Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Dodge Dakota owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Going down the road at 55 MPH and all of a sudden I hit a pothole and the passenger side tire came right off , it is the same problem as the 2000 - 2003's have. We have pictures of it to prove it . The upper and lower ball joints let loose the cv shaft pulled out and the shock got bent. The tire turned on its side while the truck was sliding down the road sideways and I was unable to control how the truck was going. The only thing holding the tire on the truck was the brake line. The tire rim had chunks taken out of it and the tire had wear from being on its side under the frame of the truck while it was sliding. We had to get it flatbedded to the repair shop . …
My truck started to squeak up front over any bumps. My tires were also starting to go bad, even as I rotated them every 3000 miles. Soon the squeak was really bad so I took it to tuffy auto. They gave me an alignment for the tire wear and said that my ball joints were causing the squeak. I replaced the upper ball joints. Then about 1000 miles later I heard a horrible grinding in the front, took it to the dealer. It was a bad wheel bearing, caused by bad ball joints as described by the dealer. Replaced lower ball joints, wheel bearing, and now all 4 tires as they wore badly due to the ball joint problem. Total cost of 800 plus 4 tires at 130 each. I am in college with a baby as well. These costs killed my budget, and now I find out there is a recall on 2000 and up models. What a deal, seems to me the parts were the same on the 97, but no recall on them? …
Ball joint failures: truck failed state inspection due to defective upper and lower ball joints or ball joint and lower control arm. Another ball joint had been replaced the previous year. All defects occurred at about 50,000 miles. This is common problem with Dodge Dakota and Chrysler will not pay for repairs. Problem is well documented on dozens of internet sites, blogs, etc and all mechanics and state inspectors all nod knowingly about the Dodge pickup. This is safety issue and failure of ball joints is not a problem in almost any car except Chrysler products. How do they get away with this safety issue which can cause loss of control and crashes and at under 50,000 miles. It is time NHTSA forces Dodge to recall and reimburse all costs to those already having paid for such repairs. This should be applicable for any year vehicle up to at least 100,000. …
1997 Dodge Dakota club cab 2 wd pickup had excessive tire wear at 25,000 miles so all tires replaced. Tires had been rotated every 7,000 mi. After tire replaced took to Dodge dealer for front end alignment. Dealer refused because they said front ball joints needed replaced costing $900. When asked if this was unusual dealer said no and that ball joints could wear out in 10,000 miles. I called daimler Chrysler to complain and they refused my request for assistance saying no problems of this type have been reported. The truck was never driven off road, never involved in an accident, only driven to work and home within 40 miles of my home. Truck was never abused and I feel the ball joints (and tires) should not have worn out in this small amount of time. I am an engineer and believe there is a design or manufacturing problem that LED to this premature failure. …
Due to poor choice of materials (I assume) the front hub and spindle assembly wears. Leaving front brake slider pins unattached to caliper mounting plate. When this happens, the front caliper wobbles in it's place, possibly ejecting the slidepins because they "wobble" in the knuckle holes designed to retain them. This causes excess wear on the front hub assembly, increased wear in brakes, and stress on the hub bearings. Having read the "alldata" data base, there is a redesigned knuckle with improved slide pin supports. There also is a repair kit involving the usage of "heli-coil" inserts to secure brake pad carrier to spindle assembly. (slide pins) I feel totally unsafe with this arrangement. I prefer to have the re-designed spindle assemblies installed for free by dealer with up-dated part numbers. The dealer wants $1000 per side for the redesigned units. I think this is absurd. …
On feb. 21, 2005, was driving home from work with infant daughter. Realized something was not right and slowed to 2 MPH in 1st gear. Came up on 9% grade with 4 s-type curves. Entered 1st curve at 2 MPH, truck ran off road, could not keep it on road. Got it back on road only to completely lose control and ended up on other side of road in a parking area (stoped sideways). Truck was put on rollback and sent to ramey Dodge (princeton, wv) the next morning. They kept truck until that evening, could not find anything wrong. Parked truck until Friday 2/25/05, father took vehicle to another mechanic to have front end alignment. Was informed the wheels were ready to fall off and truck needed to be taken back to dealership on wrecker. My father drove the truck to princeton where he was told it needed upper and lower ball joints replaced on both sides. They kept my truck for almost a week. …
Transmission failure at 50,000 miles. Transmission began to bog down while driving about 40 MPH. After about 5 minutes it would only go about 5 MPH while reving about 3500 RPM. Paid for tow to Dodge dealer in hampton va for analysis and repair. Tow operator remarked almost all Dodge dakotas towed for tranny work ended up costing $2300-$2900 for a replacement. I was lucky and only had to replace all pressure regulating valves for about $670 (funny how they all went bad at the same time but I would not argue the point since the parts were cheap compared to doing it over in a few months). Dealer indicated this was a years old problem which was common to replace these transmissions and that my $600 repair was not guaranteed to prevent total failure. Dodge has not agreed to any recall to fix but should do this. Therefore, I will never own another Dodge or Chrysler of any sort. …
Tl contact owns a 1997 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the vehicle shifts out of gear when the 4 wheel drive feature is activated. The failure began since the time the vehicle was purchased. He called the dealer, but became ill and was unable to return the vehicle for repair before the thirty day warranty expired. The vehicle received a new state inspection in spite of the brake and ball joint issues. The contact stated that the 4 wheel drive feature disengages while driving and the upper and lower ball joints were completely worn, making the vehicle difficult to steer. The wheel hub was replaced and there was no brake lining on the rear axle. The brake cables were replaced as well. The VIN, engine size, and purchase date were unknown. The current mileage is 116,000 and failure mileage was 108,000.
We had to replace the ball joints on our '97 Dodge Dakota after 49,000 miles because it became dangerous to drive our truck. This also affected the wear of our tires which we had to replace at the same time. Also, the brakes have never worked right, they were replaced at just over 30,000 miles. We would like to be reimbursed for the defective ball joints we had replaced. Ideally, we'd like to also be compensated for the premature wear on the tires, but realize that might be asking too much. How do we find out how to become part of the class action suit against daimler-Chrysler? (it was still Dodge when we bought the Dakota) fortunately, my husband was aware of the danger the ball joints created and we had them replaced before an accident occurred. Help! Thanks for your time.
I own a 1997 Dodge Dakota sport pickup. It is a 4x4 with a 318cid engine and auto. Trans. At about 35,000 miles, during a front end alignment, I had to replace the left upper ball joint. Having 25 years auto experience myself, this part was definitely bad and I replaced the whole upper control arm, as the ball joint alone was not available. Currently, at 84,000 miles, both lower ball joints are bad and have been replaced. This vehicle is not used much in off road conditions and then only on paved roads. This is premature part failure and a serious safety issue, as I drive at or above the poisted speed limits in my travels. Total failure of these parts would result in loss of control and an accident.
NHTSA investigations
Upper ball joint separation
Daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) is recalling the target population of approximately 600,000 my 2000 through 2003 durango and dakota vehicles with four-wheel drive to replace the front suspension upper ball joints with redesigned parts that do not have the joint integrity concerns and have substantially improved joint retention capacity (NHTSA recall no.
Suspension complaints in other Dakota years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1997 Dodge Dakota?
NHTSA has 142 complaints about the suspension of the 1997 Dodge Dakota, 32% of the model year's 446 complaints. The component named most often is front › control arm › upper ball joint (82 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Dodge Dakota suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 1997 Dodge Dakota, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Dodge Dakota suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.