596000 was issued. consumer stated the upper ball joints wore out prematurely. however, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak

'recall campaign' concerning upper ball joint wear. driving on tires that are worn out unevenly. *bf the consumer could not get the tire aligned and had been driving on the tires that are worn out unevenly. the alignment reading was totally off due to the failing ball joints and the shop would not rotate the tires. *sc

My 2001 dodge dakota has had upper front ball joints replaced due to popping in front end, the popping is still there. front rotors have been changed because of being warped causing vibration in steering and rough braking. the right front wheel bearing and hub has went out causing loud squeeking noise when going down the road there is a constant squeeking noise now from front end. the blower fan has stopped working due to wiring problems. the rear end has a popping noise when putting in park dodge house says thats normal (i have never had a truck do that before) and u joints are good, and i reported it to them when my warranty was good and now my warranty is out and i have all these repairs that i cannot afford !!

upper ball joints were replaced. recently, the upper ball joints for this vehicle were recalled ,and the owner contacted the dealership. again had the ball joints replaced, but they did not do an alignment. currently, the tire is pulling to the left, and the dealership will not make any adjustments. *ak

2001 dodge dakota was recalled to replace upper ball joints. during repair lower ball joints were also found to be defective. had to pay out of pocket for them to be replaced. the failure of the upper ball joints could also lead to the failure of the lower, and this should be included in the recall. *ak

Dodge dakota 2001, consumer replaced ball joints. *bf the consumer had to pay for a 2 wheel alignment after the ball joints were replaced. the consumer feels the alignment should have been included in the replacement. *nm

Nhtsa campaign 04v596000; daimler chrysler issued an upper ball joint recall. this vehicle was included in the recall, but when taken in for repair, results showed that the lower ball joints needed to be replaced as well.*ak also, inner tie rod wore out, failed state inspection due to excessive wear. sideto side play in tire when jocke dup. dealership stated this was a common problem. *ak

Dealership was not performing the upper ball joint wear recall 04v596000 repairs within a reasonable time. the next available appointment date is april 5th 2005.*ak......the safety recall states that consumer can loose control of vehicle and crash. he is afraid to drive it, especially on long trips. dodg ehas not helped consumer. *ak

2001 dodge dakota front wheel fell off, which caused damage to front end of vehicle. *bf the consumer wondered if the wheel falling off could have been the result of the upper ball joints being defective. *jb

Re: dodge recall: i own a 2001 dodge dakota, it feels like the wheels wobble. *bf

I have a 2001 dodge dakota 4x4 - recalled with campaign id #4v596000. while the garage had my pickup apart they called and said my lower ball joint had "excessive wear" -quoted $440 to repair. at 38000 miles and to have excessive wear on lower ball joints is a product defect. i decliined to have then repair due to extreme cost while the truck was apart to repair the upper ball joints.*ak

Dodge dakota failure of front ball joints, replaced ball joint. *bf *jb

Since the beginning of january dealer had no parts for defect. nhtsa recall campaign 04v596000 concerning upper ball joints.*ak

The consumer was asked to call back within a week because the parts were still unavailable. when the consumer called back, the dealer told him that they again did not have parts and they would contact him when they did. *jb

Recall 04v596000 concerning ball joint wear: consumer received this recall notice, and contacted his local dealer, who informed the consumer that no parts would be available until march 2005.*ak

The dealership is refusing to perform the upper ball joint wear recall 04v596000 because the consumer didn't purchase the vehicle from them. *jb

The consumer states the lower ball joints were worn. please provide additional information. *jb

While driving vehicle stalled. consumer was able to restart vehicle, and drive it to the dealer. after a knocking noise was heard coming from the front vehicle was placed on diagnostic machine, but the problem could not be duplicated for stalling. however, mechanic determined that the left and right control arms needed to be replaced due to corrosion. *ak

The consumer took the vehicle to have the upper ball joints repaired under recall. it was also discovered that the lower ball joints were defective. the vehicle had 40,000 miles on it. the consumer contacted the manufacturer and received no assistance. provide further details. *jb

Recently the ball joints were recalled for dodge dakotas/durangos 2000-2003, but only for 4 wheel drive. my 2001, dodge dakota needs new ball joints. it also uses the same bal joint as the 4 wheel drive. if there's are bad, why isn't mine? *jb

This complaint is about the fact that only the 4x4 dodge dakotas have been recalled about the ball joints. the fact is that they all use the same ball joints and well how do we know that the 4x2 are not going to go. what are you going to wait until someone get hurt before they recall the 4x2? i don't think that is right that they only recall the 4x4 they should recall all the dakotas and durangos of those years. i am not one for that i buy a truck and the manufacture has don't wrong by giving faulty parts and i would have to suffer the consequence. that just is not right if they already know that they have faulty parts on the trucks. so this is a complaint that they should recall all the dakotas if not all then also the 4x2.. there was no incident as of december 11, 2004 but the complaint required that i put a date in but there was no incident. this is just a complaint. *jb

I own 2 dodge dakotas one 1997 and one 2001. i have not replaced the ball joints, but they are making poping and cracking noises. the 2001 only has 24000 miles on it. when making a hard turn both dakotas seem to wobble like somthing is loose. i have not had any accidents yet but somthing is wrong. also the front tires have warn uneven on both trucks. front end alignment was almost impossable on the 2001 model.*ak

My 2001 dodge dakota 2wd has 45,000 miles on it and already needs 3 ball joints replaced.*ak

Dt*: the contact stated there were problems with the ball joints. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic shop for repair on the upper front right ball joints. a recall letter was received pertaining to the ball joints and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the dealer repaired the upper front left ball joints under the recall and informed the contact to send the manufacturer copies of the prior repair work performed on the ball joints. after sending the manufacturer a letter with invoice, a letter was received from the manufacturer denying reimbursement for the costs of the previous repairs.

I have a 2001 dakota 2 wheel drive with a bad front suspension. it only 54000 miles on it. i have had the bushing replaced three times and now they tell me i need upper control arm bushings, both upper ball joints, and a r/f hub bearing. upper ball joints are very loose. i was wondering why i am always fixing the front suspension and if there is anything i can do to get this problem solved. i heard that there is a recall on the four wheel drive dakota's, but not the two wheel drive. could you please help me figure out what to do/ thanks, stephen. *ak

No parts for recall#04596000 ball joints. eddie dodge 803-359-2501. please provide more information. *jb

Repairs to the upper ball joint was completed by the consumer prior to receiving a recall notice. consumer wished to have the lower ball joints repaired since they were defective. consumer was told by manufacturer and dealer that the lower ball joints were not included in the recall. *ak

front upper and lower ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak the faulty ball joints caused abnormal wear on the driver's side front tire. the manufacturer refused any assistance because the vehicle was out of warranty. *nm

While driving 30 mph front ball joint punctured the front driver's side tire. this forced the vehicle into a ditch. consumer had the vehicle towed. dealership informed the consumer of the ball joint failure and repaired it. *ak

I just replaced the ball joints on my 2001 dakota. they were very loose and had alot of "play". i'm lucky i got mine repaired before it caused an accident like others i've recently heard about. i've also replaced the front drive shaft, rear u-joints and rear differential all within the last year. i have to believe that all this is related. i'm probably up over $3,000 in repairs for these things.*ak