2008 Dodge Dakota Steering Problems

“My father had taken this truck into the dealership multiple times for front end noises. He passed 3 months ago, and the truck became mine. Once I got it, I took it into the shop to have it looked over. They informed me the front suspension was ready to fall out of it at 66k miles. We had the front suspension fixed and it still makes suspicious noises. I believe there are probably more 08's out there that have this problem, so I think the 08 Dakota's should be included in the newest Dodge recall. …”

“The steering completely locked up and would not turn. Intermittently over the past 3 months the power steering would suddenly stop working and the car was extremely hard to steer and control. After twice replacing the rack and pinion and steering pump the situation seemed to improve. Then suddenly, traveling 70 MPH on the freeway, the steering jerked right and when I turned it back to the left it completely locked up and I could not turn the wheels at all, they were locked straight causing us to immediately cross all lanes of the freeway as the road turned forcing us to the center divider.”

“As I start the truck, it kicks when I shift to drive and start to accelerate. I took it to a dealer near me when there was a recall for the rack and pinion and they did not find anything. The truck keeps doing the kick or jumps gears. Maybe the problem is in the cable or the shifter. It keeps doing this to this day and getting worse. Now I have to move the shifter to drive and put it back to park to start the truck. Also the ignition stays on sometimes when the key is removed and this drains the battery. The truck seems to use way to much gas for the driving I do. …”

“My husband was driving his 08 Dodge Dakota less than 2 miles from our home. We live in a very rural area. He was not going more than 35-40 MPH. He lost control of the vehicle due to an incredible amount of shaking in the front end of the truck. Luckily, he was close to a rarely used road and pulled over. It was unusable and had to be towed to the mechanic's shop. Both tie rods had broken along with other parts that were severely worn. We had just had a baby less than two weeks before and we had all ridden in the truck together days before this happened. …”

“Our 2008 Dodge Dakota had two tie rods fail in two months. The truck was fresh out of warranty with approx 63,000 miles. First one tie rod broke, then within two months, the other. No warning, when first tie rod end was replaced, other tie rod was checked,looked ok. New tie rod ends were installed. Both presented dramatic safety issues. The tie rod broke and fell so that there was absolutely no control of the front wheels. By sheer luck, we were not driving 65 MPH down the highway, but in a rural town setting, so we did not crash the truck. …”