Tl* the contact owns a 1997 dodge 1500. While the vehicle was being inspected, the contact was advised by the dealer that the front outer tie rod ends were defective. The dealer repaired the vehicle. The contact stated the tie rods that were replaced by the dealer failed. The dealer advised the contact that since there was no warranty and the contact be liable for the repair. The vehicle was repaired and both of the tie rods failed a third time. The contact spoke with the dealer who offered no assistance. The contact stated the parts needed for a third repair were not available because there was a backlog on ordering the part. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 28,900 and the current mileage was not unknown.
1997 Dodge RAM 1500: ball joint or control arm failure
6 of the 361 complaints about the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
I drove 20 miles to pick up my elderly father to take him out to lunch last friday, the 21st of march, 2008. After we got in my truck, (1997 dodge ram pu 1500), I put in reverse to back out of the parking lot, I heard a hissing sound and realized the air was coming out of my tire. I got out of the truck, the tire was flat and I noticed the tie rod had broken, and dropped down and put a hole in the rim of my tire. If I had been driving 55mph down the highway, we would have been severely injured or worse yet, killed!! It cost me over $350 and I heard someone else say that someone they knew had the same experience. I did not hear anything before to alert me to the fact that anything was wrong with the tie rod. I feel this is a dangerous defect and chrysler should look into this situation-especially since I had no warning. I also had to have my truck towed 20 plus miles to repair shop,(and had to pay the tow bill), had to have someone else drive 20 miles to come and get me and I was without use of my truck for transportation for awhile.
Just had to replace upper ball joints on my 1997 dodge ram 1500 pickup. They have been making popping noised for over a year I just didn't have it checked out. I wrote because I heard of the upper ball joints going out on the durango and dakota. Anyway, I am out & $750.00.
While driving the consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The consumer took the vehicle to the mechanic which informed the consumer that the upper ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak
Had to replace the ball joints on my dodge ram1500 at 50,000 miles, new programs have indicated dodge is having problems with ball joints. I asked doge customer service if this is normal wear, they only said there are no major compaints with ball joints. It appears this maybe a very wide spread problem with dodge.
Clunk in front suspension.tried fixing 14 times.also found crack in weld at control arm bracket and frame.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500?
6 of 361 owner complaints about the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 (2%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 2008.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500
Brake failure 20Headlights 16Transmission failure 12Fuel pump 11ABS 9No deployment 9Stalling 9Fuel smell 8Adaptive cruise 7Check engine light 7Fire or smoke 6Harsh shifting 6Power steering loss 6Slipping 6Pulling 6Grinding brakes 5Tire blowout 5
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