Steering Tie Rod Assembly problems of the 2008 Dodge Dakota

While driving the outer tie rod failed and the vehicle was unusable, the dealer stated there was no warranty. The vehicle would have crashed if I had not been lucky and brought it to the side of the road quickly. Both tie rod ends were found to be defective as well as the sway bar mounts. In addition this vehicle has routinely had a turn signal problem, when you turn on the left signal the right signal illuminates about 25 percent of the time.

My husband was driving his 08 Dodge Dakota less than 2 miles from our home. We live in a very rural area. He was not going more than 35-40 mph. He lost control of the vehicle due to an incredible amount of shaking in the front end of the truck. Luckily, he was close to a rarely used road and pulled over. It was unusable and had to be towed to the mechanic's shop. Both tie rods had broken along with other parts that were severely worn. We had just had a baby less than two weeks before and we had all ridden in the truck together days before this happened. Thank the good lord my husband did not wreck and the baby and myself were not with him. The Chrysler company needs to fix this problem!!! it was expensive to fix for a family with a new baby and very, very dangerous!!.

Drove vehicle home last night just fine. Went to leave this morning and front right tire wouldn't roll. Upon inspection, tie rod is not attached. It just fell off. This is a commuter vehicle and has never been used off-road.

Repair shop said I needed new front brake pads & rotors, tie rods were about to fall off, said it was danger to drive. Chrysler dealer said it was out warranty.

Our 2008 Dodge Dakota had two tie rods fail in two months. The truck was fresh out of warranty with approx 63,000 miles. First one tie rod broke, then within two months, the other. No warnling, when first tie rod end was replaced, other tie rod was checked,looked ok. New tie rod ends were installed. Both presented dramatic safety issues. The tie rod broke and fell so that there was absolutely no control of the front wheels. By sheer luck, we were not driving 65 mph down the highway, but in a rural town setting, so we did not crash the truck. The mechanics on the second breakdown of the tie rod end told us something had to be wrong with the second one going. This doesn't just happen twice on one truck. Chrysler "customer service" offered to pay for the parts. Customer service representative did not understand english and we could not understand the representative, who spoke with a heavy accent, making it difficult, no, impossible to understand the representative. From the responses we got from our mechanics and Chrysler, it is obvious to us that this was not the first truck that came in with the very same problem. The tie rod ends failing is not the same as the heater or air conditioner quitting. It is a major safety issue, and we got no satisfaction and were treated as though it was some irritation that they were bothered with. We believe they know about the problem, and their (customer service) know about it and only wanted to get us off their back by giving us the lowest possible quality of customer service. Like most good customer service representatives, they would not commit any of their comments to writing, but, I am sure, recorded everything, where it may or may not be available.

Had the brakes checked on the vehicle during a routine oil change. Was informed that the tie rod end was loose and would have to be replaced, or else the possibility of losing steering control of the vehicle would be eminent. Was informed that the tie rod ends were designed for cars, and these same tie rod ends were also used in the trucks. I asked if the parts had been upgraded and was told no they had not been upgraded, and that the same parts would be used to replace the old worn ones. Why are parts designed for a car being used in a truck, especially in such a critical area? luckily, this was caught before a disaster happened.