Problems with 2001 Dodge Durango SUSPENSION

Had to have upper ball joint replaced on my 2001 durango with 40,000 miles on it! his is way to early for such a vital part with the all the extreme risk involved with its failure. i heard their was problems with this part and my vehicle was starting to pull. i took it to a dealer and he would not even look at it to tell me if it was safe without charging me $80.00. bell tire repaired the vehicle after finding the fault during there front end inspection. *ak

My 2001 dodge durango has been "clanking" in the front end for several months. after taking it to several mechanics and 2 dodge dealers, the problem has finally been diagnosed - bad control arm and lower ball joints. much to my dismay, this repair will cost over a thousand dollars. this vehicle only has miles on it, we are conservative drivers and try our best to maintain our cars. had this been the only problem with this vehicle i might not have contacted you - as it turns out, we have had problem after problem with this car, since becoming owners feb. 2002. i have been informed by our local dealer, chrysler customer service and several internet sites that this part has been faulty on many vehicles, and my car is not alone. as a result of dodge owners everywhere having similar problems, i have learned that this part may be deemed faulty and a recall may ensue as a result. i feel that this car is too "young" to be experiencing such major mechanical problems, and support a recall notice. apparently the joints separate and the wheel can "fall off" while the vehicle is in operation.....how dangerous! *ak

I own a 2001 dodge durango. in 2002 i had to have the whole power steering rack and pump replaced. n september of this year i was informed the ball joints are bad. apparently they have prematurely worn out.*ak

2001 durango r/t. second failure of transmission (11/26/03) @ 35000 miles. handled by different dealerships and no one knows exactly why or how transmission is failing. rpm tachometer races between 100 - 800 rpm during driving conditions including load, light load, flat terrain, and occasionally down hill when driving of speeds greater than 45 mph in drive and overdrive. excessively hard clung when shifting between 1st and 2nd and between 2nd and 1st. 1st failure (2/6/02) was before pcm and transmission flash recalls @ 20000 miles. service manager insisted that this was a normal thing and his jeep did the same thing. after much convincing that i would prefer the opinion of a tech instead did they take the vehicle for repair. vehicle was kept for an additional week than what was promised for delivery. vehicle was kept in garage for the 2 weeks and when picked up all personal items, electronics, tire jack, etc was missing (~ $2700 worth) and accusing me of leaving my doors unlocked (did not quite understand his point and aurguement since it sat in the dealerships garage for the 2 week duration). since ... transmission does not always go into park and occasionally drive, verbally told not a big deal by dealership service manager due to the transmission being flashed. noticed vehicle surging with rpm increase after driving a while. oh, by the way, yea, the ball joints needed replaced at ~18000 miles too (10/2002)!*ak

The owner was having problems while driving the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealership. the mechanic informed the consumer, that the front upper ball joints were wearing prematurely. please provide additional information. *jb

The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection of front end noise. the mechanic determined the front upper ball joints on the passenger side needed to be replaced. please provide vehicle identification number upon receipt of this complaint. *jb *ph

2001 dodge durango 35,000 miles purchased new from dealer defective ball- joint problem. *la

We have a 2001 dodge durango and it has 52,953 miles on it and needs to have the front ball joints replaced. our mechanic tried to order the ball joints for this vehicle and they are on back order. the ball joints should not be going out on a vehicle with this low of miles. it is our primary vehicle and we have to drive it as is because the ball joints are on back order. *la

Front suspension, ball joint assembly wore out prematurely... before 30,000 miles.*ak

The front suspension ball joint wore out prematurely on my 2001 dodge durango. *la

Bad ball joints on 2001 dodge duango

Upon having the tires replaced, the dealership noticed that the front left upper ball joint was defective and needed to be replaced. the dealership was unable to replace the part due to a 800 back order. *ak *scc *jb

Pe 03-032, front suspension/upper ball joint: the upper ball joint wore out prematurely. *ak the problem was noticed during maintenance. *scc *jb

When driving over bumps vehicle shook. consumer took the vehicle to the dealership. mechanic noticed that the upper ball joint was wearing out prematurely. *ak

Have a 2001 durango with 48,000 miles. having ball joint problems as well. checked them and appear worn. will replace them before something bad happens. should last a lot longer than 48,000. *la

Dealer replaced upper and lower ball joints at 40,000 milles. *ak

Unstable front wheels when going over (perpendicular) bridge seams at posted highway speeds. i.e. the vehicle shifts abruptly and vertually uncontrollably as the front wheels seem unstable. i have to consciously plan and brace for the action.*ak

With 51,000 miles on my 2001 dodge durango, i had to have the left front ball joints replaced at my expense. after speaking with an independent mechanic, he claimed that this premature wear is possible but not likely. *la

When turning left or right front end of the makes a noise. consumer states that front wheel has play in it. can push the wheel in about three inches and outward three inches. driver believes itis related to the ball joints. *ak *nm

Lower ball joint (rt side) failed in a slow speed turn causing loss of control, tie rod end failure, and impact with light pole.

Driver's side control arm replaced at 13,802 miles. both control arms replaced at 25,700 miles. had to have tires replaced due to excessive wear. *la

While driving 2001 dodge durango on a straight-away, up hill, the front wheels suddenly veered to the left, and driver lost control of truck, hitting telephone pole head-on, and totalling vehicle. *ak

2001 durango required rt upper ball joint arm, rt lower ball joint assembly, let lower ball joint assembly, rt outer tie-rod end replacements and front end alignment. 45,322 miles considered premature defects.*ak

When the steering wheel was turned there was a clicking noise. the consumer was told by the dealer that all four ball joints, upper and lower were bad. this vehicle always knocked. the dealer checked out the problem, but couldn't duplicate it. *ak the part had not been replaced. the consumer heard on the news a recall was in the making, but the dealer stated that they were unaware of any recall . *scc *jb

Front end shook and pulled to the right when braking. this was due to the upper and lower ball joint being worn out. they needed to be replaced, per the dealership. *ak

Problems with lower ball joints, shocks, lower control arms, etc. *ph the front-end began to fail. the lower ball joints had degraded. the vehicle had to go back in for repairs due to the noise in the front-end, the repair shop assumed that the shocks were bad and replaced them which did not correct the noise. the lower control arms had to be replaced. the vehicle continued to experience problems. the consumer was informed that the upper control arms had to be replaced as well as the right side hub bearing. the window's plastic casing inside of the window completely broke in two pieces. the plastic was brittle. the consumer requested reimbursement for all the expenses incurred. the consumer also experienced unspecified problems with his 2000 dodge durango. *sc

While driving at low speeds a loud grinding and thumping noises could be heard. the dealer determined that the upper ball joints were worn out and replaced the right upper control arm assembly. *ak the consumer stated with out having read the newspaper they would not have been aware of the problem. *cb *jb

Left rear leaf spring broke at 35mph after hitting minor chuckhole. upon impact with chuckhole, i heard loud pop and noise under vehicle. again i stress that this was a very minor chuckhole. the leaf spring could have been defective in some manor.

2001 durango, 52000.00 miles had to replace ball joints at a cost of $587.00

The upper ball joints wore out prematurely (pe 03-032, front suspension/upper ball joints). *ak the front end popped while making turns. *nm

While making right hand turns consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front end. dealer informed consumer that the problem pertained to front upper ball joint failure. *ak

Passenger side front suspension failed.*ak

Ball joint had to be replaced. *jb

Clunking, rattles and squeaks from the front suspension during sharp turns or bumps. vehicle has 18,100 miles on it. dealer replaced the left front upper and lower control arms and ball joints. this appears to be a premature failure as referenced in nhtsa action number pe03032.*ak

Failure of upper ball joints on a 2001 dodge durango.*ak

Vehicle has been pulling very hard right. i took the vehicle in for front end alignment and was told it couldn't be performed because of bad ball joints. the vehicle has only 44,000 miles on it and it appears there is a major problem with these ball joints as they are on back order all over the country.*ak

Pe 03-032, front suspension/upper ball joint failure: the upper ball joints wore out at 38,000 miles. *ak both right and left side were replaced. *sc *jb

Advised by mechanic that ball joints are no good. *la

2001 dodge durango upper ball joints were corroded. *ts the consumer received a recall letter after she had already experienced the failure. with only 64,000 miles on the vehicle, the engine failed. *jb

Problems with vehicle's ball joints.*mr the consumer was told the front ball joints were worn out. *jb *nm

I have a 2001 dodge durango, and over the last few months i have noticed a problem with my front end. approx. 3-4 weeks ago i brought my truck into ntb for this to be checked. they sold me on new front brakes and rotors, front-end alignment, and tire rotation. this did not fix the issue. so last week, i brought the truck into pep boys, and was told that they thought the rack and pinion steering was bad, but needed to bring it into a dodge dealer. today i brought my truck into the local dodge dealer, and was told that it was my upper and lower ball joints. my vehicle only has 45,000, and every person i have spoken with has told me that this should have lasted for at least 100,000 miles. this should be another testament to an issue with the durango ball joints. i would also like to add that both the dealer and manufacture were not forthcoming with any information about the pending investigation, and very elusive when questioned.*ak

Consumer stated that the upper ball joints wore out. also while driving the vehicle pulls to the right and the faster the vehicle is moving the harder it pulls. *ph *ts

Front upper ball joint wore out pemature causing very unsafe driving--had to replace. *ph

Consumer stated that while driving and without warning ball joints are wearing. dealer notified. *ak

When the consumer turned the vehicle left or right, there was a noise which came from the front wheels. the dealer replaced the front hub bearings and re-torqued the upper and lower control arms. *ak *jb

40,000 miles and the ball joints are completely worn out. also had to put a new steering rack on. ball joints make popping sound and steering is jumpy causing the vehicle to veer in unpredictable directions. chrysler won't stand behind and wants $$$ to fix. doesn't seem that ball joints should wear so quickly. *ak

Front suspension has wobble. front tires showed sign of wear on the outside edge within 18k miles. performed an alignment at 24000 miles. front end of the durango still has steering wheel wobble at 60 mph at 40k miles. issue seems similar to nhtsa action number pe03032. have not had the front end suspension looked at, and the car is out of warranty.*ak

Failure of upper ball-joint on passenger side of 2001 dodge durango.*ak

On occasion when i am turning sharp the front suspension will pop. i have heard this sound ever since the vehicle was purchased (new). the service facility at the dodge dealer was unable to find anything wrong.*ak

As i was going down a counry road, for some unknown reason i lost control of my durango, went off the road and ran into a dirt/rock embankment. when pulling my durango back up on the road, found my tire was flat and the rim had split in half. in half like if you were holding it up on it's edge (not lying it down) and cut it in half. when i took it to the dealer ship and they had a representitive come out they said there was nothing they could do!!! i've talked to many people and mechanics and they said they have never seen anything like that. it's as almost as it was welded wrong. the crysler corp. would not help me in any way. i had to turn it into my insurance company. i still believe that there was something wrong with my durango. whether it be a faulty rim or possibly the ball joints. i've now been reading more and more about these durango and am still not satisfied with the crysler corp. s decision.*ak