1998 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

BALL JOINTS HAVE BEGUN TO FAIL..ONLY 64,000 MILES ON VEHICLE...57,000 AT THE TIME PROBLEM STARTED...KNOW THERE IS A RECALLL FOR 2000 AND HIGHER MODELS...BUT FEAR THIS IS A BIGGER PROBLEM THAN KNOWN IN EARLIER MODELS AS WELL....DEALER WILL FIX, BUT NOT PAY, AND HAVE NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THERE IS SUCH AN EARLY FAILURE.....ALSO HAVE NOTICED FROM YOUR SITE THAT THERE WERE OTHER RECALLS....DID NOT KNOW OF THESE...WILL TRY TO HAVE DEALER FIX THESE......AND CHECK ON MY 4 BALL JOINTS.

WHILE MAKING A TURN THE TIRE RUBBED THE WHEEL WELL. *NM THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE BALL JOINTS WERE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *TC *JB

MY UPPER BALL JOINTS HAD TO BE REPLACED IN MY 1998 DODGE DAKOTA AT 56,000 MILES. WHY ARE THE 98 AND 99 DODGE DAKOTA'S NOT BEING COVERED UNDER THE SAME RECALL. THAT IS UN-ACCEPTABLE AS THEY HAVE THE EXACT SAME BALL JOINT IN THEM. *JB

1998 DODGE DAKOTA, CURRENT MILEAGE:426,000. HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ALL CONTROL ARMS TWICE. BALL JOINTS UNAVAILABLE, REQUIRING ENTIRE A-ARM REPLACEMENT. BUMMER. *JB

MY 1998 DODGE DAKOTA 4X2 PICKUP HAS 74000 MILES ON IT. THE TRUCK RECENTLY DEVELOPED A LOUD SQUEAK IN THE AREA AROUND THE FRONT DRIVER'S-SIDE WHEEL. THIS SQUEAK WAS TRACED TO THE SWAY BAR AND ANTI-SWAY ROD. THE BUSHINGS IN THIS AREA OF THE TRUCK ARE POORLY DESIGNED AND PRONE TO FAILURE. A CHECK OF A DAKOTA OWNERS' FORUM (WWW.DODGEDAKOTAS.COM) LISTS MANY DAKOTA OWNERS HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. WHAT CAN HAPPEN WITH A SWAY BAR THAT FAILS DUE TO THIS TYPE OF BEARING FAILURE? THE VEHICLE CAN BECOME UNSTABLE DURING TURNS. THIS CAN LEAD TO ROLLOVERS, INJURY AND DEATH. THIS IS AN UNSAFE AND COMMON FAILURE ON THIS VEHICLE. *JB

1998 DODGE DAKOTA. I PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES FROM A GOODYEAR DEALER. THEY TOLD ME AT THIS TIME THAT ALL FOUR BALL JOINTS WERE EXTREMELY BAD. ONE UPPER BALL JOINT HAD ABOUT AN INCH TO AN INCH AND A QUARTER. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED AT MY EXPENSE TO THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED TO TRUCK AND AN EXTENDED WARRANTE. PERVIOUS TO THIS, I HAD BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT A LOUD THUMPIONG SOUND COMING FROM THE PASSENGER FRONT. (THIS TURNED OUT TO BE THE WORSE BALL HJOINT FOUND). THE DEALER KEPT TELLING ME THAT ALL MY SUSPENSION AND BALL JOINTS WERE FINE. THE SOUND CONTINUED AND I REPEATEDLY BOUGHT THE TRUCK BACK COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS SOUND. THE LAST TIME, PRIOR TO MY GETTING NEW TIRES WHICH WERE ROTATED EVERY OTHER OIL CHANGE, I WAS CHARGED A ROAD TEST FEE AND TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. AFTER THE NEW TIRES WERE INSTALLED AND THE TRUCK BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER, I WAS TOLD THAT THEIR 'FRONT END EXPERT' FOUND ONE LOWER BALL JOINT (PASSENGER SIDE) THAT HAS A SMALL AMOUNT OF PLAY IN IT. IT WAS REPLACED. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK DIRECTLY BACK TO GOODYEAR FOR THE ALIGNMENT AND THEY CALLED ME INTO THE SERVICE AREA WHERE THEY SHOWED ME AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF PLAY IN THE RIGHT UPPER BALL JOINT AND AN MORE THAN NORMAL AMOUNT OF PLAY IN THE LEFT UPPER JOINT. THE LOWER JOINT HAD A GREASE FITTING AND DID NOT REVEAL THAT MUCH PLAY THIS TIME BECAUSE THE DEALER AND DONE A LUBE, OIL AND FILTER CHANGE WHILE THE TRUCK WAS THERE FOR THE BALL JOINT WORK. I NOW SEE THAT THE NHTSA AND ASKED FOR A RECALL ON THE DODGE VECHILES STARTING FROM THE YEAR 2000. MY TRUCK IS A 1998 AND CERTAINLY FITS THE DESCRIPTION OF THE OTHER RECALLED VECHILES.*AK

LOWER BALL JOINT FAILURE IN 1998 DODGE DAKOTA 4WD. QUERY: WHY ISN'T THE RECALL RE. BALL JOINTS COVERING DAKOTAS MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO 2000? MINE EXPERIENCED LOWER BALL JOINT FAILURE AT 30,000 MILES AND I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THERE IS A DESIGN DEFECT THAT WILL CAUSE REPEATING BALL JOINT FAILURE. NOW I AM INFORMED THERE IS A RECALL OF 2000-2004 MODELS WITH A SIMILAR DEFECT, BECAUSE WHEELS HAVE COME OFF. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE COMPREHENSIVELY ADDRESSED TO INCLUDE PRIOR MODEL YEAR PROBLEMS. MOST OF THESE VEHICLES ARE STILL ON THE ROAD ! *AK

THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO, AND IN SUPPORT OF, THE RECCOMMENDED RECALL OF DODGE DAKOTAS. I HAVE A 1998 DAKOTA AND RECENTLY HAD WORK DONE (JULY '04) ON THE FRONT BALL JOINTS AND TIE RODS. AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF POPPING NOISES FROM THE FRONT END WHEN BACKING OUT AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AND A DEFINITE FEELING OF LOOSE SUSPENSION ON TURNS I TOOK IT TO THE DODGE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR. THEY TOLD ME THE TRUCK WAS NOT DRIVEABLE. THE BALL JOINTS AND TIE RODS WERE BOTH FAILING AND I WAS WARNED HAD I CONTINUED DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION I WOULD HAVE HAD A MAJOR ACCIDENT. THIS, AFTER HAVING THE SAME SYMPTOMS, BUT DIFFERENT REPAIRS MADE BY A DIFFERENT DEALER, A YEAR PRIOR. THE VEHICLE HAD ONE PREVIOUS OWNER AND 61,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I BOUGHT IT IN LATE 2002. I PUT ON MAYBE 10,000 MILES BEFORE THE FIRST INCIDENT AND ONLY A FEW THOUSAND MORE BEFORE THE SECOND INCIDENT. I FEEL THIS VEHICLE IS NOT ONLY UNSAFE, BUT POORLY MANUFACTURED AND HAVE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER WITH MY CONCERNS. I FEEL THE SUGGESTED RECALL SHOULD INCLUDE THE YEARS PRIOR TO THOSE RECCOMMENDED (2000-2003). I HAVE HAD TWO AUTHORIZED DODGE DEALERS PERFORM TWO SETS OF REPAIR TO THE AMOUNT OF NEARLY $3000.00. THIS IS NEARLY THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE AND IT'S NOT EVEN PAID OFF YET.*AK

I'VE SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT ABOUT MY PLIGHT PREVIOUSLY BUT I HAVE ANOTHER EPISODE TO REPORT. MY FIRST COMPLAINT (LAST YEAR) DETAILED PROBLEMS WITH MY 98' DODGE DAKOTA TRUCK. THE BALL JOINTS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE SUBSTANDARD TO SAY THE LEAST AND ARE ACTUALLY DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS. MY TRUCK HAS LESS THAN 70000 HIGHWAY MILES ON IT AND I HAVE REPLACED TWO BALL JOINTS ALREADY (AS NOTED IN MY PREVIOUS COMPLAINT) AND NOW A THIRD IS FAILING AND IN NEED OF REPAIR. YOU MAY ASK HOW I KNOW IT FAILING WHEN I HAVEN'T HAD IT REPAIRED YET?... BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENED SO MANY TIMES BEFORE AND I KNOW THE SYMPTOMS. THAT MAKES 3/4 OF THE BALL JOINTS ON THE FRONT OF THIS TRUCK THAT WILL HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. I WAS ELATED TO SEE WHERE THE NHTSA HAS REQUESTED CHRYSLER TO RECALL THE DAKOTA AND DURANGO AS A RESULT OF THESE BALL JOINT FAILURES. I WAS EQUALLY DISMAYED TO SEE THAT IT ONLY COVERED 2000-2003!!!! WHY?!!! AS YOU READ ABOVE, MY TRUCK HAS FAILED EQUALLY IF NOT WORSE THAN THE MODELS THE NHTSA RECOMMENDED BE RECALLED. NUMNEROUS WEB SITES ARE FILLED WITH COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE SAME ISSUES ON VEHICLES THAT ARE OLDER THAN 2000. I SUSPECT IT HAS TO DO WITH MONEY = ANYTHING MORE THAN 4 MODEL YEARS AND CHRYSLER WILL START SCREAMING. IF THE FAILING BALL JOINTS ARE DANGEROUS ON THE 2000-2003 MODELS, THEN THE SAME FAILING BALL JOINTS ARE DANGEROUS ON THE OLDER MODELS TOO. PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY MY SAFETY IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN THOSE WITH TRUCKS TWO YEARS NEWER THAN MINE. THANK YOU.*AK

THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS WORE OUT COMPLETELY AT 27,000 MILES. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT A CONSISTENT RATTLING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT STEERING SUSPESION AREA. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE PLAY INSIDE THE BALL JOINT WAS SEVERE. *TC