Problems with 1999 Dodge Durango SUSPENSION

Upper left & lower right ball joint failed to pass pa inspect at 15,000 miles (1st year of ownership, purchased vehicle new). the upper left ball joint was very close to failure at time of inspection. at 32,000 the lower left & upper right ball joints where replaced due to failing inspection. currently a 62,000 on vehicle and seeing excessive wear on first replacement interval.

The 1999 dodge durango was purchased from south oak dodge in south holland, ill. it was purchased as a demo with a few thousand miles on it. since that time i have returned to the dealer on several different occasions for an oil change and filter and to report squeaking in the left front tire. i was told that it just needed lubrication. each time after changing my oil they would lubricate the wheels. i also explained that the noise was worse when i turned the corner and if i had to use the four wheel drive it was difficult to turn. i also explained that the tires were worn on the inside and on occasion it looked like the left front tire was going to fall off. my complaint was dismissed when the service manager said "oh that's not going to happen " shortly thereafter he said the tire had a slow leak and that he would put a plug in it. my complaints were often dismissed. my car only has 57,000 miles on it. this morning i heard the news regarding the ball bearings on the dodge durango. in addition to the above this particular carrier will provide a temporary solution to a problem until your warranty expires. when you return you are charged s maximum amount to correct a problem that occurred while the car was under warrenty. this happened to my boyfriend who has a 1998 one ton pickup quad seats four door dodge 24 valve turbo engine 3800 dooley. the red engine light kept coming on. we took it in to have the problem fixed. the next day we were told that there was no major problem. not more than 3 blocks away the lightt came on again. we returned to the service departmennt. the manager stated "oh i'ts probably just a sensor problem". if you continue to have problems bring it back in. the red light continued to stay on. three months later the truck began to run poorly. we took it back to the dealer. the service departmennt stated that he need a valve job that would cost $1,800.00. further the extended warrenty had just expired.*ak

Noticed popping noise in front end summer/99 @24000 miles took to dealer and they said ball joints within specs. ball joints are visibly loose, able to wobble wheel.

Vehicle is experiencing unknown grinding/ clicking/thumping and severe vibration when driving. vehicle been in the dealer's shop on six occasions, and they were unable to duplicate the problem. feel free to provide any further information. *ak

Consumer had found a problem with tires and suspension. technician had found that shock asorber was not supporting vehicle in front. also tires will wear out and front of vehicle will sink, and rear tire will not help. *ak *jb

Front ball joints wore out and caused noise, resulting in malfunctioning of the steering system, which could cause loss of control. dealer replaced the ball joints. *ak.et.

In january of 1999 i purchased a 1999 dodge durango. not more than one year later, i started to have problems with a roughness in the front left wheel and the tire would wear unevenly. i had wheel alignments and balances done with no change in the problem. i took the car to baum blvd. dodge in pittsburgh pa as my primary service center. they checked the problem out on numerous occasions and claim that they could not detect a problem. i continued to have the tires replaced every several months and dealt with the roughness that i felt in wheel. my warranty expired in january of this year. i began to take the car to another reputable service center. they told me that the problem was the ball joint and the cost of the repair could vary from $700.00-$1,700.00. i do not have the money to have the problem repaired at this time.

Steering wheel made excessive whining, dealer replaced gear, pump, and fluid, dealer replaced steering gear twice more. *slc

While turning left driver heard a loud popping noise coming from the front. then, vehicle jerked and vibrated uncontrollably. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic lubricated the front suspension. however, the problem recurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. mechanic determined that the upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge durango. while driving 25 mph, the contact heard a clunking and creaking noise coming from the front end. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that there was nothing wrong. in 2002, the contact took the vehicle to a specialty alignment shop and they refused to align the vehicle because the upper and lower front control arms were worn out. the contact returned to the dealer and they replaced the upper control arm on the passenger side. however, he continues to hear the clunking and creaking sound. the current mileage was 51,800 and failure mileage was 114. the upper ball joint was bad and the 4-wheel drive stayed engaged. the engine pinged a lot. updated 11/06/07.

After hearing about the upper ball joint problem on dodge durangos, a friend suggested i take my durango into the shop. i did, and the upper and lower ball joints were worn out and required replacing. $1,700. *la

3rd set of tires (two goodyear one michelin). dodge claims bad tires, goodyear claimed bad schocks. i've replaced tires and shocks and still having problems. frustrated at chrysler for their unwillingness to help. (tiresize: p235 75 r)( dot number: tire size: p235 75 r )

Each year i have had this vehicle i have had to replace the ball joints and the front tires as well as have the front suspension redone. the vehicle is not safe to drive and this is getting expensive. dodge will not fix the problem.

I heard of the durango/dakota recall on 12-10-2004. i own a 1998 durango and i have replaced ball joints 3 times. i submitted a complaint to the nhtsa several years ago (odi number is: 10030636) and have not had any responses. i do not understand why the 1998, 1999 models were not included in the recall, especially since the initial complaints of bad ball joints involved these model years. do i have any recourse at this point? i still have receipts for all work done. thank you. *jb

Ball joints need to be replaced. *ak

When applying brakes they will grab, but then they release and vehicle rolls to a stop. took vehicle to dealer, and they were going to replace calipers and upper ball joints. please provide any further information.*ak

Tires has uneven wear. the front shock were also replaced. the consumer continued to have problems with the tires and suspension. *jb

Consumer stated the ball joint wore out prematurely. dealer notified. *ak the control arms, intermediate shaft had been replaced in conjunction with the ball joints to try and solve the problem with the steering and suspension. chrysler did not take any action to try to solve the problem. there was noise in the steering, rumble/rattle in the front end and had become louder, the steering had become loose, the lower ball joints were defective, and there was excessive play in the control arm. *scc *jb

Ball joint failure. *ak

Consumer replaced the upper ball joints twice. also, when brakes were depressed they pulsated. rotors, pads, calipers, and master cylinder were replaced at least once. also, transmission was replaced.*ak lower ball joints were also replaced. *la