In september of 2003 the right front suspension began making creaking sounds anytime the truck went over a bump. When the vehicle was turned fully to the left, the right front suspension make a loud clunch sound just prior to hitting the wheel turn stop. The vehicle was looked at by an independent mechanic and he determined that the upper and lower ball joints on the right front were failing. He also noted that the left upper ball joint also had some movement. The vehicle was then looked at by the local dodge dealership, and they determined that only the right side upper and lower control arms and ball joints neeeded to be replaced and repairs were made. Two weeks later I returned the vehicle to the dealership and showed them the movement on the left side. That side was then replaced.
1999 Dodge Dakota suspension complaints
Page 10 of 13: complaints 251 to 280 of 342, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have experienced clanking and front end jumping when making turns in the front end of my 1999 dodge dakota. This was presented, which was adressed by rotating and balancing the front and back tires come to find out it was my upper ball joints in my suspension !!!!!!!! Due to the milage put on my front tires, abnormal wear has occured due to the suspension. I must also replace the damaged tires caused by a dodge defect!!!!!!! I am also suspecting excessive brake wear in the front end due to this.
Computer controls, loud spark knock under moderate acceleration, updated osftware on PCM exhaust/emission, loud popping sounds (bad converter) suspension, loud popping from right front side upon shifting, braking, exiting and entering vehicle, repl right upper and lower control arms, alignment
I recently had my truck in for pre-winter maintenance check, my mechanic said three out of the four ball joints are bad and need replacing. Also, when I do have them replaced I may as well do all four because he has seen "a lot" of dakotas with ball joints going bad. I was told that it would cost $490 to have them replaced. With just over 58k miles, rarely driven off of blacktop, and given the recently publicity by the news media, it's obvious that there is a problem here. I find this to be justification for a recall or at the very least a manufacturers re-imbersement for the cost of the parts.
The lower ball joint on my 1999 dodge dakota failed. This caused the driver's side of vehicle to slam violently to the ground. The rack and pinion was damaged as a result. Steering alignment was greatly affected as well. Front bumper was also damaged. I understand that these ball joints are a growing concern with dakotas and durangos and would like to see some action taken by the manufacturer.
While driving a noise was heard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined the lower right ball joints and stabilizer bushings were worn out and needed to replaced. *ak
While driving consumer heard a loud noise coming from rear. Took vehicle to the dealer for analysis, and mechanic noticed that both upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced due to corrosion.
I have a 1999 dodge dakota with 29,985 miles. I bought it new. The ball joints are in bad shape. The dealer (russell dodge - now under new ownership) says they expect a recall to occur on this as this is a common problem. But they keep telling me to wait. I am very concerned about my safety. I have emailed chrysler twice, but all they say is that there is no current recall. Are they waiting for injuries or deaths? I see numerous complaints on the web about these ball joints breaking. Is the federal safety agency doing anything about this? Is chrysler doing anything about it? Also, I just bought 4 new michelin tires to replace the dangerous goodyear tires that came with this vehicle. Not replacing all the ball joints could ruin these expensive tires and void their warrantee. In the "incident date" box below, I have entered todays date, but this has been an ongoing problem over many months. Please help.
Three of the four upper and lower ball joints on my '99 dakota r/t have prematurely failed causing two control arm bushings and the front two tires to wear to the point of replacement.
I have a 1999 dodge dakota with bad ball joints. The problem occurred with only 52,000 miles on the truck. It is driven on paved roads 98% of the time and never off road. This is a safety problem. The truck was built without a way to grease the joints.. A major error. Something needs to be done.
Following a news report documenting upper ball joint failure in dodge products, we had our 1999 dodge dakota inspected. It has been found that the lower ball joints were completely eroded and needed immediate replacement.
My 1999 dodge dakota needed ball joints and numerous other front end and steering components at only 30000 miles. In my opinion, this was due to a lack of lubrication because there are no grease fittings on my truck's ball joints. If I had not caught this in time, I could have been killed when my wheels fell off. I am concerned that as my truck ages, this problem will reoccur because the replacement parts used were identical to the original part that failed. I have met numerous other dodge dakota owners who have had similar problems. Please help us.
The early wear out of the ball joints on my 1999 dodge dakota. It was noticed three years after I bought the 4x4 truck when I had new tires put on it. The sears mechanic said he could not align the tires because the ball joints were so bad they needed relplaced. I took it to the dodge dealer to have the seat belt recall fixed and he told me the same thing and it was not covered under the warranty at that time. There was a time when the steering locked up in a parking lot doing a full right turn. I took it to the dealer and he couldn't find anything wrong. So I thought I'd file a complaint because this is long over due. Thank you ..... Dan.
The upper suspension arm on my 1999 dodge dakota sport (5.2l manual transmission) rapt a hole in the front left brake hose, causing total braking failure. This failure happened in a parking lot on the georgia institute of technology campus.
I noticed a slight squeak coming from the front left wheel on or around the first of december. As the squeak began to get more pronounced I figured I should check for worn or damaged suspention parts. Not long after this thought I saw the report on cbs reguarding the investigation of the upper ball joints on the dodge durangos and dakotas. Guess what...I drive a 1999 dodge dakota with very worn out upper ball joints at just over 37,000 miles. I will replace them and keep them for the impending recall that you will order. After all with out you the manufactures would continue to cut costs and cost lives.
I recently had to have the lower ball joints on both side of truck replaced. One of the ball joints was completely disintegrated. The other was well on its way to the same. I bought the truck new and have a documented record of regular maintenance that I have had performed. I am reporting this to you because I recently found out that several other customers have had the same issue. I love my truck, but, if there are issues that need to be resolved I feel dodge should take the initiative before people are hurt or killed. Please do the right thing and get these vehicles repaired.
Upper and lower ball joint premature wear
Consumer took vehicle to dealership for inspection, and mechanic informed consumer that the upper ball joints failed. *ak
I own a 1999 dodge dakota sport 4x4 and I needed to have the ball joints (upper and lower) and tie rods replaced at 67,000 miles. I found out that they needed to be replaced because I was having brand new tires installed, and when new tires are installed I figured it would be good to get an alignment as well. The mechanice said he couldn't give the truck an alignment because the ball joints were too loose - and this is a very reputable mechanic here in town, so I knew I wasn't getting taken for a ride. So, for a cost of $1,052 I had to have the ball joints and tie rods replaced. The mechanic did say it was not a safety issue as of yet, but after seeing in the news recently with all the other dakotas/durangos having this problem, I wonder how much longer I could have gone before it was a safety issue, so I'm glad I had them replaced, but am thinking the truck should be recalled and the joints replaced not with the same joints, but with a better designed one.
While driving a noise was heard coming from the front end of the vehicle, and the steering became difficult. Dealer determined the upper ball joints were worn out and replaced them.
I own a 1999 dodge dakota with 55,000 miles. I recently had to have nearly the entire front end fixed due to inferior parts. At two different auto shops I was told that I am extremely lucky that my wheels did not fall off while driving. I needed 4 new shocks, two new tie rod ends, and my ball joints were totally shot.
Wanted to let you know that according to abc news and my personal experience that dodge dakota owners are also experiencing premature ball joint failures.
While driving vehicle pulled to the right. Dealer determined that the upper and lower ball joints wore out.
Consumer took vehicle to an independent repair shop for regular maintenance, and the technician indicated the need to be replace the catalytic converter and the lower ball joint.
During a vehicle inspection, the mechanic found that the upper ball joints were defective and had to be replaced. *ak *scc
While traveling consumer heard noise coming from the front of the truck. Consumer took vehicle to dealer to have it serviced. Consumer was told that the ball joints needed to be replaced.
I have a 1999 dodge dakota club cab 4x4 that had 32,000 miles on it when the lower front tie rod went out while I was driving down the road. I had to get the inner and outer tie rods and lower ball joints replaced. The vehicle is out of warranty by time but not the mileage. With this incident, it's the mileage that puts the wear on this particular problem not time. I have notified chrysler about the problem and that I wanted to be reimbursed for the cost of the repair. I was told no. The bottom line is that this particular problem shouldn't be happening at such a low mileage rate. I want chrysler to stand behind their product, not line their pockets with unnecessary repair costs.
On 11/21/01 I took my dakota in to cumberland ave. Garage for inspection. I usually go to lee auto mall. I was in a hurry to get the truck inspected so I went to cumberland garage. I came upon a repair order from cumberland ave. Garage. Aside from some minor repairs they had listed both upper ball joints as needing repair. At $298.74. I ended up taking my truck to lee auto mall in westbrook (me.) they never mentioned the ball joints had a problem. Note the date of the repair order from cumberland garage as being 2001. This means lee dodge let me drive a vehicle that wasn't safe since 2001! I brought my truck in to lee dodge this past summer. I was told both my ball joints and upper control arms needed to be replaced!the cost was $900.00. I mentioned I knew at just46k mls. It was unusual for a vehicle to have ball joints that needed replacement. I said this type of problem usually didn't occur until about 100k miles. I was told this was untrue. Also note when cumberland garage noticed my truck needed ball joints repaired my truck had only about 37k miles. 11/04/03 I had a minor accident.the short of it : I lost control of my tires. My wheel would turn but my front tires would not respond and my rear tires were stuck/spinning on piles of wet leaves. I stepped on the gas while trying to turn my vehicle and the gas did not respond. My break went to the floor and then all of a sudden my truck thrust forward and hit my brothers car. I have had a lot of trouble sleeping just thinking about what could have happened to me, someone I love or someone else just because lee dodge wanted to squeeze money out of me. Or because chrysler did not want to tell their customers they had put faulty parts in their trucks. I suppose I should contact a lawyer with regards to this matter. I am very upset I have been driving a vehicle that may have caused an accident at any time! Do you have any advice for me?
Left front control arm defective before 30,000 miles. Now at 115,000 miles both right and left upper and lower ball joints are bad. Dodge fixed this to replace all control arms with new. $1800.oo repair. Is this going to be a recall like the other durango's?
Dealer replaced twice both upper and lower ball joints, also, the transfer case was replaced. Dealer notified. Please provide further information. *ph 1999 dodge dakota has had the following repairs peformed: replacement of transfer case, upper and lower ball joints, wheel bearings, right hub assembly, right rotor, right axle assembly, and front shocks.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1999 Dodge Dakota?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history