1999 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR AN INSPECTION. DURING THE INSPECTION CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT ALL FOUR BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, WHO INSISTED THAT ONLY THE 2000 THROUGH 2003 VEHICLES WERE BEING RECALLED. *AK

I BOUGHT A 1999 DODGE DURANGO IN FEBRUARY 2004 AND HAD HEARD ABOUT THE FRONT BALL JOINT PROBLEMS THAT THEY WERE HAVING WITH THE DURANGOS AND DAKOTAS. I HAD THEM CHECKED AT A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND SURE ENOUGH BOTH THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS ON BOTH SIDES WERE IN SERIOUS NEED OF BEING REPLACED. I CHECKED WITH THE DODGE COMPANY AND WAS TOLD THAT THE BALL JOINTS WERE UNDER INVESTIGATION AND WOULD SOON BE RECALLED. I HAD THE JOINTS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE AND WAS AMAZED AT THE DIFFERENCE I FELT WHEN I GOT IN TO DRIVE THE DURANGO THE FIRST TIME. THE WHOLE FRONT END FELT ALOT MORE SOLID. I DIDN'T WAIT TILL THE WHEELS FELL OFF LIKE MY FRIEND'S DURANGO. I HAVE CHILDREN AND WAS WORRIED THAT THEY WOULD GET SERIUOSLY INJURED SO I HAD THEM REPLACED WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT IF A RECALL WAS MADE, I WOULD GET REIMBURSED THE COST. THE 2000-2003 DURANGOS & DAKOTAS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS EXACT REASON. *AK

FAILED FRONT UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS AT 70,000. MY MECHANIC SYAS THAT IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, AS THE WHEELS COULD FALL OFF. HE ALSO STATES THAT THE BALL-JOINTS SHOULD NEVER BE TOTALLY WORN AT ONLY 70,000 MILES. THERE IS A RBALL-JOINT RELATED RECALL FOR ALL 2000 - 2004 MODEL YEAR DURANGO'S, BUT MINE IS A 1999. DODGE/CHRYSLER HAVE BEEN LESS THAN COOPERATIVE. I SEE MANY, MANY OTHER 199 DURANGO OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND AM LOOKING FOR SOME RECOURSE/COMPENSETORY RESPONSE FROM DODGE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK

VEHICLE WAS MAKING A LOUD NOISE FROM THE FRONT. IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND THE UPPER BALL JOINTS WERE DEFECTIVE. THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE BALL JOINT NHTSA RECALL. *AK

THE FRONT END MADE A BANGING SOUND. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE UPPER BALL JOINTS WERE DEFECTIVE. THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE BALL JOINT NHTSA RECALL 04V596000. *AK

99 MY DODGE DURANGO. WITH 54,000 MILES, UPPER BALL JOINTS ON BOTH SIDES WERE WORN EXCESSIVELY, ESPECIALLY PASSENGER SIDE. BECAUSE OF MY CONCERN ABOUT THE DANGER OF BALL JOINT SEPARATION AND BECAUSE MY WIFE AND CHILDREN USE THIS VEHICLE, I REPLACED ALL OF THE BALL JOINTS. MY 99 HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECENTLY RECALLED VEHICLES, BUT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. BALL JOINTS SHOULD NOT WEAR OUT WITH ONLY 54,000 MILES. I HAVE SAVED THE OLD PARTS.*AK

OUR TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT TO 3RD GEAR,REMOVED,REBUILT AND RE-INSTALL, EXCHANGED TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDED, REPLACED ALL SOLENOIDS AND SWITCH 12/31/04 STARTED AROUND 80,000 MILES. WORK DONE @ 80751. I AM ONE OF 3 PEOPLE THAT I KNOW WHO HAVE (OR HAD) A 99 DURANGO ON MY SONS HOCKEY TEAM, ALL HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH TRANNY, 1 AT 64,000 MILES, FIXED AND TRADED, OTHER HAS SAME SYMPTOMS AS OURS, HAS 72,000 MILES.-- ONLINE STORIES SEEM TO INDICATE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM, TRANSMISSION SHOP SAID SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON WITH EARLY MODELS TRANNY 42RE?--DATE OF BUILD 9/98-- VIN#1B4HS28Y3X535962-- NOT TO MENTION THE NEW "0 OIL PRESSURE" READING THAT HAPPENED THIS PAST W/E, WHICH SEEMS TO BE POPPING UP, WILL CLEAN PAN AND REPLACE PVC TO SEE IF THAT PROBLEM IS SOLVED AS RESEARCH INDICATES, AND LAST BUT LEAST- BALL JOINTS---AND NEW TIRES WILL BE NEEDED DUE TO UNEVEN INSIDE WEARING, EVEN IF "ROTATED" EVERY 7500 MILES. LONG TERM CHRYSLER OWNER, ALL VEHICLES OVER 125 K MILES, NEVER A PROBLEM--WHAT RECOURSE/SATISAFACTION IS THERE FOR THIS ?*JB

FAILURE OF FRONT SUSPENSION UPPER BALL JOINTS. I HAD BOTH REPLACED ALONG WITH THE LOWER BALL JOINTS BY A REPAIR FACILITY OTHER THAN THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM EARLIER. I FOUND THE PROBLEM SIMPLY BY RAISING THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE AND VISUALLY INSPECTING THE JOINTS. *JB

WE HAVE REPLACED AT LEAST TWO COMPLETE SETS OF BALL JOINTS ON OUR 1999 DODGE DURANGO IN THE LAST 5 YEARS. *JB

ON 10-1-04, MY 1999 DODGE DURANGO, 4WD, HAD TO HAVE THE BALL JOINTS REPLACED WITH ONLY 72,500 MILES. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE BALL JOINTS WERE NOT HEAVY DUTY ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE. I HAD EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND BAD SHIMMY IN THE FRONT END. I PAID TO HAVE THE REPAIR DONE ON 10-1-04. *JB