Problems with 2003 Dodge Durango WHEELS

Hub or ball joints

The spare tire winch on my vehicle failed and the spare tire fell to the pavement. in my case i was fortunate to be in a parking lot when it happened and there was no accident. if this had happened on the highway an accident would have almost surely resulted. the spare tire on these vehicles is quite large and heavy and could cause a large number of possible outcomes if hit at highway speeds. the spare tire winch uses a stranded steel cable to lift and lock the spare tire up against the bottom of the vehicles frame. this stranded steel cable failed right where it passed through the center of the rim. this stranded steel cable is going to fail eventually on every dodge truck that used this design of winch. everyone will eventually fail. chrysler has used this design in literally hundreds of thousands of vehicles over the years since the 90s or before. it amazes me that there has been no accidents or fatalities resulting from the failure of the winch. an internet search showed many instances of the spare tire falling from the vehicle due to the cable failing.

Turning into a parking lot and the front passenger side tire fell off. 1260.00. *tr

Hit a severe bump in road which broke the steel cable that holds the spare tire under the car body. cable was likely corroded. tire discharged from under the vehicle, struck pavement, and bounced 15-20 feet into the air repeatedly nearly striking the vehicle following me. luckily tire ended up in ditch before causing accident. retaining clamp is lost. suspect the potential for this situation exists with any durango or dakota of this vintage. *tr

2003 dodge durango. consumer writes in regards to vehicle front left wheel came off while driving. *smd when the vehicle was put on a flat bed and delivered to the repair shop, he was informed the axle had no way to lubricate the wheel assembly and so when it was dry, it severed itself from the front end.

I noticed my tires were not wearing evenly and i felt and heard a "clunk" noise every time i back out of my parking spot at work. the dealership inspected and said that the upper and lower ball joints of the right and left wheels of my 2003 dodge durango must be replaced. i see there are recalls for all previous year durangos but not the 2003??? the dealership refused to pay for my replacement. i replaced the left side as they were actually broke, my right side still needs to be replaced and are loose and near failure. i request that dodge reimburse me for the repair as well as replace for free the right side. i would also like two new tires as they now need to be replaced due to the uneven wear and tear. *tr

2003 dodge durango has a problem with the lug nuts stamped stainless cover. *nj the consumer stated while driving, the right front tire shredded. all of the lug nuts came off, except one. when the consumer applied additional pressure on the lug wrench, to break it loose, the stamped stainless decorative cap twisted off. he was unable to get it back into place, so that the 19mm lug wrench would work. the consumer replaced all of the lug nuts. *jb

The center wheel caps come off while driving. the caps do not fit tight on the wheels. i can remove the caps easily only using my fingers.

Dt: wheels- anytime while driving and turning the wheels, they were clanking and making noise on both front tires. the noise started to get louder. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for service, and the service department found that the bolts were actually coming apart on both tires on the rocker arms. consumer had the wheels repaired. also, vehicle was having problems in moving from park to reverse, and with the gas tank. there was a puncture in the gas tank was leaking gas everywhere. the service dealer suggested to the owner, that she may have punctured the gas tank while driving. the durango is currently in the shop again awaiting the second repair.*ak

When driving my 2003 durango at times it feels like the front wheels are locking up and the truck begins shaking badly. i have had it in the dealership and they say they can't find anything wrong. i also have been hearing strange noise from the front right right tire well. also, my glovebox started hanging down and when i asked the dealership to fix it they charged me and told me that the warranty would not cover it. we don't use the glove box, so the problem was not caused by misuse. at 20,000 miles the warranty should have covered the problem because it is obviously a defective part.*ak

The front tire on my dodge durango is messed up. it gets stuck sometimes when i'm trying to turn. the shop that i took it to said that the ball joint in the front tire is bad. they told me that they have heard of a lot of durangos that were having the same problems. they also said that my tires are being worn down because of the turn of the wheel. i had to buy a whole new set of tires also. it was very expensive for all the things i had to have done. i saw a website about it so i decided to report mine. something needs to be done before somebody gets killed. please recall these vehicles so the world won't lose any of it's precious life. my kids lives are very important to me, and i don't want to lose them because of a faulty part in my car. please consider the facts about taking huge risks by not getting all these durangos fixed.*ak

I have a 2003 dodge durango with about 30,000 miles on it and the problem i am having is the center cap on the wheel is coming off when the car is being driven. at first i thought maybe somebody was stealing them but i now know that isn't true. after i lost two of them i decided to check them every time i get in or out of the car. yesterday i had to go to the doctor, so before i got into the car i looked to make sure that the two center caps that were left was still in their places of which they were. when i arrived at the doctor i checked again and this time i was missing one on the rear driver side. i did not stop anywhere so i know that it had to come off while i was driving. i also called the dealer parts person to find out if they had replacements and how much they were and he told me that he has been having a run on them and that either somebody must be collecting them or they were defective. i know that somebody will get hurt badly if they get hit by one of these, especially if the person is driving at a high rate of speed. i don't know where to go from here and am hoping that you may be able to help me out. thankyou, larry occhipinti ...