Premature wear out of Dodge Durango front suspension components including both front lower ball joints, left front inner tie rod, and right front upper ball joint.

- Greenfield, WI, USA

Required premature replacement of the upper ball joints. Lower ball joints, inner tie rod, stabilizer bar and bushings at 54,000 miles. Car made a squeaking noise in the front end when on bumps and was the result of premature wearing of these parts.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

While driving at normal speed vehicle made a squeaking noise and vibrated at 60 mph. Vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer stated upper and lower ball joints were defective/two inner tie rods broke, and right axle seal leaked.

- Danville, IL, USA

Upper and lower ball joints on 1999 Durango and inner tie rod end wear.

- Spring Grove, PA, USA

My 1999 Dodge Durango after 50,000 miles must have all the ball joint and tie rods replaced. They could break any time and need to be replaced.

- Creve Coeur, MO, USA

Brought vehicle in for routine service and was informed that all 4 ball joints (upper and lower) had dangerously excessive play and needed to be replaced immediately. I was informed that the ball joints (and tie rods) were in such poor condition that the vehicle was not safe to be driven even a short distance.

- Milford, MA, USA

Excessive wear over a short period of time at approximately 30,000 miles. Front structure of the vehicle was replaced. Also, control arm/upper and lower ball joints, and tie rod were replaced due to corrosion. There were no major injuries nor fatalities to report at this time.

- Petaluma, CA, USA

Upper/ lower ball joints, and tie rods needed to be replaced due to premature wear, per dealership.

- Elgin, IL, USA

Upper balls joints and outer tie rod seem to have worn out prematurely.

- Littleton,, CO, USA

Upper and lower ball joints worn out, tie rod end loose needs replaced to align front end. I have already paid close to $1100 to have this problem fixed. Arnell Chrysler told me there is no recall on this problem. My truck has only 42242 miles on it and never been off road. Help with this problem!!!

- Portage, IN, USA

Several months ago, I took my 1999 Dodge Durango in for a "check engine" light malfunction. The dealer informed me that the speed sensor was bad, and would need to be replaced. Additionally, they also informed me that the inner tie rod ends were worn and would also need replacement. I was extremely shocked to hear this. At less than 38000 miles, this SUV should not be experiencing problems with such a major suspension component. I asked the technician to show me what he was talking about and he proceeded to show me the amount of play in my front suspension due to this faulty component. When I inquired as to why there was no grease fitting on much of the front end, he replied "thats the way Dodge designs em" and left it at that. I opted to perform the work myself so as to save the outrageous labor charges here in California, and also to ensure that a higher quality part was installed that included grease fittings. Shortly after I completed the repairs, I began searching the internet for similar experiences from other Durango owners. Also to my surprise, I found a sustantial number of complaints about the front suspension on this SUV, and also for models of other years. Any auto manufacturer who installs non greasable suspension components on an SUV designed to go offroad is simply engaging in cost cutting measures at the expense of their customers lives. I believe that my wife, family and I were lucky that this issue was identified early and there were no accidents or fatalities. It could have been much more serious. Additionally, I am curious as to why a technician would even inspect the front end on a vehicle that was brought in for a simple electrical problem. Unless the technician expected the damage and noting the milage on the truck, simply inspected the components on his own, I find it hard to believe that this would occur otherwise.

- San Jose, CA, USA

While changing the tire, the dealer informed the consumer the front upper ball joints were worn out and needed to be replaced. The right tie rod was found worn out as well.

- North Mankato, MN, USA

Re: 1999 Dodge Durango front suspension I just had to replace all four ball joints, and both tie rod ends on this vehicle at 59,000 miles of light on road usage. I have run previous vehicles to over 200,000 miles without any front work required. I consider this to be a defect in design.

- Chicopee, MA, USA

When I purchased the vehicle in June of 2002. The upper and lower ball joints had to be replaced. The vehicle had 49,000 miles on it. The cost was over $900. Less than a year later, at 62,000 miles the upper ball joint and tie rod ends and brakes and rotors need replaced.

- Blairsville, PA, USA

Consumer stated technician noticed inner tie rod and upper ball joint were worn and needed to be replace.

- Cottage Grove, MN, USA

The consumer stated the steering was very unstable. Took vehicle in for a front end alignment and the dealer noticed that the front ball joints and tie rod needed replacement. The dealer also removed and replaced both control arms. The engine light was on. When the vehicle was started the RPM's are high. Engine control modulator and injector wire harness was replaced.

- Beaverton, MI, USA

I own a 1999 Durango and was told that my upper and lower ball joints ( left & right ) along with the tie rod ends were worn out after I took it to the dealer because of tire wear and was told it would cost $1,400 to repair. This SUV only had 65,000 miles on it and was never taken off-road. I am now aware that this problem is not limited to a few owners. I have been telling every Durango owner I see about this safety issue ( many already have had the ball joints replaced ) and encourage them to complain to the NHTSA about this problem.

- Three Lakes , WI, USA

I read about this in the newspaper, called Dodge, and found out teh ntsb was looking into the problem.I purchased a 1999 Dodge Durango in February of 2000, and it had 45,109 miles on it. Before I took possession they had to replace the ball joints (not sure if it was upper/lower or both). Then in December of 2001 I was told they were bad, and it wasn't under warranty. They (forest lake Dodge) replaced upper & lower ball joints on both sides, both tie rod ends, and aligned it. The total cost to me was $1,772.63. I now have a problem with the stabilizer bar which has come apart on the drivers side; this fitting is like a ball joint. Also, I think the front end is gettig bad again.

- Blaine, MN, USA

On Feb 20, 2003 when I brought my Dodge Durango in for routine service (49,070 miles) I was informed that, "the upper ball joints and tie rods were worn out and needed replacement or the steering could suddenly fail." I was charge $865.28 for this repair which was not covered by the warranty. I protested that it was premature for this sort of wear after only 49000 miles but the mechanic insisted the work needed to be done for "safely reasons" and that Chrysler would not cover the cost. I have the receipt for the work.

- Naperville, IL, USA

When the brakes were applied, the front end pulled excessively to the right or left. Also, when making turns, consumer heard a loud "grinding" coming from the front end. Dealer diagnosed that the entire front end needed to be replaced due to ball joint failure. The whining noise was heard when going around curves. The marker lights had become inoperative when pulling out of "int" switch and the head lamp switch was replaced, and upon acceleration, there was a pinging noise in the passing gear.. the tie rods were also replaced.

- Toms River, NJ, USA