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jb
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12/10/2004
11:22:36

Subject: read this about ball joint recall
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check this out. looks like Dodge is finally doing a recall. I wonder if they will re-emburse those of us that replaced wigth aftermarket already.

heres a link to the article

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6692076/



montlyfool
Dodge Dakota
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12/10/2004
11:31:32

RE: read this about ball joint recall
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I called my local Dodge dealer. Unless they get an ok from the head office, nothing will be done unless they are threatened or want to be nice to their customers. He stated to call back on Monday when a decision will be made.



gates
Dodge Dakota
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12/10/2004
11:37:22

RE: read this about ball joint recall
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Agency seeks recall of 600,000 Dodge trucks
Suspension problem seen with Durango, Dakota pickups


The Associated Press
Updated: 9:03 a.m. ET Dec. 10, 2004

WASHINGTON - Federal safety regulators want 600,000 Dodge Durangos and Dakota trucks recalled because their wheels could fall off, but the auto maker doesn’t believe the defect is dangerous, a company spokesman said.


Federal safety regulators have asked DaimlerChrysler AG to recall Durango sport utility vehicles and Dakota pickups from the 2000 to 2003 model years, Chrysler spokesman Max Gates confirmed. He stressed the models haven’t been recalled.

The company is planning to respond to the government’s request early next week, he said Thursday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made the recommendation, first reported by CBS News, after investigating reports of upper ball joint separation on dozens of vehicles. When the upper ball joint separates, the suspension can collapse and the wheel can fall off.

There are reports of several crashes but no injuries due to the issue in NHTSA’s investigation file.

Gates said Chrysler recognizes there is a problem with the upper ball joints, but “we do not think it rises to the level of a safety defect.”

Gates said a vehicle owner would hear noise coming from the vehicle well before the upper ball joint failed. Mechanics also will find out if an upper ball joint needs to be repaired during routine maintenance, Gates said.

Gates said if the upper ball joint fails, it is most likely to happen at low speeds and during turns.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.



DC
Dodge Dakota
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12/10/2004
11:44:36

RE: read this about ball joint recall
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Chrysler
Dodge Dakota
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12/10/2004
11:51:41

RE: read this about ball joint recall
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Four-Wheel Drive Dangers



Dec. 9, 2004





 

















Dangerous Dodges



 









Hundreds of owners contacted CBS complaining of
upper ball joint problems and wheels falling off.  (Photo: CBS)




 









Monique Conrad's 2000 Durango had only 31,000
miles on it when the right front wheel suddenly flew off while she was
driving.  (Photo: CBS)






 















DIG
DEEPER











CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER





 


  • Questions: 1-800-992-1997

     

  • Recalls Inquiries: 1-800-853-1403

     

    RECALL INFORMATION





    Dodge.com

    Chrysler.com

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    Under "Contact Us", click on "I need Recall and Customer
    Satisfaction Notification Information." Enter the last 8 digits
    of the vehicle's Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, to learn
    if there are any uncompleted recalls on your vehicle, that is,
    if there is a recall and your vehicle has not been serviced.




    LINKS






    DodgeDakotas.com
    serves Dodge Dakota truck enthusiasts
    with an interactive site including services such as photographs,
    links, message boards, classified ads, mailing lists and online
    chat rooms.



    NHTSA
    features vehicular information and statistics on safety problems
    and issues, testing results, regulations and standards and
    research and development.












  •  


    (CBS) Two of the most popular vehicles on the road could be dangerous,
    and now the government wants many of them recalled, reports CBS News
    Correspondent Mika Brzezinski
    .



    Six hundred thousand popular vehicles could be recalled if DaimlerChrysler
    complies with the government's demand.



    The recall order covers model years 2000 to 2003 of the 4x4 Dodge Durangos and
    the Dakota pick-up trucks with four-wheel drive.



    The government action highlights a problem first uncovered by CBS News
    more than a year ago.



    "Unfortunately, it could have been a really deadly situation," Monique Conrad,
    a former Dodge Durango owner, told Brzezinski



    Back then, Monique Conrad's 2000 Durango had only 31,000 miles on it when the
    right front wheel suddenly flew off while she was driving.



    "My tire, along with a piece of metal about a foot long, was bouncing across
    this four-lane road," Conrad said.



    Her experience along with similar complaints prompted the government to
    investigate possible premature wear of Dodge Durango upper ball joints — a
    ball and socket attaching the wheel assembly the vehicle.



    Since our

    first report
    , CBS News received hundreds of e-mails, photos and
    calls from viewers around the country like Kate McGeehan-Sawyer from Maine.




    "The wheel just flew out," McGeehan-Sawyer said.



    Tina Czech, from Massachusetts, experienced a similar road trauma: "The wheel
    had completely fallen off," she said.



    And Joyce and John Gosch, truck owners from Pennsylvania, pointed to the
    damage: "This just ripped off," John Gosch said.



    As the complaints piled up, the government expanded its investigation to
    include the Dodge Dakota pick-up truck, which uses the same upper ball joints.
    Dakota owner John Cohron, said his truck looked the same as many others with
    similar tire trouble, after his wheel flew off.



    "So you got out of your truck and what did you see?" Cohron said. "I saw the
    tire and the wheel underneath the front end of the truck."



    According the government, a third of the nearly 2 million vehicles
    investigated had defective upper ball joints. And almost all were produced at
    an Indiana plant. Customers paid up to $1,200 dollars to replace these parts —
    a recall could mean a huge financial hit for DaimlerChrysler.



    "The cost is certainly going to run into hundreds of millions of dollars,"
    said Clarence Ditlow, from the Center for Auto Safety.



    DaimlerChrysler also faces mounting lawsuits like the one filed by David and
    Christina Shaffer. They were on the highway in their Durango with their four
    young children when suddenly they experienced a shock of their life.



    "It seemed like we went into a frenzy of flipping," David Shaffer said.



    Bodies went flying everywhere. Christina — who was pregnant at the time —
    suffered numerous injuries including a broken neck. Doctors were not
    optimistic.



    About the baby, David Shaffer said, "there was no certainty. You know they
    actually came to me and recommended to me to take the baby's life."



    Medical bills forced the family into bankruptcy. And while they consider their
    new baby girl a miracle, the Shaffers say they wish DaimlerChrysler had acted
    sooner.



    "It could have been our whole family gone," Christina Shaffer said.



    In a statement issued late Thursday, DaimlerChrysler maintained that the upper
    ball joints do not pose a safety concern and that owners have substantial
    warning of any problems — like noise or tire wear that would be picked up
    during routine inspections.



    The company says it is reviewing the governments order for a recall and will
    respond next Monday.

     



    ©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.



     






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