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The eBearing News
December 21, 2004
DaimlerChrysler's Dodge Dakota
and Durango Get Long-Awaited Recall
copyright © 2004 eBearing Inc.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation (Germany) announced it is -- reportedly under pressure from the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration -- finally recalling every four-wheel-drive
Dodge Dakota and Dodge Durango truck built from 2000 through 2003. In addition, DaimlerChrysler
will extend ball joint warranties on every 2000-2003 Dakota and Durango.
Almost 593,000 trucks are included in this recall, involving a well-known premature failure issue
with the trucks' front suspension upper ball joints. The NHTSA recall campaign number is 04V596000.
Another 400,000 rear-wheel-drive Dakotas and Durangos are not directly involved in the recall, but will
have their ball joint warranty period extended to 10 years or 100,000 miles.
Critics said the extended rear-wheel-drive warranty amounts to an extension of the "silent recall" already
covering Dakotas and Durangos, and only serves to hides the fact they also fail often. The only
difference is that with an extended warranty, the ball joints are replaced reactively, not proactively.
One factory-certified mechanic told eBearing, "It's the same as a recall, isn't it? The only
difference is, they don't have to go to shareholders with another 400,000 vehicles, and owners
won't be able to get them fixed right until after it happens."
Although DaimlerChrysler has been trying to downplay the widely-reported ball joint issue
for years, it has long been a widely known and recognized problem with the trucks. Owners, the dealer service
body, and aftermarket suspension parts suppliers all are well aware of the extent of the problem.
Even though 1998-1999 and 2000-2003 ball joints are different part numbers from different vendors,
the failures are reportedly equivalent.
Class-action lawsuits were filed long ago over the problem, although DaimlerChrysler still stalled
taking action until this most recent action, resulting from an investigation initiated in 2003.
The Dakota / Durango ball joint failures were
already well-known when CBS News made them the subject of an October 2003 "Eye on America" investigative piece.
• see the CBS News Eye On America video piece
caution: large download may take some time
The nature of this upper ball joint separation is such that it only tends to happen at low speeds -- long
suspension travel movements are needed to separate the joint -- so injuries have been few.
Although informal notifications about the ball joint problems were developing for years,
it took until mid-2003 for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to launch
a formal investigation which later became an Engineering Analysis, which then led to the recall.
NHTSA's summary reads:
IN JULY 2003, ODI OPENED PE03-032 BASED ON 4 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ALLEGING SEPARATION OF AN UPPER BALL
JOINT. COMPLAINTS ALLEGED AN UNEXPECTED COLLAPSE IN THE FRONT END AND IN SOME OCCASIONS THE BALL JOINT
SEPARATION IS ALLEGED TO HAVE RESULTED IN THE WHEEL, BRAKE ROTOR, AND STEERING KNUCKLE SEPARATING FROM THE VEHICLE.
SINCE OPENING THE PE, ODI HAS RECEIVED 23 ADDITIONAL COMPLAINTS RELATED TO BALL JOINT SEPARATION.
DAIMLERCHRYSLER HAS IDENTIFIED A WEAROUT CONCERN IN THE SUBJECT BALL JOINTS THAT IS BELIEVED TO OCCUR
AFTER WATER INTRUSION EVACUATES THE JOINT LUBRICANT. DAIMLERCHRYSLER DOES NOT BELIEVE THE CONDITION POSES AN
UNREASONABLE RISK TO SAFETY BECAUSE THE SUSPENSION DESIGN IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES
THE LIKELIHOOD OF JOINT SEPARATION. OVER 99 PERCENT OF THE FAILURES ARE RELATED TO WORN BALL
JOINTS (E.G., NOISE COMPLAINTS).
DAIMLERCHRYSLER REVISED THE REPAIR PROCEDURE IN AUGUST 2003 TO ALLOW THE UPPER BALL JOINTS TO BE SERVICED
SEPARATELY FROM THE UPPER CONTROL ARM AND REDUCE REPAIR COSTS.
DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHANGED THE SUPPLIER OF THE
SUBJECT BALL JOINTS FROM TRW TO NEW CASTLE MACHINING & FORGE FOR MY 2000 VEHICLES. MY 2000 DURANGO
VEHICLES ACCOUNT FOR 25 OF THE 37 SEPARATION COMPLAINTS. THE UPPER BALL JOINT WAS REDESIGNED IN
MY2003.
THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO FURTHER ASSESS THE ALLEGED DEFECT
IN MY 2000-02 DURANGO VEHICLES.
DaimlerChrysler, in its formal recall notice issued last week, cited moisture infiltration occurring
over time, but real-world and owner reports refute DC's claims.
The text of the recall reads:
Summary:
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE (4X4), IF
MOISTURE LEAKS INTO THE FRONT SUSPENSION UPPER BALL JOINT, EVACUATION OF THE LUBRICANT AND
CORROSION OF THE JOINT MAY CAUSE THE JOINT TO WEAR OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THIS COULD CAUSE
A CLUNKING NOISE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION, WHICH MAY NOT ALWAYS BE HEARD BY THE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.
Consequence:
EXCESSIVE WEAR IN THE UPPER BALL JOINT MAY ALLOW IT TO SEPARATE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS
OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION UPPER BALL JOINTS. THIS SAFETY IMPROVEMENT
CAMPAIGN BEGAN ON DECEMBER 21, 2004. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Notes:
THIS ACTION IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN AND IS NOT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE SAFETY ACT.
DaimlerChrysler saved face by claiming a the recall represents a "safety improvement," rather than a "safety defect."
After eBearing reported the ball joint problem back in December 2003, we received dozens of ball joint
failure reports, most customers logging fewer than 12,000 miles, and in southern and western
states more than the northern states suggested by DaimlerChrysler.
Dakota / Durango owners have often reported as few as 5,000 miles from each set of upper and lower ball
joints, so DaimlerChrysler has had to address the problem. Under warranty reports filed in 2003, the company
admits to replacing at least 17,500 upper ball joints for 1998-up Dakotas and Durangos, including a number from 2003.
DC also said dealers are "often" replacing upper control arms and ball joints, "at no charge on out-of-warranty
vehicles as a goodwill gesture."
In August 2003, DC released a revised upper control arm ball joint which can be replaced without
the need to replace the entire upper control arm and realign the vehicle.
For a long period in 2003 and into 2004, however, Dakota / Durango owners reported dealers were deferring
the approved warranty replacements because the ball joints were regularly on national backorder.
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- by Bruce A. Carr
from individual research,
tips and commercial sources.
Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
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eBearing.com ... for everything that moves™
Entire contents Copyright 1999-2009, eBearing Inc. All rights reserved.
eBearing.com and "... for everything that moves" are registered
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eBearing.com ... for everything that moves™
Entire contents Copyright © 1999-2009, eBearing Inc. All rights reserved.
eBearing.com and "... for everything that moves" are registered trademarks of eBearing Inc.
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