1998 Dodge Dakota Suspension Problems
Owners have filed 217 complaints with NHTSA about suspension problems on the 1998 Dodge Dakota, 40% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 62,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “ball joints” (70% of reports).
- 217suspension complaints
- 62,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,650typical repair cost reported by owners
- 19%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Ball joints: mentioned in 152 of 217 complaints (70%)
- Upper lower: mentioned in 50 of 217 complaints (23%)
- Front end: mentioned in 41 of 217 complaints (19%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical suspension repair on the 1998 Dodge Dakota at $1,650, and half of them between $1,300 and $2,650.
Based on 9 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (1999–2006), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do suspension problems happen?
Based on 133 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 217 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Dodge Dakota suspension complaints by model year
| Model year | Suspension complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Dakota | 1 | 2% | 60,500 |
| 2010 Dakota | 2 | 6% | 44,200 |
| 2008 Dakota | 5 | 5% | 67,171 |
| 2007 Dakota | 13 | 9% | 47,000 |
| 2006 Dakota | 25 | 9% | 47,000 |
| 2005 Dakota | 51 | 11% | 45,000 |
| 2004 Dakota | 45 | 22% | 32,047 |
| 2003 Dakota | 100 | 34% | 34,900 |
| 2002 Dakota | 226 | 33% | 35,000 |
| 2001 Dakota | 236 | 35% | 46,129 |
| 2000 Dakota | 282 | 35% | 50,000 |
| 1999 Dakota | 342 | 53% | 55,500 |
| 1998 Dakota | 217 | 40% | 62,000 |
| 1997 Dakota | 142 | 32% | 62,000 |
| 1996 Dakota | 12 | 6% | 45,000 |
| 1995 Dakota | 17 | 8% | 21,794 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists suspension for the 1998 Dodge Dakota. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
This car has been a safety nightmare. From steel brake lines rusting through (and the vehicle losing it brakes), to upper ball joints almost separating to steering wheel drive shafts where the u-joints almost separated. These are not items that should fail like this. I spent part of my career…
Cant get info...how too make any one fix recalled parts. *tr
My tires have been wearing on the outside for over a year now, i had the truck looked at and all ball joint uppers and lowers are bad. This truck only has 90,000 miles and has been driven to and from work for the last 5 1/2 years that i have owned it. The front passenger side is ready to give way…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Dodge Dakotas have suspension problems?
No. NHTSA has 217 owner complaints about suspension for the 1998 Dodge Dakota (40% of the 545 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Dodge Dakota suspension?
No recall currently lists suspension for this vehicle.
At what mileage do suspension problems start?
The median reported mileage is 62,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix suspension problems on the 1998 Dodge Dakota?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,650 (half paid between $1,300 and $2,650), from 9 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about suspension problems on the 1998 Dodge Dakota?
The most frequent phrase is “ball joints”, in 152 of 217 complaints, followed by “upper lower” (50).
Other 1998 Dodge Dakota problems
See all 1998 Dodge Dakota problems or suspension problems across all Dakota years.