I have a 01 Dakota QuadCab and I am getting some sounds from the front end, I am thinking that it may be the ball joints but not completely sure, and when I turn hard left it pops and it kinda embarrassing. Any hints on what to do??? It is going into the shop this week for some minor work so will probably get them to check that out too


DGBACE

 

I had the same problem with my 99 dakota... a loud pop when making a slow turn. It has been perfect since I replaced the ball joints.
~T

 

HEY, I WANTED TO FIND OUT IF ANYBODY KNOWS IF THERE IS A SUSPENSION LIFT FOR THE 00, 4X4 QD CAB. I CAN'T FIND ONE. IF THERE IS NO LIFT, WHAT IS THE OPTION TO GET AT LEAST 35'S ON THE TRUCK, WITHOUT CUTTING THE WHEEL WELL. PLEASE HELP?

 

Ya, my truck doesn't even have 2000 miles on it and sometimes I'll hear a pop when I make a turn...it's only once a week that I hear it.

THink it's the ball joints messing up and should I take it in?

 

well i called the dodge dealer in my area and I asked if there was a recall on the ball joints and they said dodge is looking into it so what I am going to do is probably replace my ball joints and then get dodge to reimburse me my money......hopefully i can do that if they are recalled??


DGBACE

 

i was always under the assumption that they would only pay for it if you went to the dealer.

 

This is the main reason I joined the forum, to see if the ball joints issues is a common problem and it seems to be one. I have a 2002 Dakota Sport Plus with 20 000 miles on it and had this problem since day one. It took me a while to convince the dealer (they could not find anything wrong with it at the beginning) and on my last oil change service I put the truck in reverse and when I applied the brakes the pop was so loud, four guys at the service department jumped up. They changed the ball joints on the left front wheel and last week also the right front hub. This is an improvement, but I still sense something loose on the right front, so they will most probably change the ball joints on the right side, too. Also I pointed out to the service tech that all the bushings in the front suspension were cracking and they will replace them under warranty since this is also a recurring problem. I have a 91 Dakota also, and its bushings are in a better shape!

 

Ya i had 2 ball joints replace on my truck one on each side both upper control arms i have 37000 miles on my truck and love it. They were replaced at 35700 miles

 

Upper ball joints on the Dakotas and Durangos are a problem. What bothers me is, Dodge knows about the problem, but will not do anything to fix it. Even a simple task like designing a new ball joint and make it available for the consumers to buy would be nice. But, Dodge is JUST ignoring the problem. I myself like the Dakota, but I will not buy another Dodge product (I'll go back to my Acura- I only got 230,00+ miles on it and pretty much all original parts, including the clutch). My Dakota needed new ball joints at 42,000 miles, and other little things have gone wrong that I could have ignored if Dodge had addressed the ball joint issue. It seems Dodge would rather wait for something bad to happen or have the government require them to fix a problem, rather than take responsibility to make things better for the consumer.

 

Here is Dodges answer to the problem:


"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.


Sounds like a little like the mafia to me.


For the complete story go to here:



http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/...in589356.shtml