Problems with 1999 Dodge Durango SUSPENSION

Upper ball joints cracked without warning. *ak three months after replacing the lower ball joints, the upper ball joints needed to be replaced. *ph

When turning in either direction vehicle produces a clicking noise. *ak

While having vehicle serviced by a mechanic for another problem consumer asked them to check the ball joints. upon inspection of the ball joints mechanic determined that the upper ball joints were bad and needed to be replaced. *ak

Failure of upper and lower ball joints, hub assembly and drive axle. *la

Had my 1999 dodge durango serviced and they showed me where all four balljoints are failing. (there is play when there should not be any.) they stated this is any early failure and a consistent problem with this and a similar vehicle from dodge. failure while driving could have lead to a death.

While driving consumer heard a noise, and vehicle spun out of control, causing it hit the concrete median. consumer determined that the rear axle broke. *ak

While driving, consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front driver side ball joints. *ak

There's a grinding noise in the steering wheel when making a left turn or reversing. the mechanic indicated that the right upper ball joint was bad and needed to be replaced.

I had taken the vehicle into a local garage to have checked out. i was told my lu ball joint was very bad and one good hit to a pot hole was all i needed to have it go. in 2000 had a problem with loud clunking noises coming from the front. at that time the dealer had replaced all the bad ball joints except the lu one which still had "some play in it." now i am being charged to replace this one because the warranty is up. *ak

After the consumer heard about the faulty balls joints on dodge durango's she took her vehicle to the dealer for a check up. the technician indicated that the vehicle wasn't safe to drive because the ball joints were loose. for safety reasons the consumer had the ball joints replaced immediately to a tune of $900.00 dollars. the consumer was told that her vehicle was not included in the recall. *nm *la

I am letting you know that my dodge durango 1999 has been diagnosed with the ball joints which need replacing, back in the beginning of the year i filed the same complaint about it and am interested in knowing what can be done being that several of the same vehicles have this problem and are consistant with the same model of vehicle that i have. i feel as though i put my confidence in purchasing this vehicle and would not have to worry about any safety issues and now i do. this to me is a failure in parts on my vehicle. i have not had failures with the wheels falling off but have been notified by our mechanic that they will have to be replaced soon otherwise we will have bigger problems. just want to be advised if the manufacturer is going to address this problem with this model? the date i have entered is a date in which i believe is about the time that i have responded with this concern on my vehicle. the media had reported this problem on the national news and at the time i did not know how to go about getting the info to them that i indeed have the same problem with my vehicle and was interested in knowing what the manufacturer was going to do in regards to this?*ak

Play & separating of ball joints. *ak

While making right hand turns, the consumer would hear a loud noise coming from the front end. the dealerships mechanic was notified, but did not resolve the problem. please provide more information. the cause was not determine.

While driving at any speed vehicle shook violently, and consumer heard a thumping sound coming from the front end. vehicle was taken to the dealer, who found that the upper ball joints needed to be replaced along with the bearings and both wheels. *ak *nm

While driving at 35 mph consumer heard a rattling sound coming from the front end. vehicle was taken to a independent mechanic who determined that upper and lower ball joints were worn out on both sides. also, consumer heard a clanking sound coming from the engine. dealer examined the vehicle, and found that a new transmission was needed.*ak

My 1999 dodge durango with 65,000 miles of gentle all highway driving has just been diagnosed with completely shot upper and lower ball joints. the only symptom of alignment problems was excessive wear on the inside portion of both front tires. the front end can not be aligned until about $500 worth of repairs are done. no way should ball joints wear out at about the same pace that tires wear out. there is absolutely positively a design or materials defect associated with the ball joints. please don't wait for the rash of accidents that is sure to come as a result of this problem before taking meaningful action. at the very least dodge durango owners should be notified of a potential problem and be encouraged to have a qualified technician perform an inspection of front end suspension components. *jb

Vehicle was taken for a routine general maintenance and the mechanic determined that the upper and lower ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak the consumer noticed cupping on the inside of the tires. *jb

Vehicle was taken to the dealer for service of the brakes. mechanic determined that upper and lower ball joints and tie rod had to be replaced. *ak *mr

While driving steering wheel intermittently pulled to the right. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak the ball joint were completely worn out. the vehicle had never been used off road nor was it subjected to harsh treatment. the consumer only used the four wheel drive 8-10 times and feels that the ball joints should have lasted at least 100000 miles. *nm

Ball joint replacement we recently had the ball joints checked after watching information on tv about the accidents caused by failing ball joints on durango's and other dodge trucks. in our case, we inspected the parts with the auto technician (someone we know very well). at that time, we saw and were advised strongly to replace the equipment. since younger drivers in our family sometimes use this vehicle, we decided to replace the ball joints at our financial expense. we realize that it was our choice but we are more at ease with the use of the vehicle. peace of mind is better than taking the chance of an accident. *nm

Consumer took vehicle to the dealership to be inspected and mechanic determined that upper ball joints were wearing out prematurely. *ak

The consumer took the vehicle in for a front end alignment. the mechanic informed the consumer that the upper ball joints were worn and needed replacement. the manufacturer is aware of the problem (pe 03-032, front suspension, upper ball joint failure ). *nm *la

Ball joints on 1999 doge durango. oday i am replacing bad upper and lwoer joints in my 1999 dodge durango for the third time. they were very loose. at some point someone is going to loose their life with this ongoing and very obvious problem. please do something. *ak

I had to replace wheel cylinders,ball joints,and ball bearing on my 99 durango was told my wheel was falling off. i was lucky to be alive. i should be reimbursed for this. i couln't get my vehicle inspected because of this. it has been a hardship on me $1000.00 i had to pay to have this done. i'm disabled and could not afford this.*ak

I am the original owner of a 1999 dodge durango that has upper/lower ball joint wear at low mileage. i brought my vehicle into a dealership and was quoted $1200 for parts and labor. i started experiencing these problems at 54000 miles! this seems to be a design flaw. i would hope the nhtsa would issue a recall before someone's life is taken. *nm

Upper ball joints are no good. *ak

For almost 1 year, there was a popping sound in front of suv. when still under warranty, ask the dodge mechanic about it, but could never find it. in july after hearing about investigation about front wheel suspension, caused by ball joint wear, i wrote the dodge company and ask if that might be the problem. their answer was no. now, my vehicle is in shop, having to have the front ball joints replaced because my mechanic said it is unsafe to drive......i believe with all the complaints about this it is a defect and should have been addressed and repaired before the vehicle is this old....we enjoy our durango and have been pleased with it. we have had window problems, but just had them fixed.....my wife has bad knees and this suv is the perfect height to get in and out comfortable. *ak

While driving our durango at night and switching the lights from bright to dim i have had the headlights go out. the last time the headlights went out, i had used my brights while taking country roads, but when i got on the major highway, i-35 my headlights went out completely. i was unable to pull off the side of the road and it was very frightening. i have had this happen when i went from bright to dim once before and i thought it was a fluke, this last time was scary. i had both children in the vehicle on the night of january 30, 2004. this is definately a hazard and could certainly cause an accident. my husband works 35 miles from home and while getting onto another major highway he had the front bearing freeze and the cv joint break. he was only getting onto the on ramp when this happened, thank god he was not on the freeway going 60 mph when it snapped. i had driven this vehicle just 1 week prior to this happening and had absolutely no warning that this might occur. it is my understanding that we should have heard some noise. the whole underside of the durango was covered in grease from the bearing. this to me means that it had been maintained and this was a faulty piece of metal. while we had it in the shop for repair we were told we need to replace the whole front end suspension. this vehicle is not that old and we need to have it rewired and the front end re-done. i would rather put my money into a different vehicle but feel we would be putting lives at risk if we sold this durango to anyone. i think that dodge needs to take a look at their parts, because everything i have mentioned could be life threatening. if a wheel snaps while going 10 mh a poerson can handle the vehicle, if it snaps at 60 mph somebody is going to be hurt. the light issue is huge! you have to have lights, not only are you endangering yourself but everyone else on the road with you. i think it is time dodge was held responsible and forced to fix these obviously faulty parts. *ak

Upon having the tires rotated the dealership noticed that the right upper ball joint had a lot of play in it and needed to be replaced. the cause of the failure is yet to be determined.

Was driving 45 mph hears a noise, like metal to metal. took vehicle to independent mechanic, who determined that front upper/lower ball joints were coming apart and were unstable. they would need to be replaced.*ak *nm

1999 dodge durango owner - in january - upper and lower ball joint replacement - failed inspection - local mechanic noticed a lot of play in ball joints. replaced upper and lower ball joints and cost $750.00. *jb now front left bearing - tire almost came off -no prior grinding etc. new tire rubbing on front end parts july 01/04. *jb

Whether this is a complaint leaves me to wonder about the ball joints on the durangos--i have a 1999 durango which i get serviced by a independent mechanic and just made me aware that the ball joints on my durango don't look good and i should think about getting it fixed in the future???? with the hipe in the media leaves me to wonder if there is a chance on a recall on this particular part????*ak

While driving consumer heard a loud squeaking noise from the front end of the vehicle. took vehicle to dealer for inspection, and they replaced both lower ball joints.*ak

Both lower ball joints failed. prior to this on 8/14/2003 both upper ball joints failed and were replaced. the current recall excludes the 1999 dodge durango, although this is exactly the same problem the recall of the 2000-2003 models is addressing.*ak

I took the car in to get new tires and have steering checked out. found a problem with the ball joints. *la

there is a popping noise in the front end of the vehicle while driving. the vehicle is also pulling to the right. cause is unknown. please describe further.

We have several complaints about our 1999 dodge durango. we have had the pcm go in 2003, luckily my wife did research and found out there was a recall and it was covered. the front suspension ball joints are blown and now our dealership has informed us that we need to spend $5100.00 to repair the engine due to the oil pump is blown. the engine will seize if my wife attempts to drive the durango. there just seems to be a common thread here since most of the complaints i have read about are the same complaints we have. *la

Upper and lower ball joint in 1999 durango. dealer stated they needed to be replaced . my vehicle only had 60,000 miles on it at the time.*ak

I reported to daimler chrysler motors corporation that i had new tires installed on my 1999 dodge durango and also had the service tech inspect the upper and lower ball joints, to make sure they were in good condition, since i had seen a report on tv that these were becoming a problem on this type vehicle. the service tech confirmed that both upper and lower front ball joints were very loose. i immediately called the local dealer to see if dodge was going to make the repair. he said no, this is a job that will require approx $600. to complete. i am reporting this to your office , to make record that i have this problem and when it was reported to dodge, which i sent a complaint via email to them as well. i have had regular oil changes and lubrication on this vehicle and can present documentation as well. this problem should not be happening.. i have never , ever had to repair front ball joints on any vehicle i have ever owned.. i expect this repair to made my dodge and an upgrade to the ball joints to fix the problem to my vehicle .. although my durango is drivable at this point. thank you i would appreciate any help you can give me to help me get this taken care of.*jb

1999 dodge durango. - replacement of front end upper and lower ball joints at 59553 miles. previously told that lubrication was all that was needed by dodge dealer. later told that front end alignment could not be guaranteed when replacing wore tires. now at 70k miles, the front end is squeaking again. same sound that originally appeared at or near 30k miles. *jb

Upper and lower ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak

When turning in either direction while driving a noise was heard coming from the front end. vehicle was taken to a repair shop, where the mechanic replaced the upper and lower control arms. *ak

I heard a squeaking type noise in the front end of my car when going over little bumps or dips in the road. took to dealer and was told control arm needed adjusting. a few months later took it back for same thing. told nothing was wrong. noise kept getting worse, saw report on cbs evening news regarding problem with ball joints/control arm and severity of same. took to mechanic and was told both sides needed complete replacing they were completely warn out and there was no way they could have been greased to keep up maintenance and i was very lucky that i did not lose control of my car due to this problem. *cb

While applying the brakes a vibration was felt throughout the steering wheel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for analysis. *nm *sc

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

The front end of my 1999 dodge durango started making noises around 50,000 miles. i carried it to a dodge dealer where they informed me that the ball joints and the front suspension bushings were worn and required replacing. they further stated the reason was that there is no way to lubricate the joints. the costto replace is $800. this is to soon for this to be wearing out.

When my husband took my 1999 durango 4x4 in for maintenance on the transmission the mechanic stated that the front left upper ball joint was in need of replacement. this was at a dodge dealer and at no time did the mechanic give any indication that this was an ongoing problem with the durangos. when i saw the report on cbs news i then realized that my durango was not safe to drive. i have scheduled to have the ball joints replaced because i can't wait for chrysler to issue a recall and risk the safety of my family.*ak

While driving consumer heard a loud popping noise coming from the front end. dealerships mechanic determined that the problem pertained too the upper and lower ball joints. *ak *la

1999 dodge durango purchased new needing both upper/lower ball joints and tie rods replaced at 56,000 miles due to excessive wear.*ak

Consumer complained about a ball joint problem. *ak *jb