1998 Dodge Dakota: harsh or hard shifting

Filed Jun 10, 2005 · Suspension · 84,000 miles · PA

Ii had noted a clunking sound when turning into my driveway and at other times involving turning or driving over speed bumps or turning up an incline, also the steering feel had become vague. During my annual state insp. The mech stated that the upper ball joints on both sides were complely worn out, and as such could not pass it without repair.

Filed Nov 17, 2004 · Suspension · DE

Ball joint problem with 1998 dodge dakota. I have had symptoms of the problem, heavy clunking in front right, for about a year now. I went to the dealer believing it was an upper ball joint problem. I even asked them to replace the uppers. Dealer diagnosed problem as lower ball joints and I paid for them. I beleive they were just out of stock on the uppers. 7 months later, the clunking has gotten worse and when backing out of a parking spot with the wheeel cut hard to the right the front end "hopped" to the side. I had this happen twice in the same day, and took the truck to the dealer the next day. They now admit it needs upper ball joints and are charging me $500+. It is clear that this is a design problem based on the number of people having problems at relatively low mileage.

Filed Mar 3, 2004 · Suspension · 55,000 miles · TX

I have a 1998 dodge dakota. I purchase the vehicle with 55,000 miles. Within a couple of weeks I heard a clunking from the front end in a hard right low speed turn. I took the vehicle to the dodge dealer and both front wheel bearings had to be replace. Had a failure occured at high speed it could have been a big failure. As a second owner I can say how the vehicle was maintained, but the vehicle showed not other signs of abuse. Quite the opposite it showed signs of excellent maintenance. Date below is approximate. The repair was expensive, but more important it someone could be killed if the wheel cuts lose at even moderate speed. The property damage checked is to vehicle thanks.

Filed Oct 2, 2000 · Brakes, Engine · NJ

Loose clunking eminating from the steering wheel and brake pedal. This occurs when turning, accelerating and applying the breaks. Appears to be a loose fitting in the steering wheel colom or the mid shaft. Getting worse all the time. Only 21k on this truck. Also, truck slides all over the road when surface is damp or wet. This happens even at low speeds. Antilock system does not appear to work. Truck also burns up tires after 15k miles. Engine miss-fires and utilizes way to much fuel. Aprox. 12 mpg. Overall, my two main concerns are the steering and brakes. Problem. This is most certainly an unsafe vehicle which should be looked into before someone looses their life. The time is now, not later. I have been in contact with several owners of this year and model. They too report the same sittuation with respect to the steering and brake system.

Filed Mar 23, 2000 · Acceleration, Engine · OH

Engine knock,poor gas mileage, rough idling, stalling,transmission clunk when shifting.worst truck I've ever owned!!!

Filed Jan 13, 2000 · Suspension · PA

Clunk in front suspension, felt in driver floorboard when turning on uneven pavement. Been to dealer 3+ times, can't fix. Manufacturer's representative says normal, but I think it feels loose.

Filed Jan 13, 2000 · Steering · PA

Clunk felt in steering column, felt in wheel and pedals when turning. Coupler replaced per tsb19-012-97, only marginally better. Now at 24,000 miles it's back as bad as ever.

Filed Sep 23, 1999 · Body, Transmission · CO

1. Noise when releasing the clutch began during a vacation trip in june 1999, with approximately 15,500 miles on the odometer. Over the past 3 months the noise has become worse. The problem is being repaired by the dealer who sold me the truck. They said it was a bearing in the clutch assembly. Even though the warranty for the clutch is only 1 year the dealership is fixing it for me at no charge. 2. The original cab isolators had to be replaced due to the truck making a loud clunking noise whenever I turned a corner or entered/exited a driveway. After the first replacement the clunking still occurred so the truck went back in the shop where the dealer "shaved" the isolators. That didn't help so the truck went back a third time and another set of cab isolators were installed and the clunking sound did not occur again. To get this repair right required 3 trips to the dealership and a total of 14 days in the shop. 3. A leak of transmission fluid was detected during an oil and filter change on a vacation tr

Filed Apr 12, 1999 · Transmission · IL

Loud clunking noise while depressing accelerator-in manual trans. Grinds going into reverse. Cupholder defective this is my first new vehicle, and my last chrylser product, I am not happy with my dodge!!

Filed Jan 8, 1999 · Transmission · IN

This concern regarding the power train - automatic transmission also includes the operation of the cruise control! The original defect manifested itself by extreme "power-downshifts" on moderate upgrades, while running on cruise control (all further mention of "power-downshifts" are while the cruise is engaged). They were extremely rough, to the point that I was concerned about not only the damage to the powertrain, but to also losing control of the vehicle if it would happen to occur at the "wrong time." they even occured while running "at speed" on the interstate highway. The extreme of these downshifts is indicated by the fact that at 65 MPH the transmission would be forced down to 2nd gear, thereby "red-lining" the engine on the tach. First visit brought little if any improvement, and only after an adjustment was made at the last minute from "under the hood." after this adjustment (or because of problems surfacing from the "power-downshifts") the transmission began to have intermittant "rough shifts" around 30mph. A 2nd visit brought adjustment to the "tranmission throttle pressure" which has almost entirely eliminated the "power-downshifts" (they have only occured twice in the past 2000+ miles. However, the transmission is now suffering much greater problems in shifting. Not only does it give the occasional "herky-jerky" shift, but it now also seems to occasionally "slip" on shifts. The vehicle is scheduled to return to the dealership for "pressure testing" at a later date.