Problems with 1999 Dodge Durango SUSPENSION

Vehicle vibrated at 55 mph. dealer tested the vehicle, and several repairs were made, including the suspension. however, the problem recurred. the consumer stated this vehicle should be included in the upcoming recall for the upper ball joints.*ak *jb

Lower ball joints produced a loud grinding noise. consumer was concerned that wheel will separate from the vehicle while driving. *ak

While driving at any speed consumer heard noise from the front end. independent shop indicated the need to replace upper and lower ball joints. *ak

Dealership replaced the lower and upper ball joints at 83,000 miles at consumer's expense. *ak

Dealer replaced the driver's side upper and lower ball joints at 33000 miles and at 75000 miles. *ak

Upper and lower ball joints wore out prematurely. consumer later noticed there were no grease fittings on the ball joints. *ak

1999 dodge durango 4wd, 65000 miles. upper and lower ball joints have nearly 1/4 inch play in them. pops and clunks especially when turning.*ak

Have clunking in steering, jacked passenger side up to find right front wheel somewhat lose on vertical plane. removed tire to find excessive slop in lower ball joint. only at 47,000 mainly highway miles. unsure of what to do, curious of who is responsible for poor design, and little help. i will be replacing lower ball joint but still feel unsafe driving vehicle. *la

I began hearing a horrid squeal in the rear wheels of my 1999 dodge durango. i took it to a dealer who said the joints were worn, and it would be over $1500 to fix it, and it was not under warranty. they said there might be a recall, but had not been. i had two joints replaced fixed at another repair shop, but now the squealing has started again, and also is accompanied by the front end shaking when i drive over 50 mph.*ak

While driving, the consumer heard a grinding noise in the front end. the dealership indicated that 3 of the balls joints were defective, and needed to be replaced. also, the front right wheel was loose. *ak *sc *jb

All 4 ball joints bad at 66000 miles. *ak

We had the upper and lower ball joints replaced in dec. 2003 costing us 1,100 dollers and we still have a noise in the front end and we have had it to 4 mechanics they looked at the durango and none of them know what the problem is. thank you for you time.*ak

Upon inspection of the truck the mechanic confirmed that both upper ball joints were prematurely worn and needed to be replaced. please provide any additional details. *jb *mr

While driving 65 mph, the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. the driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle. the consumer t drove the vehicle to the dealer for an analysis, however the mechanic could not resolve the problem. *ak the dealer determined the upper ball joints needed to be replaced, the first set was replaced at 26000, the vehicle is now on the second set of ball joints. *jb

Lower ball joint had to be replaced at 44,000 miles, upper ball joint had to be replaced at 53,000 miles. i have a 1999 dodge durgango slt.

Purchased used oct 13, 01 41,626 miles oil change dec 12, 01 46,722 mies. oil change feb 23, 02 50,310 miles. may 15, 02- replaced oil send unit, cleaned / adjusted the rear brakes, system check /reprogramed enignine controller. ext day oil guage light / fluctuating 0-110. 3 days later oil change , pcv valve replaced, 55,669 miles. *ak july 12, 02 engine blew #2 rod busted . warrenty company denied repairs due to sludge in engine. proved 3 oil changes in 6 months i owned vehicle engine & battery cables replaced . august 14, 02 after engine repair drove car to gas station ,turned e off, filled with gas, wouldn't turn over. car engaged, ticking noise, service dept said normal. purchased battery. sept 13, 02 check gauge light on, temperature gauge fluctuate 0-260, oil temp gauge to 110. told no coolant, told looking for leaks. told coolant topped off sept 16, 02 oil temp light fluctuated toward 110 mark. checked oil - quart low. added quart. sept17 , 02 green fluid leaking, vehicle towed to dealership. water pump/ by pass hose replaced. drove off the lot found air cond not working, compressor not connected sept 22, 2002 engine rev / tachometer stick at 4-5 check transmission / oil levels. oil 2 quarts low. oct 10,02 tachometer reved car would not engage . sensor in transmission out. replaced sensor. left shop , at 60 mph could feel vibration by gas pedal, engine would rev, tachometer would jump. unable to dup the prolbem. vehicle hooked to computer no abnormal readings 10/22/02 replaced upper ball joints, tie rods, and shaft, front end alignment. 12/02 purchased 2 tires. 6/03 replaced alternator purchased 2 tires front end alignment . 11/03 replaced starter /battery cables 12/26 dealer service department , engine reving, tachometer jumping, crunch in the front end, car not going into reverse. replace lower ball joints /4 tires due to ...

Right upper control arm was out of spec and needed to be replaced. left is also going out. cost over $400 for each side! i understand this to be a common problem on this vehicle, which is well documented. dodge needs to suck it up and pay for these repairs due to manufacturer defect!*ak

I am having to replace both sets of ball joints at 45,000 mi on my 1999 dodge durango. i have replaced rear tie rods, front u joints, and transfer case during the past six months. none of this has been covered by warranty. *ak

While driving driver heard a grinding noise in the front end. when turning left or right vehicle shimmied. took vehicle to the dealer, and they replaced the ball joints on the left and right sides. *ak

my wife's 1999 garage-kept durango with only 25,600 miles on it is at the dodge dealer right now having both lower ball joints replaced. cost estimate is $560. i took the truck in to have the suspension inspected based largely upon the media coverage of this defect, and the info i gleened from this usefull nhtsa database. i just called the dodge contact-us phone number, and documented my complaint. the polite woman took down my info, but she said that was all she could do, and that i should save my receipts for the repairs, in case there is a recall. i am an engineer, and i am convinced this is a design defect. i have a 1992 explorer with 116,000 miles on it and have never had this kind of problem. while at the dodge dealership, i looked underneath the shiny new 2004 durango on the lot - what a surprise! the front supension is completely redesigned, and looks nothing like the suspension on the 99. dodge needs to stop dodging their existing customers, or people like me will never buy another vehicle from them. i should have known better when i recalled that the fictitious al bundy's car of choice was a dodge. to all durango owners: have your suspension inspected.

1999 dodge durango with 52,000 miles passed inspection in april 2003. on dec 23,2003, it was discovered that the vehicle needs 4 new ball joints. ball joints wore out in a 7,000 mile span. i find it difficult to believe that all 4 ball joints went bad at once. i believe that this relates to a product deficiency in manufacture.

Upper ball joints failed, causing severe damage to the lower ball joints and the tie rod end. *ak

Ball joints reported to need replacing in 1999 durango in december 2003 (77,000 miles) by our service agent. service agent also said that there have been a number of complaints like this, and that usdot and daimler-chrysler is looking in to it. we were told by service dept. at gregory dodge (highland park, il) that there have not been any recalls, but that daimler-chrysler was looking in to complaints. ball joints not replaced at that time because we expected recall. this product defect was identified, and a recall was issued in december 2004. we were shocked to see that only my 2000 and younger were recalled for this defect. we challenge the expanse of that recall, because it should include my 1999 because of the same safety hazard.*jb

The owner took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection. the mechanic informed the owner that the upper ball joints had failed. please provide any additional information. *nlm

Vehicle continuously pulled to the right while driving. dealership was unable to perform a front alignment due to premature wear of the upper ball joints. also, steering column was defective. *ak

Vehicle was taken for a routine general maintenance, and the mechanic noticed that all four ball joints felled worn out prematurely. also consumer had problems with water pump and the serpentine belt.*ak

Upper and lower ball joints failed at 59,000 miles. *ak the lower ball joints on the both right and left sides were badly worn to the point where an object could have caused a great amount of damage. the parts were replaced. there were no grease fittings in any of the factory ball joint. *sc

mechanic was unable to perform a front end alignment because the upper ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak

After seeing the news articles on tv, we had the ball joints on our durango checked and we were told that all four needed to be replaced. we did not want to have an accident and be one of the fatalities due to this very dangerous situation. we went ahead and replaced them in hopes that there will be a recall. we request that you do a recall. also, the back latch rattles very loudly and we cannot make it stop. *cb

Dodge durango-upper & lower ball joints need replacing front & back tie-rods replaced 2002, 1999 - 88,000 miles. *ak

A block after i changed from full-time 4 wheel drive to 2 wheel drive, i heard a loud pop in the area of the front right wheel and it started pulling hard to the right as a result of the front right tire dragging. i took it directly to the dealer (mark roberts motors). they took 2 to 3 days trying to figure out why the front end was binding up but not when it was on the lift. i mentioned i heard reports about problems with the ball joints and the next day they told me that both the upper and lower ball joints on the driver and passenger sides needed to be replaced as well as the driver side tie rod. the repairs and alignment cost $1026 and appear to have resolved the problem. the mileage at that time was 63551.

While turning corners, the consumer heard a knocking and grinding sound coming from the front end. the dealer found that the ball joints were worn and the transmission need to be replaced. *jb

While rotating the tires mechanic determined that the upper and lower ball joints needed replacement.*ak

Upper and lower ball joints wore out after 63000 miles on 1999 dodge durango. *ak

We own a 1999 dodge durango.... wheel, brake rotor and steering knuckle separated from the vehicle.... ball joint separation seems to have been the problem... apparently, this is a continuing issue with these vehicles. *la

While driving on various road speeds vehicle experienced instability and driver control. problems. consumer had the front tires aligned, but the actual cause was later identified as the front upper ball joints. consumer had the old ball joints replaced at her expense. *ak *tc

Vehicle was taken to a safety inspection station. during the inspection mechanic determined that upper ball joints were not in compliance. vehicle was taken to the dealer, who inspected the vehicle, and found that upper and lower ball joints were worn out, and replaced them. *ak *mr

While driving 45 mph consumer heard a loud squeaking noise coming from the front. suddenly the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the mechanic determined that the upper ball joints needed to be replaced.*ak

At 50,000 miles the upper and lower ball joints failed. please provide additional information. *jb

Complaint received via e-mail." my durango is a 1999 and had to have its upper and lower ball joints replaced this last year. dealership that i purchased it from, which also does all of my maintenance, monitored their demise. at first mention, i was unable to afford the repair, and asked them to hold off. after about 6 months, i was told that they were so bad that it was unsafe to put my vehicle on the road in the condition they were in. therefore, i had the repair done. i am very disappointed that my vehicle is not being considered in the recall.*ak

Consumer took vehicle to dealer for routine maintenance, and mechanic noticed that both upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced due to corrosion.*ak

Pe 03-032, front suspension/upper ball joint failure: while having an oil change consumer discovered that the upper ball joints were on the verge of collapse. manufacturer and dealer were aware of the problem.*ak

Pe 03-032, front suspension/ball joint failure: while getting the vehicle checked for wheel alignment mechanic discovered that the upper and lower ball joints were worn out. *ak

My 1999 dodge durango with only 33,000 miles: worn upper ball joints had to be replaced on 12-9-03. approx. cost $500.00 not covered by warranty.uch too soon for the light duty which this suv receives.*ak

Vehicle failed virginia state inspection. technician indicated the need to replace the upper and lower ball joints.*ak

While driving consumer heard a loud knocking noise coming from the front ball joints. dealership mechanic tried to repair the vehicle, but was unable to resolve the problem. *ak

The upper and lower ball joints wore prematurely. the cause has yet to be determined. *nm dodge refused to pay for the repairs. most of the vehicle's repairs were covered under the extended warranty. *nm

After only 60,000 miles i have had to replace all 4 ball joints and have replaced my rotors twice. i have complained to my dealer about my brakes not long after i purchased my vehicle and have had trouble with them ever since.*ak

Request for reimbursement for ball joint repair on dodge durango. *bf the ball joints on the consumer's vehicle failed prior to recall notification. *nm

Ball joint and tie-rod failure on 1999 durango with 50,000 miles. *nlm