Problems with 1999 Dodge Durango SUSPENSION

I heard popping and grinding noises coming from the front underside of the car. they began when i turned the wheel, then worsened rapidly to a constant noise. i took the car to the mechanic and was told my lower ball joints, front wheel bearings and upper control arms had deteriorated. he said it was lucky my tires stayed on and that the parts should not have to have been replaced so early in the vehicle's life. the durango is a 1999 model and had 81,500 miles on it at the time of repair (march 26, 2004). the repairs cost 1657.78. this afternoon i had to take the vehicle to the mechanic again for sqeaking. he oiled the same parts and said they looked bad again and would most likely need to be replaced soon. i have only gone 10,000 miles since the last repairs were done. i contacted dodge, however, they said there was nothing they could do.

Vehicle vibrated in the front. owner had a mechanic inspect the ball joints while the truck was being serviced for the brakes. mechanic was able to move the wheels, and saw that the upper ball joints were worn out and failing. *ak

Pe 03 032/front suspension, upper ball joint failure. while getting a tune-up mechanic determined that all four ball joints needed to be replaced. the dealer was notified.*ak

The consumer was having a problem with his tires wearing, so he took the vehicle to the dealer. it was discovered the upper and lower ball joints are defective. *nm

Vehicle would make a noise while turning or driving over bumps. vehicle was taking to a dealer. the dealer informed the consumer that both upper ball joint and the lower control arm needed to be replaced.*ak

While driving on the highway at 50 mph, suddenly there was a noise coming from the front of the truck. the upper ball joint broke and the hub pushed in destroyed the brake lines and other components in that area. the vehicle is currently in a parking lot, where it has been parked since the incident. *jb

(1) turning into home driveway; (2) driver side upper ball joint broke (3) replaced driver and passenger side upper and lower ball joints, parts not available. *ak

While driving 25 mph in the rain consumer suddenly heard a loud noise and then lost steering control. vehicle was taken to a repair shop, and mechanic determined that the upper ball joints on driver's side needed to be replaced. mechanic replaced both upper ball joints. the dealer and the manufacturer were not notified.*ak

While driving at any speed, the consumer would hear knocking noises coming from the front end of the vehicle. the dealership repaired the front upper/lower ball joints. please provide more information. *jb

I have a 1999 dodge durango, and i am having problems with my front end suspension, the same thing that the 2000-2003 models were recalled for, shouldn't this be covered also? it only has 64,000 miles on it and we have replaced the right front upper and lower ball joints and tie rod end. now the left ball joints needs to be replaced also.*ak

The consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance. the mechanic informed the consumer the front upper and lower ball joints</a> needed replacement due to corrosion. please fill in additional information. *jb *tc

The ball joints on my 1999 dodge durango are failing and are in need of replacement. i have noticed the symptoms of the failure over the past 20-30,000 miles. my vehicle has only 80,000 miles on it. this is a very expensive repair that i can't afford to make at this time. i've been reading numerous reports that have complained about this exact same issue. i'm hoping a recall will be issued before something tragic happens to me, my passengers or other drivers. *jb

While driving at low speeds consumer heard a loud knocking noise coming from the front of the vehicle. suddenly, the vehicle vibrated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for an alignment, and the mechanic determined that both frontal upper and lower ball joint needed to be replaced. *ak the consumer noticed severe tire wear on the front tires. *tc *jb

The front end went out at 70,000. the mechanic stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive. the manufacturer stated they were not aware of any defect. *nm

Lower ball joints at 60,000 miles. *ak

Consumer stated that the ball joints were defective. upper ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak

Annual state safety inspection found ball joint failue for the second time. all were replaced in september 2002 at customer cost. october 2004 replaced left side upper ball joint at warrenty. have found no recall or service bul. to date. safety issue!*ak

The upper ball joints failed. as a result, the parts were replaced. recall 04v596000 was issued, however, this vehicle's year was not included in the recall. *ak

On 10-1-04, my 1999 dodge durango, 4wd, had to have the ball joints replaced with only 72,500 miles. i was advised that the ball joints were not heavy duty enough to support the weight of the vehicle. i had excessive play in the steering column and bad shimmy in the front end. i paid to have the repair done on 10-1-04. *jb

Vehicle was taken to a repair shop for the excessive wear of the right front tire. mechanic informed the consumer that both the upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak......*ak

Oil pressure indicator would go off and the pressure gauge would drop to nothing. driving car stopped running in intersection. car was towed to dodge who repaired car. light is still on and pressure continues to drop to nothing intermittently. dodge has list of repairs needed. initial dodge assessment at purchase stated new ball joints needed in feb 2003 at 57,000 miles. *ak

The lower front ball joints were repaired twice due to the ball joint premature wear. dealership had not resolved the problem. *ak

When driving and striking a bump the front end feels as if it is moving, and the vehicle has a loud sound from drivers side. *ak

We had the truck checked out prier to purchase in nov. of 2003 and were told it needed ball joints. the dealership had the ball joints replaced. at this time the truck had 51k miles on it. sept of 2004 i took the truck in to have the brakes checked due to shaking and they informed me that the ball joints were out of tolerance and needed to be replaced. i had the lowers replaced again at 59000 miles. *ak

While driving 30 mph a rattling noise came from the front end. dealer stated the upper ball joints failed. *ak

I don't who else to go to, dodge durangos need a recall on several issues. ball joints for one, plenum gasket, and the computer brain system is junk and dodge will not take any responsibility for these issues. these trucks cost too much money to have the issues they have. these are lemons and once you buy it your stuck with it. i have owned mine a little over 2 months and i think i have been able to drive it a total of 3 weeks, not all in a row. it is junk and how can i resell junk? i don't want to have someone come back to me because i sold them junk, but i can not afford to own this vehicle. something should be done.*ak

1e 03 029/front suspension/upper ball joint failure: while driving 60-65 mph, the vehicle wandered across the road. the dealer informed the consumer that both front upper ball joints needed to replaced. *ak the ball joints were worn to the point they were about to come apart. *jb

The upper ball joints had to be replaced at 50,000 miles. consumer stated this was low mileage. the defect was discovered while having a front end alignment.*ak *tc

While driving there was a popping noise. the vehicle was taken to the dealer in which they found that the upper and lower ball joints were completely worn out. *ak the cover under the hood was ripened, the black guard under the front of the vehicle was hanging, the coolant resevoir was leaking, the power steering fluid leaked, the a/c was not cooling due to an open wire from the low push switch, and the fuel gauge did not read properly. *sc

Took my 1999 dodge durango in for maryland state inspection and was told my ball joints were bad (51,000 miles). i have heard there are problems with this specific area. can you help.*ak

1999 dodge durango. multiple problems with vehicle. 6,000 miles freeze plug; 48,691 tie rod end outer, serpentine belt; 63,851 transmission speed sensor; 66,002 miles ball joints front upper; 68,175 miles ball joints lower.*ak consumer paid out-of-pocket for each incident. i had extended insurance that was paid for when truck was bought, but was not given any information about it. never recieved any info from fedelity insurance about extended insurance. during investigation, by myself, to report incidents to daimler chrysler discovered on bill of sale that extended insurance had been paid for. contacted daimler chrysler and fidelity insurance. daimler chrysler reimbursed for parts of tie rods & upper ball joints; they refused to pay for anything else and claimed it was due to consumer's failure to maintain vehicle. fidelity insurance would only refund up to a year from initial report of 08/04/04. refused to reimburse for anything before. submitted all documentation to fidelity, but have yet to recieve any reimbursement. final incident on 09/04/04 has not yet been addressed by daimler chrysler nor fidelity insurance. truck has had multiple incidents of needing service -- all of which should not have to be replaced under 68,000 miles. dodge refuses to take responsabilty of defective parts and vehicle. i have read multiple incident on-line of other durango owners and mine is minor compaired to some. everyone has had to replace ball joint, but multiple people have had to replace transmittions a number of time. i am stuck with a defective vehicle that if not gotten rid of will cost me thousands of dollars. my truck is paid off as of 10/2004, extended insurance is up at 72,000 miles. i am unable to afford buying another car that is appropriate to my family situation.

Dt: front end suspension worn out. and abs brakes; the brakes work but the anti-lock doesn't work . *ak

Failure of front suspension upper ball joints. i had both replaced along with the lower ball joints by a repair facility other than the dealer who was unable to find the problem earlier. i found the problem simply by raising the front end of the vehicle and visually inspecting the joints. *jb

Vehicle was squeaking when hitting bumps. consumer took the vehicle to dealer, and was told that water has seeped into the rubber boot and into the ball joints, causing them to rust. there was no lubrication and the ball joints were loose. *ak

Consumer jacked up the vehicle for a brake repairs. consumer noticed that the passenger side upper and lower ball joints were loose. consumer contacted the dealer to make an appointment for inspection and repair. *ak

While driving 20 mph the front driver side tie rod broke without warning. as a result the driver lost control off the vehicle momentarily, however was able to gain control and pulled off the road. *jb in addition to the broken tie rod all four ball joints were excessively worn and had to be replaced. the consumer contacted the manufacturer customer service line and was told that the problems his vehicle was having was not currently recall. the consumer was also told that his repair cost could not be reimbursed because they were made at a non dodge dealer. *nm

The upper ball joints malfunctioned. as a result, when driving 35-55 mph front end shook. *ak *tc

While driving in inclement weather, the windshield wipers came on an went off their own. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and the consumer informed the mechanic that this vehicle was on recall for the windshield wiper motor. the mechanic stated that this vehicle was not on recall. the consumer had to pay for repairs. *ak the consumer replaced the upper and lower ball joints. tc *jb

The steering wheel vibrated while driving 35 mph or more. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop for a front wheel alignment. the mechanic informed the consumer that the alignment couldn't be performed because the upper and the lower ball joints needed to be replaced on both sides. *jb front wheels worn unevenly to the point that there was a slight vibration in steering. *tc

I had to have all of the ball joints on my 1999 dodge durango slt 4x4 (at 57,594 miles) replaced. the dealer told me that the ball joints were on "national backorder" of >1 month. he offered to replace the upper and lower control arms (the come with the ball joints installed) at a cost of over $2300. since the dealer said the vehicle was unsafe (right upper ball joint was close to failing), the extended warranty company paid for the work. my cost was, fortunately for me, only $25. however, these ball joints are obviously poorly designed. i do no off-roading at all and over 50% of the miles i put on the car are highway. i have no aftermarket accessories on the suspension. there is no reason why these ball joints should fail so soon. all years of the 1st generation durango (1998-2003) should be included in the current recall. the control arms and ball joints are basically the same for all years, so all suffer from the same poor design. his visit (the one in which the control arms were finally replaced) was the 3rd time i had complained (two times at a dealership that has just gone out of business and then this time at this other dealership) about the ball joints. i first asked for them to be checked out when the 60 minutes story came out about the ball joints (oct. 2003). then i asked again earlier this year. this dealership said they were fine both times. just after this second visiti took the vehicle to firestone for an alignment, they said that the couldn't align the front end properly because the ball joints were worn. when i confronted the dealership a couple days later, they said the firestone person did not know what they were doing and that i shouldn't worry about it. then the dealership i was dealing with went out of business and i asked again when i took it to the new dealership and they replaced the control arms (see above). sincerely, scott. *ak

Ball joints. engine under warranty 3 times. *jb

Today i sent the following email to subaru of america concerning the investigation of abs defect in wrx vehicles. i have experienced the problem on numerous occasions, and on no occasion was i driving in an "aggressive" manner or "hard' braking. nor was my previous complaint to nhtsa a "parroting" of someone else's problem from the impreza website, as subaru has accused. the abs is overly sensitive to bumpy surfaces and is a safety risk, period. my email to subaru of america: i have just reviewed soa's letter dated 9/10/04 to nhtsa re your investigation of alleged abs problems in wrx's. i am dismayed by soa's inability to document, and refusal to acknowledge, the abs problem. i am insulted that subaru blames the problem on "aggressive driving patterns." the problem regularly occurs at one point in my daily urban commute when i brake for a traffic light over a bumpy surface. i am using only 15% of the braking capability at 20 mph when the abs fault occurs-- hardly "aggressive" or "hard" braking, and hardly a situation that only aggressive performance drivers would encounter. when it occurs, there is a sudden, dramatic reduction in deceleration. deceleration is no longer proportional to pedal pressure, and increased pressure is ineffective while the abs is "confused" by the bumpy surface. several times i have had scary moments when the drop in deceleration has resulted in nearly rear-ending the vehicle in front of me. i am very puzzled why an event, that for me is so predictable and repeatable, has escaped your analysis. i further take offense to the claim in your letter that many of the complaints to the nhtsa were dishonest repetitions of problems a few had described on an owners website. nice try, but i can attest to the validity of the problem in my car, having experienced it dozens of times. discussion on the website has informed owners of the problem and may have prevented some accidents, something i cannot say for subaru! charles f. visser. *ak

The upper ball joints failed without warning. the consumer noticed that the front passenger side tire was tilted outward. please provide additional information. *jb

Consumer noticed both front tires were wearing excessively on the inside and the vehicle would wander across the road while driving at any speed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the dealer informed the consumer that upper ball joints needed to be replaced. *jb

The tires were wearing out. consumer took the vehicle to the service station where the upper ball joints were found to be defective. *ak consumer knows that the 2000 and newer vehicle have been recalled for same part. the consumer was informed that the ball joints on the 1999 models are being replaced on a case by case basic. they will fix the part if the vehicle has low mileage. *bf *nm

Lower left and right ball joint failure and leaking front shocks at 51,000 miles.*ak

The vehicle failed the state inspection because both upper and lower ball joints had worn out prematurely. *ak *jb

Shaking and shimmy in the front end when driving on roads front end would shake uncontrollably,need to replace both side of upper and lower ball joints and tie rod ends all was worn out at 80000 miles also transmission wouldn't shift,speed sensor bad on transmission,old parts available certified mech did replacement and had to have it re-aligned. *jb

Upper control arm ball joint failure. both sides. first failure within 11k miles, replaced by dealer under warranty. second failure at 56k miles. both occasions caused concern when vehicle started to swerve on road depending on grading of road. dealer refused to admit problem. later stated that chrysler was aware but didn't feel there was a problem. *jb

While driving 70 mph, the front passenger side wheel began to produce a loud "knocking" noise. when the driver pulled over he noticed there was smoke coming from the wheel bearing. the dealer states the front upper ball joint had failed. please provide additional information. *jb