NHTSA Complaint #10112182 — 1999 DODGE DURANGO

I PURCHASED MY 1999 DURANGO IN EARLY 2000. SINCE THAT TIME, I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE NUMEROUS PARTS OF THE FRONT END SUSPENSION INCLUDING WHEEL BEARINGS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, RIGHT SIDE HUB ASSEMBLY, BOTH SPINDLES, AND THE ROTORS TWICE. LAST WEEK, I NOTICE THE WHEEL WAS LITERALLY FLOPPING SIDEWAYS WHEN I TURNED. MY DEALER THEN REPLACED THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS ON BOTH SIDES. AFTER THE REPLACEMENT OF THE BALL JOINTS, I DROVE THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED AN EXTREME SHAKING WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, AND A DRAMATIC PULL TO THE RIGHT. MY DEALER EXAMINED THE FRONT END AGAIN, AND AFTER ELIMINATING ALL OTHER POSSIBILITIES FOR THE PROBLEM THEN NOTICE THAT THE FRONT BRACKET WHICH HOLDS THE LOWER CONTROL ARM ON THE RIGHT SIDE WAS FRACTURED. UPON EXAMINING THE BRACKET THEY DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS NO SPOT WELD ON THE BRACKET AND THE TWO SIDE WELDS WERE ONLY ON THE FRAME, BUT NOT THE BRACKET ITSELF. THE BRACKET AND FRAME WERE FRACTURED ALMOST ALL THE WAY AROUND THE FRAME. ACCORDING TO THEIR SERVICE MEN, AND BODY REPAIR STAFF, THE BRACKET APPEARS TO HAVE NEVER BEEN PROPERLY WELDED AT THE MANUFACTURE. SUBSEQUENTLY, I HAVE A VEHICLE, WITH THAT I CANNOT DRIVE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURE DEFECT, WHICH RESULTED IN ME HAVING TO DO NUMEROUS REPAIRS OVER THE 5 YEAR PERIOD I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE, AND PUT MY FAMILY IN SERIOUS DANGER OF A CATASTROPHIC FRONT END FAILURE. *NM