Problems with 1999 Dodge Durango SUSPENSION

Had to replace control arms/ball joints on 1999 dodge durango on a vehicle with less than 85000 miles. cost ~$2,000.*ak

Purchased my 1999 dodge durango in july 1999. this vehicle has always been serviced at the local dodge dealership in little rock at the service intervals that chrysler recommends in their service manual. i started having problems with my durango at 51,492 miles with the check engine light coming on. i immediately took it in for service. the service dept. told me that the vehicle's computer said i had a blown head gasket along with #7 injector being bad. so a new platinum gasket, #7 injector and injector service was done at a cost to me of $814.72. at 52,085 miles the check engine light came on again. again into the dodge service dept. only to find out that now the engine computer is bad (pcm213) and will be replaced under dodge's 80,000 mile warranty. my thinking at this point was that if the computer was giving out false information at 51,492 miles then perhaps my $814.72 bill for a new platinum gasket wasn't justified. of course, the service dept. assured me that these repairs were indeed necessary at the time. at 53,628 miles i grew concerned about upper/lower ball joints being bad on my durango after watching a cbs news report. as i was planning a cross country trip for the holidays, i had the service dept. evaluate the balls joints before i left, and sure enough, my durango needed upper and lower ball joints and a right tie rod. because this problem can be so dangerous i was instructed not to drive the vehicle and had to take alternate transportation on my trip. new parts were ordered and the dodge service dept. replaced the upper and lower ball joints on both sides and a right tie rod arm at a cost to me of $952.10 plus a $57.82 diagnostic test to tell us these parts were bad in the first place. i feel that my vehicle is unreliable and not one that i can depend on in the future. these are safety defects that chrysler should have fixed at no cost to me. i cannot afford to repair this vehicle anymore. *la

I took my 1999 dodge durango in for an alignment. the dealer told me that the alignment could not be performed because of bad ball joints. they then told me that they had received a letter from diamler chrysler regarding an inquire into faulty ball joints on the durango. they told me to wait it out to see if a recall is going to be done or not. i worry that the ball joint could snap while driving and cause an accident. is there anything pending on this issue or not? they gave me the option of replacing them for $800 and seeking reimbursement from diamler chrysler. i doubt they would reimburse if they determine that there is not problem. it is a little suspicious since our durango only has 50,000 miles on it. no part should wear out in that time frame under normal driving conditions.

Upper and lower ball joints, upper arm, right inner tie rod, and all sway bar bushings had to be replaced due to excessive wear at 56,880 miles. cost was over $1400.00. the squeaking noise indicating the problem with the ball joints had been noted since 30,000 miles but the dealer's service department was unable to determine the problem at the time so the durango was out of warranty at the time of repair.

The vehicles left upper ball joint wore prematurely. the dealership has been contacted. please add any additional information. *nlm

Front ball joints (upper & lower) worn out completely at 70,000 miles. i've owned a 1986 nissan pickup with 200,000 miles with original ball joints still in good shape. looking at the number of complaints about the same problem on this site, sounds like a possible design flaw/defect.*ak

This past summer i traded a 1999 dodge durango at a local dealership for a new vehicle. approximately a year before then, i had trouble with the vehicle pulling to the right and the left, and the front end was popping loudly when a sharp left or right turn was made. my wife turned the wheel sharply to the left and right while sitting in our carport, and the whole spindle looked like it could detach at any moment. i took the dodge durango to the firestone service center at the cortana mall in baton rouge the next morning for repair, and the store manager called me with the bad news: upper and lower ball joints were gone. they replaced the ball joints immediately; my wife was going out of town the next day in this vehicle. i understand there is a recall of 2000 and up dodge durangos due to this problem, but i respectfully ask you to look into other year models as well. i will be waiting for a response. *jb

Both lower ball joints need to be replaced. vehicle had very low mileage for this kind of problem. warranty expired. *ak consumer was advised the upper ball joints show some wear but not a repairable stage. vehicle began pulling to the right for no reason. vehicle was taken to a mechanic whom stated the ball joints were so bad an alignment couldn't be done. the consumer took the vehicle to his mechanic for a second opinion. his mechanic confirmed the same thing. consumer was informed that the ball joints were redesigned because of this reason. to make sure the redesigned parts were used, the consumer took vehicle to the dealer. *ph *jb

While driving there would be severe vibration in the steering wheel. this causes the vehicle to drift from left or right. would have a hard time controlling vehicle. took vehicle to dealership, and mechanic indicated problem was the upper and lower ball joints on vehicle. problem not repaired.*ak

The ball joints wore out on the vehicle. the consumer also had problems with the rotors, drums, worn brake pads and bald tires. the consumer bought this vehicle two weeks ago and the dealer promised that various problems would be fixed but has not honored his promise (pe 03-032 front susp. upper ball joint failure). *nlm

1999 dodge durango front end ball joint wore out prematurely. *la

Upper ball joint worn out , my tires have been wearing out on the inside since i had bought the durango brand new , dealership could not find out what was wrong , two weeks ago i took my durango to tire store to have new tires and an alignment , they informed me that my upper ball joints were worn out and i was lucky that the front end did not fail , they did advise me that they have had around 20 durangos in there shop that had the same thing wrong ,

Problems with ball joints resulting in vibration in front end of vehicle. *mr there was movement in the ball joints and they were all replaced. *sc *jb

Premature wear of ball joints. *nlm

While the technician was servicing the vehicle, he noticed that the upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak *scc *jb

Upper ball joints needed to be replaced on our 1999 dodge durango after only 1.5 years of ownership. *la

The front vall joints are shot. the right uper and lower andf the left lower need to be replaced with under 40,000 mile driving only on roads. i feel that this is premature and that dodge should do a recall since it is a potentialy dangerous problem.*ak

Had replacement of the upper and lower ball joints as a result of early wear.

1999 dodge durango,balljoints are out at only 70000 miles.my service person told me that it was bad!it could of caused me to have a wreck!what if i had my kids with me and they went out at 70m.p.h!does someone half to be killed first!maybe if someone looks at this maybe they can save someones life. *ak

The service center at the dodge dealer informed me that the upper ball joints on my 1999 dodge durango need to be replaced. the vehicle ony has 46,000 gentle miles on it. i believe that the ball joints are either defective or have been designed undersize.*ak

My 1999 dodge durango has been identified as having defective ball joints. when i contacted chrysler, they told me to take it to a dodge dealer for verification but would not ensure replacement. my dealer has the parts in stock for replacement. the dates cannot be certified as exact, just within a couple of days.*ak

Failure of ball joints on 1999 dodge durango with only 41,811 miles, frequent complaints during waranty period and dealer was unable to solve the problem shortly after warrently expired i was hit with a big bill to replace the defective ball joints on a 1999 dodge durango. *ak

While changing the tire, the dealer informed the consumer the front upper ball joints were worn out and needed to be replaced. *ak the right tie rod was found worn out as well. *scc *jb

Consumer states upper ball joints wear prematurely. dealer notified.*ak

Ball joint failure on my 1999 dodge durnago. *ak

1999 dodge durango. during annual state vechicle safety inspection, upper and lower ball joints (left and right sides)were identified as approaching the safety wear limits. even though the wear is premature at 49199 miles, i elected to replace all ball joints with ones which contain a zerk ( greasable) fitting. vehicle was front end was aligned and returned to service. cause is due to oem installed ball joints which are non greasable. removed defective units were retained in hopes of a safety recall. cost of repair was $686.29. *ak

I have a 1999 dodge durango that i purchased about seven months ago, it had 69,000 miles . about a month later the front ball joints, upper & lower,were bad also the control arm bushings are bad. i believe this is a manufacturer defect. i tried to find these parts to repair my vehicle, but there are no replacement parts available at our local autostores. i believe these parts should be recalled... thank you very much... steve kennett. *la

My 1999 dodge durango has had to have upper & lower ball joints replaced. mechanic informed us that if an evasive move to brake & swerve to avoid an accident, the front end of the durango would drop to the ground. "ball joints holding on by a thread" says my mechanic and not built strong enough for the vehicle. *nlm

The ball joints failed at 50000 miles. the dealer was notified. *ak the consumer was told that the alignment wouldn't stay due to the upper and lower being 1/2 inches off. there was a clunking noise when placed in reverse and the passenger side front window was inoperative. *scc *jb

Premature wearing of the left upper and lower ball joints and the right upper and lower ball joints. *la

Upper and lower ball joints worn out, tie rod end loose needs replaced to align front end. i have already paid close to $1100.00 to have this problem fixed. arnell chrysler told me there is no recall on this problem. my truck has only 42242 miles on it and never been off road. help with this problem!!!*ak

While driving approximately 45 mph, the left front wheel collapsed, and caused the vehicle to hit another vehicle. *ak *sc *jb

I own a 1999 dodge durango which had to have the upper and lower ball joints as well as the control arms replaced at a cost of $1200. as an owner of a durango, i do not feel the recall should be limited to model years 2000 to 2003. it is evident that the faulty parts used by dodge were used in model years prior to 2000. *jb

Premature failure of front suspension, parts are worn out. cannot even align vehicle. dangerous condition. possibility to have to replace entire front suspension arms. mileage: 55000

My 1999 dodge durango 4wd with 50,000 miles that has not been driven off-road, and maintained exclusively by the oem dealership, is presently at the dodge dealership replacing the lower ball joints and front wheel bearings and this is, in my opinion, a safety issue and a manfacturing defect since this is premature wear. *ak

My durango started to make a loud grinding noise from time to time. the dealership i took the car to could find nothing wrong with it and while driving home after picking it up the upper ball joint on the right front tire failed disconnecting the tire from the vehicle. my truck only has 33,000 miles on it and i only drive to and from work. not only was the one that broke replaced but so were the others as the dealer said they were all showing wear. this seems to be a factory defect as these things should not be failing at 33,000 miles.*ak

Consumer states that front upper ball joints have completely worn out. vehicle have been taken to dealer for repairs at the owner's expense.*ak

Faulty balljoints dodge durango

The vehicle made a loud noise when it was turned. it was discovered the lower ball joint needed to be replaced. consumer stated vehicle did not have a warranty. *ak all four ball joints were replaced. *scc *jb

Premature deterioration of front end components resulting in a $1300 repair bill at 70,000 miles. vehicle became unsafe to drive.*ak

Premature failure of upper & lower ball joints. *ak

With only 89,000 miles - all front end ball joints need to be replaced. *ph

Took vehicle in for rountine rotation and alignment of tires. wasn't allowed to leave with vehicle until the upper ball joints were replaced because they were in such bad shape. the vehicle had bearly 40,000 miles on it. have now had all front ball joints, upper and lower replaced because of the bad wearing of them.

Dealer replaced at 37000 miles both upper ball joints and charged $1000. please provide further information. *ph

I was driving my durango on a 2 lane road and went around a corner when i heard a loud pop and my steering center changed. took it to the dealer who realigned it and sent me on my way. i have had poping noises coming from the front end for quite a while, and have reported it my dealer who was "unable to replicate the problem".*ak

This is the 2nd time that the upper control arm ball joints need to be replaced on this vehicle. the 1st time was only 1 year after vehicle was purchased (new). now 3 years later, they need to be replaced again.*ak

On 7/28/03 i had the tires replaces on my 1999 dodge durango and have it realigned. the mechanic informed me that it could not be done due to the looseness of the upper ball joint. i had the documented information to give to the dealership. they informed me that until a recall was issued that i would have to pay or ride around until the wheels fell off. i have small children and wish that this situation would be handled in the quickest manner.*ak

Rear end failed within only four years.dealer notified. *ak

While having routine maintenance work performed on our car, it was noted that the front suspension ball joints on our '99 durango are "dangerously" worn out. the repair facility mentioned that the same problem has been noted on all durangos that have come through their shop and that such premature wear is not common.*ak

On 7/26/03, our mechanic reported that the "front passenger side upper ball joint has looseness inside" on our 1999 durango with only 31,250 miles of on-road use only. this complaint is being filed to corroborate the numerous complaints already reported on ball joints and to further your recall investigation efforts. *ak