2001 dodge dakota pick up, loss of steering, resulting in a off the road crash and rollover with injuries. (one moment later could have resulted in deaths.)
2001 Dodge Dakota steering complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 48, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Steering wheel and transmission do not lock when key is removed. I found this out when a 2 year old girl was in the front seat of the parked vehicle and pulled the transmission lever into gear. The key switch was in the locked position and the keys were removed.
Approx. 2 months ago I had upper balls joints replaced under recall, the dealship noted that the lower ball joints and tierods were worn as well, was qutoed approx. $700.00 to be fixed. Today my daiughter was starting to pull out of my driveway with her 3 year old daughter, the tierod fell out of place causing the truck to stop. Luckly my daughter wasn't driving down the road when this happened because there could have been a very bad accident on a very busy street!!! I want to know why there is a recall on the upper ball joints but not the lower ball joints and tierods, it is a fact that there are serious problems with these parts, are they waiting for someone to be killed because of these defective parts?? This will be the last time I purchase a chrysler product if these matters are not dealt with when problems with defective parts are presented!!
I ben having a problem with a number of front suspension and especially front brake problems which began about four months after purchase of the vehicle. The dealership absolutely refuses to investigate my problems. I nearly lost control of my vehicle at high speed on two different occasions. If there had been heavy traffic it would have resulted in a crash. I am about o replace my third set of front brake pads as they are unevenly wearing on the rotors. I have vibration in the front end constantly, and at 30 MPH and above heavy sound of "clunking."
Consumer was informed that upper ball joint/tie rods werer worn out. This caused the vehicle to pull to the right. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
The federal safety agency campaign 04v596000; daimler chrysler issued an upper ball joint recall. This vehicle was included in the recall, but when taken in for repair, results showed that the lower ball joints needed to be replaced as well.*ak also, inner tie rod wore out, failed state inspection due to excessive wear. Sideto side play in tire when jocke dup. Dealership stated this was a common problem.
I have had a crunching type noise in the front end of my truck for almost 2 years, 18 months ago my truck went in for a new heating core to the dodge dealer and I mentioned it and they said they took a quick look and it was probably my shocks making the noise. It has made the same noise since then and I have not replaced my shocks. I recently took my truck into replace the shocks and the mechanic told me the ball joints are the problem not the shocks. He also told me that this is a huge problem on dodge dakotas and it is well known. He said it is bound to fail and could cause death. 2 times iv had the front end drift severly to the right and he said this is the problem>
While vehicle was being parked in reverse unexpectedly consumer was not able to steer or move vehicle. Consumer stepped out to look at front wheels and noticed that each wheel was facing in different directions. Consumer was informed that the tie rod broke off.*ak this vehicle had been to the dealer twice for inspection twice, was told by dealer there wa sno way to tell if tie rods were defective due to rust.
2001 dodge dakota quad cab was serviced on six separate occasions for clunking in the front end while going over bumps and during turns. Several parts were replaced while under warranty but dealership insisted that ball joints and cv joints were fine. They also stated that no other complaints had been filed and that there was not a service bulletin regarding this problem. The problem became apparent within the first 17,000 miles and continues to persist.
I would like to know why the 4x2 dakota's are not covered by the recall. My 2001 rt has always made a poping sound when making sharp turns and is starting to "wander" and pull to the left. This truck has been very hard on tires. Last time in, dealer said everything was fine. Of course that was just before the warranty expired. All dakotas should be covered by this recall, not just the 4x4 models.
Front end vibration at 65mph. Have replaced almost every component in the front end, including rack and pinion. The vibration has not gone away and the dealership blames the tire company, and the tire company blames the dealership.
I have 44,000 miles on my 2001 quad cab dakota 4x4 and the steering has gotten really bad. It clunks and pops on turns and bumps so bad to the point I'm afraid to drive it. There is no reason this new of a vehicle and low mileage should have this kind of problem. Chrysler refuses to do anything about since my warranty is up and the dealer wants $930 to replace the rack & pinion steering which might not be bad.
I own a dodge dakota quad cab 2001 5.9 v8 the brakes have always sucked. The front rotors warped over and over again I'm forced in buying a bigger kit that will cost me $3,000. The rear end leaks and the dealer says its natural. These two problems have been with me for 6 months after purchase. I will not buy another dodge again. I think the transmission is going now and the steering pump is going too. The truck has 66,000 miles now. It looks nice but hp , brakes and over all performance sucks. If I was in the creative end working for dodge I could improve their vehicles greatly.
While driving at a low speed, the inner tie rod end came out of the socket and the front driver side tire turned to the left. This resulted in vehicle crashing into a concrete phylum. The inner tie rod , front lower ball joint, fender, bumper, blinker and rim needed to be replaced. Also when making a sharp right turn driver's side inside rim was rubbing against something underneath the vehicle. Dealership was not willing to replace any component until they were able to duplicate the failure.
Upper ball joint and left right tie rod end failure. *ph
While driving at 45 MPH consumer lost control of the vehicle. Upon close inspection consumer determined that tie rod end fell off. Vehicle nearly was involved in a collision.
The vehicle was rear ended which caused the power steering shaft to break. The manufacturer indicated that they were not responsible for the failure. Please provide any additional information.
Wbz, channel 4 in boston, had a report about problem with ball joints on dodge dakota's.
My 40k '01 dakota qc has a very loose upper left ball joint, a loose lower right ball joint, a loose right outer tie rod and has been making a popping noise/thunk for a number of months. When I called dodge and asked them why they would need to be repaired they said, "just wear and tear." as if it was no big deal. They didn't mention any safety concerns.
2001 dodge dakota slipped out of park into reverse gear and was circling out of control.*mr the vehicle eventually struck a concrete median and stopped. The driveshaft and other parts under the vehicle were damaged. This wasn't the first time the gear selector jumped out of gear. This vehicle was previously taken to maroone/dodge service center to have the transmission checked where it sat to this day. Consumer stated it was a mechanical problem since they complained about this. They haven't obtained no information on their vehicle since it was towed to the repair shop. The A/C only worked on high due to a faulty blower motor resistor. The power steering made noise intermittently. The gas cap was loose which caused the check engine light to illuminate. The driver seat handle came apart *ph
Recently had to replace the following: drivers side upper ball joint and control arm, drivers side spindle retaining plate and locking nut. The simptoms were, a slight thumping noise when going over smal but sharp bumps (like entering a driveway), and a sound similar to a spring being stretched and compresses. The work was done under waranty (29,000 miles). The thing that bothers me is that it took 2 attempts at the dealer to get it fixed, and that all the things I've been reading indicate problems on the passenger side! Am I just a disaster waiting to happen? Is daimler chrystler going to own up to defective design and manufacture or do a bunch of people have to die first?
The steering was loose when consumer purchased the vehicle. After three trips to the mechanic and five possible reasons for the noise, the dealer replaced the steering column. The part was repaired but the vehicle continued to experience looseness on occasions. *ph
The consumer stated the brake rotors were wearing and when the brakes were applied, there was heavy vibration and extended stopping distance. The dealer was notified. *ak the power steering unit had broken and the rotors and drums were badly warped. *scc
My balljoints snapped while turning in my sons school one morning , resulting in my front wheel and brake assembly falling off completely from my 2001 dodge dakota 4x4 truck in december 2002. I had 1000 miles passed factory warrenty
Bad control arms ball joint assembly,steering wonders to right,power steering pump replaced,steering shaft replaced waiting for new steering column,lower control arm and ball joint replaced under warranty,chrysler zone office knows they have a defect in the front end of the dakota and durango stated it was cheeper to replace parts.
Poping noise from steering and cab during turns. Had dealer look at and nothing found wrong.
Problems with vehicle's steering column. *mr the consumer always noticed a slack or a looseness in the steering . The vehicle also developed a noise. The input shaft seal was dried at the rack and pinion and the dust cover was removed to the input shaft and the seal was pulled back. *scc
2001 dodge dakota quad cab 4x4 driving along the hwy around curve at 55 miles and hour power steering failed almost had a head on collision. The truck has been in the shop for a week being fixed under warranty. Odometer 29980.00 miles. I have had multiple problems with this truck ever since it was bought new, they had to replace the power steering pump, malfunction indicator light (mil) on the dash. Transmission slipping. Received the truck back from the dealer drove 22 miles transmission slipping again mil light on again. Had to replace the radio malfunction, I could go on and on. I feel that the power steering failing, could have cost my wifes life not to mention the occupents of the on comming truck. The truck is driven by her 99 percent of the time. I just happened to be driving it on the long weekend. I was able to fight with it and managed to drive to the side of the road. I feel that this should not have accured with the kind of mileage precent on the truck as well as the age. Any help you can profide in addressing these issues, would be appreciated
Load clunk coming from front suspension
Have had 3 power steering racks in 8000 miles and still not right. Steering wheel is coked to the left and steering is sloppy. Also, loud popping noises when making hard turns. Dt
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