1999 Dodge Dakota

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.

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 NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION BEFORE SEVERAL PEOPLE GET HURT OR WORSE, DIE!!! *TR

1999 DODGE DAKOTA HAD BALL JOINTS AND TIE ROD ENDS REPLACED. NOW THE CONSUMER HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE LINE AND WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT ANY RECALL INFORMATION FOR THIS VEHICLE. *NJ THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE BRAKE LINE LOOKED A LITTLE WORN. WITHIN A WEEK AFTER THE BALL JOINTS AND TIE RODS WERE REPLACED THE BRAKES WENT OUT. THE CONSUMER RETURNED TO HIS MECHANIC AND HAD THE BRAKE LINE REPLACED. *JB

CALIPER BOLTS SEPARATING FROM SPINDLE CAUSING CALIPER TO FALL ON TO BRAKE ROTOR. LOSS OF BRAKING TO WHEEL, DIFFICULTY STEERING VEHICLE. SPINDLE (STEERING KNUCKLE) HAD TO BE DRILLED OUT AND RE TAPPED AND THREADED. HELI COILS (9M) INSTALLED TO HOLD CALIPER BOLTS. NEW CALIPERS AND ROTORS INSTALLED. FURTHER INSPECTION DETERMINED THAT UPPER BALL JOINT FAILED. ALL BALL JOINTS WILL BE REPLACED SINCE THE UPPER ONES ARE NOT SERVICEABLE AND I DO NOT TRUST THE LOWER ONES. THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALLS FOR MODEL YEAR 1999 DAKOTA HOWEVER THERE ARE SEVERAL TSB'S #050399, 0200600 AND SEVERAL THOUSAND COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET. WHY HASN'T THIS SAFETY ISSUE BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE NHTSA? *TR

MY SON ESCAPED DANGER WHEN THE TRANSMISSION/TORQUE CONVERTER OF HIS 1999 DODGE DAKOTA WENT OUT ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. AFTER REPLACING THAT AND HEADING BACK HOME, HIS U JOINTS AND WHEEL BEARINGS WENT OUT ALMOST CAUSING ANOTHER WRECK. THESE WERE ALL REPAIRED. SO FAR $3000 IN REPAIRS IN A MONTH. THEN THE OIL PRESSURE DROPPED TO ZERO AS HE WAS DRIVING. NOW THE OIL PUMP NEEDS REPLACED. ALONG WITH THE TIE END RODS, THE TIMING CHAIN, AND THE SERPENTINE. HE'D ALREADY HAD THE TOTAL BRAKE SYSTEM REPLACED THIS SUMMER. HAVING ALL THE RECEIPTS SHOWING REGULAR OIL CHANGES, THE WARRANTY COMPANY REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE OIL PUMP BECAUSE OF SOME SLUDGE IN THE PUMP. NOW I FIND FROM RESEARCHING ON THE COMPUTER THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN DURANGOS AND DAKOTAS. WE'VE PUT $5000 IN THIS TRUCK IN LESS THAN ONE MONTH. THE MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO ADMIT THE FLAWS IN THIS VEHICLE. THEY HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY HERE. WE ARE JUST GLAD HE WAS NOT INJURED OR KILLED. BUT WE'VE PUT OVER $5000 IN A '99 VEHICLE - WHICH IS UNFAIR WHEN THE PROBLEMS ARE RELATED TO THE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF THE VEHICLE. *NM

99 DODGE DAKOTA STEERING FELT LOOSE AND WANDERED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, I TOOK IT IN FOR A ALIGNMENT, TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS AND 1 TIE ROD WERE WORN PAST SPEC, HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 34000 MILES ON IT!, IS IN MINT SHAPE, AND NEVER DRIVEN OFFROAD. I UNDERSTAND CHRYSLER RECALLED 2000+ UP DAKOTA/DURANGO FOR BALL JOINT PROBLEMS, WHAT ABOUT 97-99 MODELS? SAME VEHICLE/ SAME PROBLEM. CAN YOU SAY RIP-OFF. *NM