2004 Dodge Dakota

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TURNING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT THE PARTS NEEDED TO BE ORDERED FIRST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND FILED A CLAIM ON THE CONTACTS BEHALF. THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD BECOME STIFF WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY INFORMED THAT THE STEERING MECHANISM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 52,000. UPDATED 06/03/11 *BF UPDATED 06/13/11

MY 2004 DODGE DAKOTA BEGAN HAVING STEERING ISSUES LAST FALL WHICH BECAME INCREASINGLY WORSE OVER THE FOLLOWING WEEKS. THE POWER STEERING SEEMED TO HAVE STOPPED WORKING. WHEN I MADE A TURN IT WAS STIFF, THEN LOOSE, THEN STIFF AGAIN AS YOU CRANKED THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS WOULD CAUSE ME TO APPLY MORE PRESSURE TO TURN THE TRUCK, THEN THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SUDDENLY LOOSEN UP, CAUSING YOU TO SWERVE. THIS CAUSED ME ENOUGH CONCERN ABOUT MY SAFETY THAT I HAD A MECHANIC TAKE A LOOK. HE FIRST THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE POWER STEERING FLUID SO HE FLUSHED OUT THE SYSTEM. PROBLEM PERSISTED. HE THEN REPLACED THE STEERING RACK. JERKY/STIFF STEERING CONTINUED TO OCCUR. AFTER READING ON A DODGE FORUM ABOUT THIS ISSUE HE TRIED THE "TEMPORARY FIX" OF LUBRICATING THE LOWER U-JOINT ON THE INTERMEDIATE ROD AND THIS SEEMS TO HAVE RETURNED THE STEERING TO A NORMAL STATE. HOWEVER, MY MECHANIC FEELS THIS IS A TEMPORARY FIX AND FEELS THE ROD SHOULD BE REPLACED. PREFERABLY WITH A ROD THAT HAS GREASE FITTINGS. APPARENTLY THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL WHICH DODGE IS AWARE OF, BUT HAS FAILED TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER. *TR

MY DAKOTAS STEERING HAS RECENTLY BECOME VERY JERKY. WHILE TURNING THE WHEEL, IT GETS STIFF, LOOSE, STIFF, LOOSE, STIFF, LOOSE IN ONE FULL TURN OF THE WHEEL. THROUGH SEARCHING FORUMS ON THE INTERNET, I DECIDED TO TEST A THEORY THAT IT WAS THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT/ROD AND THE U JOINT ATTACHED TO IT WAS NOT LUBRICATED ENOUGH. AFTER GREASING UP THE JOINT, THE PROBLEM MOMENTARILY STOPPED, BUT THEN RETURNED. THIS JOINT DOES NOT HAVE ANY GREASE FITTINGS AND SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH ONES WITH FITTINGS. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AFTER WINTER COMING INTO THE WARMER WEATHER WHERE THERE WERE A LOT OF PUDDLES WHICH MOST LIKELY GOT ON THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND JOINTS CAUSING IT TO DRY OUT AND CREATE THIS PROBLEM. *TR

THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT WITHTHE UNIVERSAL JOINTS STARTED TIGHTENING UP TO THE POINT WHERE I ALMOST COULDN'T STEER IT THEN WHEN IT LET LOOSE THE STEERING WAS VERY ABRUPT IT STARTED AROUND 100 K MILES AND I UNDERSTAND THINGS WEAR OUT .BUT AREN'T THOSE SUPPOSED TO BE LIFE OF VEHICLE LUBRICATED?????? I LOVE MY TRUCK ITS BEEN WONDERFUL BUT IF SOMEONE THAT WAS NOT AS STRONG AS ME ....AND THIS HAPPENED I HAD THE REPAIR DONE AND IT WAS AONLY AROUND 300-400 BUCKS SO ITS NOT HORRIBLE BUT IT WAS SCARY NOT BEING ABLE TO STEER MY TRUCK.....THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THIS IS COMMON???? HE SEES IT ALOT ON THIS MODEL TRUCK..... I JUST THOUGH THAT I ALSO HAVE A 89 HOINDA CIVIC AND HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING..... *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE ATTEMPTING A TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE CONTACT HAD TO UTILIZE EXTREME BODILY FORCE IN ORDER TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE CONTACT THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO TEMPORARILY REPAIR THE VEHICLE BY LUBRICATING THE UNIVERSAL JOINT. HE STATED HE WOULD HAVE TO SPRAY THE UNIVERSAL JOINT EVERY 1,500 TO 2,000 MILES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 165,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN WHEN THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED WITH CAUTION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE STEERING WHEELS INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. THE FAILURE RESULTED IN PREMATURE WEAR TO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. THE PART WAS ORDERED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE WHICH THERE WAS NO RESOLUTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

MY 2004 DODGE DAKOTA HAS STEERING PROBLEMS. AFTER TAKING IT TO A DODGE DEALER AND LEAVING IT FOR TWO DAYS THEY ARE UNABLE TO TELL ME WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. THE VEHICLE IS VERY HARD TO STEER. FLUID IS NOT LEAKING, I HAVE DAYS THAT THE STEERING IS BETTER THAN OTHER DAYS..BUT FOR THE MOST PART THE STEERING IS GETTING HARDER EVERYDAY. I FEEL THAT IT IS GETTING VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE,YET I CANNOT GET AN ANSWER TO WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET AND THIS FORUM, I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER 2004 DAKOTA OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. INFACT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 2000 TO 2003 DAKOTAS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. YET THE 2004 HAS THE SAME STEERING DESIGN. I THINK THE 2004 DAKOTA SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL. PLEASE HELP!! AS I CAN'T SEEM TO GET ANY ANSWERS TO WHAT IS CAUSING THIS STEERING PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB 4X4 WITH THE MAGNUM ENGINE. IT HAS ROUGHLY 59,000 MILES ON IT. SOMETIME WITHIN THE PAST 3,000 MILES THE STEERING BEGAN TO GET STIFF. IT WAS A GRADUAL THING, SLOWLY GETTING WORSE UNTIL NOW I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IT FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT. THE EXACT SYMPTOMS AT THIS POINT ARE THAT THE STEERING WILL GET STIFF THEN SMOOTH THEN STIFF THEN SMOOTH, DEPENDING ON THE POSITION OF THE WHEEL DURING A TURN. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ONLINE FOR THIS PARTICULAR MODEL AND YEAR, IT IS APPARENTLY EITHER THE UPPER OR LOWER U-JOINT ON THE STEERING COLUMN. I HAVE NOT CONFIRMED THIS, BUT WANTED TO LEND MY WEIGHT TO THE OBVIOUSLY HUGE NUMBER OF DODGE DAKOTA/DURANGO OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR