Problems with 1999 Dodge Durango SUSPENSION

My 1999 dodge durango vin [xxx] has around 58,000 miles on it. i took it to a local 5-star dodge dealership for some scheduled maint. including new tires. when the dealer went to do the alignment for the new tires, i was informed they could not get the car properly aligned due to excessive wearing of the ball joints and control arms. they told me i need to replace both ball joints and control arms to fix the problem so as not to wear out my new tires prematurely. this is the exact same issue i've seen reported on cbs' evening news and their web site multiple times. i can personally state that i would have never known i had problems with this equipment as there were no warnings whatsoever. i have a two year old, and use this as a commute car and to transport my family. i've read how others have state they had no warnings and their wheels broke off! as with others who are lucky enough to find out about this problem before a wheel breaks off the car, i am getting stuck with the repair costs as it isn't an official recall. the dealer advised me to write a complaint to chrysler, which i plan to do, trying to seek some compensation for this. i've never owned a vehicle where i had to replace control arms and ball joints ever. the car usually wears out before that does. especially with only 58,000 miles and babying the car, maintaining it well. i have never abused or gone "off-road" in this car. i am writing to officially complain that i am the next victim in the ball joint fiasco. and i'm stuck with the bill. this really shakes my confidence in chrysler with them stating that there is "adequate warning before a failure." when mine are worn out to the point the car can't be aligned, and i have absolutely no warning of a problem, then i can 100% say they are lying about that...they aren't experiencing this, so they don't have a right to say that...especially since i can attest to it, as have many others. *ak updated 07/26/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia),

Both front lower ball joints needed to be replaced due to wear during a service inspection. *ak *sc *jb

While driving at 35 mph, the consumer heard a scraping sound coming from the front end. vehicle was taken to a mechanic who determined that the upper and lower ball joints were worn out. also the left hub bearing was worn out. *ak

I have a 1999 dodge durango.on may 11, 2004 i had to replace upper and lower ball joints. the mechanic said i was in danger of having an accident if i didn't replace them. i believe they were defective and the 1999 models should be included in the recall.*ak

1999 dodge durango - bad ball joints/control arms front end this exact item was recalled on other durangos, however, for some odd reason it has left the 1999 year off the recall. we hardly made it to a mechanic to fix before the front tires fell off. i drive this car regularly with 2-4 kids in it and would hate to see what happens if i were in an accident with these children and then it came back to you. lucky for us this happened coming out of our driveway and not on the highway. the ball joints that were recalled in the 2000+ years are no different than the ones used in 1999 - this should have been recalled. there are hundreds of complaints listed on-line in various states for this problem. when is dodge going to be held accountable for it? as we type this - we are speaking to daimler/chrysler about the problem (not the first time for this) they are actually calling the dealership to see if we are a good enough customer and spend enough money there to deal with us?! we are also being told that if it fails a 2nd time, they might be able to help us?! so, we should continue to take a chance and drive our children around on the highway and such and hope it fails again to get our recall done?! this is crazy - there has to be a better way. *nm

Upper and lower ball joints had to be replaced on my 1999 dodge durango, 4wd, 5.2 liter v8.*ak

I have a 1999 dodge durango which had both upper ball joints replaced last summer. they were about to fail. why does the recent durango ball joint recall only cover the years 2000 to 2003? my vehicle obviously suffered from the same defect. what can i do to reclaim the cost of this repair ($400)?*ak

Premature ball joint failure. *ak

1999 dodge durango with about 75,000 miles. i noticed that the tires started to vibrate the steering column and i took it to a service center. they found 2 bad upper ball joints and two bad tie rod ends. one of the ball joints was about ready to fall apart. i had them replace all bad components and realign the front end. also i had to replace the front brakes (2nd) time since i have had this vehicle and may have to replace the rotors as well as they may be worn thin. *ak

I bought a 1999 dodge durango in february 2004 and had heard about the front ball joint problems that they were having with the durangos and dakotas. i had them checked at a local repair shop and sure enough both the upper and lower ball joints on both sides were in serious need of being replaced. i checked with the dodge company and was told that the ball joints were under investigation and would soon be recalled. i had the joints replaced at my expense and was amazed at the difference i felt when i got in to drive the durango the first time. the whole front end felt alot more solid. i didn't wait till the wheels fell off like my friend's durango. i have children and was worried that they would get seriuosly injured so i had them replaced with the understanding that if a recall was made, i would get reimbursed the cost. the 2000-2003 durangos & dakotas have been recalled for this exact reason. *ak

All suspension ball joints on my 1999 dodge durango went out at once making it almost imposible to drive and almost lost the front passenger side wheel with all my children in the car. vehicle only has 82,000 miles on it with regular maintenance and this should not have happened. took the car to the mechanic and had all ball joints replaced. he informed me that i was very lucky not to have had an accident and that he has seen this problem with the dodge durango many times. from my research on this subject i can see it is a common problem with potential for serious injury. please look into this problem asap. thank you. *ak

Too many owners seem to be uniformed of the risks associated with the front-end design flaw of the dodge durango. needing upper and/or lower ball joints and control arm replacements at 50k or less should not be the responsibility of the customer. the main issue lies in the fact that this flaw requires the customer to pay for the fixes without any change in design so the need for future replacement falls on the consumer in less than 50k miles again! i feel that this issue should have efforts made with dodge to protect the safety of the consumer and the financial burden by at least paying for the fix the first time and prior to the failure causing suspension failures that can and eventually will cause harm or death. my vehicle is in need of these replacements when it was apparent that the wheel alignments cannot be preformed and warranted unless the suspension parts are replaced. for many consumer that are still making payments on the vehicle they may not do the replacement and eventually dodge may be involved in law suits that could ultimately show fault if no proactive measures are taken by them. i would certainly your help in dealing with this issue. thank you- if dodge did pay the first bill, they seem to be able to control , at least, the fact that this is needed by the consumer in the future and could remove all liability to the issue forever.

During maryland state vehicle inspection on my 99 dodge durango, i was by the mechanic that the front ball joints appeared to be defective. the mechanic found cracks, chips, and excessive wear on the ball joints, and said that they needed to be replaced asap. he told me that it was unsafe to drive my vehicle in this condition. i called the local dodge dealership and was told by the service manager that i should expect the ball joints to be in this condition considering that i have about 100,000 miles on the vehicle. he said they would only have been covered by the warranty until 36,000 miles. he did not seem to think that it was hazardous to drive with damaged ball joints, and was rude when i asked about any recalls on the vehicle. i found more information on the internet about the on-going investigation about the defective durango ball joints.*ak

Both front upper ball joints wore outpermaturely, and needed replacement within 3 months of each other. this is due to the defect described in recall 04v059000 but the vin and my in not included. *ak

Ball joint failure on 1999 dodge durango @ 53,000 miles head gasket failure on 1999 dodge durango @ 53,000 miles

1999 dodge durango upper ball joints failed while traveling on the highway. vehicle required towing to the mechanic. ball joints were replaced by an independent mechanic.*ak

I purchassed a 1999 dodge durango on 4-30-03 after driving the vehicle for a week the oil engine light came on. the truck was towed in and i was told that the oil pump was clogged with sludge. the did 3 oil changes to flush the motor. on or about 6-23-03 while driving down the road the abs light came on and the front wheel locked up at 45 mph causing $2604.00 in dammage. i have done research and it seems to me that others have had this same problem because of the none greaseable ball joints in this vehicle. they replaced the knockle, arm control,ball joint, shaft axl, hub brake, shield sp, sensor brake rotor, rim and tire.after this happened about two weeks later the motor seized up, and they put a rebuilt motor back in the truck covered by my extended warrenty. now here it is almost a year later and the truck is in the shop bcause the transmission went. upon putting the truck up on the lift they called and informed me that the front end is shot again both sides even the right side that they replaced less than a year ago, ball joints ect.

1999 dodge durango with 42,000 miles - faulty both upper and lower ball joints - both inner tied rods - water pump - excessive tire wear even though the tires were rotated every 6,0000 miles. *jb

Abs light & brake warning lights come on intermittently while driving, when lights were on brakes were touchy. and forget trying to slow or stop when it's raining. front driver side control arms, ball joints, and bushings replaced. upper and lower a-arm bushings have been replaced several times due to noise in front end. dodge dealer could not diagnose this noise or any problem when we took it to them. after two days of it sitting at the dealer we mysteriously had a badly leaking water pump. when we decided not to have the dealer complete the repair they made us pay them a diagnostic fee of $78.00! two sets of brand new brakes squeaked annoyingly after repeated attempts at lubrication and cleaning, rotors now need replacing. rear passenger, & front driver power window motors replaced, twice for the rear one. bad brakes & bad suspension did not mix well when you're a mother of four very active kids. sometimes i was scared to drive . the cost has become ridiculous and at times unreasonable. *ak

While driving at high speeds, the vehicle vibrated, causing the driver to slow down. the consumer made contact with the dealership. the mechanic determined that the upper ball joints were wearing out prematurely. *ak the consumer also took the vehicle to the dealer, but they told the consumer that the vehicle was fine. the consumer took the vehicle to another mechanic to get a third opinion and was told three out of the four ball joints were shot. *sc *jb

The ball joints in my 1999 dodge durango have worn prematurely. i have had to replace both the upper and lower joints on both sides. *ak

1999 durango 4-wheel drive failed nh state inspection due to excessive wear in upper and lower ball joints. *ak

At 39000 miles, 1999 dodge durango had to have ball joints replaces as they were dangerously worn. since grandchildren ride in vehicle, ball joints had to be replaced at a cost of $764.22. dodge refuses to stand behind vehicle even though ball joints were obviously defective and worn at 36000 miles when warranty ran out.*ak

I recently saw a report that nhtsa was asking for the recall of 2003 dodge durango for problems with the spension:front:control arm:upper ball joint. i want to report that this past year i had to take my 1999 dodge durango in for replacement of all 4 ball joints because of excessive wear and damage. my durango had approximately 70k miles on the vehicle at the time. i hope this information may help in opening the recall from19 99-2003 vehicles. if you need documentation please feal free to contact me for any further questions.*ak

The vehicle's ball joint failed. *nm *sc

A continious knocking noise everytime we turned any kind of a corner, took the durango in and was told that the upper ball joints on both sides needed replaced asap!! the mechanic advised us not to drive it until it was repaired. we only had 39700 miles on a 1999 durango.. miles seemed very low for such a repair.*ak

The upper and lower ball joints on front both sides had to be replaced. the mechanic that fixed them said that i was lucky the wheels hadn't fell off. i fixed it at my own expense of $319.10. *jb

Vehicle was taken to dealer for front wheel alignment multiple times before mechanic noticed that the upper ball joints needed to be replaced. consumer notified manufacturer, but the cause was undetermined. *ak

Ball joints front end problems . *ak

Request reimbursement for defective ball joint repairs. *ph when the consumer heard about a report regarding defective ball joints, he took the vehicle to the dealer, however they told him the ball joints were fine. when the consumer went to have the vehicle inspected, he was told the ball joints were defective. *jb

Failure has not occurred as of yet, but have had entire front-end replaced on vehicle on 9/12/2002. on 3/31/2004 we had vehicle checked again and was told by the dealership that the left side lower control are was worn and will need to be replaced again soon. i have receipts and quotes from dealership and will be happy to submit copies. *jb

While driving about 70 mph i heard a loud noise coming from under my 1999 durango, i took the vehicle to a local firestone, they discovered that the drive shaft had fell from it's housing, so i then took the vehicle to a transmission shop, cottman. the shop informed me of the following, the yoke and the bolt that retained the drive shaft in the transfer case had broken off some how, due to this occurrence, the transfer case was damaged, because all of the oil leaked out. also in 2003, had to have the ball joints replace and, also the engine head because the vehicle was burning to much oil and damage the heads.*jb

Repeated failure of lower ball joints on 1999 dodge durango slt+ 4x4.*ak

While driving 50 mph a knocking noise was heard coming from the rear. driver was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that both upper and lower ball joints needed replacing due to corrosion. *ak

While driving 25 mph the steering wheel was hard to turn. a squeaking noise was heard coming from the steering wheel. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that both upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak

While driving at 45 mph consumer heard a clunky noise coming from the front end. mechanic at an independent repair shop determined that lower and upper ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak

While driving front end vibrated. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that both upper and lower ball joints needed replacing. *ak

With 60,000 mile on my 1999 dodge durango had my upper and lower ball joints go bad which also caused damage to my tie rod ends. the truck was almost impossible to keep on the road. i ended up having to get them replaced by an outside repair shop to avoid having the same type installed. dodge would not cover these parts on my warranty which is in effect till 85,000 miles. *jb

When driving at any speed over bumps consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and the mechanic determined that both upper ball joints failed. *ak

Replaced upper and lower ball joints on both sides and replaced hub bearings on both sides on are 1999 dodge durango. our durango had 66,500 miles on it at the time we replaced the parts.

I own a 1999 dodge durango, i had alot of noise coming from the under-carriage of my vehicle, they checked it over and had to replace the ball joints.they had worn out prematurely, costing me a large amount of unnecessary spent money. these very expensive vehicles should be built better than this and last longer for the money they cost.one thing wrong can lead to other problems and i'm not looking forward to anymore problems, i still have alot of payments to make, oh and by the way, the gas mileage is horrible,bigger full size vehicles get better mileage than the mid-sized dodge durango gets and the heater in the dodge durango is not built for the size of the vehicle, the venting is too small, i had this checked out at the garage also, compared to the diameter of the vent in the chevy or ford, i am very un-satisfied with my dodge durango---- i know now, looks isn't anything, and my next vehicle will be a chevy/gmc !!!!!!

The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a routine inspection. the mechanic inspected the vehicle and noticed that both upper and ball joints were loose and worn out. please provide further details. *jb the consumer stated that a family down the street with the same vehicle are having the same problem. *tc

1999 dodge durango had worn ball joints and steering end links. was making a popping sound evertime i turned left or right squeeked when i went over bumps. *ak

The under carriage of the vehicle made noises. the mechanic discovered the upper ball joints had worn out prematurely and needed to be replaced. *jb the u-joint in the drive shaft were also replaced. *nm

Consumer took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection, and mechanic determined that the upper ball joints failed. *ak the technician replaced the upper and lower ball joints. *nm

Inner and outer tie rods both sides need to be replaced. upper and lower ball joints need to be replaced. tires prematurely worn due to front end falling apart. "dodge dealer says vehicle could loose control or wheel fall off if not replaced. dodge dealer also said should be a factory recall due to safety and number of complaints but said too expensive to move on without being ordered to correct issues." $1,951.00 not including cost of tires. *jb

I was informed today that my 1999 dodge durango needs upper ball joints for the second time since i have owned the car. the first time the car had 33,327 miles on it and this time it has 87,000. i owned the car for two years the first time and now it will be five years in april 2004. the first time herb chambers dodge replaced both upper control arms and both lower ball joints. *nm

at very low mileages independent shop replaced the lower and upper ball joints at consumer's expense. dealer notified.*ak

While driving 45 mph a knocking noise was heard coming from the driver side wheel. the consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and the mechanic replaced both the upper and lower ball joints due to worn parts. *ak *sc

Both front ball joints shot-left so bad service dept. said do not drive. i have the faulty parts. why hasn't dodge issued a recall? *jb