NHTSA Complaint #10096268 — 1997 DODGE DODGE TRUCK

IT WAS REQUESTED THAT DODGE DAKOTA OWNERS LOG INFORMATION AS TO IF THEY HAVE EXCESSIVELY WORN BALL JOINTS AND / OR FAILURES. I AM AN ENGINEER AT AN EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER AND BELIEVE THIS IS A FAILURE DUE TO EXCESSIVE WEAR AT LOW MILEAGE. MY 1997 DAKOTA SLT HAS 70,000 MILES ON IT NOW AND SINCE I DO NOT DRIVE IT MUCH I WAS HOPING THERE WOULD BE RECALL BEFORE IT WAS NECESSARY TO REPLACE THE JOINTS.A NUMBER OF CAB PLASTIC ISSUES WHICH WERE DESIGN CHANGED (YEAR OR TWO LATER) AND NOT RECALLED, MISC ITEMS BREAKING - DRIVERS WINDOW SWITCH PLATE, AUTOMATIC GEAR SELECTOR HANDLE CRACKING, ASH TRY PIVOT POINT (NON-SMOKER - BROKE WHEN I TRIED TO CLEAN IT!). NOT TO MENTION THE 3.9 L ISSUES OF POOR ACCELERATION / RESPONSE DUE TO WHAT IT SOUNDS IS A PRODUCTION TOLERANCE ISSUE WITH THROTTLE POSITION SENSORS. FINALLY THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT POINTS AND CLUTCH FILL TIMES DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE MUCH TIME SPENT ON THEM. THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE GRADING OF THE TRUCK IS HORRIBLE DUE TO NUMEROUS SHIFTS, NO (OR NOT ENOUGH) ANTI-HUNTING TIME FOR HOLDING A DOWNSHIFT. I AM PROVIDING MY INFORMATION AS TO FURTHER ADD TO THE DATABASE OF CONSUMERS THAT FEEL SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THESE POOR DESIGN ISSUES.*AK