Going to a friends house & as I turned on her street I noticed her driving past me going the opposite way. We both put on our brakes and came to a complete stop. I put the vehicle in reverse & started to back up a few feet so I would have enough room to turn around. I heard a giant "clung" & thought "what the heck was that..?" I put the car back into drive and turned my wheels to the left to complete the maneuver. The car was in forward motion traveling 1-2 MPH for appx. 3 seconds when suddenly the nose dipped down & tilted to the left. This brought the vehicle to an instant & abrupt stop. I looked over at my friend & she shrugged her shoulders like "what's going on?" I tried again to go forward but the car wouldn't move. My friend started honked her horn at me- put her hand up indicating "stop" & was shaking her head no no no... I put the car in park & got out to take a look. The right front wheel was normal but the one on the driver's side was completely sideways sitting at an appx. 45 degree angle. (instead of @12 it was like 8 o'clock)the left front "nose" of the vehicle was almost sitting on the ground. It was clear the vehicle could not be driven. Called for a tow truck. When it got there, the tow truck driver said that he has been towing for many years & he had never seen this happen- nor should it have ever happened. He expressed concern stating that had I been traveling at a high rate of speed (I.e., on the freeway) the vehicle would have undoubtedly flipped & rolled and I probably wouldn't be standing there talking to him... It took him quite some time to figure out how to pull the car up onto the car carrier (using the wench) without the wheel snapping off. He ended up using a sledge hammer & wedge to pound this "pizza pan" looking thing under the tire to slide on. It resembled one of those casters you place under the legs to move furniture on.
2001 Dodge Durango suspension complaints
Page 2 of 10: complaints 11 to 40 of 265, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was driving down the road with 2 of my kids.. I started to smell antifreeze going into my car, all of a sudden there was smoke bursting out of my car. We replaced the thermostat 3 different times with in 3 months, the radiator house burst. And no lights came on.. The oil pressure also dropped. Took it to shop to have it fixed, cracked head gaskets and blown motor, now we are with out a car.... Sad because I will never buy another dodge. We were also never notifies about the recall about the ball joints and paid cash for them to be replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. The contact stated that the front passenger's side tire was becoming prematurely worn due to defective tie rods. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who inspected the vehicle and advised that there was excessive wear in the upper and lower ball joints that had separated from the tie rod. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue, who stated there was a recall for the failure but the contact's the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v596000 (suspension). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 124,127. Updated 3/13/13
Upper ball joints clunking noise over every bump.
I had my 2001 dodge durango inspected to get my license plates renewed and was told the ball joints were bad and needed to be replaced.
Multiple replacement needed of upper & lower ball joints, sway bar, currently experiencing front end bed spring noise - sounds like junk, told the front lower ball joint is lose again. Also the heating elements in the front driver;s seat went out -cost to repair over 700.00! Vehicle is a 2001 dodge durango 4 x 4. Only 86,000 miles original owner. This vehicle meticulously maintained and serviced, but despite that constantly having front suspension repairs and brakes.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. An independent mechanic informed the contact that the upper ball joints and swing arms failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the upper ball joints according to the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v596000 (suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint); however, it was discovered that the lower ball joints were also faulty. The failure mileage was 90,000 and current mileage was 130,000.
Vehicle is 2001 dodge durango r/t 5.9. 26,000 miles. Front end ball joints needed replacing. Calipers froze/locked on both front wheels. Overheating occurred twice on front calipers. Needed out of pocket money for repairs. Air conditioning broken.
I bought a 2001 dodge durango at haar toyota. When I went to get a sticker there I watched and the guy didn't check the vehicle thoroughlythat night the passenger tire looked low I kicked the tire and it moved. Brought vehicle to dealer two days later they put a new steering rack and drivers ball joint in vehicle. 5days later I had vehicle checked by my mechanic he said passenger side ball joint was bad. Brought vehicle back to dealer they say it is fine will not fix because nothing wrong. What should I do my warranty is only 30 days of which I have about 1 week left. My contention is that the original sticker should never have passed if performed correctly.
Every year when I go to get my 2001 dodge durango inspected I first have to replace two front tires due to excessive inside wear. Then I get told all 4 ball joints are no good. I have had to replace all 4 ball joints three times in three years while putting only about 20000 miles on this vehicle yearly. It is a 500.00 a month car payment that I am afraid to take my three children in. Why has this vehicle not been dealt with in a harsher manner. The complaints online are numerous and extremely serious in nature. How many people have to die from poor engineering.
My car was squeaking for a couple of weeks and then the wheel fell off and the repair shop had to fix the ball joint and said I needed the other side done too. 2 weeks later I had the other side fixed.
Electric fan,steering;rack and pinion; control arm; lower ball joints, front drive shaft, front bearings. Replaced drive shaft,left wheel bearing. I bought it in 2006 w/125,000 miles. Drive shaft went out at 135,000 and steering at 146,000. I still owe money on it and it sits parked because I cant afford the rest of the repairs.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. While driving at any speed, but mostly during take off, the vehicle makes popping and clunking noises. The dealer stated that the vehicle had been previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v596000 (suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint); however, the contact disagrees. The current mileage was 167,230 and failure mileage was 167,030.
Brake line broke/air bag clock spring/power steering rack/rear suspension,leaf springs/rust.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. The contact received a recall notice in march of 2007 for the front ball joints. She immediately had the vehicle repaired. When she took her vehicle to the dealer for an alignment, they stated that the upper and lower ball joints (which were repaired less than a year ago under recall) needed to be repaired again. She feels that her vehicle was repaired with the same defected component. The vehicle was repaired. The recall number was unknown. The current mileage was 126,000 and failure mileage was 80,000.
When I bought the truck I put on a new set of tires and had the alignment done at a fire stone on 8/16-21/2008. The fire stone told me my ball joints were going out. And they said the good news is that they are under recall. I took it to the dealer they looked up the VIN. # and charged me little over $60.00. In the end they told me that the service was done already and told me the miles that it was done at. At that time I still had 20,000 miles to go before I hit that amount. The shop manager told me that "someone must have put the wrong miles in because we check it and there done that is why we are charging you a fee. So I went to another dealer and asked them. They looked up the VIN.# and said "this service has already been done and if they take it in it will just cost me another $60.00." I contacted chrysler and told them my story and asked them about all the wear and tear that these bad ball joints are causing. They said that the service was done and there is nothing that they can do. 1year later and 1 set of tires, on 5/20/07 I looked myself under the truck and looked for what the fire stone manager told me to look at. Just to find that the service had never been done. The reason I did this, because fire stone would not replace the tires due too poor upkeep. I had moved to pineville la when all this took place. I went in to a dealer there and told them my story and asked if they would look at the pictures that I took. They said yes and they said the service had not been done ,so the check into it and the dealer (west side in illinois had it in the computer as done on there site.) they put in the wrong VIN# . The dealer in la did the recall, but I am out $60.00 , 1 set of tires, cost and work of the lower ball joints (due to upper ball joints going out) and all that time running around. What should I do ? A lawyer cost too much! And now I have the recall on the steering column gear shift blocker.
My vehicle is 6 years old, about 2 months ago I noticed my car began vibrating really badly and my tires were wearing flat on the drivers side. I took my durango to the 76 service station and they inspected my vehicle and I was told that my right front wheel bearing was worn, my front ball joints were worn and the sway bar bushings were worn very badly as well as the upper control arms were bad. I have only seen recalls on the vehicles with 4x4 but I think the 4x2 models need to also be inspected. This is not normal wear for a vehicle only being 6 years old and driven only 14,280 a year. I cant afford to pay the 1500 dollars that was quoted to have it fixed, so now it sits unless it has to be used, because I am afraid that my front tire is going to fall off.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango SUV. There was a loud clicking noise in the front end and the steering wheel pulled. The dealer stated that there was a recall on the ball joints. However, it didn't apply to this vehicle. Also, the front and lower arm ball joints were worn out and could be repaired at cost to the contact. The contact was aware of the safety risk involved and observed related complaints. The current and failure mileage were 50,000.
I bought my 2001 dodge durango sport in november 2000. Over the course of the past six years I have had to have so many repairs and replacements of parts, brakes, tires, electrical fuses & resistors done that I can honestly say that I will never buy another dodge vehicle again. The biggest concerns to me have been around brakes needing replacement three times, upper ball joints replaced due to recall, lower ball joints exhibiting excessive wear as well (but not being able to get daimler/chrysler to fix them because it isn't covered under my warranty or the recall notices) and ABS & brake lights on the dashboard showing up intermittently. I had to have the power steering line replaced completely due to it rusting through and continuously leaking steering fluid. The dealership replaced my steering fluid and told me it would be fine to drive until the part came in. They said they would call me as soon as the part arrived. Two weeks later I had to chase them down to get an answer as to whether or not the part had arrived and was told I would need to wait another week to bring the durango in for repairs. Just recently my check engine light came on, I drove straight to the dealership to ask them to look at it and they asked me if the car was bucking or stalling. I said no and they told me it was nothing to worry about then. I tried to make an appointment, but couldn't even be seen for a week and a half. I asked for a loaner vehicle and they said that chrysler doesn't provide those, but they could certainly get me a rental...why bother buying from a company that doesn't offer even minimal things to their customers?
Dt*: the contact stated while turning the wheel to either side regardless of speed, there was a creaking noise in the steering column. This was accompanied by a vibration in the steering wheel, and the vehicle pulling to the right. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who determined that the upper control arm needed replacement due to wear. There was a the federal safety agency recall # 04v596000, which pertains to the upper ball joint on the front suspension. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.
2001 dodge durango upper ball joints were corroded. *ts the consumer received a recall letter after she had already experienced the failure. With only 64,000 miles on the vehicle, the engine failed.
In the early morning hours of 5/27 the right front lower wheel bearing of my 2001 dodge durango suddenly separated without warning causing the wheel to come loose from the vehicle. The caused the durango to veer to the right and crash into two parked cars. The wheel, axle, bearing, rack and pinion and associated parts are being replaced. Old part will be saved.
Rear leaf springs break and cause vehicle to sway. Possible roll over condition.
Dt*: the contact stated a recall letter was received for the upper ball joints, #04v596000. The contact performed the recall work prior to the recall and sent in the paperwork available. The manufacturer requested the original receipt. The contact did not have a receipt and was denied reimbursement. Also, since purchase, the ABS jerks and the vehicle swerves when stopping at any speed. The dealership determined this was how the vehicle was manufactured and no repair was available.
Dt*: the contact stated there was a rubbing noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. An independent repair shop determined the rear leaf spring broke. The driver side was repaired and then a year later, the passenger side broke and it was repaired.
Dt*: the contact stated while pulling out of a parking lot, the vehicle made a loud pop. The rear end locked up. The vehicle was towed to the contact's house and has not been seen by a mechanic.
Dt: the contact has been experiencing problems with the steering and front end while driving vehicle. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership three times since may 2005. While driving on a two lane road the vehicle started making a noise, then it veered to the left. This resulted in an accident. Upon impact, the air bags did deploy.
Adhering to the recall notice we received on our 2001 dodge durango, we took it in to have the upper ball joints replaced. Three months later we took the car back for its routine oil change. At that time we were told the lower ball joints were now in need of repair. Given the recall on the upper ball joints and the many complaints that have been placed on this subject, we find it hard to believe that this is an unrelated problem. The recall should be modified to include the lower ball joints as well.
I have been with this vehicle in the shop every time you turn around. Currently we were driving down the road and smoke came from the vents. It was a fire which they are still trying to find where the short is. Also the convertor for the air conditioner is bad and had to be replaced. Because of the short the battery was replaced two times because of the burning it up, the spring broke when I hit a bump and my daughters neck was wrenched. Every other day the vehicle won't start, the locks won't work after having them redone by clio chrysler, the windows won't go up and down, the car has a bad steering rack which we reported to you quite some time ago (2 different dealerships evaluated and reported this), the ball joints were bad, the car creaks currently underneath as though it is going to fall in to pieces. The alternator had to be replaced, the sensors all were going bad at different times, so every other day the car won't run. The one cost us a mint in gasoline because the car would just drink the gas and shoot out black smoke. This is a 2000 vehicle from problems dating from day one of purchase. The vehicle.
Dt: the contact states received a recall letter on 8-17-05 regarding the upper ball joint on 2001 dodge durango. She called and set up an appointment, and they told her they do not have any parts because there is a backorder. She thinks the recall should be fixed in a timely manner. She reported having problems with the brakes, and her husband told her this might have something to do with the recall because the front end may be wearing out the brakes. The steering wheel jumped around in her hand when she applied the brakes.
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