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 2000 Dodge Dakota owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have a 2000 Dodge Dakota. On November 2,2004 while driving on city side streets the front passenger wheel fell off the vehicle. While waiting for a tow truck to arrive, I called the Dodge dealership where I purchased my vehicle and was told this would not be covered under warranty. I had my vechile towed to my mechanic who did most of the repairs (totaling about $1,300). He handed me a box with the ball joints from my vehicle and told me to hang onto them. The upper and lower ball joint on both sides needed to be replaced. The cause of the accident was the upper ball joint losing all it's grease (this is supposed to be a sealed unit!), causing undo stress on the joint until it eventually sheared away from the vehicle. …
2000 Dodge Dakota 4x4. While cresting a hill on a maintained gravel road traveling approximately 30 MPH brakes were applied. Control of vehicle was lost. Vehicle struck berm on right side of road and returned to center of road. Vehicle stopped after sliding about 50 yards to the bottom of a downgrade. Upon exiting vehicle it was found that both front/ left ball joints had failed, causing tire/wheel assy. To buckle underneath vehicle. Damage to stearing components and axle also occured. Chrysler has been contacted and a rep is being sent to inspect the vehicle.
The consumer had the ball joints checked and it was confirmed by the Dodge dealer that they needed to be replaced. There were problems when making sharp turns. Ball joints failed tires fell off. While the consumer was driving the vehicle the ball joints came apart and the many parts were damaged as a result of it. The consumer was told to buy a left inter tie rod end. She has to buy the whole rack pinon . The vehicle dropped to the ground and skidded 215 feet. The steering box broke off the frame.
I was going down the highway, doing about 60 MPH when the right upper ball joint on my 2000 Dodge Dakota failed causing the whole tire assembly to fall off. The truck started to spin across three lanes off traffic, the truck started to turn on its side until it hit the guard rail causing it to Land on the three tires that were left on the truck. After taking the truck to the body shop there was a total of $11,000.00 damage done to the truck, as of right now it is still in the shop getting fixed.
Tl* the contact owns 2000 Dodge Dakota equipped with cooper tires, tire line: futura, tire size: 275/75/r15. The contact stated that the tires were very loud while driving. The contact stated he took the tires to pepboys (7725 w newberry rd, gainesville, fl 32606, [phone]) to be inspected. The contact was informed that the wheel bearings were faulty and needed to be replaced. The tires were not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 235,100.
My 2000 Dodge Dakota would not pass for inspection due to upper ball joints so I had them repaired. When I got my Dodge Dakota back about a week later the lower ball joint on the driver side broke and caused a crash. When the ball joint broke it caused the front of my truck to drop down onto the frame and breaking my axle, bursting my tire and bending a spindle and breaking my shock. I was lucky that I was in the parking lot of where I worked at the time of the accident.
Bad rust issue to areas including front and rear bumber, the entire bed including mounting points, fenders, cab corners and frame. Lost fender flare twice due to rust and almost caused an accident the entire bed slid back and almost fell off and fenders and bumbers are basically rust and need replaced, wheel wells on bed are falling apart causing a safety issue if I haul anything
While driving at 45 MPH the consumer heard a loud bang come from under the vehicle. The consumer saw the wheel from the vehicle roll across the road. The vehicle skidded across the road and ended up in a ditch. The consumer nor the passenger was injured in the accident. A tow truck mechanic informed the consumer that the ball joints collapse on the vehicle.
The right front upper ball joint broke then the front axle broke and caused the wheel to fall off. Causing my husband to lose control of the vehicle and ending up in a 10-12 ft deep ditch with water.
Power steering fails. Lose control of steering at highway speeds after about 1.25 hours. First occurance in August 2002, then October, 2002. Did not drive on highway for extended period until August 2003 - failed again and again on mountain roads, exits, straightaways while passing, gentle curves. November 2002 dealer replaces rack and pinion and bushings at 23,997 miles. August 18, 2003, 31424 miles, dealer replaces column, intermediate shaft and bolt per starline. Sep 3, 2003, 31904 miles, dealer replaces all four control arms - cannot replicate problem as they will not drive the required miles, I'm their test dummy. The knobs for air conditioning also broke at this time - charged to fix this. Manufacturer says to contact dealer, dealer won't drive necessary miles - I still have to check the sep 3 repair to see if it really fixed the problem. …
Related recalls
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Upper ball joint
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.
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.
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 2000 Dodge Dakota?
NHTSA has 282 complaints about the suspension of the 2000 Dodge Dakota, 35% of the model year's 806 complaints. The component named most often is front › control arm › upper ball joint (207 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Dodge Dakota suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-596 (upper ball joint, Dec 21, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2000 Dodge Dakota suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 1 fire and 6 injuries and 2 deaths to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.