Front Suspension Upper Ball Joint problems of the 2000 Dodge Dakota - part 2

Recall campaign 04v596000 concerning ball joint wear. Unable to get the dealer to honor the recall. Consumer stated, it has been over three months.

While making a left turn, the right front passenger tire fell off. After towing the vehicle it was discovered that ball joints were defective. The mechanic stated that the problem was the upper ball joint.

My wife drives a 2000 Dodge Dakota club cab 2 wheel drive I drive a 1999 Dakota 2 wheel drive. For months my wife's truck had a popping noise from the left front end it was examined and nothing was found wrong we kept driving it,the popping got much worse and the steering wheel would jerk to the left. On one occasion we heard a much louder pop we pulled back in the driveway I jacked up the front left of the truck to look under, once the weight came off the front end side, the whole wheel fell to the ground. After examination I found that the upper arm ball joint assembly had separated. The socket was rusted very worn,and did not conform to the ball. The ball was very worn rusted and miss shaped the rubber boot was worn and pieces missing. The ball joint assembly was replaced (we kept the old part)my 1999 Dakota exhibits the same problem as my wife's and continues to get worse. We are still hearing a popping noise from my wife's truck the same as before. We had heard of this problem a year ago on cbs news and contacted daimler Chrysler many times and have not heard back. On 12-9-04 the federal gov. Ordered a recall,on 2000-2003 durangos 4x4 and Dakotas with 4 wheel drive. Our trucks are 2 wheel drive and prove that the problem exists on other non 4 wheel drive trucks.

Upper ball joints prematurely wore out. Fell apart during changing of ball joints.

Email consumer letter add to odi number 10051116 regarding upper ball joints on 2000 Dodge Dakota. The consumer stated his vehicle exhibited a popping noise.

I have a 2000 ddge Dakota & went to get a tire fixed & learned that my front tires are about to fall off!!! I had no idea that the upper ball joints were bad! then I found out that a recall may be issued for these concidering how many have went bad!!! I am just very lucky that my 2 infant children were not injured in an accident do to a falty part that has not been recalled yet! is there going to be a recall???.

While driving at 20 mph out of a driveway right front wheel detached from the vehicle and rolled down the road. Vehicle was damaged on the bumper and the under carriage.

Both upper ball joints are loose requiring replacement.

2000 Dodge Dakota 78200 miles front right tire shimmied/shook at speeds from 40 mph on up. No noise or popping sounds heard. Front end would jump around if a pot hole was hit going around a turn. Took truck in for alignment & tire balancing. Service tech found upper right ball joint was worn out. Had ball joints replaced. Tech removed boot from ball joint and found that no lubricant was present in the sealed boot, and that joint was loose.

I was going down the highway, doing about 60 mph when the right upper ball joint on my 2000 Dodge Dakota failed causing the whole tire assembly to fall off. The truck started to spin across three lanes off traffic, the truck started to turn on its side until it hit the guard rail causing it to land on the three tires that were left on the truck. After taking the truck to the body shop there was a total of $11,000. 00 damage done to the truck, as of right now it is still in the shop getting fixed.

2000 Dodge Dakota sport 49,000 miles, need both upper ball joints replaced. Upon hearing about this problem, I took it into the dealer to have it checked prior to going on a trip. After the dealer looked at the truck, they said the right wheel was about ready to fall off and the left was bad as well. They said they would not drive it across town. They provided me a car to drive until they fix it. Dodge needs to perform a recall on these and fix the problem for good. I'm am concerned that it will just happen again later, just like some of the other reports of needing replacement multiple times. If they don't do a recall, it will not only effect my wallet, but also future buying decisions. I want a company to stand behind their product. I think the resale value would also be effected if a recall is not done.

Upper ball joints wore out prematurely.

2000 quad cab 4 x 4 Dakota. I bought the Dakota used with 59,000 miles. Shortly after the front end began to squeak and clunk. A dealership diagnosised the problem to be the upper ball joints. This is aweful early to have ball joint failures. I had the ball joints replaced for $360. The service manager also informed me that daimlerchrysler is aware of the problem but will not issue a recall because they do not believe it to be a safety issue. If an upper ball joint fails, then it will seperate from the knuckle. The knuckle holds the wheel in place. So, if the ball joint fails there as high probability that the wheel will come off.

While the tires were being rotated mechanic found that the upper ball joints wore out prematurely. Mechanic informed the consumer about the upper ball joints, and recommended that vehicle should not be driven.

Upper ball joints failed.

"clunking noise" coming from front of auto when driving over uneven surfaces/bumps. Front right wheel assembly detached from vehicle at upper ball joint. Lower ball joint remained attached. All four ball joints replaces. Right brake line replaced. Warned of damage to cv shaft, however dealer only replace outer cv boot.

Uneven wear of front tires prompted an alignment. During alignment inspection, upper ball joints were found to be "severely worn". Otherwise vehicle drove normal.

Most recent problem. Ront end: 1) "clunking" noises followed by front wheel assembly break. Front wheel assembly disengaged from vehicle while driving. Hostory of brake problems: 1) rear drums ineffective, and lock up under humid condition after sitting. 2) front rotors warped x2 occurences. Dealer replaced pads and rotors. Second incident "nott covered under warranty. " 3) front brake pads fall and wear diagonally resulting in ineffective braking. 4) generally poor and unresponsive braking.

Most recent problem. Front end: ) "clunking" noises followed by front wheel assembly break. Front wheel assembly disengaged from vehicle while driving. Hostory of brake problems: 1) rear drums ineffective, and lock up under humid condition after sitting. 2) front rotors warped x2 occurences. Dealer replaced pads and rotors. Second incident "nott covered under warranty. " 3) front brake pads fall and wear diagonally resulting in ineffective braking. 4) generally poor and unresponsive braking.

Right upper ball joint loose.

My 2000 Dodge Dakota truck had to have the upper right ball joint replaced. The truck has under 38,000 miles of light-duty use. This seems too early for this type of part failure. When will the other ball joints fail?.

During routine brake maintenance, dealership warned that upper ball joints are loose and upper control bushings are cracked and both are in urgent need of replacing. Vehicle mileage was at 55,746. Ball joints are supposed to last to 100,000 miles. Vehicle is secondary family vehicle and only driven freeway with no towing, heavy loads, or hauling. If vehicle was not maintained regularly this defect would have been missed and serious harm or death to pregnant wife, 7 year old, and myself would have occurred due to the nature and severity of defect.

I recently moved to misourri and took my truck in for the required safety inspection. I was told that my upper ball joint was wearing significantly.

While driving at 30 mph and without warning the front left wheel separated from the vehicle, the suspension collapsed completely, severing the body of the vehicle which collapsed to the ground. The towing mechanic determined that the upper ball joints wore out.

While driving 60 mph the vehicle would vibrate and pull to the right when the brakes were applied an independent shop determined that the upper ball joints needed to be replaced. The problem still exist.

Both upper ball joints on this truck have excessive play in them. Only 45,000 miles when problem began.

Dealership informed consumer that front upper ball joints were worn out. Consumer was not having any problems at this time. Dealership did not resolve the problem.

Dealership informed consumer that upper front ball joint were worn out. Consumer was not having any problems at this time. Dealership had not resolved the problem. Consumer received a copy of a consumer report regarding the problem with ball joints on vehicle, but manufacturer said they don't know about the existing problem.

Truck with 53,000 failed state inspection with a worn upper ball joint. It is possible to replace this part without the control arm, saving about $100 in repair costs. However, Dodge has these parts on backorder due to the high demand(coincidence??), resulting in a $300 repair bill for my truck to pass inpection. Recall anyone???.

Both upper ball joints on my truck are bad, the mechanic working on the vehicle said they could cause a wreck if they fail while I am driving the vehicle.

I live in massachusetts and I failled my yearly truck inspection because of a bad upper ball joint. I hace a 2000 Dodge Dakota quad cab and it is a 4 x 4. The truck has 33,900 miles on it. I have no recorce but to fix it since I need my vehicle to get back and forth to work. I also understand that Chrysler is having many problems with upper ball joints in their Dakota and durango line. If I pay out of pocket to have this problem fixed and then Chrysler decides to have a recall, would I get reinbursed from Chrysler? I was also informed that I need new front brake rotors. Is there something wrong with their rotors? thanks steve muzzy.

After hearing of the problems with upper ball joints, I pulled the right side upper ball joint loose and found extreme play in the joint. The dealership could not locate a joint for me anywhere in the state and determined that the joint was backordered by 3000. To get the ball joint I had to replace the whole upper control arm at the price of 175. 00. (part only) I removed the original control arm and cut away the rubber seal to find that the lower portion of the joint was fractured and the joint was worn to the point that it was about to fall apart. I believe that with some pressure I could pull the joint apart with my hands. What makes this problem so dangerous is that I had no pulling, tire wear, knocking, or creaking noises to alert me of this problem. If I had not taken a proactive look at this joint, it would definitely have come apart soon. I have saved the part and would be willing to ship it to anyone who would like to examine it. I have also ordered a left side ball joint to replace as soon as it is available. It is clear that this is a defective product and should be replaced by the manufacturer. Dodge should ignore the lawyers and step up to the plate to do what is right. It might just save a customer. Right now the new Ford truck is looking better than the Dodge for my next purchase.

The consumer took the vehicle to the garage for inspection and the mechanic determined that the upper ball joints failed. The upper ball joints were replaced twice at 30k miles. The service dealer and Chrysler told the consumer that there was no problems with the ball joints and there were no recalls.

I own a 2000 Dodge Dakota. I recently found out about the upper ball joint situation with these vehicles and decided to check mine. Both the passenger and driver side upper ball joints are toast. I don't know how long it has been like this. They shall be replaced immediately, though. I visited Dodgedakotas. Com and read about all of the other people that are having this same problem. It is ridiculous that Dodge knows that this is a problem but will let people drive around with bad suspension parts.

While driving the driver's side wheel fell off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined that the upper ball joints broke off. Please provide any additional information.