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Les McDonald
Dodge Dakota
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11/09/2003
13:07:05
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 Subject: RE: BALL JOINTS
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I have a 2000 Dodge Dakota 4X4 and started to experience this front end popping sound and vibration at only around 13,000 km on the truck. When I fiananced the truck at the end of my lease I got an extended bumper to bumper warantee. Does anyone know if this is covered under warrantee? I'm going to take my truck in soon so if I find out I'll let you know. I'm trying to go there as well armed as possible with postings from this site and any TSB's I can find.
Cheers,
Les McDonald
Mostly happy Dakota Owner
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Brian Curtis
Dodge Dakota
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11/19/2003
18:46:15
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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I have an 00 Dakota with 42k miles, I just started hearing an occasional knocking noise in the front. I took it to a shop and they told me I needed both upper & lower ball joints, for a total of 1019.00. I cant believe they would need replacing this soon. I only have 6 mos. remaining on my lease. Is this something that could last, or do I need them replaced now ? Thanks, Brian.
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Gregory Thoma
Dodge Dakota
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12/06/2003
09:57:32
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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Wow, I can't believe this problem is so widespread. Has anyone bitched to Dodge about it. I've got a 98 2wd Dakota and guess what...BALL JOINTS, $402. Got a friend at work that'll do it for a lot less thank goodness. They wouldn't even align it without having the joints redone. Let me know if anyone has gone straight to Dodge about the problem. I had a 97 Concorde previously and had a lot of front end problems with it too. I think Dodge needs to know. Thanks in advance.
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chief08087
Dodge Dakota
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12/06/2003
17:28:25
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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let me just tell ya i work at a dodge dealership. all the front end parts dont hold up. im always replacing ball joints and racks bushings etc. dodge trucks r junk. trannys r junk motors r weak.
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j-mac
Dodge Dakota
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12/07/2003
00:47:58
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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chief,
i would have to disagree with you that dodge trucks are junk! They are just like any other pc. of equipment- the better you take of them the more relable they are.
Many people just "get in" and drive. 80% of the people i know do nothing to there vehicle (except basic service)until the noisee, clunk whatever is so annoying they have to do somethiing.
Bottom line, "in my opppion" americans dont take pride in our ride like our fore-fathers did!! Yes there is still a small group like us left!!
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chief08087
Dodge Dakota
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12/07/2003
11:02:08
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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u dodge lovers all the same. dont wanna believe that they r junk. there is no preventing the ball joints from going bad cuz all the new stuff doesnt have grease fittings
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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12/08/2003
05:28:18
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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Cheif, ever heard of Moog Problem Solver ball joints for the Gen III Dak's, they have grease zerks.
Too bad DC was too cheap to invest an extra $.20 in the Dak's front suspension to put in greasable ball joints, OR PUT SOME GREASE IN THE SEALED UNITS.
I just finished replacing upper and lowers this eavening and cut the seal off the ball joints. I was shocked when I saw how much grease was in these things. You would expect the joint and seal to be flooded with grease, right? Nope, the joint had a little on it and the seal was about 10% full, there were even dry spots on the seal that never touched grease. No wonder Dodge has problems with the Dak and Durango ball joints.
I guess DC is realy concerned about thier employees and don't want them getting thier hands greasy. Give me a break, pack until the grease oozzzzzzes out and wipe off the excess.
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trialsmm
Dodge Dakota
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12/08/2003
19:46:12
|  RE: BALL JOINTS
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My 2001 Quad is in the shop now. At 34K miles
and poping from new. I decided to take it in for
all the warrentee work. Parts are on order:
uppper and lower ball joint/control arms,
rear bushings. Gas tank sending unit.(gas guage read empty at 1/4 empty). Cold start problem.
Too bad new ball joints last only 30K miles!
And it's NOT just Dodge!!
Mick
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Larry Olson
Dodge Dakota
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12/09/2003
17:00:23
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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I have a 97 Dakota and had the passenger side ball joints replace at about 90K. Now the driver side is going and I am considering doing it myself. Are there special tools involved and what is the difficulty rating for someone who has done shadetree mechanic work for 30 years? Also, can it be done in a day or should I block out more time? Somehow, this doesn't seem like it should be all that hard to do.
Thanks, Larry Olson
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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12/10/2003
19:14:19
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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The ball joints are easy to replace, only special tools you will need are a grinder or drill and drill bit index and a pickle fork to pop the joint loose from the spindle.
I just did mine last week end, it about 4-5 hours to do the uppers and lowers, most of this time was drilling out the 14 rivets. I started with a 1/8 bit, then 5/16, last I think 3/8(probably a little bigger). Take your time and use alot of oil to cool the bits. Drill about 3/4 way through the rivet, pop the head off with a chisle and then pop the center out with a punch. Get new drill bits if yours are old, it makes the job go alot easier. I have heard about people using a grinder to grind the heads off the rivets also, just seemed easier and better to drill the rivets to me, used to drill out rivets building diesel truck trailers in my younger days.
I ran down to the hardware store and bought 6- 1"x7/16 fine thread nuts and bolts for the uppers and 8-1 1/4"x7/16 fine thread nuts and bolts for the lowers. The bolts that came with the ball joints seemes too small for the application, so I went bigger. You will have to oversize drill the control arm and ball joint bolt holes a little bit for 7/16 bolts. Some people use 3/8 bolts which don't require the bolt holes to be enlarged, but there is alot of slop between the bolts and holes going with 3/8 hardware. Locktite the crap out of the bolts and I torqued the 7/16 bolts to 70 ft lb.
When you are doing the job you will notice the sway bar joints are non-greasable also. Since you need to pop the sway bar joints loose to get to one of the rivets on each lower control arms, pull the seal/boots off the sway bar joints and pack them with grease. To pop the sway bar joint loose, double nut the joint away from the spindle and place a larger nut on top of the double nuts, smack it with a hammer and its loose, just don't hit the end of the joint. Take a small screw driver and work the retainer spring off the large end of the boot. After the retainer spring is off, the boot comes right off, clean out the old grease and repack the joint and boot. I think the hardest part was getting the spring back on the boot, that and getting the nut back on the joint bolt, had to put a clamp on the sway bar link and bump stop to put some load on the joint so it wouldn't spin when tightening the nut.
Good luck and sorry for the long post.
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Dave G
Dodge Dakota
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12/12/2003
16:08:39
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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I have a 2000 Dak quad cab, bought it new and it now has almost 60,000 miles on it and it has not been back to the dealer since I bought it. This is one of the best vehicles I have ever owned. It is true too it's not just Dodge I have friends that have had Fords and Chevy's and they have all had front end problems and I think a big part of these parts wearing out so prematurely is the big tires and the way most of us drive these days.
Very Happy Dakota owner, Dave G.
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V-8 Forum
Dodge Dakota
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12/12/2003
18:26:55
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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What do ball joints have to do with a V-8 ?
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Scott B
Dodge Dakota
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12/18/2003
05:02:51
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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Tonight, Thursday 12/18/03, Dan Rather and CBS News will cover the ball joints problem on Dodge Dakotas. Will post any relevant details...
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Louis
Dodge Dakota
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12/18/2003
19:23:08
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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Recalls? I can handle the task, I just don't want to.
30,000 mile '98 Dak
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Steve Y
Dodge Dakota
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12/18/2003
21:47:20
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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I own a 99 4x4 318 70,000 miles. Just replaced upper and lower ball joints, wheel bearings etc.
Parts are expensive. 1st indication was unusual wear on the front tires. Now,,, the ac has gone out.
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Curt
Dodge Dakota
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12/19/2003
12:44:06
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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Check it out...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/18/eveningnews/main589356.shtml
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lloyd hazlett
Dodge Dakota
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12/19/2003
18:12:01
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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I have 87,000kms on my 1999 dakota 4 by 4 and was just told, on the safety check, that the right upper ball joint needs replacing. This will be the 4th time since I bought the vehicle new ; otherwise a nice vehicle but, I will never own another even with 0% financing. We wonder why offshore products are more attractive. It seems awful strange that we can put men in space,develope weapons beyond comprension but, cannnot design a ball joint that will last more than 20,000 kms.
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Scott B
Dodge Dakota
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12/19/2003
21:33:39
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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Thanks to Curt for sharing the CBS News link to the article regarding their investigation of the Dakota ball joint issue. It's interesting to note that the article has a link to this web site.
Here is the text of the article:
Dodge Dakota Draws Fed's Eye
Dec. 18, 2003
Dodge Under Fire
Jon Cohron's Dodge Dakota is out of commission, slumped in a Dodge dealership lot with only three wheels propping it up.
"I went over an incline in the road; truck jerked to the right; I jerked back to the left and slammed on the brakes," says Cohron.
As CBS News Correspondent Mika Brzezinski reports, he got out of the car to find the tire and wheel underneath the front end of the truck.
Cohron just happens to be a metallurgist who specializes in metal failure analysis. He's convinced the upper ball joint on his truck, a critical component of the wheel structure, wore out prematurely.
"It was obvious because the ball joint was rusted and corroded and laying there on top of the wheel," says Cohron.
As CBS News first reported in October, the government is investigating another Dodge vehicle, the Durango, after receiving an unusually high number of complaints of premature wear on the upper ball joints. In some cases, the damage was so extreme that the entire wheel assembly broke off the vehicle.
After our story aired, CBS News was contacted not only by hundreds of Durango owners with similar problems, but many Dakota owners as well.
And now CBS News has learned that the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has received a strikingly similar number of Dakota complaints: complaints that mirror the same trend when NHTSA launched its Durango investigation. The two vehicles use the same upper ball joints.
The lesson, for other people who might own a Dodge Dakota or a Dodge Durango, officials say, is to have your ball joints checked.
It's advice Kathy Reilly already took after seeing CBS' first report. She owns a 2000 Durango and didn't want to take any chances especially with four kids under the age of 6.
"Everything involves my vehicle, and my kids are in it ... the whole time," says Reilly.
She had the upper ball joints checked and sure enough, her mechanic discovered a loose wheel: a sign the upper ball joints were worn out and could fail.
"There's no grease fitting, no way to grease it, so it's metal on metal and the ball and socket wear out and then eventually it pops apart," says mechanic Mickey Hasseck.
Reilly sent the part to Washington for analysis as part of the government's investigation.
Cohron is footing the bill for his damages, too, after DaimlerChrysler stated it would only fix his truck if he signed this contract to keep quiet and not to sue.
"I'm not going to be swept under the rug," says Cohron.
Chrysler says it is conducting its own investigation.
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Braddakota
Dodge Dakota
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12/19/2003
23:01:52
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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I own an '01 Dakota Quad Cab 4X4 V-8. I bought it from a Chrysler Dealer when it had 18,000 miles. After I had it 2 months I noticed the popping sound when I turned. Dealer thought it was in the steering. They replaced some part on the steering but I still noticed the noise. Took it back 3,000 miles later and complained again. That time they said they greased the steering shaft. But that didn't really do anything either. So I gave up on taking it in. Now I here about all these ball join issues and it sounds like my problem. I can't believe the dealer didn't know the ball joints could have been the problem from the beginning? And they are supposed to be a 5 Star Dealer!! What a joke!! I now have 82,000 miles and my heater/AC blower only works on high and it will not switch where it blows from defrost, vents, floor, etc. I've had other issues with the truck too!!! This truck is turning into a money pit!! Only good thing is the tires. I now have 82,000 miles on the original tires. But it is do for new ones!!!!
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Greg Thomas
Dodge Dakota
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12/20/2003
17:05:38
| RE: BALL JOINTS
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Well, with less than 75000 miles I just had the ball joints replaced on my 98 Dakota. However, after reading about the investigation I went to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration website and filed a complaint. I figure the more reports they get the better chances of getting something done. I emailed Daimler-Chrysler directly but only got standard responses such as "you don't qualify for reimbursement" and "there is no recall involving the ball joints on your vehicle". So, I figured I would do what I could to aid in the safety administrations investigation. Just do an internet search for "national highway traffic and safety administration" and it should get you to the right place. Good luck all. I'll write when I get my reimbursement check from Daimler-Chrysler (LOL).
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