Problems with 2000 Dodge Durango SUSPENSION

Pe 03-032 front suspension upper ball joint: vehicle experienced complete upper ball joint failure, which caused wheel separation, almost resulting in loss of control. *ak the steering became lose and the tire fell flat to the ground. *ph *jb ea03-023

I own a 2000 dodge durango with 50,000 miles on it. (bought brand new). in august i took it in for service to my dealership, and told them about a noise in the front end. they checked it out, and told me i need upper and lower ball joints, at the cost of $1500.00. i have not yet had them replaced. i feel that there is a major problem with dodge's ball joints, from the recent tv reports. i think the factory should recall these vehicles and fix what is needed. i have a statement from the dealership stating that these ball joints need replacing, if you need a copy of that, i will be glad to mail you one. thanks, joan yuenger. *ak

Heard popping noise in my 2000 dodge durango at 40,000. had it looked at by a mechanic that said he could not find a problem. also noticed popping upon braking while pulling a pop-up camper and a 19' boat. went for a virginia inspection recently and failed due to bad upper ball joint. is someone going to have to die before this problem is taken care of?

Consumer complained about front suspension problem. the front left tire collapsed while driving at 25 mph and caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle. the driver was badly injured. the manufacturer was contacted who investigated the cause. *ak *jb

The front ball joints are loose causing the tires to wear out unreasonalbe sooner. the front upper ball joints need to be replaced and can become dangerous. the front end makes noises and feels unsecured at times.*ak i have asked the dealer to exam the front end after purchasing the vehicle. the machanic said everything was normal.

Loose front upper control arm bushings found while changing oil on my 2000 dodge durango. *ph

On august 7 03 my wife was taking kids and heard a sound coming from the front end and took the dodge durango in to be inspected but it did not pass as the upper control arm ball joint was bad we had bought it in july 29 00 and they said warranty was up. the durango only had on 19126 miles on it also. at the time this was happening we had 5 kids in car. *nlm

Passenger side upper ball joint bad at 37,000 miles. could feel something wrong through the steering wheel and made several visits to dodge dealer and non-dodge dealer and all said nothing was wrong. finally insisted the dealer where the vehicle was purchased put it on the front end machine and take a look. problem was easily discovered by the mechanic prior to making it to the machine. also replaced drivers side automatic door lock assembly twice in two months. *ak

It all started with a squeezing noise in the front end, one day the front right end ball joint collapsed and caused the front right wheel to completely fold underneath itself and caused the front end to collapse. there was roughly miles on the vehicle and in very good condition. luckily i was simply pulling out of my driveway and not driving down the highway. no one was hurt, but the potential for injury was astronomical. *la ea03-023

Upper ball joint significantly and prematurely worn. caused severe tire damage to new tires. i'm afraid for my family's safety.*ak

Excessive wear - right upper ball joint. *ak

2000 dodge durango. popping sound coming from somewhere around the steering column. have taken it in to dodge three times and they cannot "duplicate" the problem. sound occurs when steering slightly to the left or right. have mentioned ball joint issue reported on the news and i'm told that can't be it. mechanics at dodge refuse to admit there is a problem with ball joints. problem continues. *la

I own a 2000 dodge durango slt plus 4x4, with 27,000. miles. (original owner)the drivers side ball joints were leaking, the dealer ship replaced all 4 ball joints under warrenty. the steering had started to become unstable. how ever, the front brake rotors had to be replaced because of corrosion, at my expense.*ak

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

I'd like to raise a complaint regarding nhtsa action number pe03032 - the investigation of front suspension ball joints wearing out prematurely. i just got word that my 2000 durango with 60,000 needs to have the ball joints (front) replaced because they are worn. please record my complaint with the others as i feel this is a defect and would like to have dodge reimburse me for the cost of this repair. thanks

The dealer was unable to replace the right upper ball joint due to lack of parts. the consumer stated that the vehicle had been making a noise. *ak *scc *jb

My 2000 dodge durango has 48,000 miles and the front right upper ball joint is failing. my dodge dealer advised me to not take the vehicle out of town. they are unable to get the parts to repair it. i have a pre paid vacation coming up that will now require a car rental. something needs to be done and soon.*ak

Consumer states the other day he went to have a front end alignment done, and was told that it could not be done because both the upper and lower ball joints were worn beyond limits. consumer did not have the work done because of the cost. *ak

Consumer took vehicle into the dealer to inspect the front end since it felt like it was waving. dealer replaced both sides, upper and lower ball joints. *ak

Purchased a used 2000 dodge durango through a chrysler auction in conn. through enterprise car sales in january 2003. they attended that auction on our behalf. the suv had aprx. 35,500 miles on it. currently it has 41,379 miles on it. since we purchased the vehicle it had been pulling to the right when it went over bumps etc. but we thought it was just due to being a suv on a truck body. we just brought it into an automotive shop to be looked at as it seemed to be getting worse. we had to replace the right upper ball joint. the shop strongly recommended that we not risk driving the vehicle. we repaired the durango at a cost of aprx. $255.00. it is no longer pulling to the right. our vin is [xxx]. the ball joints have worn out prematurely and we will continue to incur cost for additional ball joint cost in the future , in addition we have concern over safety of the vehicle due to the ball joints. chrysler should have known of this problem on this specifically vehicle when they sold it through the auction. i would like chrysler to inspect all of our balljoints and replace as necessary and also be reimbursed for the cost that we have just incurred.*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Ball joints defective on 2000 dodge durango.45,000 miles and need replaced already. (upper ball joints). *ak

I was told in may 2003 that my 2000 dodge durango needed upper ball joints replaced. i then took it to the dealership where i purchased it and they told me the same thing. they told me they couldn't get the replacement parts for at least a month. when i took the durango to them in july, they then told me i need the control arms replaced as well. i was very upset because my vehicle only had 41,799 miles on it. i researched this and found that ball joints should last at least 100,000 miles. i expressed my anger toward the dealership and the manager then told me i wouldn't have to pay for the control arm, that chrysler would eat that cost for me. at that point i had no choice but to have the work done, for fear that i might get into an accident. i spent 2 1/2 long months trying to resolve this issue and spent $490.00 to replace the ball joints. i hope this reaches you and you can get this resolved for everyone involved with these similar problems. thank you. elaina dow. *la

I took my car into get the tires rotated and the tire tech told me the front upper ball joints were about to break and i was lucky i havent got into a car accident yet. he said my car was unsafe to drive and i needed it to be fixed as soon as possible. i saw all the reports and needed to report mine too. *ak

I have a 2000 dodge durango, and i have been experiencing, front suspension problems.when you are turning or driving at any rate of speed it makes a creeking noise, and a clicking noise. i took it to goodyear and they told me the ball joints need to be replaced, upper and lower. there is only 52000 miles on my truck, i took it to the dealer and they said they can not duplicate the problem. the cost for repair is over $1000.00 dollars. with all the complaints you are reciiveing i think there should be a recall and the dealers should be repairing the problems at there expense. *ak

Upper and lower ball joints prematurely worn out. truck had only 40,000 miles. *la

Loud popping noise heard coming from the front end of the vehicle when turning.*ak

While having the vehicle serviced, the technician noticed the right upper ball joint needed to be replaced. *ak the right upper ball joint was replaced. dodge disposed of the old part. the control arm ball joint assembly was replaced. *scc *jb

Consumer states top ball joints separated and wheel fell off while driving. dealer notified. *ak ea03-023

Consumer states upper ball joints are wearing prematurely. dealer notified. *ak

At 2 mph the driver's front tire fell off, causing over $2000.00 damage. vehicle was resting on the wheel. upper ball joints had failed. front end had been checked by mechanic two months prior, was within specs.*ak

When the vehicle went over bumps or made turns the front suspension made loud noises. this occurred at any speed but was more noticeable at slow speeds. *scc *nlm

After getting new tires for my 2000 dodge durango i was told that the upper ball joints and arm had to be replaced "or the wheels would fall off." i have 59,000 miles on the vehicle. 4x2, never off road.*ak

Backing out of driveway turning wheel to right felt like i hit something, got out and looked around vehicle, found nothing. backed into street, knew something was wrong, looked at front tire on passenger side, wheel was cocked. called tow truck and certified mechanic said ball joint was broken.*ak ea03-023

Upper ball joints failed on my 2000 dodge durango with 42,000 miles. this is supposedly a heavy duty truck and has never towed anything nor been offroad. only light duty commuter duty. this is a very common problem and representative of a design defect. entire wheel assembly can fall off vehicle while driving.*ak

Trouble with steering, suspension. when going over bumps, can loose control of the vehicle, jumps all over the road. also on slippery roads hard to control as well.

I have a 2000 dodge durango. i read where the government is investigating the upper ball joints on the front suspension. mine hve been replaced three times. there is a major defect here.the last time i took it in the steering wheel had started to wobble. i didn't know what it was until i read the article in the newspaper.

Slight loss of control of vehicle or shimmering while driving. has happened a few times. gain control after few seconds. 2000 dodge durango. *ak

I also had new tires put on and i was told i needed upper ball joints replaced on my 2000 dodge durango. it seems i am not the only one with this problem. there should be a recall on this before someone gets seriously hurt.*ak

While driving vehicle began swerving from left to right, causing consumer to lose control. consumer applied the brakes, and the truck collided into a ditch on the side of the road, resulting in consumer injury and vehicle frame damage. related pursuit pe 03-032.*ak

Pe 03-032, front suspension upper ball joint failure: the upper ball joints prematurely wore out and the wheel separated. *ak the front end vibrated while driving. both upper and lower ball joints were diagnosed as bad. *ph *jb ea03-023

Pe 03-032: front suspension: upper ball joints. the upper ball joints wore out prematurely.*ak

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

The right upper ball joint failed at 32,000 miles.*ak *ph the vehicle could not retain a front end alignment. the dealer determined that the right upper ball joint failed and needed to be replaced. *nm

Premature wearing of upper ball joints on 2000 dodge durango

Consumer stated the upper ball joint experienced premature wear. dealer notified.*ak while going slowly over a speed bump, the right upper ball joint broke, which left the tire in a 45 degree angle. consumer later learned that the joint wasn't packed properly with grease from the factory. both ball joints were replaced at no cost to the consumer. *ph *jb ea03-023

Ball joint noise. *ph

Conesumer states front hub bearing is wearing prematurely , causing a loud noise . dealer notified. *ak

I own a 2000 dodge durango 4wd. have never had it off-road. only 25,000 miles on it. took the durango in for wv state inspection. the garage where i had bought it found that the right ball joint was so wore out that is was not safe for me to drive the vehicle. i experienced no difficulty in the steering. no problems showed up as i could tell. i had just returned from an interstate trip where my speed was up to 70 mph. i wanted to report this, because i heard on the local news that other durango owners were experiencing similar problems and you were taking complaints on this safety issue.

I have a problem with a grinding noise, and turning radius problem that just started with regard to the 2000 dodge durango. my vehicle is obviously out of warranty, but have been told by quick inspection of non-dealer mechanic that this may be related to the ball joint problem that is being currently investigated and was urged to file complaint and get the vehicle inspected by a dealer asap. *ak

Had to replace entire front-end assembly on 2000 dodge durango due to premature wear.*ak