Problems with 2003 Dodge Dakota SUSPENSION

Recent inspection by authorized mechanic reveals heavily worn ball joints on 2003 dodge dakota with 24,000 miles

Nhtsa campaign 04v596000; daimler chrysler issued an upper ball joint recall. this vehicle is included in the recall, but there are no parts available in order to repair, which is dangerous because the wheels can fall off. *nm

2003 dodge dakota ball joint failure at low miles. ball joints squeaking, noise was constant, replaced both upper joints. *bf the vehicle ball joints began to squeak at 20000 miles but the consumer didn't realize the severity of the noise. at 40000 mile the consumer inspected the joint because the squeak had turned into a clunk and was constant. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the consumer that both upper joints had to be replaced. *nm

Squealing brakes, unusual front tire wear, grinding noise on left front wheel when turn hard left, worn outside walls on front tires and replacement and brake work done at midas . *ak

The vehicle's ball joint had to be replaced at 24,000 miles. *nm the rear limited slip differential fluid needed to be replaced. *sc *jb

Vehicle would shimmy while driving 30 mph. vehicle was taken to the dealer. dealer informed that the right front upper ball joint needed to be replaced. *ak

I have a 2003 dodge dakota sport quad cab 4 wheel drive vehicle. i've had an embarrassing squeak in my steering and front end for 4 years. after listening to it for a while after purchasing, i took it to trail dodge on 08/26/04 and complained. the service note said "customer states there is a loud squeaking noise from right side suspension area while driving. inspected and road tested and could not duplicate customer's concerns, no noises heard at this time (wet out) did inspect front end all is tight." it took it in to fury motors, south st. paul, mn, at about 36,000 miles and the same. they could not find it at that time. noise persisted, till it's now embarrassing to drive the vehicle all together. today, may 12, 2008, i brought it back to fury motors, because of the sound, that has progressively gotten worse (now 50,000 miles), and they tell me i need both upper and both lower ball joints, to the tune of $1500!!!! then i get on line and find out there has been a recall (nhtsa action #ea03023). i called fury motors to let them know and they state my vin number is not included in the recall. it has been the same sound that was progressively getting worse and worse, and now i find out it could have been disastrous and i'm not covered??? please help! *tr

I purchased my 2003 dakota quad cab 2wd in early january of 2004. it has approximately 21k. signs of the steering making a creaking sound when being turned were first noticed at approximately 8000. it is more pronounced when entering an elevated street or a driveway, while making the turn. i believe the same defective steering components utilized in the 4x4 dakota also apply to the 2wd versions. i would like the initiative be taken to include the 2wd dodge dakotas in the recall as well. my truck has not yet been serviced, but if study information is required, such as an analysis of the joint, i am willing to volunteer my vehicle for such a study if it would help in moving forward with the recall.*ak

Dt: 2003 dodge dakota. the consumer received manufacturer's 35190558 concerning upper ball joints failure. consumer called the dealer, and the dealer urged the consumer to call the manufacturer. the consumer called the manufacturer, and they said to call the dealer back. the consumer complained, was getting the run around from both places. the dealership said there must be a certified mechanic to have the repairs done. the only certified mechanic was in anchorage, alaska . there were no roads to the village where consumer lived, could only get there by airplane. *ak

Uneven tire wear led me to have truck serviced at midas tire co. they reported excessive loose play in both top and bottom frontend ball joints. vehicle is under warranty w/daimlerchrysler so took to sales/service dealer "soutars" in barstow, ca two different times w/same concern. they reported nothing wrong w/ball joints both times. san bernardino sun telegram 12/11/04 news reports serious problems w/ball joints in dodge dakota 2003 models causing wheels to fall off.*ak

Took vehicle in for a blower fan problem, and told the service manager of a squeak going around corners. found that the ball joints were worn and require replacing. only 32,000 miles on vehicle. *ak

When making sharp right turns a popping noise can be heard coming from the front of the vehicle. the owner suspects there may be a problem with the ball joints, but the vehicle has not been diagnosed by a dealer. *ak *nm

At 24775 miles; the right upper ball joint failed on my 2003 dodge dakota 4x2. *ak

Pe 03-032, front suspension upper ball joint failure: after inspecting the wheels, the consumer noticed that the upper ball joints are rusting out on both side. *nm

Vehicle will either go into neutral when put in reverse or while reversing pop out of reverse into neutral. this mostly occurred when the vehicle was in 4-wheel drive. the dealership serviced the vehicle several times for this issue, but since they were unable to duplicate or resolve the problem. *ak the consumer had two transmission problems. the transmission module shorted out on four separate occasions. this problem caused the consumer to be nearly rear ended three times. the transmission shift indicator showed that the vehicle was in reverse but acted as if it were in neutral. the vehicle pulled to the left, the brakes would squeak and the vehicle had poor gas mileage. *sc the battery was replaced because the vehicle did not start at times. *jb

I own a 2003 dodge dakota 4x4 has problem with ball joints. front end alignment pulling to the right. consumer wants to be reimbursed for time and labor. *bf the engine light illuminate. the dealer found that there was an evaporator leak which was caused by an aftermarket fuel cap. *jb

Worn ball joints at less than 30000 miles. *ak

Front suspension popping when stopping and turning. *ak

Front suspension popping when stopping and turning. *ak

Consumer took vehicle to dealer for an annual inspection, and mechanic determined that upper ball joints needed to be replaced, and replaced them with new ball joints. several weeks later the driver's side wheel collapsed.*ak consumer is seeking chrysler to replace the vehicle. *la

Upperball joint premature failure 11,000 miles. *ak

While driving on md rt 468 at approximately 7:10 am on january 9, 2004, the driver of my truck hit a small patch of ice at which time the truck went into a 360 degree spin. at some point during the spin the front wheel came off at which time the driver lost complete control of the vehicle and it ran off of the road and hit three trees. an inspection of the wheel, tire rod and ball joint revealed that the ball joint was rusted and snapped off. *jb

2003 dakotaquad cab is having ball joint popping similar to durango. the problem is this is a highway driven truck, not an offroad truck. problem started at 20,000. could cause a serious accident if not repaired.*ak

Upper ball joints joints worn out and attaching nut completely stripped out on left side. heard a noise and took it to the dealer to be checked out in november 03. dealer claimed everything checked out fine, could not find any problem. december 03 noticed tire wear on inside, took the truck to an alignment shop. it was there that the mechanic pointed out that the ball joint on the right was worn badly and the left was about to fall apart. the dealers knew of this problem in this type of vehicle. i was to leave an hour after the alignment on an eight hour trip through the mountains. i consider myself very lucky and very wronged by the dealer and manufacturer for not notifying their customers of this problem. for that matter why hasn't any safety agency stepped up to tell us of this problem???. *ak

Dodge dakota 2003 sport: first few months of ownership, i went to have tires rotated (20,000mi) and i was told that the ball joints were out of spec. by the mechanic and that i should take the vehicle to the dealer. after inspection, the dealer said nothing was wrong.i know something is wrong with the vehicle because since that time, everytime i turn left while applying brakes in a downhill situation, a terrible grinding sound is heard. the vehicle now has 54000mi and i hear about wheels breaking off. i am scared for my families and personal safety.*ak

I recently saw a cbs news story concerning the upper ball joints of dodge dakotas wearing out prematurely. my dakota is a 2002. i have taken in into my local dodge dealorship repeatedly because i heard a knocking sound when making a turn, especially on an incline. every time i have taken it in, they are never able to duplicate the problem. i have even taken the mechanic for a ride with me after they had it all morning and the noise, sure enough, can't be duplicated while he is in the truck. but sure enough, 3 or 4 days later the noise comes back. and the porcess repeats again. i take it, they can't find it, i take the mechanic and the noise is gone, 3 or 4 days letter - hello - its back! can you help me? fyi: for the incident date, i just put today's date. i took the truck in with the same complaint on 5/24/2002; 12/6/2002; & 9/3/2003 . *ak

Ball joint replacement on 1998 dodge dakota

The front upper ball joints wore out prematurely. the consumer could hear loud noises coming from the steering column. the dealership was notified but was unable to resolve the problem. *ak the consumer contacted the manufacture but was refused any assistance for repairs. *nm

While vehicle was getting a regular check up consumer found that the upper ball joints wore out, and the nut holding them together was stripped completely. *ak there was abnormal tire wear seven weeks earlier. the dealer checked the front end for noise and found no problem. *sc

Rh side - upper ball joint needs replacement at 15,700 miles. dealer found ball joint to be "out of spec" after an inspection was requested during routine service. *la

Rearend whines under power from 50-60 mph and while decelerating from 45-40 mph. *la

My ball joints have worn out at about 55,000 miles. it is not covered in my 7 year 70,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. *la

When hitting any size bump in the road the vehicle looses control. dealer states that upper control arm bolt malfunctioned. *ak

Driving down the road heard a bang lost control of the truck and hit a parked car. car was towed away and fixed body shop and front end shop said tie rod and ball joint snapped off clean this truck only has 5000 miles on it, also i have all the damaged parts if any body wants to test them. *la

While driving at 55 mph on the highway consumer lost control of vehicle and crashed into the guard rail. the driver was injuried and transported by ambulance to the hospital.a police report was done. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for analysis. the mechanic detected that both frontal ball joints cracked. *ak

I keep hearing a loud "bang" and louding creaking noises in the front end of my 2003 dodge dakota when i turn the wheel. i have taken it to the dodge dealer several times, but they haven't found anything. i keep telling them it sounds like a cracked coil spring or body mount. they said if i bring it in again as warranty work, then they'll charge me for the time. also, the turn signals keep shorting out and when you turn the left one on, the emergency flashers come on. finally, the left power window slows down excessively when i attempt to put the window up. it goes down fine, but it won't go up at normal speed.*ak

While driving, the vehicle swerved to the left without warning and the vehicle to hit a tree and rolled over. the dealer believed that the cause was due to front end suspension failure, however the airbags deployed upon impact. *ak *scc

Vehicle vibrated when it exceeded speeds of 45 mph. this was due to premature wear of the upper ball joints. this was a common problem, per the dealership. *ak

At 6,000 miles the upper ball joints failed. when riding over any size bump in the road the front end collapsed. *ak the vehicle pulled to the right when driving and when braking, the flapper door for the fuel filler neck was missing and or fell inside the tank, the transmission did not shift properly, the front and rear rotors were grooved, worn uneven and pitted. *scc *jb

While driving the rear of the vehicle vibrated and the tires bounced up and down. *ak *cb *nlm

There has been a startling number of ball joint failures in the 1998-2003 dodge dakota and dodge durango vehicles. i own a 2003 dakota, and had an independent mechanic inspect mine. because my vehicle only had 8500 miles on it at the time, the ball joints checked out ok. it was his estimation that because of the greaseless fitting, however, i could expect the same problem so many other dakota owners have had in the near future. these parts should last 100,000 miles, but the ones on these dodge vehicles fail at about 25,000 to 30,000. i have voiced my concerns to dodge. the person i talked to at their recall center acknowledged the problem and that their was an investigation ongoing at this time, and told me to listen for "clunking" noises in the front end of the vehicle. of the reports i've seen of failure of the joint, few say there was any warning of this type, however.*ak

This is a 2003 dodge dakota pick-up with 2 wheel drive. upper ball joint and front hub bearing are both bad, and must be replaced . this vehicle has only 34,900 miles on it. started making a loud humming sound when making a turn and was taken to repair shop for inspection. we thought maybe it just needed a front end alignment. was told by the repair shop the alignment could not be done and the repairs were very much needed for our safety. reading on line i see many complaints about the same problem, but chrysler has only agreed to recall 4 wheel drive vehicles with this same problem. if dakota's with 2 wheel drive are having the same problem, why are they not included in the recall? *tr

2003 dodge dakota with 19,000 miles. i have been told that the ball joints will need replacing very soon. *cb