Problems with 2001 Dodge Durango SUSPENSION

The vehicle failed pennsylvania state inspection. the technician indicated that the vehicle's upper ball joints neede dto be repalced. please provide any additional information. *nm

Backing out of driveway. turned steering wheel to the right and the front end dropped. the right front tire came away from the control arm at the upper ball joint. *ak

Once the ball joints become defective the hub assembly becomes defective. consumer had to replace the hub assembly. *ak recall campaign . nhtsa campaign id number : 04v596000 front:control arm:upper ball joint. *tc

I had to replace the upper ball joint in my vehicle. i was told that there is an ongoing investigation regarding the upper ball joints in 2000-02 models. i noticed a noise when i hit the brakes or a rough spot in the road. i took my vehicle in for service and had to pay $272.00 to have these replaced. *la

Creaking, clicking noisy front end since 4/2004. repaired on 4/16/2004 at flemington dodge car & truck country. it is now 10/9/2004 and the same noises are starting again, very noisy. i am taking it back to the dealer again but this needs to be resolved with an appropriate final resolution. it costs me $151.90 to fix this each time and a car rental is required. also, it has only been 3.5 months since the last time it was repaired for the same problem. *nm

Failed front end ball joints. *jb

in march of 2001 i bought a 2001 dodge durango 4x4 the first year was great , then despite the fact that i took my vehicle in evey 3000 mi. for whatever was manufacturer recommended maintenance , and the dealers 27 point inspection, the front brakes were suddenly completely shot and cost in excess of $450 to repair last june i believe , right after getting serviced and a front end alignment ,i drove to work , attempted to shut off vehicle, and it refused the engine sped up , the lights flashed , the gauges went wild, and it finally died. day after day they cept telling me they didnt know what the problem was ,after a week of being worked on the dealership informed me the starter had "gone" and it would be 24 to 48 hours before they could get one about the same time the front end started to make a strange grinding noise while backing up while turning....they still havent figured out this one.....but im wondering if it is a balljoint issue also after several of the regularly schedueled services i complained that there was fluid left on my driveway. i was told that it was run off from the frame of some of the old oil,....now after it is out of warranty,they finally found the leak....the power steering rack is leaking oh and i almost forgot, when i first got this vehicle, the left rear brake light didnt always work...after 4 or 5 attempts to get it repaired , i had a mechanic friend of mine look it over ...in less than 5 minutes he told me the contacts in the housing were defective ....i got the dealership to check into it and they replaced it and it has been fine ever since this vehicle has always had its manufacturers recommended services at the interval required , it was very expensive to buy , and to maintain, it only has 40,000 mi. on it , and looks great, but appearntly it is a money pitt and death trap all rolled into one!!

Vehicle makes horrible noises when making turns, or going over uneven road surfaces. feels and sounds. as if front end is going to fall off vehicle skips lanes slightly when hitting any kind of bump. vehicle has gone to dealer multiple times for same problems, which ends up with the sealer greasing up the suspension and finding nothing wrong. i feel uncomfortable driving the car knowing there is a slight chance that the wheel may fall off. *ak

I have a 2001 dodge durango. on sunday april 4,2004 i hit a small pothole on the road and almost lost control of my vehicle and hit another car. it felt like the front end was going to fall off. i took the car to a dodge dealer here in provo utah. the upper and lower ball joints had to be replaced. the service department told me they were worn and were in bad shape.i have 48000 miles on my vehicle. this could have caused a serious crash. i won't say accident for both chryler and the government know of the problem and refuse to address the problem. get off your ass before someone gets killed!*ak

I saw on t.v. that the dodge durango's were having problems with the lower front ball joint. my dealer, nethaway's, checked the ball joint's on my vehicle and they are abnormally worn for a vehicle with 63125 miles. i informed dodge of this problem, and received no assistance in correcting the same. *jb

151 old farm rd. leominster, ma 01453 march 26, 2004 daimler-chrysler corporation po box 610207 port huron, mi 48061-0207 dear sirs: my father always told me, _x001c_never buy a chrysler product._x001d_ however, a couple of years ago when looking for a mid-size suv with a third row i was tempted by the dodge durango. however, i kept hearing my father_x0019_s voice, _x001c_never buy&.._x001d_ _x001c_but_x001d_ i thought, _x001c_that was the 1950_x0019_s. you don_x0019_t see blue smoke pouring from the exhaust pipe of chrysler products anymore. surely in the 21st century chrysler products can compete with anything on the market. right?_x001d_ so i relented and bought my first chrysler product_x0014_a well-styled dodge durango. i would prove my father wrong. well-----? after only 60,000 miles and a $2,000 repair bill i am now telling my sons, _x001c_never buy a chrysler product._x001d_ what happened? at 60,000 miles i took my durango into my dealer for routine service and a state inspection. please try to imagine my shock when i got a phone call from the service manager informing me that the ball joints on my car were so dangerously worn, the car would not pass inspection. if i did not get it repaired they would have to red-flag the car because it was too dangerous to have on the highway. now really, who would want to drive a car that unsafe? i was relieved that the mechanic discovered it and possibly prevented a horrible accident. i had it fixed. totally worn out ball joints at only 60,000 miles? and that is when i heard my father_x0019_s voice again, _x001c_never buy a chrysler product._x001d_ sincerely, ian bothwell cc: national highway traffic safety administration. *ak

While the consumer was driving down the highway, the ball joints broke, making it hard to steer vehicle. the consumer pulled to the shoulder, called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to the dealer for repairs. the warranty expired and the consumer had to pay $1100.00 for repairs. *ak the front wheel(s) had come unattached while attempting to make a turn. *sc *jb

At 32120 miles dealership replaced all four ball joints, 10 months later, mechanic determined the need to replace all four ball joints again. *ak

Consumer took vehicle to an independent repair shop for regular maintenance, and mechanic determined that lower and upper ball joints needed to be replaced at consumer's expense.*ak

Premature wear on both front ball joints. right side upper and lower wore prematurely. left upper wore prematurely. seals were intact. vehicle has 40k miles. dodge durango 2001. *jb

We noticed a squeaking in the front-end while our 2001 dodge durango was under warranty. took to dodge dealership in brownfield, texas, and mechanic could not duplicate the sound. said we probably were hearing vibrations from cd's in the side-door pockets. car now has 60k miles, and over last 10k miles or so, have noticed four things 1) front end making popping sound, like a joint pop on your ankle or something and 2) when turning sharply, vehicle bounces like the wheel was out of round, 3) uneven wear on front tires, especially on left side, and 4) vehicle less stable when hitting bumps as steering tends to move back and forth. tried to get a mechanic to check last weekend in lubbock, but could not get vehicle into shop due to their workload. family member told us that durango's were on the news about what appears to be the same problem. we will be scheduling a visit with a dealership. i hope we don't lose a tire, as we are minimum of 30 miles from a dealership. the consumer took vehicle to a dealership and was informed that the upper and the upper control bushing needed to be replaced because they were worn. the next day after part were replaced there is still a popping and squeaking noise in the front end of the truck.

While driving on highway the front end started grinding. two miles down the road the left front wheel locked up and vehicle went into a skid. after safely maneuvering to the emergency lane the driver got out and found that the wheel had completely colapsed and would not turn at all. the vehicle was towed to a dodge dealership and upon inspection, it was found that the bearing had disintegrated. the inner ring of the inside bearing had seized to the spindle. the only thing holding the wheel on was the brake caliper. after replacing the drivers side assembly the dealership checked the passenger side and found it to be loose as well. it would have soon done the same thing. this vehicle only has 60k miles on it and this should not have happened. fortunately the driver was able to control the vehicle safely off the road, however it could have resulted in a roll over or worse, death. *ak

Have replaced upper ball joints in our durango 4 times since purchasing it june 2001. *ak

Consumer had a tire blowout. took vehicle to dealer to have the tire repaired. mechanic repaired the tire, and determined that upper and lower ball joints on both sides needed replacement. *ak

When turning either direction the vehicle's front end produces a knocking noise. the cause has yet to be determined. please provide additional information.

During a vehicle inspection it was found that the upper ball joints on the right side had to be replaced due to premature wear. *ak

Left upper ball joint needs to be replaced. *ak

While driving 30 mph the consumer heard a loud bang and the vehicle collapsed on the driver side. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed the consumer that the upper ball joint wore out (pe 03-032 front susp upper ball joint). *nm ea03-023

Ball joints wore out at 45000 miles.*ak

Front upper ball joints are wearing out prematurely. as a result, vehicle was unable to pass inspection, unless replaced. *ak *tc

I bought my dodge durango in october 2002. i heard a clunking noise & felt like someone hit me from behind when i would stop. had checked at pontiac dealership where i bought it, they said there were no problems. i saw cbs news story on durangos and realized that the ball joints may be the issue with my vehicle, it still makes the same clunking noise, and i still feel the vehicle push forward when i am stopping my vehicle. on february 14th of this year, i was driving and lost my brakes, found out that the cylinders were bad. i will put this down as an incident, but the noise is still ongoing, and so far i haven't had an incident & would like to prevent one.

I have a 2001 dodge durango. after seeing a report on the ball joints on tv i took my vehicle in to be checked. good thing i did because the right ball joint was about to break and had to be replaced. the left ball joint has some wear but was not replaced at this time. there is a definite problem and it needs to be addressed. *jb

Vehicle makes noise when turning wheels. mechanic says ball joint is bad.

While driving the consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front end. the dealer determined that the ball joints wore out prematurely. the dealer replaced the upper arm and the ball joints. *nm

My vehicle is pulling to the right ,i took it to curtis hughes doge,manteca, california.thought it would be a simple alignment.when i called for my vehicle they told me it needed the suspention ball joints replaced. they were on back order it would take about a week to get them in. i called back within the week the parts were in. i took my dodge durango in, later that afternoon, i phoned to see if the vehicle was ready to be picked up i was told there is a problem with the trucks steering. it was originally said to cost $885.00 for the ball joint repair job. the price has now shot up to $1800.00 for repairs. the truck only has 48000 miles on it. i am now told that these repairs are not under warranty. this is safety issue for me. my vehicle is usedto transport children daily,and it is unfair that i should have to pay these fee and very coincidental that the truck suddenly is having major problems immediately after the 36000 mile warranty has passed. around christmas 2003 there was a report on the news about recalling dodge durangos. this one needs to be recalled and fixed correctly and not at my expense. .

I have a 2001 dodge durango with a nudge over 50,000 miles. when i recently moved to va from fl i had to start getting vehicle inspections to get plates. i took my truck to a chevy dealer for the safety inspection and they said it was unsafe as the upper right ball joint was in horrible shape. i had heard some very loud popping when i turned the wheel and sometimes after turning, but never gave it much thought. i took the truck to a dodge dealer for the same inspection because i thought the chevy dealer may have just wanted to make some money on me. the dodge dealer replaced a few bulbs and said it was road ready, "safe." the other day my steering felt somewhat bound when i was driving so i pulled over to look and i was astonished to see that the chevy dealer was right. so is dodge willing to let someone die after a state mandated safety inspection to save a few dollars? *la

In january of this year, i was drivng my 2001 durango home from work and heard a "clunky" noise. thinking i had a flat tire, i stopped and looked and saw nothing. when i got home, my husband drove it around the block and thought it was the brakes. the next morning, he drove to mckinney dodge (about 10 miles on the freeway) and as he got off the freeway and pulled into their parking lot, the drivers side wheel turned completely sideways and broke, causing the vehicle to fall down on that side. i pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later and saw my vehicle with the wheel turned outwards and front end down on top of it. they fixed this under the extended warranty. this also caused the mag wheel to bend and the tire not to hold air, so we had to pay another $50 to have that fixed before we could even drive it. the service man had called me at work and told me how fortunate we were that my husband was not still on the freeway when this happened. the dodge dealership told us this was a very uncommon occurrence. i now feel that we were deceived by dodge trying to cover up this problem and worry about our daughter and grandchildren in their new 2003 durango. there should be a recall immediately and the problems should be corrected before people are killed. our durango had about 39,400 miles on it at the time.*ak

Premature failure of ball joints on 2001 dodge durango costing approximately $700 in repairs. *la

While the vehicle was being serviced, the dealership noticed ball joints wore out and needed replacement. *ak the ball joints were worn excessively and defective per dealer. *sc *jb

Nhtsa recall 04v596000; concerning upper ball joint wear. the dealer refused to honor the recall without an explanation. *ak *sc *jb

Loud squeaking under the front end, and the vehicle would become very unstable after hitting a bump in the road. the vehicle would actually bounce in different directions after hitting a large bump. turning the wheel there was a popping noise in the wheel and steering wheel. at 41,000 miles, both of the front upper ball joints had to be replaced for "excessive wear". the dealership told me that most ball joints don't look this bad until you've hit well over 100k. we do not go 4-wheeling in our durango, we do not drive recklessly. this vehicle is owned by an amputee who usually only drives it on the highway. this cost us over $1,000 to fix, as chrysler would not help. this is a known issue, and chrysler has not issued a tsb or recall on it because supposedly not enough people have complained. *ak

When making a left turn heard a knocking noise from the front end. dealership serviced vehicle several times, but was unable to locate the cause of the noise. *ak

The upper ball joints on my 2001 dodge durango failed and needed to be replaced at an expense of over $800.00. luckily for me and my family it was not a catastrophic failure when we were driving the vechile!! it was reported to the dealer who informed me it was happening alot to other owners and that no recall has been issued so there was nothing they could do.what, do several hundred people need to die first before anyone recognizes and fixes this problem!!?? this vechile only has less than 47,000 miles it at the time of repair and it is absolutely ridiculous that nothing has been done about this problem!!*ak

Complaint received via e-mail. my wife was driving when she heard a bizarre noise coming from the front wheel of the truck. she immediately started driving towards the dealership, but the wheel for unknown reason broke at the hub and separated from the truck, causing her to skid while making a left turn in the intersection. fortunately, my wife and children were not injured. *ak

On january 2, 2004 an independent shop replaced the upper ball joints at the consumer's expense. *ak the consumer was informed that the wheel was about to fall off. *sc *jb

Front upper ball joints replaced on 2001 dodge durango (46,000 miles), and axel wheel bearings also replaced.*ak

While driving 15 mph consumer heard a popping noise coming from underneath the vehicle. consumer took vehicle to the dealer for analysis, and mechanic noticed that the bushings of lower control arm needed to be replaced. *ak

While driving consumer heard a loud squeaking noise coming from the right rear ball joint. the dealerships mechanic was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak *nm

While driving on this day i slip on some snow and my 2001 durango lost control unexpectedly and slammed into a tree truck was towed to auto body shop and i was told that the ball joints on both sides of the vehicle where shot at 30000 miles and needed to be replaced immediately you guys please give me some feedback on this situation because chrysler daimler would not give me any information besides that the the ball joints on these vehicles are under investigation thank you very much michael nelson. *cb

I own a 2001 dodge durango and the upper and lower ball joints have gone bad on this vechicle under 40,000 miles. it is causing vehicle to sway right.*ak

While parked, the vehicle's front end collapsed. the dealer stated the ball joints fell off the vehicle. please provide additional information. *jb ea03-023

While driving steering wheel became loose. dealership informed the consumer that the problem was due to defective front upper ball joints. mechanic could not resolve the problem.*ak

Rt frt upper ball joint failed @ 29,357 miles on 12/13/03. as of this date-3/4/04 left frt upper ball joint is failing & needs to be replaced. *jb

Had to have upper ball joint and control arm bushing replaced. *ak

Had to replace upper & lower ball joints in my 2001 durango after replacing prematurely worn out tires, dealer said it would cost close to $1,000 since i am 1,000 miles over my warranty. also had to replace power steering pump at a cost of $600 don't know if this is a result of the defective ball joints however. *ak