Problems with 2001 Dodge Dakota SUSPENSION

The consumer took the vehicle for a safety inspection. he was then informed the ball joints were worn and needed to be replaced. *jb

I own a 2001 dodge dakota and noticed a loud clunking sound from my wheel when i turn the wheel at a hard angle and it is worse when in 4 wheel drive. the vechicle is out of warranty so it has not been in to get repaired. i have saw several reports where similar noise resulted in a lost wheel on the vechicle. dodge should recall this ball joint problem and make my vehicle safe to drive. i drive my vehicle for work sales purposes and put on very many miles per year at highway speeds. this noise happens most of the time and when cold or in 4 wheel drive worse when the wheel is turned hard.

Front suspension problems identical to that of the dodge durango. have had both lower and upper control arms/ball joints relaced with less than 50,000 miles on the vehicle. parts were replaced by dealership with same defective parts as originally installed on vehicle. personally, no accidents related to this problem yet. concerned about overall safety of dakota owners. we have a 2001 dodge dakota.*ak

While driving there would be heavy vibration in the steering wheel. dealership/mechanic informed consumer that front ball joints were wearing out. *ak

I have a 2001 dodge dakota 2x4 with 38,000 miles. both upper ball joints are bad. this is the same ball joint that is in the durango. i work at a small family owned tire store. i have replaced many, many, many sets of dodge durango/dakota upper ball joints over the last year. 90% of them go bad before the vehicle reaches 100,000 miles. i have been disappointing several times over the last few weeks with chrysler's customer service. all distributors are back ordered on the parts so i can not even get the parts to repair my own dakota. i have heard through our parts distributors that there is an investigation underway. these ball joints are not safe! they develop extensive play in the socket part of the joint in a short period of time. the only saving grace is that they usually start to make a lot of noise (a popping or squeaking sound when the suspension flexes) before they fall out. the sound usually scares people into have it checked. i believe this is the only reason that they have not had more fall apart and cause a wreak. wes campbell. *la

Front upper ball joints on both sides are worn out before 38,612 miles (mileage at time i am sending this email). took dakota dealer (rainier dodge, olympia, washington) last monday, october 20, 2003, and was told that it was safe to drive and would only take a few days to get new parts. they still don't have the parts to fix it and we just saw a news report (on durangos that also mentioned dakotas being worse) showing how dangerous it is to drive a vehicle with bad upper ball joints (broke off and wheel and all went across 4 lanes of traffic). on their word that it was safe to drive, we took an out of town trip this weekend. i thank god that we made the trip safely! when is a recall going to be made on both the dakota and durango? our dodge dealer seems to be dragging their feet getting the parts to fix ours, and i am afraid to drive my dakota until it is repaired. people need to know how dangerous this condition is and dodge needs to accept the responsibility to correct the problem asap! *la

Upper ball joint on both right and left side are failing. vehicle only has approximately 40000 miles on it. just out of warranty. *la

Ball joints on my 2001 dodge dakata quad cab 4x4 needs replacing after 50000 miles.*ak

I have a 2001 dodge dakota pickup. last year it started making a squeaky noise (like an old car creaking) in the front end. i have taken it into dealmaker dodge here in watertown, ny. the first time taking it in they stated that the noise was from loose bolts in the front end and that they just tightened them up. the noise progressively got worse. i took it in again and they told me that it was possibly the sway bars. then the oct. 10, 2003 i was driving and when i hit a bump in the road, something popped in the front end, the front end dropped down and i lost steering of the truck. this was extremely frightening. i immediately drove the truck very slowly over to dealmaker dodge and they looked at it (never test drove it, just looked at it). they stated that they are not sure what happened but that maybe the sway bars gave way. tim (service mgr) stated that they would need to order bushings and a part for the steering box and that until they came in the truck would be safe to drive. unfortunately, i did not feel it was safe to drive - we parked the truck in our driveway until the parts came in. we asked why this happened to a fairly new truck and tim (service mgr) could not answer us, he did not know. we took the truck in once the parts arrived and had it worked on. when i went to pick it up, i asked tim (service mgr) what did they do to the truck (repairs)? he stated he did not know but that his warranty girl was out of the office and that they would mail me a copy of the paperwork. upon receipt of this paperwork, it noted that both sway bar bushings were replaced as well as the coupling. the noise seems to be gone in the front end, however, when i go over bumps or rough road, it still makes a popping noise in the front end. after watching the cbs evening news tonight with regard the front end safety issues about dakotas, i am now very concerned about the safety of myself and the life of passengers while driving this vehicle. *la

Have a 2001 dodge dakota quad cab 4wd. lost the front wheel while driving earlier this year. ball joint failure was the cause. dodge didn't seem to think it was a problem, though at 60 mph the whole wheel flying off seemed like one to me. *ak not sure of the exact date...though i can find out if needed from police

2001 dodge dakota ball joint failure. took to dealer twice before warranty expired complaining of noise from front end. they told me all was fine and not to worrk as it was "normal". two months later and 47,000 on odometer (warranty expired) entire right front wheel fell off while turning in parking lot. dealer wanted me to pay for repair. i called daimler chrysler several times and complained to no avail. in the end, the dealer found that the other side of the dakota was worn as well and that they wanted to replace the ball joints there as well. after a month of fighting and complaining, i finally got my truck back (with a complete new front end). repairs cost of $3100 of which i had to pay about $700.00 as a "good will". now that i have had my truck and 3000 miles later, the front end is starting to make noise again. this is a defect and dodge should be responsible! ironically, from what i saw on the news, the durango has the same problems. my wife drives a '99 durango and is now nervous, as you can imagine.*ak

Took my 2001 dodge dakota to get alignment at local dodge dealer and was told upper ball joints were worn excessively and needed to be replaced. the truck only has 45000 miles on it, this if you ask me is unacceptable. also the truck was in the dealer 2 times before this because of a noise in the front end, and they could never find anything wrong, and i believe this could be related. *ph

Recently had to replace the following: drivers side upper ball joint and control arm, drivers side spindle retaining plate and locking nut. the simptoms were, a slight thumping noise when going over smal but sharp bumps (like entering a driveway), and a sound similar to a spring being stretched and compresses. the work was done under waranty (29,000 miles). the thing that bothers me is that it took 2 attempts at the dealer to get it fixed, and that all the things i've been reading indicate problems on the passenger side! am i just a disaster waiting to happen? is daimler chrystler going to own up to defective design and manufacture or do a bunch of people have to die first?*ak

Approx 30,000 miles rotors warped, during stopping stearing wheel vibrated so bad it was hard to hang on to it, the dealer turned them. at 60,000 rotors warped again, had them replaced. at 70,000 miles the front end started making a creaking noise whenever going over a small bump and pulled to one side. had it inspected and was told it needed to be fixed immediately that it was extremely warn and could fail at any time. upper and lower ball joints replaced, 4 sway bar bushings replaced. the dakota and durango front end components need to be investigated for early failure before there is an accident and/or death.*ak

Early failure of vehicle ball joints. vehicle has 51000 miles on it, and ball joints are failing.*ak

Upper balljoint defective 35000 miles chrysler would not replace. this found when a alignment performed. i replaced both balljoints. i have all bills and defective parts.*ak

At any speed when vehicle hits a bump a rattling sound is heard in the front end. dealer examined the vehicle and did not find a problem with the suspension. *ak

I have a 2001 dodge dakota quad cab 4x4 and had the passenger side upper ball joint fail (luckly i was pulling into a gas station at the time). why is it that you cannot purchase a replacement ball joint from dodge (you must purchase the whole upper control arm assembly?)*ak

Right front ball joint had to be replaced because of excess wear on tires and loose driving. i now have just over 50k miles and have been told that both right and left ball joint need to be replaced. truck has a terrible ride and a dodge dealer stated that my problem would not be covered under any bullitin or warranty. cost is estimated to be over $1200.00

Dodge dakota ball joint problem. i have once had them replaced at 30,000 miles due to an awful sound. the sound is back, this is a problem dodge should be dealing with. after research it is my understanding that this is a very common problem that dodge does not wish to deal with, and there has be serious accidents to which i want no part of. i'm guessing at the date of the first problem on this survey.*ak

When turning in either direction front end produced a cracking and squeaking noise. dealers stated upper ball joints broke. *ak

i have 80000 miles on my 2001 dodge dakota quad cab and i have already changed tires and now i need to change my upper ball joints. is it really true that you can not change just the joints buit you have to change the upper control arm also with the new joints? *ak

Both upper ball joints went bad at about 40,000 miles. everyone i talked to said that was much too early. had to replace both upper control arms. also made for early tire replacement because of wear. dodge should really have a recall on these items. alot of dakota owners have gone through the same problem.*ak

While traveling 25 mph pulling inside of a parking lot, the right side wheel assembly broke off. *ak while making a turn into a parking lot, the complete right side front wheel assembly upper arm, axles, and all other components of the four wheel drive assembly had fallen off, and caused the brake line to break off. chrysler accepted no responsibility. the main factor was failure of the upper ball joint which was a sealed unit. *scc *jb

I have a 2001 dakota that started knocking on bumps at approx. 25000 miles. i determined that this was not normal and took it to a 5 star dealer at approx. 34000 and 37000 miles at which both times they could not find a problem. it is very obvious there is an issue with the suspension. my father owns a 1995 dakota that had the same problem. once the ball joints were replaced, not by a dodge dealership, the noise issue was resolved. there are many reviews stating this issue but chryler does nothing to address it. the only thing i am left to do is pay $800-$1000 to repair it. i unfortunately cannot afford this and risk having it break at anytime. *ak

While driving on a side road through a neighborhood, the front driver-side tire, wheel, brake, and rotor arm fell off my car. i believe the bearing failed and disconnected itself from the axel.

Left/driver side ball joint replacement.the front was making a squeaking noise. the ball joint was found to be bad with only 34000 miles on truck.*ak

I had to have the driver side upper ball joint replaced on my 2001 dodge dakota. now i believe the passenger side must be replaced.*ak

The upper ball joints wore out prematurely. the consumer had to replace the part within four months. dealer stated there was no grease fitting in the ball joints and the joints became dry. please provide additional information. *jb

Ball joints on my 2001 dodge dakota pickup are already bad after 46k miles. i heard many complants about the same problem from other owners.*jb

Excessive ball joint wear. my wife (stephanie ball) filed a complaint back in 1999 for the same problem. i think his name was steve from nhtsa contacted us and keep us informed of the problem. she has had the ball joints replaced five times in her dakota. the last contact from nhtsa was that they was going to make dodge recall these vehicles for this dangerous problem. it has been two years and we have not heard any more on this issue. i help by getting names of other people that was having the same problem. i manage an auto parts store a auto of madison wv and this is not just an isolated problem. i know of 4 dakota that were wrecked and sustained severe damage due to ball joint failure. the adjuster from state farm's mother had a wreck due to ball joint failure. and he said that he had seen several that had wrecked. i could replace these ball joints with aftermarket moog brand and solve the problem. but it shouldn't be up to me to solve it. i would have thought after the firestone episode that issues like this would be taken more seriously. i contacted the dealer today because you have to check the ball joints every couple of weeks. i don't want to take a chance on killing someone because of a problem that has existed since 1997. the dealer said that the ball joints was supposed to have so much play from the factory. the aftermarket one i sell do not. anyone with common sense knows that if a component in a high stress area that takes a lot of beating is not supposed to have any play. the longer you drive it the worse it gets. i recently took a wv state inspection class. the state police have dodge durango's. he said to make sure and check the ball joints because they were having the same problem i am . so i think the time has come to get this problem corrected, before some else wrecks or someone gets killed. its pretty evident when the trooper teaching the inspection class tells you to pay special attention to this problem! please notify me if you need anything. *nlm

2001 dodge dakota extended cab 4x4. rattling in front end when going over small bumps such as man holes and washboard. sounds similar to a loose hub cap. was told the lower front ball joints were bad and daimler/chrysler has a bulletin published internally on how to fix the problem and may cause the wheel to fall off. sounds like a manufacturing defect to me that they should replace. *nm

My balljoints snapped while turning in my sons school one morning , resulting in my front wheel and brake assembly falling off completely from my 2001 dodge dakota 4x4 truck in december 2002. i had 1000 miles passed factory warrenty

Premature wear of the upper ball joints on 2001 dodge dakota. dodge dakota quad cab 4x4 vin: [xxx]. ball joints were replaced before separation failure occurred.*ak diligence by the owner identified the problem and ensured replacement thereby preventing the possibility of danger to others. lower control arm (ball joint) replaced [xxx] qty 2. sept 20, 2002 upper control arm (ball joint) replaced - left [xxx] qty 1. mar 13, 2003 [xxx] updated 07/26/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Upper right ball joint failure. *ak

I have a 2001 dodge, dakota, quad cab, 4x4. shortly after the warrenty expired(36000mi.), i developed a poping noise in the front end when turning over bumps. sense then it has progressively gotten worse. i had it inspected and was told it was ok, just typical truck noise due to bumps. after hearing about the problem with the balljoints, i had it re-inspected (many miles later) only to find that i am lucky that a wheel has not came off (bad joints). also, if the truck sets overnight (or 1 or more days)when you first crank the truck and put in gear(reverse) the transmition will slip. took to the dealer while still under warrenty they said it was typical that the torque converter would drain down and that you had to put it in neutral for a few seconds to let the converter fill before putting in gear. i still have the problem!*ak

Vehicle will start to move to the right when the consumer applies the brakes while driving. problem gets worse when driving at higher speeds. vehicle has been to the dealer three times, but the repairs do not work . contacted dealer. *ak consumer states the caiplers have been replaced on several occasions, also the vehicle was realigned, also there was an oil and transmissin leak.*jb

The upper ball joints have become loose, causing front end to produce a loud thumping noise. *ak *mr

My husband and i own a 2001 dodge dakota quad cab, for about 2 1/2 years we are having problems with the front end. now a recall on the ball joints has come in and dodge will not even look at our vehicle until the recalls go in the mail. i have brought to their attention how many times i have called with this complaint, i am scared something is going to happen to me and my family but dodge just tells me to stop driving the vehicle. how can i do that when it is my only one and i cant get to work or my kids to school.. please help in this. my husband can give more info if needed please call him at 707-689-2333 if you need more info. *jb

2001 dakota quad cab has a loud knock in front suspension. three dealers unable to fix. the truck has had many front end parts replaced and the frame welded. for a total of 10 times to the dealers within a 6 month peroid. still unble to fix. i am now concerned about the performance and saftey of vehicle. chyrsler has offered no solution and very uncooperative with problem.

Ball joints. my 2001 dakota quad cab was only one year old when my ball joints started squeeking. now two years old and they are completely rusted and worn. *ak

2001 dodge dakota quad cab was serviced on six separate occasions for clunking in the front end while going over bumps and during turns. several parts were replaced while under warranty but dealership insisted that ball joints and cv joints were fine. they also stated that no other complaints had been filed and that there was not a service bulletin regarding this problem. the problem became apparent within the first 17,000 miles and continues to persist.*ak

The control arm and upper ball joints, when is the recall going to happen?? my truck is really really bad. the front end alignment i got is no good and my new tires are being eaten up by this. i need my truck for work and this is so dangerous to drive in this condition. *nm

I would like to know why dodge has not recalled the dodge dakotas for defective ball joints and disc rotors. i have scanned the internet and found a large number of people who have had the same problem as i. my 2001 dakota was purchased in december. of 01 and has 44,000 miles . i am 54 years old and this was my first new vehicle. unfortunately it was a dodge. i will never own another dodge product,and if asked my opinion will not recommend dodge to anyone !!!!!!!!! please send this to the dodge corp.*ak

Front brakes clunk when applied,dealer replaced rotors. transmission won't shift properly,dealer ordered and replaced new valve body. lower engine needed to be replaced,because of valve tapping. a/c has bad odor when on. front end squeaked around boots front end has bad knocking sound. 2 goodyear tires slow leak. problems started at 1,254 miles, and keep going at 26,000 miles. *ak

I have a 2001 dodge dakota 2wd and i have a very loud popping noise coming from my left front suspension system that seems to be coming from the ball joint area. it happens when i turn sharp and hit a bump also. i understand from many people who own these vehicles that this is the first sign of a common problem with ball joints grinding and coming apart. this is a safety related issue that needs to be addressed.*ak

Bad control arms ball joint assembly,steering wonders to right,power steering pump replaced,steering shaft replaced waiting for new steering column,lower control arm and ball joint replaced under warranty,chrysler zone office knows they have a defect in the front end of the dakota and durango stated it was cheeper to replace parts.*ak

I bought the truck new in 2001. i complained about clunking noises coming from the wheel area when i made turns. slow and usually at intersections. now it is more advanced and noisy on bumps.*ak

When pressing on brakes steering wheel pulls to right. when turning steering wheel on its own it makes a loud pop. contacted dealer. *ak

Within several thousand miles of ownership vehicle experienced heavy vibration coming from the front. several parts were replaced, except the original ball joints. vehicle was back at dealership several times with no change in condition or replacement of the original ball joints. *ak