Alright guys got a problem and not really sure where to start...
my 99 dakota started squeaking really bad right behind the front tires and my dad tells me the ball joints are wearing out..? if this is true, how much would it be to fix and is there anything else i can do besides ordering new ball joints?

you can hear the noise whenever theres a weight shift with the truck.. uneven road, speed bumb,divet in the road, etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated guys

 

600 or more to have a shop replace the ball joints if they are original because they are riveted on and require more labor.
how many miles 4x4
it could be the control arm bushings sway bar bushings or even body mounts
but ball joints are very common on these trucks to go bad

 

Does the noise stop if you hit the brakes? Normally if the ball joints are worn out you will hear a clunk more than a squeak. I had a squeak in my passenger side and would stop if I was on the brakes or if I was on a smooth road. Found out my one caliper bolt was stripped out(very common on dakotas) it was loose and rubbing on the rotor. I put a heli coil in it and solved my problem. Pull the tire and check to see if your caliper is loose it might be just a simple fix like that.

 

i'd guess its the sway bar bushings...thats what it was for me and I thought my front end was falling apart.

 

ill second "theeplaymaker" statment. mine start this time of year. even does it when my fat a$$ gets in and out of the truck.

 

If you unbolt the ends and grease them you can see if it gets any better. the middle ones you need a deep socket 22mm or something like that, I forget what it is for sure though but its rare to have. If you have it though you can grease them all. I redid them with new poly ones but even those on the ends have dried out and as soon as I greased them the noise went away. I think its because they are right behind the wheels and get a lot of road grim on them.

 

alright thanx guys, ill start tryin narrow down the problem. i guess ill start with the brakes since it sounds like the the simplist thing. Ill let yall know how it goes
Thanks again!