1999 DODGE DAKOTA Steering Problems

DRIVING TO THE GROCERY STORE ABOUT 30 MPH NEEDING TO BRAKE AND THE FRONT BRAKES WERE GONE. RIGHT FRONT CALIPER BOLT BROKE THREAD AND THE CALIPER CAME OFF THE SPINDLE, STEERING CAUSED MORE GRINDING AND THEN I THOUGHT OF THE EMERGENCY/PARKING BRAKE. I HAVE REPLACED THE SAME SPINDLE BEFORE, BUT PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE NOW OR BEFORE. I CAN';T FIND A USED/NEW SPINDLE TO REPAIR IT AND IT JUST PASSED INSPECTION.

BRAKES CAME APART WHEN APPLIED, NO BRAKE. RATTLE ON ROTORS, PAD DAMAGE. BOLTS THAT GO THROUGH CALIPER STRIPPED THREADS FROM SPINDLE FREEING CALIPER TO BOUNCE ON ROTOR I HAVE REPLACED WITH USED PART ONCE HOPING FOR RECALL, BAD NEWS DUDE!!!

FOUND U-JOINTS ON STEERING SHAFT FAILING. ABLE TO TURN STEERING WHEEL 1/8TH TURN WITH NO RESPONSE FROM VEHICLE. PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 1998 V6 DAKOTA AND A 1998 V8 DAKOTA WITH IDENTICAL PROBLEM. REPLACED THE STEERING SHAFT ON ALL THREE VEHICLES. I UNDERSTAND FORD CROWN VICTORIAS/ MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS/ LINCOLN TOWNCARS HAVE A RECALL FOR A SIMILAR CONDITION ON THEIR STEERING SHAFTS. *TR

I GOT THE '99 DAKOTA ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO AND LIKED IT DROVE PRETTY GOOD EVEN THROUGH THE WEEK WHEN IT WAS ALL SINGLE DIGITS NO PROBLEM. THEN ONCE IT STARTED TO WARM UP INTO THE MID TO HIGH TEENS AND UP TO THEN 60S AND 70 IT WOULD SHAKE AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. IT ALWAYS SEEMED TO START AT ABOUT 45 THEN ONCE THE ENGINE WARMED UP IT WOULD STOP. THAT STOPPED NOW THAT ITS IN THE 80S AND 90S. NOW I BARELY HAVE POWER STEERING AND LOOKING AT IT, IT SEEMS TO BE THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT WHICH LOOKING AT ALL THE COMPLAINTS I'M SURPRISED YOU HAVEN'T LOOKED INTO IT FOR IT TO BE RECALLED BY NOW ALONG WITH THE TIE RODS, BALL JOINTS, ETC. THESE THINGS SEEM TO BE FALLING APART AT THE FRONT. I JUST HOPE NOBODY DIES BEFORE THIS IS FIXED. *JS

1999 DODGE DAKOTA INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT HAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM OF THE JOINTS GOING BAD CAUSING EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE STEERING, DODGE EVEN CAME OUT WITH A NEW VERSION OF THE PART KNOWING THIS WAS DEFECTIVE BUT WONT MAKE IT A RECALL. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM ON ALL YEARS EVEN WITH UNDER 10K MILES! I BELIEVE THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN FOR THE OWNERS AND OTHER PEOPLE ON THE ROAD WITH THESE VEHICLES. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS! THANK YOU. *TR

I OWN A 1999 DODGE DAKOTA V-8 MAGNUM 5.2L, IT ONLY HAS 138,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN I BOUGHT IT IT ONLY HAD 76,600 MILES. IN THAT LITTLE TIME I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS TWICE, AND THE RACK AND PINION, AND THE WATER PUMP, THE THERMOSTAT, THE POWER STEERING PUMP, THE TIE RODS, AND THERE IS SO MUCH MORE WRONG. WHY AM HAVING TO REPLACE THESE THINGS TWICE IN SUCH LITTLE MILEAGE? AFTER READING UP ON IT THROUGH THE INTERNET I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THESE PROBLEMS, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME COMPLAINTS, WHY IS THERE A RECALL ON THE 2000, & 1998 BUT NOT 1999? I AM OUT SO MUCH MONEY AND HAVE ALMOST WRECKED MY TRUCK TWICE BECAUSE OF THESE PROBLEMS, ONCE WITH 6 KIDS IN THE CAR WITH ME AND AGAIN WITH MY 3 KIDS. THIS...

DODGE DAKOTA 1999 NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE BALL JOINT AND STEERING MECHANISMS. *BF THERE WERE ALSO PROBLEMS WITH THE REAR END, TRANSMISSION, ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHTS, POOR ENGINE PERFORMANCE WHICH CONSISTED OF HESITATION AND LOSS OF POWER ESPECIALLY WHEN UNDER A LOAD-GOING UP AND HILL AND SEEMED TO GET WORSE AS THE GAS LEVEL IN THE TANK LOWERED, HARD ABRUPT SHIFTING WHEN IN REVERSE AND PARK TO REVERSE, LOUD RUBBING WHICH WAS INTERMITTENT WHEN MAKING LEFT TURNS AND WHEN STOPPING, THE FRONT WOULD SHAKE, THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE LIGHT WAS NOT VISIBLE ON THE DASH WHEN ACTIVATED AND WOULD ONLY SHOW WHEN THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE WAS ACTIVATED, AND THERE WAS A WOBBLE, FLEXING AND OR VIBRATION THAT WOULD BE PRESENT WHEN BRAKING ALONG WITH A LOOSE FEELING OR WOBBLE WHEN TURNING THE FRONT WHEELS. *SC *JB

I HAVE A 1999 DODGE DAKOTA. THE VEHICLE HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS IN THE BALL JOINTS AS 2000 AND UP VEHILCLES THAT WERE RECALLED. I DO FALL OUT OF THE GUIDE LINES OG THE RECALL MANUFACTOR DATES, THIS TRUCK HAS MANUFACTOR DATE OF 8-98 LAST 8 OF VIN#XS128563. I FEEL THAT I AM CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE DATES OF RECALL AND THE BALL JOINTS USED ON MY TRUCK ARE THE SAME DEFECTIVE ONE USED ON THE RECALLED TRUCKS , AND SHOULKD NOT HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE MY UNSAFE TRUCK FIXED . *AK

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF BRAKES REVEALED BALL JOINTS (LEFT AND RIGHT) NEEDED REPLACEMENT. SECOND OPINION WAS OBTAINED, WITH SAME OPINION WHILE ALSO STATING THAT VEHICLE WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. TRUCK HAS 44,000 MILES ON IT. *NM

FRONT TIRES WERE WEARING UNEVENLY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF UNEVEN WEAR OF THE TIRES. UPON INSPECTION OF THE TIRES DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS/TIE RODS, AND DRAG LINK WERE WORN OUT, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK *NM

EVERY TIME I USED THE LIGHTER THE FUSE WOULD BLOW, MY RADIO WOULD FAIL AND I WOULD HAVE TROUBLES WITH MY WIPERS. I CHECKED ALL FUSES AND DIDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. ALL OF A SUDDEN MY HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT AND ONCE IN A WHILE IF I CLICK MY HIGH BEAMS ON AND OFF THE DRIVING HEADLIGHTS WILL EVENTUALLY COME BACK ON. I WAS IN NORTHERN MAINE AND I LOST MY POWER STEERING. I HAD TO WALK THROUGH THE WOODS TO A CABIN I COULD SEE HAD ITS HOUSE LIGHT ON AND KNOCK ON THE DOOR FOR HELP. ONCE MY TRUCK WAS FREED FROM BEING STUCK I HAD TO DRIVE 3 MILES BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN W/NO POWER STEERING. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE LOCAL DEALER THEY SHOWED ME THAT THERE WAS SOME LONG SILVER ROD LIKE THING, WHICH HAD JUST BROKEN IN HALF!! I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF...

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE SHOCKS THREE TIMES WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR AND TWO OTHER TIMES SINCE. THE BOLTS KEPT BREAKING OFF OF THEM, UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS, INNER AND OUTER TIE RODS AND THE STEERING BOX. I HAVE SPENT APRX $5,000.00 TAKING CARE OF THESE PROBLEMS AND THEY ARE STILL NOT CORRECT.

CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM THE MANUFACTURER FOUR MONTHS AGO AND DEALER STILL DOES NOT HAVE THE PART. CONSUMER CALL EVERY OTHER MONTHS AND DEALER STILLDOES NOT HAVE THE PART. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *MR

VEHCILE WANDERS LEFT TO RIGHT ON DRY ROAD. FRONT END VIBRATES INTERMITENTLY. CONSUMER HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE TO CALL BUT NO CONTACT.*AK ENGINE VALVE FAILED FIVE TIMES. STEERING FAILED THREE TIMES. REAR OIL SEAL IS LEAKING. *YH

NOISE COMING FROM REAR OF STEERING MECHANISM. HAS BEEN IN SHOP SEVERAL TIMES FOR REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT OF SHOCKS, HOW2EVER THE DEALER DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. *AK