1999 DODGE DAKOTA Complaints

MY 1999 DODGE DAKOTA HAS ABOUT 31,000 MILES ON IT. THE BALL JOINTS ARE BAD. CAN'T BE PROPERLY ALIGNED WITHOUT NEW ONES. RUINING BRAND NEW TIRES. CHRYSLER NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ON INTERNET WEB SITES. SAFETY IS AT STAKE. *JB

THE STEERING FELT LOOSE WHEN DRIVING OVER BUMPS IN THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THE LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB THE MECHANIC CONTACTED THE CONSUMER'S INSURANCE COMPANY AND RECEIVED AUTHORIZATION TO REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT LOWER BALL JOINTS. PRIOR TO THE BALL JOINTS BEING REPLACED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE FOR LOOSE STEERING, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *NM

BALL JOINT REPLACEMENT. I AM ON MY THIRD SET OF BALL JOINT ON 1999 DODGE DAKOTA 4 BY 4. WITH THE 5.2 LITER V8. LAST YEAR AT ANNUAL INSECTION AND AGAIN THIS YEAR AT ANNUAL INSPECTION. *AK

EXCESSIVE ENGINE KNOCK.PPER BALL JOINT FAILURE.NADEQUATE HEADLIGHT PROJECTION ON LOW BEAM. *AK

PULSATING, SHAKING IN BRAKE. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE ROTORS AND PADS NUMEROUS TIMES. PADS AND ROTORS NEVER SEEM TO LAST AS LONG AS THEY SHOULD. I HAVE REPLACED MY STOCK ROTORS WITH CROSS DRILLED ROTORS, AND THAT SEEMED TO HELP FOR A LITTLE WHILE. EVENTUALLY THEY WARPED AS WELL. *AK

OWN A 19'99 DAKOTA EXT CAB 4X4, 5.2L. 52K MILES. UPON INSPECTION OF BALL JOINTS THERE IS STARTING TO BE SOME LOOSNESS, BUT ARE STILL WITHIN SPEC. THERE IS UNUSAL NOISES COMING FROM THE FRONT END WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS, INDICATING SOME TYPE OF LOOSENESS. ALL 4 JOINTS ARE LEAKING GREASE INDICATING FAILURE COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN WITHIN THE NEXT 10K MILES WHICH WOULD PUT IT IN THE RANGE OF OTHER FAILED TRUCKS.*AK

WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER HEARD POPPING SOUNDS COMING FROM THE WHEEL AREA. DURING AN INSPECTION, THE MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE UPPER BALL JOINTS WERE SEVERELY WORN. *AK *SC *JB

EVERY TIME I USED THE LIGHTER THE FUSE WOULD BLOW, MY RADIO WOULD FAIL AND I WOULD HAVE TROUBLES WITH MY WIPERS. I CHECKED ALL FUSES AND DIDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. ALL OF A SUDDEN MY HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT AND ONCE IN A WHILE IF I CLICK MY HIGH BEAMS ON AND OFF THE DRIVING HEADLIGHTS WILL EVENTUALLY COME BACK ON. I WAS IN NORTHERN MAINE AND I LOST MY POWER STEERING. I HAD TO WALK THROUGH THE WOODS TO A CABIN I COULD SEE HAD ITS HOUSE LIGHT ON AND KNOCK ON THE DOOR FOR HELP. ONCE MY TRUCK WAS FREED FROM BEING STUCK I HAD TO DRIVE 3 MILES BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN W/NO POWER STEERING. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE LOCAL DEALER THEY SHOWED ME THAT THERE WAS SOME LONG SILVER ROD LIKE THING, WHICH HAD JUST BROKEN IN HALF!! I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT BECAUSE IT WAS STILL COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. A WHILE LATER, MY BRAKE SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $800. I SAID I JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY AT THAT TIME. LEE DODGE OF WESTBROOK MAINE CALLED AND SAID THEY COULD FIX THE PROBLEM FOR $150! I HAD AN ACCIDENT ABOUT JANUARY 2001 AND MY AIRBAG DID NOT GO OFF. I WAS RUN OFF THE ROAD IN A SNOWSTORM AND HIT A TREE. THIS PAST JUNE MY TRUCK WENT IN TO BE INSPECTED AND I WAS TOLD MY UPPER CONTROL ARMS AND BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED!! EVEN I KNEW THAT AT 44K OR SO MILES IT WAS FAR TOO SOON FOR ME TO NEED THOSE PARTS REPLACED. I LIVE ON A FIXED INCOME BECAUSE I AM DISABLED. WHEN I WENT TO PICK UP MY TRUCK MY PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WOULD NO LONGER CLOSE CORRECTLY, MY HOOD WOULD NO LONGER OPEN AND THE HEADLIGHT PROBLEM BECAME MUCH WORSE. BEFORE I HAD THE CHANCE TO HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT, I HAD AN ACCIDENT. I HAD PULLED OUT OF MY DRIVE AND MY BOYFRIEND PULLED OUT AFTER ME IN MY BROTHER?S CAR. WHEN HE PULLED OUT OF A DRIVE, I WENT TO PULL UP ALONG SIDE HIM, MY TIRES WERE SPINNING ON PILES OF WET LEAVES, MY WHEEL WOULD NOT RESPOND, MY GAS AND MY BRAKE WOULD NOT RESPOND. I HAD BOTH FEET ON THE FLOOR NOT EITHER GAS OR BRAKE... THE TRUCK THEN THRUST FORWARD AND HIT MY BROTHER?S CAR!

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2003 THE RIGHT FRONT SUSPENSION BEGAN MAKING CREAKING SOUNDS ANYTIME THE TRUCK WENT OVER A BUMP. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED FULLY TO THE LEFT, THE RIGHT FRONT SUSPENSION MAKE A LOUD CLUNCH SOUND JUST PRIOR TO HITTING THE WHEEL TURN STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS LOOKED AT BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND HE DETERMINED THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS ON THE RIGHT FRONT WERE FAILING. HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE LEFT UPPER BALL JOINT ALSO HAD SOME MOVEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN LOOKED AT BY THE LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY DETERMINED THAT ONLY THE RIGHT SIDE UPPER AND LOWER CONTROL ARMS AND BALL JOINTS NEEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND REPAIRS WERE MADE. TWO WEEKS LATER I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SHOWED THEM THE MOVEMENT ON THE LEFT SIDE. THAT SIDE WAS THEN REPLACED.

I HAVE EXPERIENCED CLANKING AND FRONT END JUMPING WHEN MAKING TURNS IN THE FRONT END OF MY 1999 DODGE DAKOTA. THIS WAS PRESENTED, WHICH WAS ADRESSED BY ROTATING AND BALANCING THE FRONT AND BACK TIRES COME TO FIND OUT IT WAS MY UPPER BALL JOINTS IN MY SUSPENSION !!!!!!!! DUE TO THE MILAGE PUT ON MY FRONT TIRES, ABNORMAL WEAR HAS OCCURED DUE TO THE SUSPENSION. I MUST ALSO REPLACE THE DAMAGED TIRES CAUSED BY A DODGE DEFECT!!!!!!! I AM ALSO SUSPECTING EXCESSIVE BRAKE WEAR IN THE FRONT END DUE TO THIS.