Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint problems of the 2007 Dodge Dakota

2007 Dodge Dakota with 63700 miles had tie rod end failure causing steering and controll problems. Had this failure occurred at highway speed there could have easily been a serious and possibly deadly event. I had the problem repaired and contacted Dodge about this. Dodge covered all expenses ($265. 00) at 65500 miles I took the truck in for inspection because it was pulling to the right. The mechanic found a nail in the right front tire which caused the pulling problem but futher inspection revealed that both the upper and lower ball joints on the right and left sides were noticably worn. I then took the truck to my local Dodge dealer where their inspection confirmed the previous findings. At both inspections I was told that the tie rod end failure and the ball joint problem had most likely occurred because these joints had no grease fittings for lubrication. I called Dodge to see if they would repair the ball joint issue and they refused. I think that had these joints come with grease fittings these issues (tie rod ends and ball joints) would not be a problem at 60000+ miles under normal conditions. Quote for repairs at dosge dealer $1451. 00.

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Dakota. While driving approximately 35 mph on normal road conditions, the vehicle began to vibrate excessively without warning. The contact heard a loud noise coming from the tires and the ride performance was very poor. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they stated that the failure was related to the front lower ball joints. The vehicle was repaired under the service warranty and all four tires were replaced. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer on a separate occasion for the identical failure; however, the parts were unavailable and placed on a massive back order. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 19,000 and current mileage was 29,000.