Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint problems of the 1997 Dodge Dakota - part 2

Have a 1997 Dodge Dakota 4 wheel drive, 5. 2l v8. Heard knocking sporadic noises in front suspension. Took it to Dodge dealership who informed me that ball joints need to be replaced. In doing some research this seems to be a serious and dangerous problem with Dakotas. If I wouldn't have taken mine in to be looked at, it could have resulted in a serious accident. I have ask Dodge for my old ball joints so that I can have them as evidence. Dodge is charging about $600 for the repair. It doesn't seem fair that Dodge is making money of the repair of a ball joint that shouldn't have needed it in the first place. Dodge should issue a service advisory and this type of repair should be handled free of charge.

The dealership refused to perform a front end alignment because the truck's upper and lower ball joints were worn.

The front tires experienced uneven tread wear. Dealership was unable to perform a front end alignment because all 4 ball joints wore out prematurely.

The contact stated dealer replaced both the upper and lower front control arm ball joints in 2003. Upon inspection this year it was discovered the ball joints needed to be replaced again. The vehicle had only accumulated 16,500 miles since they were last replaced. The first replacement was completed under warranty. The current replacement of the ball joint will be done at the contact's expense. He felt they were defective based on the limited mileage.

Lower ball joints had to be reply at 40000 miles also all rubber seals on top and on all steering arms are gone, truck had extended warranty but they would only reply the lower joints because they were ready to fail, warranty company would not replace upper ball joints or any of the steering assembly even though they are dry and will probably fail with-in the next 5000 miles/ truck had only 100 miles left on warranty. . . Also have had to have the catalitic converter repl 3 times.

Upper and lower ball joints needed replacement. (nar) the vehicle was taken to a tire service facility for a front end alignment due to noticeable right front tire wear. Once the technician looked at the vehicle he determined that the vehicles upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa taken to the dealer who indicated that the ball joints were within specs. The consumer had the ball joints replaced despite the dealer findings. The consumer request reimbursement from the manufacturer.

Mechanic noticed that upper and lower ball joints were bad, and needed to be replaced while performing a front end alignment.

We had to replace the ball joints on our '97 Dodge Dakota after 49,000 miles because it became dangerous to drive our truck. This also affected the wear of our tires which we had to replace at the same time. Also, the brakes have never worked right, they were replaced at just over 30,000 miles. We would like to be reimbursed for the defective ball joints we had replaced. Ideally, we'd like to also be compensated for the premature wear on the tires, but realize that might be asking too much. How do we find out how to become part of the class action suit against daimler-Chrysler? (it was still Dodge when we bought the Dakota) fortunately, my husband was aware of the danger the ball joints created and we had them replaced before an accident occurred. Help! thanks for your time.

Popping, grinding noise while turning and over bumps. Dodge inspected and replaced one upper ball joint and both lower ball joints and both inner tie rod ends.

Dealer replaced upper control arm and ball joints at 35000 miles, again was replaced at 80000. Dealer knew about the problems of the ball joints, but claimed they were still good and consumer could still drive although the ball joints were worn out prematurely.

I own a 1997 Dodge Dakota sport pickup. It is a 4x4 with a 318cid engine and auto. Trans. At about 35,000 miles, during a front end alignment, I had to replace the left upper ball joint. Having 25 years auto experience myself, this part was definitely bad and I replaced the whole upper control arm, as the ball joint alone was not available. Currently, at 84,000 miles, both lower ball joints are bad and have been replaced. This vehicle is not used much in off road conditions and then only on paved roads. This is premature part failure and a serious safety issue, as I drive at or above the poisted speed limits in my travels. Total failure of these parts would result in loss of control and an accident.

The upper and lower ball joints experienced premature wear. As a result, the ball joints produced a grinding noise. Please provide additional information.

While driving at any speed, the consumer heard a squeaking sound coming from the front end. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, who examined the front end. The dealer determined that the upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced.

Upper and lower ball joints have worn prematurely (36000 miles) and are very expensive to fix. Unfortunately, it's not safe to continue driving without replacing them. Dodge needs to get a handle on this before any accidents occur.

Upper ball joint wore out prematurely and needed replacement, per dealership. Vehicle was kept in the garage with only 50k miles and the consumer didn't understand why he had expensive failures.

1997 Dodge Dakota, VIN#1b7gg23y0vs109352: defective ball joints for the second time in 8000 miles. The first replacement was needed @ 30,000mi, but not done until 55,668mi. 2nd set wore beyond . 19" 8000mi later. Lithia Dodge's remarks: not life threatening, just keep them greased.

: the contact stated while traveling 60 mph, the steering became hard to control. The vehicle was driven to the dealership where it was determined the lower and upper ball joints needed to be replaced. There is a NHTSA recall, # 04v596000, regarding the upper ball joints. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however, it is not included in the recall due to the VIN.

Failure of upper ball joints at approx. 80000 miles. Failure identified because ofsevere front tire wear. Had upper ball joints replaced, but this did not correct tire wear. Took truck to another dealer, and they explained that I had to have the lower ball joints replaced also because "you never just replace the upper, you have to replace the lower one's also" this corrected the tire wear problems. The dates are estimates, I would have to search thru my records or the records of the Dodge dealers for exact dates. I keep all the paper work, so a search is available if needed. VIN is available, I just don't have it here at work.

On Feb. 21, 2005, was driving home from work with infant daughter. Realized something was not right and slowed to 2 mph in 1st gear. Came up on 9% grade with 4 s-type curves. Entered 1st curve at 2 mph, truck ran off road, could not keep it on road. Got it back on road only to completely lose control and ended up on other side of road in a parking area (stoped sideways). Truck was put on rollback and sent to ramey Dodge (princeton, wv) the next morning. They kept truck until that evening, could not find anything wrong. Parked truck until Friday 2/25/05, father took vehicle to another mechanic to have front end alignment. Was informed the wheels were ready to fall off and truck needed to be taken back to dealership on wrecker. My father drove the truck to princeton where he was told it needed upper and lower ball joints replaced on both sides. They kept my truck for almost a week. Total repair bill $811. 00. Dad did not get ball joints that were taken off. I called back to get them and was told they had disposed of them.

My 1997 Dodge Dakota has had to have both upper and lower ball joints replaced on both sides, twice since I bought the truck in 1999.

I've had to have the front end aligned twice now & upon having it in for the 3rd time, I was told that the lower right ball joint was out. This is why I've gone throw 2 sets of tires already, needing the 3rd set. I've had problems trying to find the ball joint. This is just one of the many problems I have had with my truck. The transmission still does not shift right. I've been told by 2 different dealers that I am in the computer so if anything does happen, it will be taken care of. I ran across a web site that discusses the problems other Dakota owners are experiencing & I know what they are going through. This is the 1st brand new vehicle I have ever owned & I've had more problems with it than I ever had any ot the others I have owned. ( dot number: tire size: p215/75r15 ).

The consumer's vehicle had the same ball joint problem as described in the ball joint recall for the 2000-2003 model years. The consumer wants to know why the 1997 model was excluded from the ball joint recall.

Premature wear of lower ball joints. Dealer has been notified.

Three incidents of lower ball joint failure. 1st failure at 16-17k miles, 2nd at 36k mi. These were covered under warranty by Dodge after some denial that there was a problem at all. 3rd failure at 60k mi. Dealer denies there is a problem with lower ball joints. Two independant repair shops have varified lower joints require replacement with one stating "vehicle should not be driven because of very worn condition of one ball joint!" upper ball joints are also worn and require replacement.

Front ball joints failed at 48,000 miles.

While having vehicle serviced technician determined upper and lower ball joints needed replacement.

Suspension lower ball joint failure.

At 27,000 miles the lower joints have been replaced five times cause unknown. Please give any further details.

While driving steering wheel is very loose. When riding over bumps in the road there is a rattling noise in the front end. Mechanic says there is excessive wear in the ball joints. The rubber boot on top of the ball joints were busted.