To whom it may concern, I own a 2003 Dodge Dakota quad cab slt. And I have run into a lot of problems with this truck that people I know say they had very similar problems with the same make of vehicle. To start with my truck only has about 62,184 miles on it, for a 2003 model truck, that is considered low mileage. The problems I have run into is as follows: Both front wheel hub bearing sets have prematurely failed, in particular, the right front hub tried to lock up on me and almost caused me to loose control of the truck, I have since replaced that hub but still need to replace the left front before it locks up:second is that the steering and suspension system has no provisions for preventative maintenance, I.e. no grease zircs for the ball joints, tie rods, upper and lower control arm bushings, wheel bearings, etc...causing rapid wear and failure:third big issue, I have already replaced all four brake rotors due to warpage. The brake calipers were built with some type of composite plastic pistons that distort due to excessive heat build up in the brakes. Which in turn causes uneven pad contact, that then causes excessive heat, accelerated pad wear, brake fade, rotor warpage, and an awful "squeal" when the brakes are applied. I have noticed that my brand new brake pads are actually cracked now because of a combination of the calipers and the hubs going bad: Fourth issue is that the transmission causes the engine to over "rev" in the highway passing gear especially with the over drive and cruise control on. When you're driving down the highway and you give it a little more gas to get around somebody, the engine RPM's shouldn't go up to sometimes around 7000, that in turn could cause premature engine or transmission failure. I have been in contact with daimler-Chrysler about these concerns but they just keep giving me the run around and not answering my questions. I still have the old parts also.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

There has been a startling number of ball joint failures in the 1998-2003 Dodge Dakota and Dodge durango vehicles. I own a 2003 Dakota, and had an independent mechanic inspect mine. Because my vehicle only had 8500 miles on it at the time, the ball joints checked out ok. It was his estimation that because of the greaseless fitting, however, I could expect the same problem so many other Dakota owners have had in the near future. These parts should last 100,000 miles, but the ones on these Dodge vehicles fail at about 25,000 to 30,000. I have voiced my concerns to Dodge. The person I talked to at their recall center acknowledged the problem and that their was an investigation ongoing at this time, and told me to listen for "clunking" noises in the front end of the vehicle. Of the reports I've seen of failure of the joint, few say there was any warning of this type, however.

- Brandon, MS, USA