NHTSA Complaint #10161841 — 1998 DODGE DURANGO

AFTER PAYING $1500 TO REPLACE THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS ON OUR RECENTLY PURCHASED DURANGO, I DISCOVERED THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE UPPER BALL JOINT FOR DURANGOS. WHEN I INQUIRED WITH DEALER ABOUT A POSSIBLE REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE PARTS RECALLED I WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE RECALL DID NOT APPLY TO OUR VEHICLE YEAR, IT ONLY APPLIED TO 2000-2003 MODEL YEARS. ALTHOUGH OUR 1998 MODEL ENCOUNTERED THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALLED VEHICLES, DAIMLER CHRYSLER WASN'T WILLING TO REIMBURSE OR DO ANYTHING FOR US. I FOUND THIS VERY DISAPPOINTING CONSIDERING THIS IS THE FOURTH DODGE WE'VE OWNED AND CURRENTLY BOTH OUR VEHICLES ARE DODGE MAKES. WITH THE ENORMOUS NUMBER OF DOCUMENTED COMPLAINTS IT SEEMS REASONABLE TO EXPECT THE NHTSA TO DEMAND DAIMLER CHRYSLER RECALL THE 1998 AND 1999 DURANGOS FOR BALL JOINT PROBLEMS AS WELL. *JB