1999 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

1999 DODGE DAKOTA-UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS. NOTICE A CLANKING NOISE DURING ROUGH ROADS AND IN TURNS. IN ICY CONDITIONS, THE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE CAN BE POOR. PROLONGED WEAR CAN CAUSE THE ENTIRE WHEEL TO FALL OFF AT ANY SPEEDS. I HAVE BEEN ON MANY OTHER FORUMS TO SEE IF ANY ONE ELSE HAS HAD TO REPLACE THESE. IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY FREQUENT THING FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE TO REPLACE THESE. UPON REMOVAL OF THE BALL JOINTS, I DISCOVERED THAT THEY WERE MISSING ONE THING THAT KEEPS THEM FROM WEARING OUT....GREASE. NEW UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS ARE TO BE REPLACED ASAP BEFORE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OCCURS.*AK

(1) NORMAL ON-ROAD USE (2) PREMATURE BALL JOINT WEAR AND FAILURE CAUSING SUSPENSION NOISE, LOOSENESS AND DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS (3) BALL JOINTS REPLACED WITH QUALITY AFTERMARKET SUPPLIER PARTS (MOOG)

FAILING DODGE DAKOTA BALL JOINTS (BOTH UPPER AND LOWER). IN MID OCTOBER I HAD BOTH THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS REPLACED ON MY 1999 DODGE DAKOTA. THE MACHANIC INFORMED THE UPPER ONE WERE SHOT AND THE LOWER ONES WHERE STARTING TO GO. I KNOW THAT THERE MAY BE A RECALL IN THE FORSEABLE FUTURE, HOWEVER, I DO NOT THINK THE CONSUMERS SHOULD PAY THE BILL FOR AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW. LUCKLY I CAUGHT THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE WHEEL FELL OFF (I HAVE HEARD THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED). PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT THE STATUS OF THE 1999 DAKOTA BALL JOINTS. *AK

BALL JOINTS AND TIE RODS ARE DEFECTIVE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE. MY 1999 DODGE DAKOTA SPORT HAS 55,000 MILES. VIA INTERNET AND WORD OF MOUTH I HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF MANY OTHER DAKOTAS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MUCH LESS MILES.*AK

I HAD THE TELL-TALE SIGN OF POPPING SOUNDS IN THE FRONT END - ESPECIALLY WHEN TURNING. SURE ENOUGH, BOTH UPPER & LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE BAD. BOTH SIDES! GIVEN THE COST OF LABOR, I AM DOING IT MYSELF (IM A C MECHANIC PART-TIME). THE PLAY WAS SO BAD; FIRESTONE COULD NOT DO AN ALIGNMENT! I AM REPLACING ALL BALL JOINTS. HAVE RECEIPTS & SAVING ALL PARTS FOR ANY POSSIBLE INVESTIGATION BY NHTSA. I DID NOTICE, AFTER DOING 1 SIDE, THAT THE BALL JOINTS LOOK LIKE THE WEAR SURFACE INSIDE IS TOTALLY GONE! IT IS METAL-METAL CONTACT. THE UPPER JOINTS COME FROM THE FACTORY SEALED (LUBED FOR LIFE). SOME FLAKES OF PLASTIC DID FALL OUT OF THE UPPER BALL JOINT.*AK

THE VEHICLE'S UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 43,826 MILES. *BF

I HAVE HAD TO PREMATURELY REPAIR/REPLACE THE BALL JOINTS ON MY VEHICLE. I HAVE NOTED AN INORDINATELY LARGE NUMBER OF REPAIRS RELATED TO THIS ISSUE WHEN RESEARCHING THE REPAIR PROCESS ONLINE AND WITH MY DEALER. BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE, I HAVE HAD TO SEVERELY LIMIT MY USAGE OF THE VEHICLE UNTIL I CAN AFFORD THE LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY REQUIRED TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE. THIS PROBLEM WAS FIRST NOTED IN 2001, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD. SINCE THEN, I HAVE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE ONLY WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, AND IT HAS CAUSED UNJUST DISRUPTION IN MY PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE. I AM REQUESTING THAT THE NHTSA FOLLOW THROUGH WITH CONTACTING DAIMLER/CHRYSLER ON MY BEHALF SO THAT I MAY RECEIVE FINANCIAL COMPENSATION FOR THE REPAIR. TOTAL COST OF REPAIR IS $492. *NM

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF BRAKES REVEALED BALL JOINTS (LEFT AND RIGHT) NEEDED REPLACEMENT. SECOND OPINION WAS OBTAINED, WITH SAME OPINION WHILE ALSO STATING THAT VEHICLE WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. TRUCK HAS 44,000 MILES ON IT. *NM

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER NOTICED THAT VEHICLE WAS SWAYING BACK AND FORTH. CONSUMER PULLED OVER, AND NOTICED THAT DRIVER'S REAR TIRE BLEW OUT FROM THE SIDEWALL AND WAS CRACKED OPEN. ALL FOUR TIRES HAD STRESS MARKS LOCATED ON THE SIDEWALL. GOODYEAR, WRANGLER ST, P215/75R15, DOT# M6HFEYWR348 . SECOND SET, P215/75R15, DOT # M6HFEKER3800. *AK THE CONSUMER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM TWICE. THE SIDEWALL ON ALL FOUR TIRES SPLIT. *TC

FRONT TIRES WERE WEARING UNEVENLY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF UNEVEN WEAR OF THE TIRES. UPON INSPECTION OF THE TIRES DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS/TIE RODS, AND DRAG LINK WERE WORN OUT, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK *NM