Four problems related to steering tie rod assembly have been reported for the 2004 Dodge Dakota. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
While driving normally I noticed a knock in the front end while I just went down the street, thought it might be a ball joint or tie rod. Then one day while driving down the highway the steering became close to impossible. Very jerky and it felt gummy. I had the rack replaced as suggested by the "5-star dealer" and that only fixed the noise, not the steering issue. Read online about it being the intermediate steering shaft and u-joints, so I sprayed them with lubricant and am going to see how the truck runs later. Some of those engineers really need to design greased fittings into the vehicle.
After making a turn the driver's side tie rod separated from the steering link,both the tie rod and the steering link were stripped out,loss of steering luck would have it there was no traffic next to me and my speed was slow able to get vehicle off road with the passenger side steering still attached,had the truck towed to a shop where the link and the tie rod were replaced,after inspection the mechanic suggested the passenger side be done due to wear not as bad.
The tie rod on the passenger's side front suspension is separating from the steering rack. Tie rod boot is twisted and vehicle makes a loud knocking and clicking noise while turning. Dealer service mechanic stated the steering rack was separating and a gear box needed replacement as well. Failure of tie rod could result in steering failure and loss of vehicle control. Needs replacement, but was informed an entire steering rack and gear box must be replaced.
On July 30th 2005, 2004 Dodge Dakota tie rods pulled apart while making a turn from a complete stop. Truck has 14500 miles on it. Chrysler refuses to cover under warranty.