1998 Dodge Dakota: pulls to one side

Filed Nov 19, 2005 · Suspension · 73,561 miles · IN

Walking back to my parked "98 dodge dakota, after dining out with family, I noticed that my front passenger side wheel was cock-eyed while the driver's side wheel was pointing straight. I had the local dodge dealer/service department check it out and they discovered that 3 out of 4 ball joints were bad. The service manager said that it was a very dangerous situation and I shouldn't have been driving the vehicle. I was appalled to hear that since I had no indication that I or my passengers were in any danger: the truck never pulled to one side, and it didn't steer funny, or give me any reason to believe that something was so terribly wrong. The service manager urged me to replace all four ball joints, which I did at a cost of over $773.81. I think dodge needs to recall the '98 dakotas' ball joints. There's no reason a vehicle with only 73,000 miles on it should have 3 out of four ball joints go bad to the point that the wheels are coming off.

Filed Jul 1, 2005 · Steering, Suspension · 49,000 miles · MT

Dt: the consumer had a 98 dodge dakota, took to tire shop, truck could not be aligned because it had defective ball joints. Contact called the daimler chrysler, who informed him that there was no recall on this vehicle after repairs were done vehicle had steering problem. There was a noise in the steering column. Then, at repair shop owner was informed there was a defective steering gear, and would cost $800. Owner did not repair steering and vehicle veered to the right/left. Tire company stated the crown of the road caused vehicle to pull to the left/right. Tire shop indicated they could repair the problem,but there were 500 steering gears on back order. Owner felt there was a problem with the steering gear otherwise there wouldn't be 500 steering gears on back order.

Filed Feb 7, 2005 · Brakes · 12,002 miles · ME

I bought my 1998 dodge dakota truck in august of 1998 in march of 1999 brought the truck back to the dealer for repair because it would pull to the left. I thought it might be the brake because this would occur off and on while driving and at times there was an odor that smelled like the brakes were burning. The vehicle was checked and the it was found that the caliper was seizing up and damaged the rotor. The caliper, brake pads, and rotor were replaced by the dealer under the warranty.

Filed Mar 2, 2004 · Steering · 52 miles · SC

Heard crackling and poping from the left front wheel, and truck starting to pull to the left. Found ny-lock spindle nut (torqued to 185#, factory spec's) almost off. Right hand threaded spindle with inner race of bearing rotating in a counter-clockwise direction against the nut. Bearing trashed, having to buy whole hub assembly @ $163. Checked right wheel assembly while front end raised and was able to turn nut with a pair of 10" channel locks. Had to redo both sides at 52+k origional miles, no one has tampered with vehicle. Where's the old repairable system with the cotter key?

Filed Mar 17, 2003 · Transmission · 76,000 miles · NJ

The front 4 wheel drive cv shaft broke, which caused the vehicle to pull hard to the right.

Filed Jul 15, 2001 · Tires · OH

Air conditioning hose leading to aluminum assembly failed due to cut in hose. Middle portion of hose rests directly over one corner of plastic air filter cover assembly. At the corner of air filter cover there is a small vertical spline that is part of the molded pastic lid cover. The thickness of the spline is similar to a common plastic picnic knife but without serrations. Apparently over time due to vibration while driving, the hose rubbed against this plastic spline wearing a 1/4 inch slit/hole. When the hose finally rubbed through, the refrigerant decompressed rapidly. I consider this a safety hazard as all automoble air conditioning refrigerant contains a certain amount of oil. When the refrigerant decompreses explosively or extremely rapidly, it creates a mist that is highly flammable. Tires. The original manufacturer tires (goodyear p235/70 r16) have premature wear and the vehicle pulls to the right when braking. Excessive tire wear has taken place to varying degress on all four tires. Tire wear was first noticed around 25,000 miles, but due to the amount of wear, I estimate it started at 20,000 miles. These tires are rated for 40-45,000 miles. I do not think the tires are at fault. Since the truck veers to the right when braking, I suspect that an out-of-alignment condition exists. Premature tire wear presents a safety hazard if the tire fails at highway speeds. Also, an out-of-alignment condition should not exist before 20-25,000 miles on a new vechicle.

Filed Nov 22, 2000 · Tires · FL

Goodyear invecta gl tire p215/75r15 dot m6hfd8er098 experienced tread separation, prior to blowout, consumer stated vehicle started pulling to the right.

Filed Mar 1, 2000 · Brakes · WI

I have had the brakes replaced twice so far it is pulling to the right again , so I will be in to have them replace the brakes for the third time, I was told bye the dealer personel, that they are aware of my type of truck haveing troubles with the front axle brakes, refering to the heavy duty models with dana 60 axles , I was told that the v10 and the deisle 4x4 trucks have the same troubles , im worried that once my warrenty expires I will be left with a truck that pulls to the right, I love the truck , but now im not sure what to do , it seems to be needing replacement every 7 to 10,000 miles.they also said they noticed a slight leak of power steering fluid , but I was told that was normal , (my thought) was it was leaking because the truck is pulling to the right and im turning the wheel to the left to compinsate , and to me that puts preshure on the power steering thats not normal , but im not the macanic , please note the dealership is nice and freindly, I think I just got a bad front brake set up on my truck.

Filed Nov 8, 1999 · CA

Problem only occurs when driving freeway speeds over bumps or holes in the road. The truck comes down and pulls to the right then compensates by pulling to the left. I feel this is a hazard due to sometimes it is so severe I feel like my truck will end up in another lane. I have taken it to dodge in oakland, ca. Three times and they have looked at the front and rear suspension, stabilizing bar, shocks, and tell me this is the best my truck is going to get. I have made a complaint to the corp office and I am suposed to hear from the regional manager for a test drive with him. I am afraid that I won't be able to reproduce the problem since it does not happen on all bumps or holes in the road. I also feel this is a hazard since I never know when it will react to a road surface. I have many people who tell me this is not normal behavior of a new truck on a highway.