NHTSA Complaint #10104192 — 2001 DODGE DURANGO

THE STEERING IN MY 2001 DURANGO HAS BEEN VERY LOOSE AND DIFFICULT TO CONTROL ESPECIALLY OVER ROUGH ROADS SINCE ABOUT 30,000 MILES. ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHEN THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 45,000 MILES ON IT, THERE STARTED TO BE VERY LOUD NOISES COMING FROM THE FRONT WHEELS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED NEW BRAKE PADS BUT NOTHING WAS MENTIONED ABOUT THE BALL JOINTS. I HAD A MECHANIC LOOK AT THE BRAKES AND WAS TOLD THEY WERE FINE, BUT THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS SEEMED UNUSUALLY WORN. WHEN I HEARD OF THE RECALL DECEMBER 10, 2004 FOR THE UPPER BALL JOINTS, I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN TO BE CHECKED. THEY VERIFIED THAT THE UPPER BALL JOINTS WERE "ALMOST GONE" AND REPLACED THEM ACCORDING TO THE RECALL. HOWEVER, THEY THEN INFORMED ME THAT THE LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE JUST AS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED "VERY SOON". I ASKED IF THE VEHICLE WAS STILL JUST AS UNSAFE AS WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN, AND WAS TOLD "YES". MY CONCERN AND QUESTION THEN IS WHY ARE THE LOWER BALL JOINTS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL? DOES IT NOT MAKE SENSE THAT WHEN ONE HALF OF A SUSPENSION'S MOVING PART FAILS, THAT IT PUTS UNDUE STRESS ON THE OPPOSING PART, CAUSING IT TO FAIL AS WELL? ALSO, IF THE REPAIR OF THE UPPER BALL JOINT DID NOT MAKE MY VEHICLE SAFE, THEN WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE RECALL?*AK