Dodge dealer reported that ball joints on 1998 dodge durango have excessive wear and require replacement. The quote to replace exceeded $2000 and I was told at the time that the recall was pending. I am the original owner, vehicle mileage is 76,898. Vin is [xxx]. I see that the recall is for 2000 through 2003 and that warranty on 2000 thru 2003 models was extended to 100,000 miles for ball joints. Is there any recourse? Isn't this the same suspension design as the 2000 model? I also replaced the rear axle in 2003 following a total failure resulting in rear locking up and shearing the u-joint and dropping the drive shaft while driving. Replacement cost exceeded $3000 and I was told at the time that this is a known problem with durango's as well. *jb updated 07/24/2012* js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
1998 Dodge Durango transmission complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 103, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I purchased a 1998 dodge durango in march of 1998. The car was brand new with 3 miles on it. The car was excellent until about 52,000 miles. 1st repair, water pump. At about 56,000 transmission rebuild. At about 61,000 heater core, and power steering fluid leaking. At 77,000 transmission rebuild again. At about 80,000 miles, steering wheel started to stiffen up and very difficult to turn wheel they told me I needed a new rack and pinion. Durangos do not have rack and pinions, they have gear boxes. At about 94,000 transmission rebuild. At 106,000 trasnmission rebuild and installed a transmission cooler this time around along with an aftermarket transmission gauge which tells me the temp of the trans(price was $125.00 for gauge and wiring). Called dodge was like talking to my dog, they said that it wasn't their problem. I swore to all my friends and relatives that the day I buy another chrysler is the day I eat s**t!!! Dodge cars and trucks suck, their customer service is crap and I had to spend money $$$ out of my own pocket for repairs alone almost $9,500.00, out of which chrysler kept saying its not our problem. You know when its their problem, when they screw with someone who isn't just joe schmoe walking in to buy a car. Someone with a degree in law so that they can royally ge smacked in the face and help all the other unfortunate ones who are stuck with dodge sucks (trucks). Whoever wants to buy a dodge, be prepared for a rude awakening. They are going to rape you!
Transmission light illuminated in the instrument panel. Dealership informed the consumer that the problem was pertaining to a burned transmission. *ak the transmission was serviced at 30000 miles then had to be replaced at 60000 miles.
I own a 1998 dodge durango. In the last 2 years I have had to replace the engine and drive shaft, simply because they failed. The SUV has been meticulously cared for; all maintenance schedules have been followed. In addition, the ABS computer/system had to be replaced, and now 15 months later, the ABS light has come on again. I wanted to know if other customers have experienced similar problems with this vehicle. When I called customer service, the only people I have been able to talk to have been the low level employee. They will not, and probably have been instructed not to, forward the call to someone in upper management. They will not give me any information as to whether the problems I have had with this vehicle are common.this has been very frustrating.
1998 doge durango - 60000 miles. Transmission failure. Had problems with transmission since purchase in 1999.
1. Seatbelts, housing repeatedly fell down. Never replaced, service only pulled it back up and the problem continues 2. All four window regulators replaced prior to recall. Now I have one window that will go down. The rest are stuck in the up posiiton. Of course, my warranty is up. 3. Rear differential went out at 63,000. 3,000 past warranty. 4. All four ball joints are bad. Serviceman says unsafe to drive until replaced. Still waiting on a recall. 5. Passenger front seat cover came apart at seams. Service said not covered by warranty. 6. Hood latch does not release hood. My vehicle is now parked and not being driven at 80,000. I do not have and will never have another chrysler product in my drive. I bought this vehicle new and took very good care of it. It seems to be falling apart around me. Seems I have heard stories about the ball joints, wheels coming off, etc. No one killed yet, but no recall yet either I see.
Consumer complained about a transmission problem. Vehicle hesitated when driving. *ak the front differential pin failed and seized to the pinion shaft the upper and lower ball joints were replaced.
I bought a 1998 dodge durango in november of 2002. The vehicle had 59939 miles on it. I have maintained the car as one should. On 9/2/03 I took the auto into aamco transmissions as the car was not shifting down into 1st gear. It cost me $500.00 to fix this transmission problem. At the same time they told me my transfer case was going out and needs to be rebuilt. The estimate-$1350. In nov of 2003, I took the car in to get a lube job. The mechanic told me that my lower ball joints were not accepting grease & the upper boots were rotted. That eventually I would need new ball joints but I still had time. In dec 2003, I started having problems with the electrical system. The front passenger window would not roll down. Then if my steering wheel was turned as I put the car in park, it would not start, or it would die as I was backing out. In january I heard metal in my front tires as I was braking. A new brake job cost me $350.00. The end of january, while driving this vehicle with 72,000 miles, my front right tire fell off. Reason: upper ball joint broke off. Every mechanic has stated that this is a defect, as they have never seen ball joints do this at this low mileage. I then saw the federal safety agency interviewed on the news for the very same reason. Dodge durangos and their ball joints with tires falling off. My car landed in a ditch. I was lucky I was only travelling at 35 MPH. It could have been fatal, and who ever manufactures these ball joints better stand up to the plate and take responsibility. This auto has been nothing but a mechanical problem since I bought it. And costly at that!
My front passenger wheel broke and nearly fell off. The mechanic who fixed it said he didn't know what caused it, probably a defect. It is a 1998 dodge durango.
Pe 03-032, front suspension/upper ball joint failure: consumer took vehicle to dealer because of excessive tire wear. Mechanic determined upper ball joints needed to be replaced. Also gear shift indicator was off center. When vehicle was in drive indicator was between drive and neutral. Consumer had one transmission replaced, and another one needed to be replaced.
I started having problems with my transmission shifting on its own and the 4x4 selector would slip and make an awful noise when you put it in gear. On 31 january 2004, my transmission went out and left my 2-toddlers and I stranded approximately 2-hours away from home. It is a 1998 dodge durango. It is ironic that an older gentlemen had asked me if I had problems a month earlier with my transmission. When I spoke with a couple repair shops (even a technician at hilikelly dodge in daphne, al), all of them stated that it was a common problem with the dodge transmissions.
Front brakes (replaced 3x's in one year) keep failing on dodge durango causing uneven tire wear and alignment to shift. I've had to replace the front tires 4 times and the rear tires twice since I bought this vehicle january 2,2000. All tires wear at an angle with several bald spots in different places. I also replaced the water pump and radiator february 2003. Now the air conditioner is not working. The transmission went out a couple of months after I purchased the vehicle. It was still under warranty, but I still had to pay 300.00 out of pocket for whatever reason.
I own a 1998 dodge durango front end was popping and the transmission was slipping at 51000 miles. It goes into the shop to be checked dec.23, with all the known problems with the front end this makes me very concerned. My wife and I are cheerleding sponsers and travel all over the state with the girls.
Dealer replaced right axle shaft which included lower and upper ball joints. Consumer stated vehicle was running without warranty, as result cost $650.00.*ak
Defective rear-end of the vehicle including the ring and pinion of the differential. Dodge durango 1998.
Vehicle was making high pitch sound when gas pedal was pressed. Truck only had 70,000 miles on it when I bought it (april 2003) used. I was assured by well known and respected car dealer (koeppel of new york) that vehicle was in great shape. 6 months later the vehicle need to have the front differential and rear differential to be replaced. Front differential was leaking fluid and rear was causing high pitch noise.
Replaced power steering pump at 38,627 miles.eplaced lower left ball joint at 38,657 miles.eplaced upper control arm and upper ball joint at 41,634 miles.replaced right front axle and lower right ball joint at 45,946 miles.
I had to have the ball joints replaced 6 months after I bought the truck. The dealership said that my wheels were getting ready to fall off and the truck was to dangerous to drive. Then the transmission went out in august of 2003. I barely had 50,000 miles on it. The brakes on it are terrible. When it is raining I hydroplane just about ever time I put on the brakes. The anti lock brake system is not working properly. The light is now on. The speedometer is now broken. It stays at zero most of the time but will occasionally jump up and down while driving. The electric door lock makes a horrible sound when it locks. Last but not least whenever I drive on the interstate and go over 60 MPH the engine makes a rattling noise.
Whining noise coming from rear. Took to dodge dealership. Needs complete rear end rebuild. $1300-$1500 estimate. Only 63k miles. Apparently it's a design defect by dodge.
My 1998 durango drive shaft had to be replaced due to metal flaking off from corrosion. Car has only 53000 miles and is parked on blacktop driveway and is not used for plowing or off-road activity. Used for travel in northeast winter climate.
While driving, the vehicle had a high pitch squeaking noise. This was caused by a failure in the rear end. *ak the front rotor disk, ring gear and pinion was replaced. *scc
1998 dodge durango...transmission slips between 2nd & 3rd gear. Tachometer lurches forward with no power to the axle. This is a very dangerous situation when on the highway attempting to merge or pass. Being that chrysler knows about this, they should be forced to remedy the problem, regardless of cost. This has been happening since I purchased the vehicle. I've returned it to the dealer and they said they've never heard of this problem.
The consumer stated the seal on the transfer case leaked fluid. In addition the rear end disintegrated. Dealer notified. *ak consumer stated a trucks rear end shouldn't disintegrate with 81000 miles. *ph
Ball joints casuing undue wear and tear on tire replaced front tire 3 times in 2 years
At 85000 miles I started having significant problems with the transmission. When first started in the morning the transmission does not shift out of first gear until the tach reads 2500 RPM. This causes a check engine light to come on because the transmission is sending a fault code to the computer. Also there are many many time that the car bogs down when trying to accelerate and then will finally kick into gear however passing speed is very very poor. I had the problem diagnosed and was told it is going to cost well over 1500.00 to repair which is why I have yet to have it done because quite frankly I cannot afford that right now.that is how I found out abnout this complaint service because I was told that 98 durangos have had this problem since the car was built and the more research that I do on it the more I discover that there is truth to that statement. There is no way that a transmission should go out that quickly. I have never used this vehicle to tow anything and it has just been used to go back and forth to work and other normal family errands. I have never taken it off road and therefore I cannot understand why this transmission uis acting so flaky. I am also now getting some very wierd grinding noises when I back up...this is a new sound and will be having this looked at next. It seems as if this car is just deteriorating too quickly. After all I am not even at 100k yet...any help or suggestions would be greatly greatly appreciated.
Transmission went out at 65000, costing $2300 to replace (I was unemployed at the time too). A chrysler a-500 transmission was installed with complete pump assembly, torque converter (which had pieces of metal rattling around inside of it) value body, a complete rebuild. This vehicle never towed anything and always maintained. Notified dodge of this problem and they replied, sorry but not under warranty so nothing they would do about it. Even asked if they would reimburse for the parts only and they just said sorry. Spoke to several mechanics and they were very knowledgable about the problems with dodge transmissions. Will be checking the ball-joints out now after the latest reports.
Consumer states that while driving, the rear drive shaft fell off of vehicle.
I had a complete automatic transmission failure at just over 60,000 miles. I contacted dodge and they acted as if it wasn't their problem. Cost me $2000 dollars for a complete rebuild. Then after one month of having transmission redone the air conditioning went and cost me another $800 dollars. I complained again and again was treated as if it were my fault. I have a friend that works for a local dodge dealership and he told me that dodge does know about this problem and are denying it exists because of the large number of recalls that would result. He said they did a study and found out that the transmissions that were installed from '97 until 2000 were to small to handle the payload of the durango. They have since fixed that problem but will not admit to earlier damages to the earlier models. By the way, dodge only charges the dealers $400 dollars for the rebuild kits.
Accident, airbags did not deploy, seat belts didn't work proper. Loss of of control from steering problems. Steering problems on wet roads. Transmission problems, doesn't shift proper, no air condition, can not drive with windows down in back, very hard to control. Car is parked because I am afraid to drive it. Been back to dealer with problem after problem.
Consumer has stated that since she has owned the vehicle all lower ball joints have been replaced once. At this time, all upper ball joints and cv boots need to be replaced as well.
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