I had taken my 2000 Neon to the dealer to have some warranty work done. When I picked up the car the service rep told me that I needed to have the steering knuckle replaced, which was not covered under the warranty. I asked how much and was quoted a price of "around $400.00". No thank you.

I did some research on this part and it seemed the more research I did, the more confused I got. Steering knuckle, seems obvious, but at this point I have no clue.

Can someone explain the purpose of the steering knuckle and a quessetimate on what it might cost to have replaced?

Thanks for your help.

BTW - First time on the site and it is Great!!!

 

it basically allows your wheel to pivot. you should only have to replace those if its cracked or bent. its an entire cast metal piece. it attaches to your upper and lower ball joint and your hub assembly attaches to it. did dodge actually show you or tell you why it needed to be replaced. i would be careful with them. dodge is known for doing work on things that never needed to be fixed in the first place.

 

Thanks for the reply. Stupid question, Is there only one steering knuckle on the car? I only take my Dodge products ( Caravan and Neon ) to the dealer for warranty repairs for the reasons you mentioned above. All other repairs I take to our local mechanic. When I questioned the dealer about seeing the part, I was told that due to insurance purposes, I was not allowed in the shop. I had the front end inspected by my mechanic and was told that everything was in good shape. When I go over minor bumps or imperfections in the road, there is a lot of noise and the ride is extremely rough. The car has 80k on it so I was thinking that maybe the struts need to be replaced. But when the dealer told me about the steering knuckle having to be replaced, I got nervous and think that the noise and stuff is from the knuckle. Are there any warning signs that this part has to be replaced and would you happen to know what I could expect to pay to have the steering knuckle replaced from a non-dealer shop?

Thanks for your help.

 

all im going to say about that insurance policy is bs. if you were spending 2k on an engine rebuild, the service manager would of given you a grand tour of the bay. now to answer your question. you have 2 steering knuckles. one on the driver side and passenger side. like i said before, thats what lets your wheels pivot. if could find a picture of it i would post it, just so you can see what it looks like. there really isnt much to that knuckle at all. the only reason you should get them replaced is if they are cracked, broken or bent. are you having the problems on one side or both. now since you have that many miles and your saying that it rides rough and its making noises. is there any way you can try and explain what noises its making. is it a high pitch whining noise or a clanking noise when your driving or going over bumps or anything like that. do you notice any noises when you turn the wheel in either direction?

 

I should have asked more questions when the dealer told me about the problem but I just wanted to get out of the service area. The noises are not high pitched noises and you only hear it when you go over a bump or imperfection in the road. I am figuring that maybe the struts are shot and not doing the job they should be doing, I dont know if this is related but when the car is in neutral and you turn the wheel, I can hear and feel a vibration. But when the car is in park, you dont hear or feel that vibration. My thought is that the exhaust hangers are loose. Outside of that, the car is great. Good on gas, good in the snow, starts up the first time everytime.

For some reason when I heard steering knuckle, I figured it was a part that connected the steering column to the front end suspension, a kind of u joint if you will.

Once my daughters go back to college in a few weeks I am going to take the car to the shop and have it looked at. With 80K on the car, I am pretty sure the struts need to be replaced. Am I correct with that assumption?

Thanks for all your help. I am glad I found this site.

Dave

 

yes you are correct with that assumption. now on the neons the shock/strut come as one unit, and i would recommend changing all 4 of them at the same time. also you might want to consider getting all 4 strut mounts replaced as well. normally the shock/strut are replaced at 75k miles. i pulled up the spec while i was at work today. so they are a few thousand miles overdue. now for that other problem. ii dont think its your hangers, if your just feeling it in neutral and not park. it this an automatic transmission or manual. the vibration your feeling, are you noticing it when you turn it one way or is it happening when you turn the wheel both ways? and how longs have you noticed it doing that?

 

It is an automatic and I only feel the vibration when the wheel is turned to the right. I have noticed it for some time. Motor mounts maybe? Does this car have front struts and rear shocks or all they all struts?

Again, thanks for all your help.

Dave

 

Well also with that many miles it could also be the lower control arm bushings. Those things don't last very long and make the wheel sounds like its bottoming out everytime you hit a bump.

 

the shock and strut are one piece and you have 4 on your car. 2 in the front and 2 in the rear. as for the vibration, if your not moving and its only doing that while you have it in neutral, im thinking maybe it could be the power steering pump. ive had to replace mine already because when i would turn it to the left it wouldnt turn like it should and i was feeling a similar vibration. so come to find out, my p/s pump was going bad. so when was the the last time you checked the fluid in p/s pump. as for what smallblockfreak said, he has a point.

 

I wasn't sure if the back were struts or shocks. Would replacing the back set cost the same as replacing the front? As for the vibration, the power steering pump makes sense. I check all the fluids in the car regularly and the p/s has always been full.

As far as the bushings, how much do they cost and is this something that I could do myself?

Thanks.

Dave