Upper and lower ball joint are bad.

- Newaark, OH, USA

Bought used 1998 Dodge Dakota in July 2002. Vehicle had 45,000 miles. Was told by dealer that lower ball joints had been replaced. Vehicle started making popping noises in October 2003 and continued to worsen. I could not locate the problem. Finally took it to dealer in Dec 2003 and was informed that both lower ball joints were shot. Vehicle had 61,000 miles at time of replacement for second set of lower ball joints. Deal er advised that at time of first replacement after market ball joints were not available and that they were factory replacements.

- Jefferson City, MO, USA

1998 Dodge Dakota upper ball joint failure dealer diagnosis.

- Rutland, MA, USA

Lower ball joints had to be replaced at 42, 000 miles on my 1998 Dodge Dakota due to the repair shop being unable to perform a front end alignment. Mechanic told me that the upper ball joints will most likely need to be replaced within the next year or so depending on mileage put on the vehicle in that time.

- Pine Grove, PA, USA

1998 Dodge Dakota 2wd standard cab pickup with a 3.9 liter V6 engine. At 48,000 miles the drivers side lower ball joint required replaceing and now at 52,000 miles the passenger side is making popping sounds. I am probably going to have the upper and lower ball joints replaced with aftermarket parts as Dodge prices are double to triple the cost.

- Victor, NY, USA

Upper and lower ball joints wore out prematurely.

- Dade City, FL, USA

Per broadcast on December 19, 2003 on cbs nightly news, the Dodge durango/Dakota ball joint, upper and lower issues, not yet a recall by the mfg. We own a 1998 Dodge Dakota, purchased in 2000 and at every state inspection, the upper and lower front ball joints need to be replaced. The dealer is aware of the situation that all Dodge 97 and up have ball joint issues, so the mfg is aware of the problem for a long time now. Every year it is 300+ $ to replace these for the needed state inspection, they go bad every year, and are dangerous if not replaced. We only put about 10, 000 miles a year on the vehicle also. The joints cannot be greased w/O dealer or mechanic assistance. Per the news these items need to be replaced to accomodate larger ball joints which is going to be costly. We called about 2yrs ago to Chrysler Dodge, who advise there is nothing wrong and no recall has been issued. Now we see there are major safety issues regarding this defect and causing fatalities and accidents. We dont want to find out this way, we would like it to be a recall to have the joints and arms replaced to accomodate the bigger ball joints required for this type of vehicle. Apparently this is a known issue re all Dodge trucks/ SUVS and needs to have a prompt investigation done not only by the dealers/Chrysler Dodge who already are aware anyway, no need for them to investigate something they have been repairing at the cost of the customer for the past 10yrs or so. This needs investigated by someone who has the authority to make Chrysler recall this dangerous life threatening defect.

- Erie, PA, USA

I've got a 1998 Dodge Dakota and just had the ball joints replaced. The vehicle only had about 65000 miles or so when I noticed the problem and I finally had them replaced at about 73000 miles. I emailed Dodge about it and they gave me no worthwhile answers except I didn't qualify for any recalls or reimbursement. I know ball joints shouldn't go out this soon and wanted to send this information to you because I saw where you are looking into this matter. If you need any other information please feel free to contact me. Thanks, gregory thomas.

- Gore, OK, USA

1998 Dodge Dakota has worn lower ball joints - manufacturer did not install grease fittings to allow for proper preventative maintenance.

- Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA

While having tires replaced and aligned mechanic noticed that the lower ball joints and inner tie rods were defective and needed to be replaced before an alignment could be performed.

- Ulster Park, NY, USA

On two separate occasions upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced because of premature wear.

- Chesterfield, VA, USA

Lower driver's sider ball joint failure.

- Miami, FL, USA

Lower passenger side ball joint failure.

- Miami, FL, USA

I have had numerous problems with my 1998 Dodge Dakota. I purchased it brand new. 2 months after 8/98 purchase date, the transmission went out. The brakes have had to be replaced several times, the map sensor went out while driving down the highway causing the vehicle to shut down. I recently had to replace the lower ball joints. The seat belts come off entirely too easy. All of this and the vehicle only has 39,000 miles on it. I sent arbitration papers to Chrysler twice with no response.

- Centennial, CO, USA

During a routine inspection mechanic informed the consumer that front ball joints were wearing out.

- Pine Island, MN, USA

The upper and lower ball joints on both sides broke, causing the greasing fit to leak. Consumer was concerned that the front end will collapse.

- Laurel, DE, USA

1998 Dodge Dakota, upper arm ball joint defect. A story on cbs news last night has prompted me to submit this complaint. September 2000, noise on the right front side of truck prompted me to stop at a Dodge dealer to check it out, found the right upper arm ball joint was so bad that the service manager said I could have lost the wheel on the highway at the speed limit causing potentially serious accident. The arm was replaced under warranty (34853 miles). I recently purchased 4 new tires for the truck and asked the dealer to do a front end alignment (59423), he tried and said he could not because the ball joints were defective. I had no indication at this time there was a problem with the ball joints until I tried to get an alignment to protect the new tires, I got a second opinion with the same response. I went to the Dodge dealer and confirms that all 4 ball joints in the front end were bad, lower and upper. Dealer said it happens occasionally, but I have less than 60,000 miles on the truck and it is my third ball joint on the upper front. This time there was no indication of a problem and it cost me over $1100 to fix as it was no longer under warranty was lucky since the there was no accidents, the problem was caught in time. There is no doubt in my mind that the ball joints used on the Dodge Dakota are defective and do not last, in my case the replaced ball joint in September 2000 lasted less than 24,000 miles understand there is a class action law suit in progress, can you provide any information on this, Chrysler/daimler needs to stand up and fix the problem before there is a tragedy.

- Portland, CT, USA

During inspection it was determined that the upper and lower ball joints were warped and must be replaced.

- Feeding Hills, MA, USA

Worn front wheel bearing & excessive wear on upper & lower ball joints.

- Washington, NJ, USA

I have a 1998 2wd Dodge Dakota that has suffered from excessive front tire wear since new. The dealer could never seem to find a cause for this and the vehicle has cost me a fortune in replacement tires and front end alignments. With the vehicle out of warranty, an independent front end shop recently replaced the lower ball joints, inner tie rod ends and right-side upper control arm bushings. It is too early to tell if these repairs have corrected this long-standing (67,000 miles) problem, but because this truck has the same front suspension as the Dodge durango currently under investigation, I am submitting this complaint.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA