Attention Everyone!!! There is a recall on upper ball joints on 2nd Generation Dakotas. Check your mail, there should be a letter from Chrysler coming soon. The following is an email i received, and i called and confirmed it with chrysler. It is true, here's the info:

WASHINGTON (Dec. 11) - Bowing to pressure from federal safety regulators,
DaimlerChrysler AG said Friday it is recalling 600,000 Dodge Durango SUVs and
Dakota pickup trucks because of a defect that can cause their wheels to fall
off.
The recall affects four-wheel drive vehicles from the 2000-2003 model years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommended the recall
after a 16-month investigation revealed that the vehicles' upper ball joints
could fail. If that happens, the suspension can collapse and a wheel can fall
off.
DaimlerChrysler also is extending the warranty to 10 years or 100,000 miles
on the suspension upper ball joints on an additional 400,000 Durango
front-wheel sport utility vehicles and Dakota front-wheel pickups from model years
2000 to 2003. NHTSA didn't request a recall of the front-wheel versions, but
DaimlerChrysler wanted to include those customers by extending their
warranties, Chrysler Group spokesman Max Gates said.
NHTSA announced a separate recall Friday of 2004 Durangos because a cable
can short-circuit and cause a fire under the hood. There are 71,763 vehicles
involved in that recall.
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On Thursday, after word spread that NHTSA was requesting a recall,
DaimlerChrysler acknowledged a problem with the ball joints but didn't believe it
warranted a safety recall. DaimlerChrysler says there have been no reported
injuries due to the defect that have been substantiated by the company. There also
are no injuries due to ball joint failures listed in NHTSA's files.
Gates said owners would hear noises before a ball joint failed.
The automaker will repair vehicles for free starting next month. It costs
between $750 and $1,200 to replace the ball joint, depending on the dealer and
the area, according to a lawsuit filed against DaimlerChrysler by Durango
owners in North Carolina. DaimlerChrysler said it will reimburse owners who
already paid for the repair.
When NHTSA opened its investigation in July 2003, there were 28 complaints
about upper ball joint failure and five reports of crashes. NHTSA spokeswoman
Liz Neblett couldn't provide updated numbers Friday.
Some Dodge dealers were deluged with calls from worried Durango and Dakota
owners Friday after news media reports of the problem. By afternoon, Ourisman
Dodge in Alexandria, Va., had gotten 20 telephone calls, service manager
Oscar Chavez said. Chavez said he was forwarding calls to DaimlerChrysler.
The frenzy over the Durango offered an unusual glimpse into the auto recall
process. NHTSA often sends letters recommending a recall, but the letters
aren't usually publicized. The agency then works with automakers to determine
when the recall will take place.
In most cases, the recommendation is enough to spark a recall. The agency
has taken automakers to court to force recalls only nine times in its 34-year
history, Neblett said. The last court action that resulted in a recall was in
1979, when NHTSA forced Fiat to recall vehicles because of a rust problem.
DaimlerChrysler recalled the 2002-2003 Durango and Dakota pickups earlier
this year because their windshield wipers were defective. That recall involved
320,188 vehicles.
While a recall of 600,000 vehicles is substantial, it's not the largest in
the industry this year. In March, General Motors Corp. announced it was
recalling nearly 4 million trucks because their tailgates could fall off.